|
Subject |
Key Statement/Teaching |
Paragraph |
| Source
of Healing |
Healing is a miracle
of God. |
1 |
| Faith |
Divine healing is
according to faith, as well as other factors. |
1 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
Faith in God does not
conflict with use of medical science. |
1 |
| Member
responsibility |
Seek the most
competent professional help. |
1 |
| Jesus |
Healings He performed
demonstrate His compassion, forgiveness of sin, resurrection of dead and
establishment of Kingdom on earth. |
1 |
| Godly
purpose of |
God has healed in
different degrees for different purposes. |
2 |
| Bible |
Few healings recorded
in Old Testament |
3 |
| Jesus |
Healings established
His credibility as being sent from God. |
4 |
| Jesus |
Healing expressed
Christ power on earth. |
4 |
| Effect
of healings |
Built faith into those
witnessing them. |
4 |
| Godly
purpose |
God is not healing today
in same manner as New Testament times. |
5 |
| Member
responsibility |
Members able to take
advantage of medical science knowing it does not detract from faith in
God. |
5 |
| Meaning
of the word |
Healing of:...
1] Body
2] Mind
3] Emotions
4] Land
5] God's People as a whole
|
6] Nation of Israel
7] Gentile nations
8] Earth
9] Water
|
10] Objects
11] Faithlessness
12] Backsliding
13] Sin-sick Soul |
|
6 |
| Godly
purpose |
Most biblical
instances are physically oriented on the human body. |
7 |
| Medical
science |
Physicians and healers
in the Bible are not condemned. |
8 |
| Meaning
of the word |
Word in Bible not
limited to God. |
10 |
| Meaning
of the word |
Used in reference to
what men can do for themselves. |
11 |
| Meaning
of the word |
"Healing" used to
describe natural bodily process that can be aided by medicines. |
12 |
| Meaning
of the word |
"Healing" can include
the body's normal recuperation and repair. |
12 |
| Meaning
of the word |
1] to care for
2] cure or deliver
3] to save from death
4] to free from disease |
5] to make whole
6] to save from eternal death
7] to attain salvation.
8] spiritual salvation |
|
13 |
|
Salvation |
The meaning of the word, "healing"
[Sozo] describes some conceptual relationships between
healing and salvation. |
13 |
| Godly
purpose |
Healing is an act of
God's divine grace. |
14 |
| Member
responsibility |
Healing should not be
taken lightly |
14 |
|
Bible |
Healing scriptures
should be taken in full biblical context. |
14 |
| Member
responsibility |
Healing is
conditional. We must diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord
our God. Do what is right in His eyes. Keep the
commandments. |
15 |
| God's
Promise |
"If you will diligently hearken to the
voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and
give heed to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none
of the diseases upon you which I put upon the Egyptians; for I am the
Lord, your healer." |
15 |
| Member
responsibility |
The promise of healing
is conditional and predicated on obedience. |
16 |
| God's
Promise |
"You shall serve the Lord your God, and I
will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from
the midst of you. None shall cast her young or be barren in your land; I
will fulfill the number of your days."
[Exodus 23:25-26] |
17 |
| Bible |
The blessings and
cursings of Deuteronomy 28 are national rather than personal. |
18 |
| Bible |
Healing as such is not really promised in
these verses except as it is implied in a general way in the promise to
remove sickness. (Deuteronomy
28) |
18 |
| Godly
purpose |
God healed for different reasons in
different circumstances. |
19 |
| Godly
purpose |
Despite the great powers bestowed and
miracles performed through God's spirit, Elisha himself was not healed
of some sort of sickness but actually died from it. |
20 |
| Bible |
Psalms 103:3
is no more a blanket promise for unconditional
physical healing than any of the other promises in the psalm, as other
scriptures and the experiences of the Church show. |
21 |
| Godly
Purpose |
God does desire to heal our diseases, to
eliminate our afflictions, and to bring us out of distress. But what He
will actually do in any given situation remains unknowably beyond our
limited understanding. |
21 |
| Bible |
Several examples of non-healing are also
recorded in the New Testament. |
22 |
| Godly
Purpose |
Paul writes that Epaphroditus was very
ill, almost to the point of death (Phil. 2:25-27). But God had mercy on
him. Healing was here given as an example of mercy, not of faith or
obligation (or at least not of these alone). |
22 |
| Bible |
Not everyone is
healed. 2 Tim. 4:20 and 1 Tim 5:23 |
23 |
| Bible |
Paul had a "thorn in
the flesh" that was not healed. |
24 |
| Bible |
James 5:14-20:
Although this one statement appears to be written
without qualification, the condition, "if it be God's will," was no
doubt tacitly understood. |
25 |
| Bible |
"save" [sozo] used
mostly in the spiritual sense of eternal salvation. |
26 |
|
Bible |
"raise"
[egeiro] used mostly to represent the resurrection from the dead. |
26 |
| Bible |
[James 5:14-20]:
Thus, while James is primarily speaking of
physical healing upon anointing by the elders, he is also alluding to
spiritual salvation and the resurrection from the dead.
It may have been James' intent to show that God will
probably heal the faithful sick person, but certainly shall grant him
salvation through the resurrection. |
26 |
| Bible |
[James 5:14-20]:
The promise of physical healing is conditional. The promise of the
resurrection of the dead is unconditional. |
26 |
| Bible |
It is true that the Bible often condemns
ancient practitioners who relied on pagan gods, amulets, incantations or
other forms of magic. |
27 |
| Bible |
2 Kings 1:2:
This passage does not mean that Ahaziah went to Baalzebub for healing.
