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| 1 |
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT Divine healing is a miracle which God in
His mercy and love may extend to those who call upon Him in time of
need, according to faith and/or other factors. Christians are encouraged
to appreciate this special benefit from God as well as to do everything
they can for themselves in times of illness or injury by seeking the
most competent professional help. Faith in God for healing does not
conflict with the use of modern medical science. The healings of Jesus
Christ demonstrate and represent His power to express compassion, to
forgive sin, and ultimately, to resurrect the dead and establish the
Kingdom of God on earth. to the top |
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| 2 |
Healing is a continuous theme running through the Bible from Genesis
to Revelation. Yet it cannot be denied that God has extended the miracle
of healing in different degrees for different purposes at different
times. People have not always been healed with the same regularity or
for the same reason. to the top |
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| 3 |
There are few healings recorded in the Old Testament. The very fact
that God gave laws of quarantine to ancient Israel proves that He did
not instantly heal every disease, even in His theocratic state. to the top |
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| 4 |
During Jesus' time, and during the apostles' early ministry, God
poured out the gift of healing much more than He ever had previously or
has since. Jesus' miracles of healing also helped establish His absolute
credibility as one sent from God. It built faith into those who saw His
healings firsthand and into all who read of them millennia later.
Healing was also utilized for expressing Christ's power on earth and for
attracting public awareness quickly for the preaching of the gospel. to the top |
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| 5 |
It is quite evident that God is not healing today in the same manner
or to the same degree that He did in early New Testament times. It is
equally evident that the physiological knowledge and medical expertise
of the end of the 20th century is far advanced over that of the middle
of the first century (and certainly unrelated to the magical rites
and potions of even earlier centuries). Consequently, Christians
today can take full advantage of the latest information in health
maintenance and the most modern techniques in health care, recognizing
that such proper physical concern in no way detracts from one's faith in
God. to the top |
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| 6 |
The Biblical Meaning of Healing Healing may assume various
forms in the Bible. The actual biblical usage of the English word "heal"
(and the Hebrew and Greek words from which it is translated) is
quite broad. It can mean the healing of the body, but is not limited to
the physical body; it can refer to the healing of the mind or the
emotions (Psa. 147:3); it can have the metaphorical connotation
of the healing of the land (2 Chron. 7:14), God's people as a
whole (Jer. 6:14; 8:11), the nation of Israel (Lam. 2:13; Hos.
7:1), and gentile nations such as Egypt (Isa. 19:22) and
Babylon (Jer. 51:9); it can refer to the healing of inanimate
things such as the earth (Psalm 60:2), water (2 Kings 2:21;
Ezek. 47:8, 9), and even the "altar of the Lord that was broken
down" (1 Kings 18:30, where exactly the same Hebrew word that is
usually translated "healed" is translated "repaired"); it can allude
to abstract concepts such as the healing of faithlessness or backsliding
(Jer. 3:22; Hos. 14:4); it can also be used of spiritual healing,
the healing of the " sin-sick soul," as it were (Psa. 41:4; 2 Chron.
