Study 13
“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's”
(Psalm 103:3-5)
Introduction
So-called healing ministries have become big business in the church. It seems that Tetzel is once again promising deliverance, not from the fires of purgatory, but from sickness and disease if just the right amount of money is deposited in the ministry’s coffers. Though the blessing of healing is misrepresented, it is important that we understand what the Bible actually says about this subject, and if healing is a part of the atonement or not.
Can all be healed?
To answer this question we must ask two questions; “Can all be saved?” The answer is obviously yes because God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). If this is true, why isn’t everyone saved? If it is God’s will for all to be saved the problem must lie in man’s will, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). It all boils down to personal faith in Christ, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Unbelievers and doubters receive nothing from God (James 1:7). By applying the same questions to healing we must end up with exactly the same conclusions.
We seek to prove in this study that salvation and healing are part of the atonement. That few actually come to Christ in no way undermines the provision made through His blood. The same reasoning holds true for healing.
Prophetically announced
The prophet Isaiah spoke prophetically about the provision of healing in the atonement, “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). Though this text largely deals with salvation it does apply itself to bodily healing. Matthew translates this verse in his gospel as follows: “When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16-17).
Healing part of the atonement
When Jesus was reprimanded by the Scribes for saying He was able to forgive sins, He replied, “Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?” What happened next proved that He had the power to do both, “But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (He saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion” (Mark
2:8-12). There are still those who fail to grasp that Jesus can save and heal. Since He can do the greater work of salvation can we not accept that He can do the lesser?
We should note that Jesus did not die on the cross to heal diseases. If this were the case everyone coming for salvation should be instantly healed. Nevertheless it is part of the overall atoning work of Christ, for the atonement results from His life as well as His death. 1 Peter 2:24, “By whose stripes ye were healed” deals with sin rather than physical healing just as the context reveals. Healing for the body has always been an intervention of God’s mercy and grace.
The church and sickness
Christians are not immune from illness since we live in a fallen world (Romans 8:18-25). There is nothing wrong with taking medication or undergoing surgery if we get sick, for most illnesses are a result of living in the natural world (1 Timothy 5:23). The great hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, was blind but she never gave up her faith in Christ, because she understood that her blindness was not a result of sin. She wrote:
O what a happy soul am I!
Although I cannot see
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don't.
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't.
Not all sicknesses come from Satan or contrary to the will of God. If this were so there would be no divine chastisement for God's children. Deuteronomy 32:39, 7:15; 28:60, 30:19-20, 32:45; Exodus15:26 all teach that God can afflict the people for chastisement even though He does not want to. Some sickness, amongst believers, is caused by persistent and wilful sin (Psalm 38:3). 1 Corinthians 11:30 reminds us that partaking of the Lord’s table unworthily can bring illness and even death, therefore, no wonder James writes, “Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 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” (James 5:14-16). The fact is that most Christians call on the doctor before they call on the Lord!
God has not changed
“If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). No one is turned away who come to Christ for help. Both salvation and healing are available for those who come in faith. It is we who have changed when things go wrong, not God (Hebrews 13:8).We do not know all the personal details why some do not get healed, just as we do not know what keeps our unsaved family and friends from accepting Christ, but we do believe that the problem is with man and this fallen world rather than God.
Conclusion
Throughout Bible history we find God saving and healing people. We believe that He is just as able today as He was back then. We must submit ourselves to His will, whether in health or sickness.
Page created 19 November 2005