He was only trying to figure out if he was going to die. |
29 |
| Bible |
Isaiah 38:21:
Hezekiah seeks both God and medical science in dealing with his
sickness. |
30 |
| Medical Science |
Isaiah 38:21:
Neither Hezekiah nor medical science are condemned in this situation. |
30 |
| Bible |
Jeremiah 8:22: There
is no sense of condemnation of medical science. |
31 |
| Medical Science |
Jeremiah 8:22: There
is no sense of condemnation of medical science. |
31 |
| Bible |
2 Chronicles 16:12:
Asa is censured for not seeking God in his illness. He is not
condemned for seeking physicians. |
31 |
| Medical Science |
Nowhere in the
ministry of Jesus do you see Him condemning physicians, though He
mentions them a number of times. |
32 |
| Bible |
Luke was a physician,
yet there is no reference to him giving up his practice. He is
called the "beloved physician". |
32 |
| Medical Science |
Medicines used to heal sickness are not
condemned in the Bible. |
33 |
| Bible |
Jeremiah 30:13, 51:8 and Ezekiel 30:21:
The metaphors involved here allude to medicines but are nowhere
condemned. |
33 |
| Bible |
Ezekiel 47:12:
Shows positive use of medicines. |
34 |
| Bible |
Revelation 22:2:
Healing preparations shall still be used after new heaven and new earth. |
34 |
| Godly
purpose |
God's earnest desire is for all human
beings to live an abundant life in perfect health. |
35 |
| Bible |
3 John 2:
"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper
and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."
This verse shows God's overall desire for mankind. |
35 |
| Bible |
The
Bible gives basic principles of health which, counted with common sense,
experience and modern knowledge, would prevent many of the health
problems plaguing modern man. |
35 |
| Member
responsibility |
A vital component of a good health
program is a balanced diet which includes wholesome, natural foods and
which excludes (as much as is practical in our society) processed foods
such as sugars and starches, and artificially flavored and preserved
foods. |
36 |
| Member
responsibility |
The right amounts of exercise, sleep and
relaxation are important. |
36 |
| Member
responsibility |
Maintaining a positive mental outlook and
a peaceful mental attitude by eliminating (or at least attenuating)
stress and flares of emotion is being increasingly recognized by modern
health specialists as an essential health principle, considering the
enormous effects (called "psychosomatic") that the mind exerts on the
body. |
36 |
| Member
responsibility |
Caution should
be taken to prevent accidents and bodily harm (without becoming
obsessive or paranoid in the process.) |
36 |
| Member
responsibility |
Member should have a
regular program of routine physical
examinations by a qualified doctor is also important in recognizing and
solving any potential problems before they become serious. |
36 |
| Godly
purpose |
God has designed the human body to
function in good health for the full span of one's allotted years. |
37 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
Mankind
has so polluted the environment and human beings so often ignore the
basic rudiments of health that imbalances occur, with sickness and
disease the natural result. |
37 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
To the degree that a person disregards
the obvious physical principles of health, such as proper nutrition,
adequate sleep and rest, a positive mental outlook, etc., is generally
the degree to which one suffers ill health. |
38 |
| Member
responsibility |
Individuals
must care for their bodies physically, just as they must care for their
minds mentally and spiritually. |
39 |
| Member
responsibility |
God expects us to take care of our
bodies. |
40 |
| Member
responsibility |
God expects us to make
good use of available knowledge about the
human body, its functions and processes. |
40 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
Specialists
can aid the body in time of injury or bad health. This human aid in no
way hinders God if He decides to intervene miraculously and do what
cannot be done physically. |
40 |
| Godly
purpose |
The
biblical record makes plain that God can intervene on behalf of the sick
and heal them according to faith and/or other factors. |
41 |
| Godly
purpose |
Healing is a "special benefit" which God
has made available to His Church. |
41 |
| Bible |
Healing
is not part of His spiritual, moral law, as it were; and not being
healed, therefore, is not a sin. |
41 |
| Member
responsibility |
The ill individual should look to man for
whatever physical help he can receive but should also look to God to do
what man cannot do—supernaturally intervene and divinely remove the
illness, sickness or disease. |
41 |
| Member
responsibility |
The
sick person should call for the elders of the Church who will lay hands
upon his head, pray over him and anoint him with oil. |
42 |
| Bible |
Anointing for the sick
- James 5:14: The oil is a symbol of
God's Holy Spirit (cf. Ex. 30:23-25;
Matthew 25:lff;
etc.); the act of one having hands laid upon him shows the person's desire to be set apart
by God through His Spirit for the special miracle of the divine healing of his body. |
42 |
| Cause
of sickness |
Physical sickness and illness can be
caused by different factors. |
43 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
Sickness
is the general result of violating the principles
of health, or perhaps the direct result of a person's own sin (Matthew. 9:1-7; John 5:14). At other times, sin is not
involved; and the illness or infirmity is inherited (John 9:2) or the result of injury or
accident (Luke 13:1-5). |