7:13, 14; Isa. 57:19; Matthew 13:15; Acts 28:27). to the top |
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| 7 |
Of course most of the places where the term "heal" is used in the
Bible do refer to the miraculous, though physically oriented, healing of
an ill or injured human body. to the top |
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| 8 |
In Exodus 15:26, where God states "..... I am the Lord, your
healer," the Hebrew word translated "healer" is rafa’. It is
exactly the same word used in Genesis 50:2, which refers to Joseph's
"servants the healers." Note that the "physicians" or "healers" are not
condemned, but are specifically called Joseph's servants. to the top |
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| 9 |
Rafa' is also the same word found in Exodus 21:18, 19:
"When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but keeps his bed, then if the man rises again and walks abroad with his staff, he that struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed." |
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| 10 |
This shows that an individual who caused an injury was responsible
to have the injured person "healed," indicating that "healing" (rafa’
is not limited to God. 2 Kings 8:29 --also 9:15; 2 Chron. 22:6)
reads:
"And King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah." |
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| 11 |
Again, healing (rafa') is used in reference to what men can
do for themselves. The contrast of "a time to heal" with "a time to
kill" in Ecclesiastes 3:3 strongly suggests a natural healing process. to the top |
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| 12 |
There are two scriptures that indicate, although their usage is
certainly metaphorical, that the term "healing" can be used to describe
the natural bodily processes that can be aided by external medicines. In
Jeremiah 51:8, balm is suggested as a possible way for Babylon to be
healed ("give her medicine; perhaps she can yet be healed"—Living
Bible); in Jeremiah 30:13, the lack of medicine is equated with the
consequent lack of healing. From God's statement to Ezekiel showing that
Pharaoh's broken arm was not healed because it was not bound up with a
bandage (Ezekiel 30:21), it logically follows that the arm would
have "healed" had Pharaoh in fact bound it up. This confirms that the
biblical usage of "healing" can include the physical body's normal
mechanisms of recuperation and repair as part of its overall definition. to the top |
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| 13 |
In the New Testament there are three Greek words translated "heal"
in the King James version: therapeuo, meaning "to heal" in the
New Testament, and "to care for, wait upon, treat (medically),
heal or restore" in Greek literature outside the New Testament;
iaomi, meaning "to heal, cure or deliver"; and sozo, meaning
"to save from death, to free from disease, to make whole, to save from
eternal death, or to attain salvation. " Sozo is especially
interesting in that, while it is clearly used to describe physical
healing in Mark 5:23; Luke 8:36 and Acts 14:9, it is the same word
appearing about 100 times in the New Testament to describe the process
of spiritual salvation (suggesting some conceptual relationships
between healing and salvation that will be discussed in the section on
The Healings of Jesus Christ). to the top |
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| 14 |
Healing in the Bible: A Conditional Promise The miracle of
healing is an act of God's divine grace, which must not be taken
lightly. It is therefore important that one understand the topic of
healing in the context of the entire Bible. If one approaches the
scriptural references to healing without the full biblical context, and
out of the context of human experience, he may fix upon them a meaning
not supported by logic, common sense or proper biblical exegesis. In
this regard, we should consider some important scriptures. to the top |
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| 15 |
Among the blessings God offered to the nation of Israel was the
removal of diseases from among them. Several statements made to the
Israelites in the wilderness show this; perhaps the most familiar is
Exodus 15:26:
"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." |
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| 16 |
Notice that the promise is conditional; it is predicated on
obedience. God also says that He will refrain from putting
diseases upon the nation. to the top |
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| 17 |
Exodus 23:25, 26 adds to this:
"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." |
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| 18 |
The converse of these blessings promised for obedience are the
curses pronounced for disobedience. Instead of removing sickness and
disease, God would allow these afflictions—along with many other
curses—as the natural consequences of man's ways apart from the ways of
God. Deuteronomy 28 enumerates these curses in great detail (see
especially verses 21, 22, 27, 28, 35, 59-61). The promises are
conditional. Blessings come only with obedience; curses automatically
follow transgression. But notice that these promises are national rather
than individual. Sickness would be removed from the nation to the same
extent that barrenness, miscarriages and premature death were taken
away. 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. to the top |
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| 19 |
Healing in the Bible is not a simplistic algebraic equation relating
faith and healing. God healed for different reasons in different
circumstances. God healed Abimelech and his household after Abraham
prayed for them, (Gen. 20:17), thus ratifying Abraham's position
as a servant of the Eternal. God healed Hezekiah from a deadly sickness
and added 15 years to his life because He respected Hezekiah's heartfelt
prayer in which he recounted to God, with tears, his utter loyalty,
sincerity and uprightness. to the top |
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| 20 |
The story of Elisha is similar, yet it has a "twist" ending. Elisha
was a remarkable individual (2 Kings 2:9). He asked for and received a
double portion of Elijah's spirit. A great number of miracles are
recorded in his name; even after his death, Elisha's bones brought a man
back to life (2 Kings 13:2 1). Yet Elisha died of a sickness (verse
14). 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. to the top |
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| 21 |
A strong statement about healing is found in Psalm 103:3-. "who (God)
forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases." Surely God has
stated that He desires to, can, and shall heal; but nowhere has God
absolutely bound Himself to provide physical healing, nor is this
passage an exception to the statement. The context of the psalm is given
in verse 2: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; . . . and forget not all his
benefits." The psalm is essentially a recitation of the many benefits
received from God. However, these various benefits—of which physical
healing is indeed one—are not absolute and unconditional promises to
which God has irrevocably bound Himself. Notice that one's youth is
renewed like that of an eagle (v.5) and God provides justice for all the
oppressed (v.6). These are both promises in only a general sense since
various qualifications are indicated elsewhere in scripture. Our youth
is not always renewed like that of an eagle. There have been countless
righteous people oppressed without receiving justice. Verse 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. Yet the power of the poetry cannot help but make one
realize that our 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. to the top |
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| 22 |
Several examples of non-healing are also recorded in the New
Testament, even during a period when special gifts were possessed by
some and astounding healings were being performed by various of the
apostles. 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). to the top |
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| 23 |
On another occasion, Paul mentions that he had left Trophimus ill in
Miletus (2 Tim. 4:20). He does not elaborate on the situation, but
illness is taken as a matter of course rather than as some sort of
unexpected occurrence. In fact, in an earlier letter to Timothy, the
apostle Paul refers to Timothy's "frequent ailments" (1 Tim. 5:23).
