The verse highlights that confession is for "one another" – a mutual act of humility and vulnerability, not a one-way street to a priest. This shared openness is the soil where genuine prayer for healing can take root and flourish.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following Jesus' teaching on oaths, James shifts to the importance of prayer, especially in times of sickness and sin. He encourages believers to confess their failings to one another and to pray for each other's healing, emphasizing that the earnest prayer of a righteous person holds significant power. This mutual support and reliance on prayer are presented as vital for the community's spiritual and physical well-being, leading into the powerful example of Elijah's prayer.
James calls for us to confess our faults 'to one another.' What does this really mean, and why is it so crucial for healing?
James uses the Greek word 'exomologeisthe,' which implies a full, frank, and open declaration. It's not just a quick 'oops, my bad,' but a deep acknowledgement of our wrongdoings.
Why Confess?
This isn't about a mandatory confession to a religious official, but about genuine, open sharing within the community of believers, fostering accountability and mutual care.
James declares that 'the prayer of a righteous person has great power.' What makes a prayer so potent, and who qualifies as 'righteous'?
The passage emphasizes that the efficacy of prayer isn't tied to status, eloquence, or even the length of the prayer. Instead, it’s rooted in the character of the person praying and the nature of the prayer itself.
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What Makes Prayer Powerful?
This isn't about earning God's favor, but about the incredible privilege of a believer, united with God's Spirit, bringing requests before the Father and seeing His power at work.
Understand the original words
exomologeō · Greek Verb
The act of acknowledging or declaring faults, whether to God or fellow believers, as part of the process of repentance, accountability, and restoration in the community of faith.
hamartia · Greek Noun
An offense against God's law or moral character; a state of missing the mark of divine holiness, which requires repentance and forgiveness.
proseuchomai · Greek Verb
To make a request, intercession, or petition to God; a fundamental act of humble dependence upon divine intervention and communion.
iaomai · Greek Verb
Restoration to soundness, wholeness, or wellness, whether physical, spiritual, or relational, often associated with the grace of God and the ministry of the church.
dikaios · Greek Adjective
One who is in right standing with God through faith; a person whose life conforms to the character and requirements of God's law.
energeō · Greek Verb
The dynamic energy, effectiveness, or active capacity to produce a desired result, especially when describing the work of God or the operation of divine power in the believer.
This passage echoes James's call for confession by stating that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive us, directly supporting the idea that confession leads to cleansing and healing.
Proverbs 28:13This proverb links covering up transgressions with a lack of prosperity, while confessing and forsaking them leads to mercy, mirroring James's emphasis on the positive outcomes of admitting wrongdoings.
Matthew 18:15-20Jesus teaches a process for addressing wrongdoing within the community, which includes private confrontation and, if necessary, bringing the matter before the church, highlighting the communal aspect of dealing with sin and seeking restoration, similar to James's 'one to another' approach.
Luke 18:9-14The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector powerfully contrasts self-righteousness with humble confession, showing that it is the one who confesses his sin with a broken heart who is justified, underscoring the importance of humility and genuine confession before God.
Galatians 6:2Paul's instruction to 'bear one another's burdens' directly relates to the spirit of James 5:16, suggesting that mutual support, which includes praying for one another and helping carry their struggles, is a vital part of Christian community life.
ellicottJames 5:16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
(16) Confess your faults one to another. —The meaning attributed to the words of this verse by many devout Catholics cannot be established either from the opinion of antiquity, or a critical examination of the Greek text according to modern schools. “We have,” observes Alford, “ a general injunction arising out of a circumstance necess…
barnesJames 5:16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Confess your faults one to another - This seems primarily to refer to those who were sick, since it is added, "that ye may be healed." The fair interpretation is, that it might be supposed that such confession would contribute to a restoration to health. The case supposed all along here (see James 5:15 ) is, that the sickness referred…
The verse highlights that confession is for "one another" – a mutual act of humility and vulnerability, not a one-way street to a priest. This shared openness is the soil where genuine prayer for healing can take root and flourish.
Following Jesus' teaching on oaths, James shifts to the importance of prayer, especially in times of sickness and sin. He encourages believers to confess their failings to one another and to pray for each other's healing, emphasizing that the earnest prayer of a righteous person holds significant power. This mutual support and reliance on prayer are presented as vital for the community's spiritual and physical well-being, leading into the powerful example of Elijah's prayer.
Following Jesus' teaching on oaths, James shifts to the importance of prayer, especially in times of sickness and sin. He encourages believers to confess their failings to one another and to pray for each other's healing, emphasizing that the earnest prayer of a righteous person holds significant power. This mutual support and reliance on prayer are presented as vital for the community's spiritual and physical well-being, leading into the powerful example of Elijah's prayer.
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it migh…" — The verse highlights that confession is for "one another" – a mutual act of humility and vulnerability, not a one-way street to a priest. This shared openness is the soil where genuine prayer for hea…
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Last reviewed October 2026