43 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
Whenever sin is involved, healing includes the forgiveness of that sin
(Matthew 9:1-7). |
44 |
| Bible |
James 5:14: If
sin is involved in sickness, the sin shall be forgiven and the person
healed. |
44 |
| Bible |
John 9: Jesus
confirms that physical debilities are not necessarily caused by sin. |
45 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
Not all illness is the
result of sin. |
46 |
| Bible |
Luke
13:1-5: Not all sickness
is the result of sin |
47 |
| Bible |
The Bible nowhere speaks of "physical
sin." |
48 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
The Bible nowhere speaks of "physical
sin." |
48 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
The biblical subject
of sin comes under ethical, moral or mental
categories—and are all, therefore, spiritual in nature. |
48 |
| Cause
of sickness |
Much
if not most illness is self-generated through ignorance, error or
neglect. |
48 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
It is not always possible, of course, to
discern when illness or injury is the result of sin. |
49 |
| Member
responsibility |
It
is not wise to become sidetracked by undue
concern over whether certain detrimental physical practices under
consideration are, or are not, sin. |
49 |
| Member
responsibility |
If the physical practice under
consideration is indeed detrimental—as determined by biblical revelation
or scientific fact—It should be stopped, as even common sense would
dictate. |
49 |
| Cause
of sickness |
To be sick, therefore, is not necessarily
to have sinned. Sickness is sometimes the result of sin and healing
sometimes includes the forgiveness of sin. |
50 |
| Godly
purpose |
At
all times, whether sin is involved or not, healing is a manifestation of
God's mercy and an exemplification of God's love. |
50 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
To be sick, therefore, is not necessarily
to have sinned. Sickness is sometimes the result of sin and healing
sometimes includes the forgiveness of sin. |
50 |
| Jesus |
This paragraph records
the scriptural locations of the healings performed by Jesus. |
51 |
| Member
Responsibility |
Understanding the significance of all
these healings is essential to salvation since they are a direct
verification that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. |
52 |
| Jesus |
Healing was one of the foundational signs
that God employed to demonstrate the power and to ratify the office of
His Son (Matthew 8:16-17; 11:2-6). |
52 |
| Jesus |
The healings Jesus
performed give a physically verifiable demonstration of His spiritual
power. |
52 |
| Gospel |
Healing
and Christ's message of the coming Kingdom of God were almost
inseparable. |
53 |
| Jesus |
His fame spread partly
because of His healing people. |
54 |
| Gospel |
Healing
returns the body to its original, pure, wholly sound state; and so it is
with the Kingdom of God, which shall return the earth to its original,
pure, wholly sound state (referred to as "the times of restitution of
all things" in Acts 3:21). |
55 |
| Jesus |
His power to heal was
a clear demonstration that He could establish the Kingdom of God on
earth. |
55 |
| Jesus |
Healings demonstrated
God's power in Jesus Christ. |
56 |
| Jesus |
Healings represented
to the world the absolute power that God had given Him over the world. |
56 |
| Jesus |
Healings corroborated
Jesus' power over Satan and his demons. |
56 |
| Jesus |
Healings demonstrated
God's power in Jesus Christ. |
58 |
| Jesus |
Healings represented
to the world the absolute power that God had given Him over the world. |
58 |
| Jesus |
Healings corroborated
Jesus' power over Satan and his demons. |
58 |
| Jesus |
Healing showed His
authority over the Sabbath Day. |
59 |
| Jesus |
Jesus' healing demonstrated to the world was
His power to forgive sin, and, ultimately, to resurrect the body from
the dead. |
60 |
|
Sin/degeneration |
His healing demonstrated to the world was
His power to forgive sin, and, ultimately, to resurrect the body from
the dead. |
60 |
| Meaning
of the word |
Sozo is the same word
used in about 100 passages to represent spiritual salvation. |
60 |
|
Salvation |
Jesus' ability to efficaciously heal in
the flesh proved His equal ability to assuredly grant salvation in the
spirit, thus showing the profound relationship between Jesus' healings
and salvation. |
60 |
| Meaning
of the word |
The word "cleanse" [in
healing lepers] is the same word meaning "cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the flesh and spirit (2 Cor 7:1) and "the blood of Jesus
cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). |
61 |
| Jesus |
Jesus' healing of
lepers confirms that Jesus is the One who can cleanse sinners in the
Spirit. |
61 |
| Faith |
Faith of the sinner
and the mercy of God are intrinsic to the forgiveness of sin. |
61 |
| Jesus |
Rather than healing being the forgiveness
of sin, Jesus used His power to heal in order to prove that He also had
the power to forgive sin. |
62 |
| Sin |
Rather than healing being the forgiveness
of sin, Jesus used His power to heal in order to prove that He also had
the power to forgive sin. |
62 |
| Sin |
The miracle of healing
physically represented a restorative process in which something
unclean and broken was supernaturally made clean and whole. |
62 |
| Bible |
Luke 5:24: Jesus has
the authority on earth to forgive sins. |
63 |
| Jesus |
Jesus has the
authority on earth to forgive sins (Luke 5:24) |
63 |
| Bible |
Luke 5:20: The
power to forgive sin is proved by the healing. |
64 |
| Bible |
Luke 5:20: The
healing is differentiated from the forgiveness of sin.
