What does “healed” refer to in James 5:16?
Prayer for the Spiritually Sick
James 5:13-16 (NET Bible)
13 "Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good
spirits? He should sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you ill? He should
summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and
anoint him with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer
of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him
up—and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 So confess
your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness."
Treatment of spiritual sickness experienced by a member of the Christian congregation is considered at James 5:13-20. The context, which contrasts being sick with being in good spirits, shows that James was dealing, not with physical illness, but with spiritual sickness .By approaching the warm hearted and spiritually strong elders,their Bible counsel and prayer with him, will be comforting to anyone being truly repentant.
Concerning remedial steps and their effectiveness, James wrote:
13 "Is anyone among you suffering?(spiritually) He should pray. Is
anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you
ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray
for him and anoint him with olive oil in the name of the Lord.15
"And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord
will raise him up—and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.[b
Psalm 145:1]
Psalm 145:1 NET.[b- olive oil] "May the godly strike me in love
and correct me. May my head not refuse[a] choice oil.[b]Indeed, my
prayer is a witness against their evil deeds."
The fact that James encourages confession of sins with the hope of being healed, proves conclusively that he was referring to spiritual sickness:
James continues:
16 So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so
that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great
effectiveness."
The "righteous person" could be older men or elders of the congregation that will assist the spiritually sick person gain God's favor. This is provided the spiritually sick person responds , and repents from his sinful course.
Galatians 6:1 (NASB)
Bear One Another’s Burdens
6 "Brethren, even if [a]anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted."