Who is the righteous person? This is where it gets a little more complicated, though in one sense again the answer is obvious: those who are united to Christ by faith are counted righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). Those who are righteous in Christ can be confident that God will be more inclined to grant their requests. 

When we ask about the effectiveness of people’s prayers, we are asking whether God is more inclined to answer them, in the sense of responding positively. That is, we want to know if God is more likely to give certain people, such as our pastors or elders, what they ask for in prayer.

In one sense, the answer to this question is obvious. Yes, God is more likely to give certain people what they ask for in prayer. James tells us as much: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

The question then becomes, Who is the righteous person? This is where it gets a little more complicated, though in one sense again the answer is obvious: those who are united to Christ by faith are counted righteous (2 Cor. 5:21). Those who are righteous in Christ can be confident that God will be more inclined to grant their requests. The whole of James 5:16 seems to bear this out: “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.” The implication is that those who are praying for one another in the first half of the verse—that is, James’ Christian readers—are synonymous with the “righteous person” of the second half of the verse.

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