FAQ ID # 2601 - Where does the practice of anointing with oil, especially before prayer, come from? Upon what Scripture is it based?

FAQ ID # 2601

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Question / Issue

Where does the practice of anointing with oil, especially before prayer, come from? Upon what Scripture is it based?

Answer / Solution

James 5:14

14 Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
NIV

Oil is simply a picture of the Holy Spirit in scripture. It pictures a setting apart for something specific in this case prayer for the sick.

ANOINTING

In the New Testament, anointing was frequently used in connection with healing. The Holy Spirit's activities in a believer's life are pictured in terms associated with anointing. Jesus' disciples anointed the sick (Mark 6:13), and James instructed the elders of the church to anoint the sick with oil (James 5:14). This anointing was for the purpose of healing.
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

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