The practice of anointing the sick
with oil is in accordance with the teachings of God preached by the
apostles: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the
church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord
will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
(Js. 5:14-15, New King James Version)
It is important to bear in mind that it is not the oil which will cure
the sick. Instead, Apostle James declared, "the prayer of faith will
save the sick." And as our Lord Jesus Christ once taught, faith can move
mountains (Mt. 17:20). Thus, whatever sickness or disease a person is
afflicted with, if he believes that he will be cured from his sickness,
then he would be healed:
"Praise the LORD, my soul, and do not forget how kind he is. He
forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases." (Ps. 103:2-3, Today's English Version)
We are not against physicians or anyone consulting a physician, whether
it is before or after the anointing of oil, for that matter. In fact,
our Lord Jesus Christ stated, thus:
"When Jesus heard this, he told them, 'Healthy people don't need a doctor - sick people do.'.. (Mk. 2:17, New Living Translation)
We encourage every true Christians, to always consult a physician with
matters concerning health and nutrition. However, we should not follow
the example of King Asa. When he became sick, he depended solely on the
help of the physicians and neglected to seek help of the Lord (II Chron.
16:12). We believe that physicians are instrument of God, the ultimate
healer.