to the top |
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| 24 |
Paul himself had a "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7ff). He does not
describe it exactly, but there is a likelihood that it was something
physical. The Greek term astheneia, translated "weakness" in
verses 9 and 10, is often used specifically of physical weakness,
sickness or disease (e.g. Acts 5:15; 28:9; Luke 5:15; John 5:5).
If Paul's "thorn" was indeed some physical defect, he was suffering from
the very thing—a physical weakness—he was being used to heal others of.
to the top |
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| 25 |
At first glance, James 5:14-20 seems to contradict the biblical fact
that God's promise to heal is conditional rather than absolute. James
says that the "prayer of faith on behalf of a sick person who has
requested and receives the anointing of the ministry shall save the
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up." But to interpret James'
statement to mean that the prayer of faith must always obligate God to
physically heal not only contradicts numerous biblical and Church
examples of healing and non-healing, but is also unfair to the sense and
context of these verses. Although this one statement appears to be
written without qualification, the condition, "if it be God's will," was
no doubt tacitly understood. to the top |
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| 26 |
Furthermore, the word translated "save" in verse 15 is the Greek
word sozo. As previously explained, sozo is used only a
few times in the Bible in reference to a sick person being made well (e.g.
Mk. 6:56). The overwhelming majority of times (over 100) that
this word is used in the New Testament it is in the spiritual sense of
eternal salvation. Likewise, the word "raise" in this verse, egeiro
in Greek, can mean "to rouse from sleep or lift up as from a bed or
floor"; but egeiro is used most often in the New Testament to
represent the resurrection from the dead. (Examples of this usage are
found in Matthew 10:8, where the disciples are instructed to "raise the
dead, cast out devils"; Matthew 11:5, "the dead are raised up"; Matthew
14:2,"he is risen from the dead"; Matthew 16:21, "and be raised again
the third day"; Acts 3:15, "whom God hath raised from the dead"; and
Romans 6:4, "as Christ was raised up from the dead.") 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. The ambiguity caused by the double meaning of these words
no doubt has a purpose. 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. James thereby confirms the
conditional nature of the promise of physical healing and the
unconditional nature of the promise of the resurrection from the dead. to the top |
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| 27 |
PHYSICIANS AND MEDICINES IN THE BIBLE It is true that the
Bible often condemns ancient practitioners who relied on pagan gods,
amulets, incantations or other forms of magic. But one cannot
extrapolate from ancient superstition, demonology and ignorance to
modern scientific medicine. In biblical times the medical arts,
primitive by today's standards, were often associated with pagan
religions and mystical rites: the line between such "black arts" and
pure medicine was hazy. to the top |
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| 28 |
One example is the reference to Ahaziah in 2 Kings 1:2: Now Ahaziah
fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick;
so he sent messengers, telling them, "Go, inquire of Baalzebub, the god
of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness." to the top |
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| 29 |
This passage does not mean that Ahaziah went to Baalzebub for
healing. Firstly, if he had wanted to be healed, he would have gone
personally rather than just sending messengers. Secondly, he was only
trying to inquire whether he would live or die, nothing more. This
implies that he was consulting an oracle to try to find out the future,
disobeying God's law in the process, just as Saul had done before his
final battle with the Philistines. Professor John Gray in his commentary
on Kings states: "daras (literally 'to seek') is used
specifically of seeking divine revelation by consulting an oracle, cf.
