PREFACE
It always amazes me how childish we can all be at times. We seem compelled at times to prove we are the greatest and everyone else is the worst. In the world of religion this leads to the evolution of all kinds of doctrine and philosophy. Some of it is extremely complex and yet has the simplistic purpose of boosting one's pride at the expense of other's. In the realm of healing, this means elaborate doctrines and teachings to show God healing us and not our enemies. Let's examine the subject of Divine Healing with the purpose of cutting past all of the myths and tradition to discover what the Bible teaches.
I think it is important to base our teaching on what God says through the Holy Scriptures, not on our experience, or on our feelings. This is what it means in:
REV 22:18-19: "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book."
Many measure their stature in the sight of God by the state of their health. Some tell the sick that their suffering is a result of their sin. Others even shun the sick in the time of their greatest need. To do God's will and to really be of help to one another, we need to know God's will on this subject.
AS WE PROCEED, WE WILL EXAMINE THESE QUESTIONS:
1. Does God heal people today?
2. Does God heal only by miracle or does He use doctors and "natural" means?
3. Do some people have the "Gift of Healing?"
4. Is sickness is a result of sin?
5. Did Divine Healing pass away with the apostles?
6. Is it always God's will to heal us?
7. Is healing guaranteed, under certain conditions?
8. Are there are conditions to be met in order to be healed?
9. Does healing depend on the faith of the sick one?
10. Does salvation and obedience bring immunity from sickness?
11. Should we anoint the sick with oil?
12. Should we trust God for healing, or use medicine?
13. Should we use "anointed clothes?"
14. What was Paul's "Thorn in the flesh?"
15. What should we do when someone is sick?
QUESTION 1: DOES GOD HEAL PEOPLE TODAY?
Let's start to answer that question by examining what Jesus did when he was here in the flesh.
MAT 4:23, "And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people."
I am assuming the reader believes the Bible is an accurate and trustworthy record inspired by God. That is the basis from which I am writing this. Therefore, we should agree that Jesus performed miracles and healed all who came to him.
Jesus even used this as proof that His ministry was from God. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to see if Jesus really was the Messiah, Jesus responded as in:
MAT 11:4-5: "And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."
JOHN 9:32-33, "Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing."
Of course every Bible student knows this verse:
HEB 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever."
Did Jesus quit caring about our physical suffering after He became our High Priest? I think not.
In Paul's writing, he still spoke about the Holy Spirit giving Gifts of Healing long after Jesus had went back to heaven.
1 COR 12:9, "to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit."
When Jesus sent forth His disciples, He sent them to perform healing also.
LUKE 9:2, "And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to perform healing." When the results were in, sure enough, they had healed the sick."
MARK 6:12-13, "And they went out and preached that men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them."
They continued to heal the sick after Jesus went to heaven. Peter and John healed the lame man:
ACTS 4:22, "for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed."
Again, Jesus had used the healing as a sign to bear witness of His ministry.
JOHN 10:25, "Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me."
Those who teach against healing should really examine their hearts. Why do they not want the sick healed. Can they truly say they love the sick. We know the Bible says "God is love" and that His followers would be known by the love they have for one another. How can they have this love and not want the sick to be healed. I believe most do love the sick and have just been confused by the conduct by many who claim to heal the sick. The "faith healers" have, for the most part, made merchandise out of the pain of the sick and they too have rejected much of the healing God has for His people. Let's study together to find God's truth - that is where true healing is.
Jesus spoke plainly that His followers would show the same love He has and would heal the sick:
JOHN 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father."
QUESTION 2: DOES GOD HEAL ONLY BY MIRACLE,
OR DOES HE USE DOCTORS AND "NATURAL" MEANS?
The Bible teaches that God is the one responsible for all healing, regardless of how it happens. This doesn't mean He approves of everything the people involved in the healing are doing. There are a lot of people (both Christian and sinner) who are ready to give credit for healing to doctors, or the people who are praying, or even to the devil. Some healing occurs as a result of God's direct intervention and is often described as miraculous, but the vast majority of healings happen as our bodies simply react as God created them to and these healings are often described as "natural."
PSA 103:1-3, "Bless the Lord, O my soul,...And forget none of His benefits ... Who heals all your diseases;"
This scripture does not leave room for anyone, or anything, to perform healing except God. We can see from this scripture too that there isn't any disease God doesn't heal. Let's be careful not to limit God. We must realize He can heal through different means. The scripture also says in:
EXODUS 15:26: "And He said,...for I, the Lord, am your healer."