They were two separate acts, with the former being
used to prove Jesus' power over the latter. |
64 |
| Bible |
John 11:25:
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. |
65 |
| Jesus |
Jesus is the
resurrection and the life. |
65 |
| Healing |
The resurrection of
the dead is the ultimate miracle of healing. |
65 |
|
Resurrection |
The resurrection of
the dead is the ultimate miracle of healing. |
65 |
| Healing |
Healing
foreshadows the resurrection. |
66 |
|
Resurrection |
Healing foreshadows
the resurrection. |
66 |
|
Resurrection |
Just as Jesus instantly changed sick
bodies into healthy bodies, so shall Christ instantly change mortal
bodies into immortal bodies. |
66 |
|
Resurrection |
Since physical healing foreshadows the
resurrection to spiritual life, the analogy can be extended by viewing
sickness as foreshadowing the resurrection to eternal death. |
66 |
|
Resurrection |
Healing is the
physical counterpart to the great spiritual event which is the
resurrection to immortality. |
66 |
| Faith |
Jesus often responded
positively through people's faith in Him. |
67 |
| Faith |
Jesus healed according
to an individual's faith. |
67 |
| Faith |
Faith is essential to
the cleansing of sin at conversion and the transformation of our bodies
at the resurrection. |
67 |
| Healing |
Healing is portrayed
in the cleansing of our sins at conversion and the transformation of our
bodies at the resurrection. |
67 |
|
Resurrections |
Healing is portrayed
in the transformation of our bodies at the resurrection. |
67 |
| Healing
Symbolism |
Healing is the
physical representation of the spiritual cleansing. |
68 |
| Healing
Symbolism |
The healing of the physical body,
radically and miraculously altering it from a state of sickness to a
state of health, symbolizes what God can do through Christ to our minds,
hearts and spirits. |
68 |
| Jesus |
Healing of the
physical body symbolizes what God can do through Christ to our minds,
hearts and spirits. |
68 |
| Jesus |
Christ cleanses our
minds and make our spiritual lives righteous before God.
The process is supernatural and immediate. |
68 |
| Jesus |
Jesus empathized
deeply with human misery and suffering that illness and injury brought.
He was moved with compassion toward the sick. He pitied them and
felt deep sympathy. He loved people. |
69 |
| Jesus |
He suffered the penalty of our sins
through His beating, crucifixion and death that we might be relieved of
all our infirmities, whether physical, mental or spiritual. |
70 |
| Jesus |
He
was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities,
the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are
healed. |
70 |
| Jesus |
It is by his wounds that you have been
healed. |
71 |
| Meaning
of the word |
The
Greek word used for healing in 1 Peter 2:24, iaomai, is used almost
exclusively in reference to physical healing (yet the context of the
verse itself would not exclude a spiritual understanding as well).
|
71 |
| Bible |
1 Peter 2:24:
Healing can take various forms including spiritual, mental, physical and
even environmental. |
71 |
| Cause
of sickness |
The Body of Christ has
members remaining weak and ill and some even having died due to having a
wrong manner or attitude toward the body and blood of Christ. |
72 |
| Bible |
1 Cor 11:27-30:
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the
cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the
body and blood of the Lord. |
73 |
| Member
Responsibility |
Examine yourself
before taking the bread and wine. You are examining yourself to
answer one question: "Am I in the faith"...the Salvation Process?
Be definition, if one is in the process, he or she is rightly discerning
the body and blood of Christ as it relates to healing and salvation. |
73 |
| Bible |
1 Cor. 11:30: Physical
ills do result from spiritual problems. |
74 |
| Bible |
1 Cor 11:27-30:
A Christian must discern the body of the Lord which was wounded so that
we could be healed. We must also identify with the sufferings and
sacrifice of Jesus Christ which are vital elements in the healing
Process. |
75 |
| Member
responsibility |
A Christian must
discern the body of the Lord which was wounded so that we could be
healed. We must also identify with the sufferings and sacrifice of
Jesus Christ which are vital elements in the healing Process. |
75 |
| Effect
of Healings |
The healing miracles
of Jesus stimulated His disciples' own human faith. |
76 |
| Healing
Symbolism |
In the work of the
disciples, healing was linked to and corroborated the preaching of the
coming kingdom. |
77 |
|
Disciples - 1st century |
In the work of the
disciples, healing was linked to and corroborated the preaching of the
coming kingdom. |
78 |
|
Disciples - 1st century |
Many healed of disease
during the work of the apostles. |
79 |
|
Disciples - 1st century |
The healings they
performed gave the apostles the opportunity to preach the gospel boldly
and proclaim it loudly before large, hostile crowds. |
80 |
| Bible |
1 Cor. 12: The
initial surge of miracles and healings ended. Though there are
indications that some had a gift of healings, those in higher levels of
responsibility in the church did not necessarily have the gifts of
healing. |
81 |
| Godly
Purpose |
Speaking to the
decline of miracle healings in the 1st century:
it was not part of God's plan for His Church to grow very
large—that was not His purpose in that age—so God apparently withdrew
His tremendous power to perform spectacular public healings. |
82 |
| Bible |
We are
able to study God's Word and develop real spiritual faith without
depending on the external crutch of physical evidence through miracles.