Amos 5:5." Ahaziah should have sought to God concerning his
future—therein lay his mistake. to the top |
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| 30 |
There are a number of other biblical allusions to physicians,
healing and medicine. Exodus 21:19, as discussed above, hints at the
beneficial, fully accepted use of "healing arts" within Israel; Isaiah
38:21 gives an example remedy for boils which Isaiah himself prescribed.
Perhaps it could be said that this "cake of figs" which Isaiah had said
was to be applied to Hezekiah's boil "that he may recover" was only
symbolic since God was going to supernaturally heal Hezekiah. Yet the
fact remains that Isaiah did state that such an external, physical
healing-type medicine was to be applied. Such "medical" help (within
the medical technology of the time) was not only not condemned but
was actually a fundamental component of the healing process. It
certainly would appear that this laudable example of Hezekiah's
beseeching with full faith in God for healing did not exclude his
simultaneous utilization of external "medical" aids. In fact by
requiring it as part of the process, Isaiah corroborates the view that
man should do the most that he can for himself, while asking God to do
that which he cannot. to the top |
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| 31 |
Other references to physicians are used metaphorically. Jeremiah
8:22 certainly gives no sense of condemnation; many, in fact, read it
very positively regarding its allusion to the role of a physician: "Is
there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the
health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" Job 13.4 does
not refer to all physicians. In 2 Chronicles 16:12, Asa is censured for
not seeking God for help in his illness; the questions of whether the
act of seeking the physicians was itself condemned in this case or
whether these "physicians" were really priests and magicians of a false
religion (and thus to be condemned) cannot be settled here alone,
considering the lack of biblical data. In any event, the primary point
of the verse is clearly that Asa erred in consulting only physicians,
and did not consult God at all. to the top |
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| 32 |
In Matthew 9:12, Jesus states that: "Those who are well have no need
of a physician, but those who are sick." This saying is used in a
metaphorical sense, yet it and other similar sayings give no feeling of
condemnation of physicians. As Wendle Short writes: Our Lord several
times mentions physicians. . . . [None] of these sentences give
the impression that the physician was generally looked upon, in
Palestine at that time, as a pagan, a charlatan, or hopelessly
incompetent" (The Bible and Modern Medicine. p. 30). In Luke
4:23, Jesus quoted the proverb, "Physician, heal thyself," and applied
it to Himself with no hint of denigration of physicians in the process.
Luke is called "the beloved physician" by Paul in his letter to the
Colossians (Col. 4:14). The Greek word used here for "physician" is,
iatros and means "one who heals" (cf. the verb iaomai meaning
"to heal" which is used in reference to Christ's divine healings many
times in the gospels). Since iatros was the normal word for
"physician" used through out the Greek world at the time, there is no
indication that Luke was any different from other physicians. Nor is
anything said about his giving up his pre-conversion practice. (Indeed
the reference to Luke as a physician, beloved at that, can be dated at
62-63 A.D.) to the top |
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| 33 |
What about medicines and drugs? Revelation 21:8 says that sorcerers
(Greek pharmakos) shall have their part in the lake of fire. The
clear evidence indicates that the word pharmakia referred to cult
worship and the use of drugs to induce spells, rather than modern
medicines and pharmacological drugs since these were not then in
existence. Medicines used to heal sickness are not condemned in the
Bible. Passages alluding to the use of medicines or similar preparations
for healing purposes (e.g. Is. 38:21; Prov. 17:22) do not condemn
them. As seen above, the metaphors in Jeremiah 30:13, 51:8 and Ezekiel
30-21 alluding to the use of healing medicines or physical methods of
healing may either be stated sarcastically or as an accusation, but the
allusion is nonetheless positive as far as the benefits of the medicines
are concerned. The words used in these scriptures are derived from
rafa' and evidently have the meaning "that which heals." to the top |
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| 34 |
Ezekiel 47:12 is especially interesting since it shows the
continuing positive use of healing medicines—made from special leaves
from trees which are nourished by waters from the new Temple—in the
millennium after the return of Jesus Christ. Corroboration can be found
in Revelation 22:2, where it relates that healing preparations shall
still be used after the new heaven and new earth are established.