James taught that we are deceived if we believe any good gift can come from anyone except God, and surely healing is a good gift.
JAMES 1:16-17, "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow."
QUESTION 3: DO SOME PEOPLE HAVE THE "GIFT OF HEALING?"
There is a tendency in man (from laziness I believe) to set a few people on pedestals and, through praise or some other means, to con those few into doing the work of the majority. By doing this, the majority can con themselves into thinking they are not so lazy after all. The Bible teaches that prayer and caring for the sick is the job of all of those mature (elder) enough to do it. It never tells the sick to send for one particular person and doesn't tell them to find someone with the "gift of healing."
JAM 5:14, "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."
The Scripture never says "gift of healing." It uses the form "gifts of healing" as in:
1 COR 12:6-11, "And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.... to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,... But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills."
Healing is a gift received by the sick - not something possessed by the one praying. Each healing is another gift. Notice too that it says gifts not rewards. Healing is not a reward to be earned, it is a gift from God to be thankfully received.
QUESTION 4: IS SICKNESS A RESULT OF SIN?
Sickness may well be a result of our actions, but it is not punishment from God for our sin. There are many people looking for something they can use to put other people down, and they often use any sickness or suffering as a "sign" that the sick person is not as good as them. Their problem isn't the sick person or the sickness - it's their lack of self-esteem. But that's another message, let's get on with this question.
In the Old Covenant, the Jews were promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. This was part of the covenant, or agreement, they made with God.
DEU 27:26, "Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them. And all the people shall say, 'Amen."
This was explained in greater detail in:
DEU 28:15-22: "But it shall come about, if you will not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. The Lord will make the pestilence cling to you until He has consumed you from the land, where you are entering to possess it. The Lord will smite you with consumption and with fever and with inflammation and with fiery heat and with the sword and with blight and with mildew, and they shall pursue you until you perish."
The Old covenant was based on the believer's works, whereas the New Covenant is based on the works of Christ and His grace. Paul said the ones who still preach a gospel of salvation by works are still under a curse because of their sin. But Jesus has taken the curse away from the ones who accept, by faith, the gospel of salvation by grace through faith.
GAL 3:9-15, "So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.' Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, 'The righteous man shall live by faith.' However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, 'He who practices them shall live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree' - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
I repeat, Jesus saved us from the curse of the law.
GAL 3:13, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"
This means God no longer curses man for his sin. You may get sick from some of your sinful actions, but it is not a punishment from God. Sickness and suffering is no sign of whether your actions are good or bad. Jesus answered this question in:
JOHN 9:1-3: "And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?' Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him."
Even the Old Testament foretold of Jesus removing the curse.
ISA 53:4-5, "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed."
Peter also said not to be surprised when you suffer.
1 PET 4:12-19, "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner? Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right."
Sickness and suffering come on all people - saint and sinner alike. The difference should be in how you handle the suffering. The choice is yours. You can let the devil and the gossips defeat you, or you can know that God can make this situation "work together for good" too.
ROM 8:18-39, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us....And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ...What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?...Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, 'For Thy sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' But in all these things we over-whelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Please!!! Don't let the gossips and backbiters of this world make you feel separated from God just because you are sick. This may be when He can use you the most. Look for God to work in your life and for chances to be strong in your time of weakness.
QUESTION 5: DID DIVINE HEALING PASS AWAY WITH THE APOSTLES?
Some churches still preach a "God is dead" type of doctrine and as a result they teach that God does not act today. They teach that God doesn't work in the world any more. Let's examine that question by starting with the scripture they use.
1 COR 13:8-13, "Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. ... But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
They class all types of miracles as having ceased. They stop reading too soon. In the next chapter Paul says we should desire spiritual gifts (one type of which is healing).
1 COR 14:1, "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."
Why would he tell them to desire something that had been done away with? The apostles continued to heal the sick after Jesus went to heaven. Peter and John healed the lame man:
ACTS 4:22, "for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed."
Again, Jesus had used the healing as a sign to bear witness of His ministry.
JOHN 10:25, "Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me."
Jesus taught His followers would show the same love He has and would heal the sick:
JOHN 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father."
Click here to go to Faith Healing Part 2
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