|
83 |
|
Healings today |
It is difficult to
tell whether God's Church today is experiencing the same type and
frequency of healings than the later New Testament Church had. |
84 |
| Faith |
Regardless of the
number and types of healings today, what
we can
know for sure is the awesome spiritual meaning that Jesus' healings have
for us today—the confidence that they generate, the faith that they give
us. |
85 |
| Faith |
We can know for sure that the same
Personality who healed the sick, cleansed the lepers and raised the dead
has promised, and has the power to forgive our sins, cleanse our bodies
and spirits, and eventually resurrect us from the dead. This, in
reality, is the ultimate miracle, and this, indeed, is the ultimate
faith. |
85 |
|
Healings Today |
To understand the Practical application
of healing today, several complex interrelationships (such as between
faith and healing, and faith and medical procedures) need to be
considered. |
86 |
| Godly
purpose |
God has set up
physical life to be temporal. We all die. |
87 |
| Godly
purpose |
God has healed; He does heal; He will continue to heal as long as there
is physical life extant. But the reasons for doing so are always temporal.
|
87 |
| Faith |
It is through our faith in the reality of
Jesus' healings that we can be assured that, through this same power,
God has promised to forgive us of our sins, cleanse our minds and,
ultimately, to resurrect our bodies from the dead. |
88 |
|
Salvation |
One's
ultimate reward is neither determined nor affected by whether he was or
was not healed during his physical lifetime. |
88 |
| God's
Promise |
One should never forget that the real
hope of all true Christians is eternal
spiritual life through the resurrection and not prolonged physical life
through healing. |
88 |
| Godly
Purpose |
Healing is an example of God's mercy, a
product of God's wisdom. |
89 |
| Godly
Purpose |
God sometimes heals the new convert and
the spiritually immature, while he may withhold it from the mature
Christian. |
89 |
|
Righteousness |
Healing is not an
indicator of righteousness or test of spirituality. |
89 |
| Faith |
Faith is not the sole
criterion for determining whether a person shall be healed. |
90 |
| Godly
Purpose |
God may heal to show mercy (Luke
17:13), to express love, to encourage the spiritually weak, to reinforce
faith, as a witness of the gospel. |
91 |
| Godly
Purpose |
The
object of God's purpose may not always be the sick person himself:
|
91 |
| Godly
Purpose |
God is intensely concerned with an
individual's mind and heart. |
92 |
| Godly
Purpose |
In the matter of healing, it may be one's
attitude as much as one's faith that may influence what God will do. |
92 |
| Member
Responsibility |
Anyone who seeks to be healed to show
others his righteousness or favor with God, or who desires vindication
of his position, or who craves recognition of his spirituality will be
sadly and sorrowful, disappointed. |
92 |
| Member
Responsibility |
God is looking for he
that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at His word (Isaiah
66:2). |
92 |
| Bible |
Isaiah 66:2: God
is looking for he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at
His word. |
92 |
|
Healings Today |
We see no evidence of
the gifts of healings being bestowed on any individual. |
93 |
|
Healings Today |
The Church
vigorously teaches that there is no way of knowing in advance whether
any person will be supernaturally healed. |
94 |
|
Ministry |
The
Church teaches that its ministry must not
attempt to influence the person in any way regarding what type of action
he may wish to take for his health other than to recommend that each
person seek the most professionally competent specialists available for
consultation or procedure. |
94 |
| Medical
science |
Certainly we can go to medical sources
and take advantage of the scientific advances they have to offer, with
the full confidence that this positive act on our part in no way
interferes with God's ability to heal supernaturally should that prove
to be His will. |
94 |
| Member
responsibility |
The relationship between healing and
faith is complex, necessitating an understanding of the whole Bible and
current, practical experience. |
95 |
| Faith |
The Bible shows that there are different
"kinds" of faith, or at least different levels of faith. There is a
faith which all Christians are required to have for salvation, but this
is not necessarily the same kind of faith needed for healing. |
96 |
| Faith |
It is impossible to
"work up" faith. Only God can supply this faith. |
96 |
| Member
responsibility |
An
actual healing or the lack of such a healing must never be viewed as a
straightforward indication of an individual's righteousness,
spirituality or favor with God. |
96 |
| Member
responsibility |
It
is our responsibility to yield to God and His Spirit so that we may grow
in this God-given faith. We should beseech God to do what the apostles
asked of Jesus in Luke 17:5, "Increase our faith." |
96 |
| Faith |
Faith is the belief that God shall heal.
|
97 |
| Member
responsibility |
We must understand
there are factors in our own lives that can sometimes work against our
faith and that sometimes it may not be there. |
97 |
| Faith |
The lack of faith is not sin, nor is the
lack of healing a sin. |
98 |
| Godly
purpose |
Healing
is not a part of God's spiritual-moral law, and as such is neither
commanded nor required by God. Healing is a
special benefit from God. |
98 |
| Member
responsibility |
The fact that one person decides to seek
anointing for the healing of a physical condition while another
suffering from the same condition, does not, can in no way be taken to
mean that the first person is necessarily righteous or that the second
person is necessarily unrighteous. |
98 |
| Faith |
We all, in some manner, lack faith. This
is no more an indictment than to say that we are all human. |
99 |
| Member
responsibility |
We are not to to blame a
person who lacks or seems to lack faith since faith comes from God. |
99 |
| Faith |
If seeking external help in any way
indicates a "lack of faith," then such lack of faith is in no way a sin,
because it is God's responsibility to give us this special faith, though
we certainly have our part in it. |
100 |
| Bible |
Romans 14:23:
The scripture which states that "for whatsoever is
not of faith is sin" does not refer to a lack of faith as sin. It rather
means that when one violates his conscience, his own sense of right and
wrong, then that is sin. |
100 |
| Faith |
Faith is total belief.