Whatever the understanding or fashion of usage (literal and/or
metaphoric)—which is presently well beyond our ken—even the
reference to these healing preparations must surely be taken as a very
positive sign since they shall have their part in this magnificent
environment. to the top |
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| 35 |
HEALTH PRINCIPLES God's earnest desire is for all human
beings to live an abundant life in perfect health. This attitude is
reflected in the words of the apostle John: "Beloved, I wish above all
things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospereth" (3 John 2). The Bible refers to health as a positive
standard metaphor with which other things are likened ("the tongue of
the wise" in Prov. 12:18 "a faithful ambassador" in Prov. 13:17,
"pleasant words" in Prov. 16:24). To this end, 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. to the top |
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| 36 |
Common sense and experience by themselves should make the basic
principles of health quickly available to everybody. The old adage "an
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is absolutely valid. The
realization of this should lead to an attitude of genuine care and
concern for the health of one's family and oneself. Such a conscious
awareness would go a long way toward securing good health. 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. The right amounts of
exercise, sleep and relaxation are likewise important. 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. Caution should,
of course, be taken to prevent accidents and bodily harm (without
becoming obsessive or paranoid in the process.) Finally, 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. to the top |
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| 37 |
God has designed the human body to function in good health for the
full span of one's allotted years. Unfortunately, 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. to the top |
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| 38 |
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. The obvious exceptions to this are accidents and
when disease or affliction is inherited. Even these two cases are many
times the result of mankind harming himself, however, because most
accidents are the result of carelessness and could have been avoided,
and many inherited illnesses no doubt result from the nutritional,
environmental, or even medical shortcomings of previous generations.
Some obvious examples are the limb less offspring of mothers who
ingested the drug thalidomide during pregnancy; the children who are
born deaf because their mothers had a disease during pregnancy; and
those who have organic brain deficiencies due to malnutrition. It is
evident, then, that most of man's health problems are self-generated.
to the top |
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| 39 |
Radiant health has always been a prime concern of the Church.
Indeed, the Church strongly teaches that individuals must care for their
bodies physically, just as they must care for their minds mentally and
spiritually. For, in the final analysis, physical, mental, and spiritual
health cannot be isolated from one another. to the top |
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| 40 |
Even though physical life is not the primary object of Christian
commitment, it is important, and God expects us to take care of our
bodies. Consistent with this is making good use of available knowledge
about the human body, its functions and processes. In addition to
showing how to maintain good health, 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. to the top |
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| 41 |
CHURCH INSTRUCTIONS FOR TIMES OF ILLNESS No matter how much
we take care of ourselves, almost all of us become ill or sick from time
to time or suffer a misfortune such as an accident. At such times, the
biblical record makes plain that God can intervene on behalf of the sick
and heal them according to faith and/or other factors. This divine
healing process is apart from, and not in conflict with, anything a
person can do to help himself. Healing is a "special benefit" which God
has made available to His Church. But it is not part of His spiritual,
moral law, as it were; and not being healed, therefore, is not a sin.
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. to the top |
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| 42 |
The basic instructions followed by the Church are found in James
5:14 ff. These verses state that 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. This ceremony is richly symbolic: 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. to the top |
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| 43 |
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SICKNESS AND SIN Physical sickness
and illness can be caused by different factors. At times, it 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).
