The prayer of faith

What does James mean by the "prayer of faith"? Short answer: we don't know for sure since James doesn't explicitly define his terms. 

i) Some people take this to mean you (the elders) know in advance that God will answer your prayer. 

One question is whether that's a realistic interpretation. Did James think God always healed the sick whenever the elders anointed them with oil and prayed with them? Was that his experience?

Is James predicting or promising that whenever elders do this, the sick will be healed? If so, that's a problem, since that correlation isn't borne out in reality. 

ii) Some might object to using experience to interpret his statement, but that's not inherently invalid. James intends his statement to apply to a real-world situation. And, presumably, this isn't just an abstract hypothetical case. So asking whether a particular interpretation would correspond to his own experience or those of his readers isn't out-of-bounds. 

iii) Perhaps is James using general, unqualified language with the unstated understanding that this isn't always (or even normally) the case. Just a chapter before, James warned his readers against a presumptuous attitude about the future (4:13-15). So when he gets around the "prayer of faith," it may assume that implicit caveat.

Indeed, in this very passage, James implies that illness is sometimes (not always) the result of unconfessed sin (v15b-16). In that event, healing would not be automatic, absent contrition. 

iv) By the "prayer of faith," James could simply mean the elders are men of faith. That's a qualification for Christian eldership. They believe in God. Trust in God. Live by faith in his promises. And living by prayer is one example of living by faith. When they pray, that's an expression of their faith. Not a special kind of faith, but just garden-variety faith, like prayer generally. 

That's confirmed by the parallel he himself draws with the prayers of the righteous, using Elijah as his role model (vv16b-18). Elijah was not a man of unwavering faith. He could be shaken by self-doubt. Yet he was a righteous man. And he had persevering faith, even if it faltered from time to time. 

v) Some people think this refers to "expectant faith." Pray, believing that God will heal the sick. 

Problem is, unless you foreknow that God will heal the patient in question, expectant faith is make-believe or wishful thinking. You pray as if you know that God will answer your prayer, even though you don't actually know that, and, in fact, you know that sometimes God won't respond in kind.  

Does God require us to believe something will happen when that belief is unjustified? Does God make as a condition of answered prayer believing something we don't know to be the case–something which, in fact, we already know will not be the case in some instances? 

vi) Suppose, though, there are times when God gives a Christian a sense of prior confidence about the outcome. Assuming that's the case, then on those occasions you could pray, believing that God will do what you ask. But that would be exceptional. The rest of the time you'd have to pray without that firm anticipation. 

vii) To take a possible comparison, Paul says "Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith" (Rom 12:6). This invites two different interpretations:

a ) Paul is using "faith" in the objective sense. Test prophecy according to the rule of faith. Revealed doctrine is the standard by which to measure prophetic claims.

b) Paul is using "faith" in the subjective sense. Exercising your gift commensurate with the degree of faith God has given you. How much faith you have, the kind of faith you have, is proportionate to God's grace. 

Both interpretations are defensible. But assuming that (b) is correct, and that's a reasonable interpretation, then James may have in mind the same thing. The "prayer of faith" depends on how much faith God has given you. Your level of faith may vary from one occasion to another. Or one Christian's faith may vary in relation to another Christian's faith. 

There might be extraordinary occasions when God gives a Christian "mountain-moving" faith. Absolute certainty about the outcome. But that's not something we can count on. That's not something we have any direct control over. If you have it, use it–but don't presume it. Don't fake it. Pray according to the measure of faith you've been given in any particular situation. Don't be self-conscious about your faith when you pray. Just pray. 

In addition, certitude can be delusive. The fact that you're sure of something doesn't make it true–as many people find out…the hard way.