However, there is also the will and purpose of God and anything held in
faithful belief will not come about if it is contrary to God's will in
the specific situation. |
101 |
| Godly
purpose |
Faith is total belief.
However, there is also the will and purpose of God and anything held in
faithful belief will not come about if it is contrary to God's will in
the specific situation. |
101 |
| Godly
purpose |
God will not honor a
request contrary to His will, regardless the level of faith the person
has. |
101 |
| Godly
purpose |
A person can have "absolute faith" when
he asks for healing and still be denied it, because God in His wisdom
may think it is better for that person not to be healed. |
102 |
| Godly
purpose |
Healing is an extension of God's mercy;
it is not an absolute promise according to one's faith. |
102 |
| Faith |
Healing is an extension of God's mercy;
it is not an absolute promise according to one's faith. |
102 |
| Right
Attitude |
We should have the
same attitude Paul had about his infirmities which God chose not to
heal, "For the sake of Christ, then, I am
content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and
calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:8-10)."
|
104 |
| Right
Attitude |
What God knew was best for Paul, He may
also know to be the best for many other Christians—that our continuing
physical weaknesses are efficacious in continuously building our
spiritual strength. |
105 |
| Member
responsibility |
Do not overestimate
your own faith. "Hoping" or
"wishing" to be healed is not the same thing as having the special faith
that God must give to really be healed. |
106 |
| Member
responsibility |
Neglect is not faith, neither is fear of
doctors and hospitals. |
106 |
| Right
Attitude |
Do nothing based on
fear. Understand that fear and faith are not equal. To
act based on fear, and convince oneself that it is based on faith, is
brutal self-deception which can yield no good result either physically
or spiritually. |
107 |
| Right
Attitude |
Do not confuse faith
with stubbornness, pride, martyr-complex, self-righteousness or
self-image. Understand that it is possible to confuse these things
with real faith. |
108 |
| Right
Attitude |
A Christian must walk in continual faith. |
109 |
| Faith |
A Christian must walk in continual faith. |
109 |
| Faith |
If God allows a person to die, this may
be a demonstration of faith. |
109 |
| Right
Attitude |
If
one can live many long and useful years in God's service through an
operation, rather than be debilitated by disease or even die in agony,
that cannot be condemned as a lack of faith. |
109 |
| Faith |
If
one can live many long and useful years in God's service through an
operation, rather than be debilitated by disease or even die in agony,
that cannot be condemned as a lack of faith. |
109 |
| Faith |
One of the biggest factors that blocks a
person from receiving more faith is his own erroneous belief that he
already has enough faith when he does not. |
110 |
| Faith |
One reason people are not healed is
because they do not have the appropriate faith. |
110 |
| Member
responsibility |
One should acknowledge
his lack of faith if this is the case. |
110 |
| Godly
purpose |
God will not heal a person because that
person thinks he has faith if he in reality does not. (God may heal him
in spite of that fact.) |
111 |
| Member
responsibility |
Each
must appraise his own faith realistically. But a Christian who is
realistic enough to soberly assess his own faith and find it wanting is
not a "weak" Christian. He may in fact be quite a strong Christian, who
is converted enough to see himself as he really is; such an individual
will not bow to stubbornness or yield to pride when his need of external
help highlights his physical debilities and spiritual imperfections.
|
111 |
| Godly
Purpose |
Healing and faith are totally private
matters between a person and God. |
112 |
| Member
responsibility |
No one should take upon himself the role
of spiritual judge or "second guesser" over another's actions
regarding healing or faith. |
112 |
| Member
responsibility |
Any
reasonable request for anointing should be honored, regardless of the
nature of the illness or affliction and regardless of whether the person
is consulting a physician or of what treatment he may be undergoing.
|
112 |
|
Ministry |
Any
reasonable request for anointing should be honored, regardless of the
nature of the illness or affliction and regardless of whether the person
is consulting a physician or of what treatment he may be undergoing.
|
112 |
|
Ministry |
A minister cannot put himself in the
position of a medical diagnostician and refuse to anoint because he
regards the persons illness as "minor" or "not life-threatening." |
112 |
| Wrong
Attitude |
Some
people's requests for anointing border on superstition. To anoint for
every sniffle or mild ache makes a mockery of divine healing and
Christ's suffering. |
112 |
| Member
responsibility |
It is neither possible nor profitable to
determine why God has or has not healed an individual. |
113 |
| Member
responsibility |
Healing may relate to any number of
factors—the person himself, his immediate family, his close friends, his
wider acquaintances, the minister involved, the timing, the
circumstances, etc.—and it is pointless to try to discern why something
did or did not happen with respect to healing. |
113 |
| Bible |
Blessed are the dead which die in the
Lord. –Rev. 14:13
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die
unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
–Rom 14:8 |
114 |
| Faith |
Death may in some cases be a greater sign
of faith than life and healing. |
114 |
| Member
responsibility |
If God's will is for a person to die, it
should be in spite of his best efforts to recover and not because of his
stubbornness in avoiding professional aid. |
114 |
| Member
responsibility |
God chooses who His martyrs will be: we
cannot and must not make this decision for ourselves. |
114 |
| Wrong
Attitude |
It is both offensive and inaccurate to
say that one who is not supernaturally healed (or who seeks medical aid)
is a "Weak" Christian. |
115 |
| Godly
purpose |
It is possible that
that the person not being healed is the stronger Christian spiritually. |
115 |
| Bible |
1 Cor. 13:13:
Faith is not the greatest aspect of the Christian life. Love is.