to the top |
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| 44 |
Whenever sin is involved, healing includes the forgiveness of that
sin (Matthew 9:1-7). The final statement in James 5:14 illustrates the
point: "and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." The
construction used (the Greek particle kan with the subjunctive)
expresses uncertainty and doubt. The person may have sinned; on the
other hand, he may not have sinned. If the individual is only
ill, he shall be healed. But if he has also sinned, his sins shall be
forgiven as well. to the top |
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| 45 |
In John 9, Jesus confirms that physical debilities are not
necessarily caused by sin. The relevant points for our purpose are
contained in the first few verses; "As he passed by, he saw a man blind
from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this
man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not
that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be
made manifest in him." (vv. 1-3) to the top |
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| 46 |
It is important to notice that the assumption of sin was made on the
part of the disciples. (Job's friends made the same mistake—which has
a definite superstitious ring to it—by assuming that Job's physical
problems were due to his sins.) Jesus did not say that either the
blind man or his parents had sinned. On the contrary, He denied that sin
was involved in this case even though He did not elaborate further.
to the top |
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| 47 |
In another context, Jesus reinforces the fact that the blows of time
and chance are not necessarily related to some extraordinary degree of
sinfulness: There were some present at that very time who told him of
the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And
he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners
than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you,
No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those
eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you
think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in
Jerusalem?" (Luke 13:1-5) to the top |
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| 48 |
The Bible nowhere speaks of "physical sin." Sin is surely discussed
a great deal; and from the numerous biblical references, it is possible
to piece together the various acts and attitudes which constitute sin.
But all of these fall under ethical, moral or mental categories—and are
all, therefore, spiritual in nature. Indeed, the penalty for sin—eternal
death in the lake of fire—proves that sin is spiritual only, because
"breaking" a physical principle of health (e.g. stubbing one's toe,
not getting sufficient vitamin C, ingesting too many refined sugars and
starches, etc.) will not lead toward eternal death. Although, as
previously explained, much if not most illness is self-generated through
ignorance, error or neglect, it is not proper to label such physical
mistakes "sin" in the strict biblical sense. Thus, to speak of "physical
sin" is an actual contradiction in terms and likely to be confusing.
to the top |
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| 49 |
If, however, the illness or injury is directly or indirectly caused
by the breaking of one of God's laws—two obvious examples would be
venereal disease, resulting from unlawful sexual behavior, and liver
disease, resulting from over-consumption of alcoholic beverages—then the
cause of the problem is indeed sin in its true biblical meaning. It is
not always possible, of course, to discern when illness or injury is the
result of sin (the breaking of God's law in the letter) and/or
stems from a sinful attitude (the breaking of God's law in the spirit).
Nor is it wise to become sidetracked by undue concern over whether
certain detrimental physical practices under consideration are, or are
not, sin. 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. to the top |
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| 50 |
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. But at all times, whether sin is involved or not,
healing is a manifestation of God's mercy and an exemplification of
God's love. to the top |
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| 51 |
THE HEALINGS OF JESUS CHRIST: PURPOSE AND POWER Though there
were several notable healings in the Old Testament, by far the most
important and consistent healings in history were associated with the
ministry of Jesus Christ. Some examples (with references) of
these healings follow. By both their quality and quantity, they
demonstrate the enormous importance that the New Testament places on the
healing miracles of Jesus Christ. The leper, ---Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16 The Paralytic, ---Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26 The multitudes, ---Matthew 4:24-25; Mark 3:7-13; Luke 6:17-19 The centurion, ---Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10 Peter's mother-in-law, ---Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39 Jairus' daughter, ---Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke. 8:40-56 Blind Men, ---Matthew 9:27-31; 20,30-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43 The Canaanite woman, ---Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30 The deaf mute, ---Mark 7:31-37 The blind man at Bethsaida, ---Mark 8:22-25 The ten lepers, ---Luke 117:11-19 Sabbath healings, ---Matthew 12:10-13; Luke 13:10-17; 14:1-6 The officials sick son,--- John 4:46-54 The restored ear, ---Luke 22:50-51 to the top |
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| 52 |
Understanding the significance of all these healings is essential to
salvation since they are a direct verification that Jesus of Nazareth is
the Christ. 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). Healing was also a fundamental part of the work of
Jesus Christ on earth, and of this there can be no doubt. Jesus' primary
object in performing the numerous healings that he did throughout His
ministry, as it would be recorded in the New Testament for all peoples
and for all times, was to give an absolutely certain, physically
verifiable demonstration of His spiritual power. to the top |
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| 53 |
The first reference to healing in Matthew's account is in direct
association with Jesus "preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God";
indeed, healing and Christ's message of the coming Kingdom of God were
almost inseparable. to the top |
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| 54 |
And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every
infirmity among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and
they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and
pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.