Therefore one weak in faith but strong in love is the far greater
Christian in God's sight. |
116 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
It is entirely within biblical principles
and common sense to seek competent medical help and still rely on God
for healing at the same time; healing through faith in God and the
modern health sciences is not a contradiction or a combination of
opposites; indeed, what God can do for man as a special blessing should
work together with what man can do technologically for himself. |
117 |
| Godly
purpose |
God has healed; God does heal, God shall
heal. There are no limitations on God's ability to heal any and all
sickness and bodily defects—supernaturally, miraculously, completely. |
118 |
| Member
responsibility |
A Christian has
responsibility to help himself if he becomes ill or injured in addition
to having trust in God for healing. |
118 |
| Member
responsibility |
If we can stand on our own feet, we
should. If we can do something for ourselves, we are derelict in our
responsibility if we do not. God's Church has taught this for years.
|
119 |
| Faith |
Going to a dentist,
taking medicine or tending to a wound is not an affront to God as our
Healer; nor do they contradict faith. |
120 |
| Wrong
Attitude |
To
ask God to supernaturally do for us what we can naturally do for
ourselves may begin to undermine the vital representational analogy
between healing and the forgiveness of sin, conversion and the
resurrection from the dead (since no human being can ever do any part of
the latter). |
121 |
| Bible |
Matthew 4:5-7:
Asking God to do something supernaturally for us that we could do for
ourselves is a form of tempting God. |
121 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
Only God can "heal"—if we define
"healing" as a miraculous, supernatural removal of an affliction or
illness. Physicians are only mortal men and can only work with the laws
God designed to function in the human body. Medical science can work to
speed, enhance or aid recovery. |
122 |
|
Righteousness |
The
roles of God and man do not conflict; in fact, they can complement each
other. In the same manner that healing is not a test of righteousness,
so also going or not going to a physician is not a test of
righteousness. |
122 |
| Faith |
Faith in God and scientific confidence in
man are not in conflict. Faith in God is a matter of the heart between a
person and God. It is entirely possible to receive medical help—and even
have a positive trust in that technological help—without having this
trust or confidence supersede or negate one's faith in God. |
123 |
| Wrong
Attitude |
It is possible
to have no faith in God and an almost superstitious faith in man's
scientific knowledge. |
123 |
| Faith |
The
technical utilization of modern medical science is not the factor that
must decide where one's faith is. Faith is fully determined by the
person's attitude in his private relationship with God. |
123 |
| Bible |
Luke 8:43-48 records the story of "a
woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her
living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any. Note that Jesus
in no way unbraided the woman for having gone to the physicians. |
124 |
| Bible |
Luke 8:43-48:
Jesus did not withhold healing from the woman with an issue of blood
because she used medical science or because she came to Him as a last
resort. Indeed, He said she had faith to be healed. |
124 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
There is no reason why the judicious use
of physical methods should interfere with either one's faith or the
ability and desire of God to heal. |
125 |
| Godly
Purpose |
Faith says that God can heal; it is not a
guarantee that God shall heal in every individual situation. |
125 |
| Faith |
Faith says that God can heal; it is not a
guarantee that God shall heal in every individual situation. |
125 |
| Faith |
It is surely not a sign of faith to
neglect appropriate physical methods which can cure a disease, slow an
illness or relieve suffering. |
125 |
| Faith |
It is also not a sign of faith to seek
obscure second-class treatment when competent first-class health care is
readily available. |
125 |
| Wrong
Attitude |
It would be wrong to
seek obscure second-class treatment when competent first-class health
care is readily available. |
125 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
With the scientific
and technological advances, man should give
God the credit; for it was God who created the human mind, empowering it
with the creative brilliance to constantly attain to new heights of
achievement in the physical world. |
126 |
|
Ministry |
It
is not the Church's responsibility to endorse or condemn any particular
treatment or procedure. |
127 |
| Member
Responsibility |
Each individual has the same
responsibility to examine alternative proposals, and seek and evaluate
advice from several professional sources before making a decision in a
serious health matter. |
127 |
| Faith |
If one can live many long and useful
years in God's service through an operation, rather than wasting those
years by suffering in agony, how can that be condemned as lack of faith? |
128 |
| Right
Attitude |
To have the operation may evidence
greater commitment to God, because one believes in the importance of
service to His Church. |
128 |
| Member
Responsibility |
To refuse the operation may only be the
unintended neglect of one's Christian responsibility to God and His
Work. |
128 |
| Member
responsibility |
James wrote that "faith without works is
dead." This applies to all aspects of the Christian life including
health maintenance, health care, disease prevention, regular checkups by
a qualified doctor, and healing and/or medical procedures in times of
illness or injury. |
129 |
| Member
responsibility |
Christians should avail themselves of the
best health care that man can provide and, at the same time, ask God to
supernaturally supply what man cannot. This could also include the sick
person asking God to bless the skill of the doctor in his diagnosis and
treatment. |
129 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
Faith in God for healing and the
sensible, sagacious use of the most modern medical/health procedures do
not clash. |
130 |
| Faith |
Faith in God for healing and the
sensible, sagacious use of the most modern medical/health procedures do
not clash. |
130 |
| Right
Attitude |
Christians should appreciate both the
special blessings of healing that God offers to them and the
sophisticated techniques that man has developed to diagnose and cure
illness. |
131 |
| God vs.
Medical Science |
Healing through faith in God and through
scientific medicine should, therefore, never be artificially opposed to
one another, but should, rather, symbiotically reinforce one another to
bring the greatest benefits to human beings. |
131 |
| Medical
Science |
Physical procedures cannot be evaluated
based on spiritual criteria. |
132 |
| Member
Responsibility |
It is the responsibility of each Christian to recognize the important
distinction between the physical and the spiritual. God's miraculous intervention to heal
is spiritual; this healing is God's prerogative. What we do for ourselves is physical, a
means of aiding and complementing the natural bodily processes in healing the body. God
does expect us to do what we can for ourselves. |
132 |
| Medical
Science |
Surgical interventions, pharmacological
prescriptions and other medical procedures (whether diagnostic,
preventive or curative) must be evaluated on their own merits and on
their own terms. |
133 |
| Member
Responsibility |
Surgical interventions, pharmacological
prescriptions and other medical procedures (whether diagnostic,
preventive or curative) must be evaluated on their own merits and on
their own terms. |
133 |
| Medical
science |
One physical method is not more godly
than another; one physical method is not necessarily more in harmony
with the Bible than another. Physical healing—of any and every sort—must
be distinguished from divine, miraculous, supernatural healing. |
134 |
| Medical
science |
–Stitching a gash in
one's arm is just as physical as open-heart surgery.
–Special diets and supplements for cancer just as physical as surgery.
–Fasting is physical
–Cancer treatments are physical
–To extract a decayed tooth is the same as taking out a tumor. |
135 |
| Member
responsibility |
When one chooses a
physical procedure or medicine, his concern should be for their
effectiveness rather than which method or medicine is more spiritual or
biblical. |
135 |
| Member
responsibility |
In evaluating physical procedures in
matters of health, the Christian is encouraged to emphasize proper
health maintenance and disease prevention: there is minimum expense,
little inconvenience and no side effects to a balanced program of health
care. |
136 |
| Member
responsibility |
Eat natural foods (as much as logically
possible) in a balanced diet and avoiding processed sugars and starches. |
136 |
| Member
responsibility |
Proper health care should include
periodic physical examinations for all Christians and their families by
a qualified medical doctor. |
137 |
| Member
responsibility |
Care should be taken to select the most
able and proficient doctor available as the family physician. He should
have a genuine interest and concern about the health of all members of
the family. Eminently qualified specialists for particular problems
should generally be recommended by the family doctor. |
137 |
| Member
responsibility |
When one seeks professional medical help, he should select the most
competent within his means. One is not more
"righteous" than another, but one might be more skilled than another.
|
138 |
| Member
responsibility |
He will be sound-minded in matters of
health, not seeking physically "miraculous" or unorthodox "cures " under
the false assumption that they are somehow more righteous than the
procedures of a knowledgeable specialist |
139 |
| Member
responsibility |
Christians must never judge one another,
nor compare themselves among themselves. |
140 |
| Wrong
Attitude |
Far worse than any personal spiritual
slips or lapses in faith is the commonplace gossip of judging fellow
members of the congregation. |
140 |
| Right
Attitude |
Do not consider that
your approach to health and healing is better than what is held by
another. Be humble and meek with your knowledge. Do not go
on campaigns or crusades to spread your knowledge. |
141 |
| Member
responsibility |
Do not attempt to
impose [force yourself on others]
your will or opinions on health and healing unto others. Be
respectful of another person's approach to health and healing. |
142 |
| Member
responsibility |
Do encourage your
brother in the faith to seek the best care and professional help.
Encourage them to be in the best health they can. Encourage them
to seek the best information and ministerial counseling [see paragraph
143-145]. |
142 |
|
Ministry |
–A minister of
God is a professional in spiritual understanding; he should be ready to
fully explain the purpose of healing—what it is and what it
represents—to all who desire to know.
–The
minister is the expert in counseling his people and serving his
congregation.
–He
is not necessarily, by virtue of ordination, a medical or nutritional
expert.
–He
should faithfully teach what the Bible says about health and healing.
–He
should encourage his people to seek the best professional advice
available when needed. |
143 |
|
Ministry |
–The
minister must be truly neutral on medical matters.
–He cannot tell one person one
thing and another something else on the same subject, procedure,
medicine, diet, food or supplement.
–He cannot assign fallacious levels of righteousness to physical
procedures, as they are all the same in God's sight. |
144 |
|
Ministry |
–The
minister is the spiritual leader of his congregation and must take great
care not to abuse this position of spiritual power, trust and respect.
–He must be as aware of his physical
limitations as he is of his spiritual responsibilities.
–His realm is the spiritual and
this is where he must give his counsel and advice.
–He must be sure that members of his church are not judging each other
and are not comparing themselves among themselves with respect to
health.
–He can be the most effective by emphasizing God's positive instructions
on these matters and following up his teaching with encouragement and
exhortation. |
145 |
| Summary |
–God can and does heal in ways
and manners and at times and for reasons that He determines for Himself.
–Divine healing is totally beyond the scope of medical science
–Seeing the most competent, professional assistance in times of illness
or injury will not inhibit God from healing us.
–Healing is a special blessing from God given according to His mercy and
our faith.
–His healing represents God's power through Jesus Christ to forgive our
sins, cleanse our minds and, ultimately, establish the Kingdom of God on
earth and resurrect our bodies from the dead. |
146 |