(Matthew 4:23-24) to the top |
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| 55 |
Many other verses confirm the close interdependence between healing
and the full scope of Jesus' gospel of the Kingdom (e.g. Matthew 9:35).
The association is profound: 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). Jesus'
power to accomplish the former—the physical evidence of His healings was
immediate and startling—was the clear demonstration that He likewise had
the power to accomplish the latter—and establish the Kingdom of God on
earth. In this context, Jesus' frequent casting out of demons as part of
the healing process foreshadowed His binding of Satan in establishing
the Kingdom of God. to the top |
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| 56 |
Jesus' healings were spectacular; no one ever doubted when the
crippled walked, the maimed were made whole, the blind saw, the deaf
heard. to the top |
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| 57 |
And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the
maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his
feet, and he healed them, so that the throng wondered, when they saw the
dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing;
and they glorified the God of Israel. (Matthew 15:30-31) to the top |
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| 58 |
Healings were the clearest demonstration of God's power in Jesus
Christ, which could literally flow from Him (Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19;
8:46). Indeed, Jesus' healings represented to the world the absolute
power that God had given Him over the world. Healing likewise
corroborated Jesus' power over Satan and his demons (Mark 3:15; Acts
10:38). to the top |
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| 59 |
Jesus also used healing to show His authority over other aspects of
God's universe, such as, for example, the Sabbath day. When the
religious leaders told the man Jesus had just healed that he should not
by carrying his pallet on the Sabbath, the man answered them (probably
with great confidence and conviction): "The man, who healed me said
to me, 'Take up your pallet, and walk'" John 5:11. to the top |
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| 60 |
But the most important aspect of Jesus' spiritual power, that His
healing demonstrated to the world was His power to forgive sin, and,
ultimately, to resurrect the body from the dead. As noted, the word used
in Mark 5:23 to indicate Jesus' physical healing of Jairus' daughter (sozo)
is the same word used in about 100 passages to represent spiritual
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. to the top |
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| 61 |
Many of the people whom Jesus healed were lepers. This dread disease
was the epitome of uncleanness. The word "cleanse," utilized in
reference to Jesus' healing of lepers (Matthew 8:3; 10:8; 11:5; Mark
1:42; Luke 7:22; 17:14,17) was, interestingly enough, the same word
chosen on occasion to describe what should happen to sin and how it
should happen. " . . . let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of
the flesh and spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1); and more directly, "the blood of
Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Thus, Jesus'
supernatural miracles of literally cleansing lepers in the flesh during
His ministry writes the record for all human history and beyond,
confirming Jesus as the One who can literally cleanse sinners in the
spirit. And just as the faith of the leper and the mercy of God were
intrinsic to healing (Luke17:13, 19), so the faith of the sinner and the
mercy of God are intrinsic to the forgiveness of sin. to the top |
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| 62 |
Jesus' healing of the paralytic in Matthew 9:1-8 is particularly
instructive in exemplifying the relationship between healing and the
forgiveness of 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. The miracle of healing (more than any other
miracle) was especially apropos since it physically represented a
restorative process in which something unclean and broken was
supernaturally made clean and whole. to the top |
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| 63 |
Jesus was teaching at home surrounded by a large crowd which had
gathered to hear Him. Some friends of a paralytic wanted to bring him to
Jesus; they could not get through the crowd so they let him down through
a hole in the roof. Jesus saw their faith (not necessarily that of
the paralytic, though his was probably included). He said, "Your
sins are forgiven" (present tense), or as in Luke's account,
"Your sins have been forgiven" (perfect tense). This forgiveness
cannot as yet refer to the cause of the man's paralysis even if that
cause was sin, since he did not immediately stand up—he continued to lie
on his pallet—when Jesus told him that his sins had been forgiven. Only
when Jesus realized that He was being judged by some of the religious
leaders present, did He demonstrate His power to forgive sins by healing
the man "'that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth
to forgive sins'—he said to the man who was paralyzed—'I say to you,
rise, take up your bed and go home"' (Luke 5:24). to the top |
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| 64 |
The point is that the power to forgive sin is proved by the
healing—"Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to
say, 'Rise, and walk'?" Yet, nothing is said about the forgiveness of
sin being the cause of the healing. In fact, the verb in Luke 5:20 ("your
sins have been forgiven"—apheimi) shows that the forgiveness was
completed at the moment Jesus spoke those words. But the man was not
healed until a few moments later. Thus, the healing was differentiated
from the forgiveness of sin. They were two separate acts, with the
former being used to prove Jesus' power over the latter. to the top |
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| 65 |
In John 11, Jesus once again gives a physical demonstration of His
spiritual power. This time it is His power to resurrect the dead, which
is the ultimate miracle of healing. Jesus sets the stage by discussing
the subject with Martha, who is grieving for Lazarus; He tells her, "I
am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die,
yet shall he live" (v.25). Jesus then presents tangible proof of His
assertion—proof that would resound throughout the millennia of
history—by resurrecting Lazarus back to physical life. to the top |
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| 66 |
Healing thus foreshadows the resurrection when God shall re-create
those who have died and transfigure those who will be alive. Just as
Jesus instantly changed sick bodies into healthy bodies, so shall Christ
instantly change mortal bodies into immortal bodies. The situations
where Jesus actually brought a human corpse back to physical life, as
with Lazarus and Jairus' daughter, reinforce the analogous and symbolic
relationship between healing and the 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—and Jesus' power to do the former gives us the ultimate
victory over the latter (1 Cor. 15:54-58). Healing, then, is the
clearest physical counterpart of this great spiritual event when human
mortality shall be swallowed up by godly immortality and when mankind
shall be born into God's Family. to the top |
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| 67 |
Though Jesus did not heal everybody all the time, He often responded
positively through people's faith in Him. Jesus emphasized that He
healed according to an individual's faith. Such an intimate involvement
of faith is wholly consistent with healing portraying the cleansing of
our sins at conversion and the transformation of our bodies at the
resurrection—since faith is absolutely essential to both processes. It
is a person's faith in Jesus Christ, then, that is a critical and
necessary element—in healing, in the forgiveness of sin, in conversion,
and, ultimately, in the resurrection from the dead. As such, it is
completely logical that healing should center around and emanate from
Jesus Christ, giving great credence to His office, His authority and His
commission. to the top |
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| 68 |
Healing, then, is in essence the physical representation of the
spiritual cleansing, restitutory and regenerative power of God through
the person of Jesus Christ. This is why healing figured so prominently
in the ministry of Jesus Christ and so much less so at earlier times in
biblical history, or at later times in church history. 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. Our sins are forgiven, our
minds are changed, our hearts are made pure and our spirits are made
whole. The process is supernatural and immediate; just as Jesus could
heal the sick and make the lame whole before men, so can Christ cleanse
our minds and make our spiritual lives righteous before God. to the top |
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| 69 |
Though healing was a vitally important aspect of Jesus' ministry for
what it spiritually represented, Jesus' personal motivation for healing
was more simply human. He empathized deeply with the human misery and
suffering that illness and injury brought, and consequently did what He
could to ease the misery and alleviate the suffering. Jesus was "moved
with compassion" (Matthew 14:14) toward people who were sick; He "pitied
them" (Living Bible) and "felt deep sympathy" (Modern Language
Bible) for them. So, notwithstanding all the other reasons, Jesus
healed because He loved people. to the top |
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| 70 |
"BY HIS WOUNDS YOU HAVE BEEN HEALED" Jesus Christ as our
Paschal Lamb was intimately acquainted with suffering and sorrow. 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: . . . he endured the suffering that
should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne . . . because
of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are
healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he
received. (Isaiah 53:4-5, Today's English Version) Or, in more
familiar words, 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." to the top |
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| 71 |
In quoting this very passage Peter states, "Christ himself carried
our sins in his body to the cross [stake], so that we might die
to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have
been healed" (1 Peter 2:24, TEV) "by whose stripes ye were healed" (KJV).
Though healing can take various forms and though by His supreme
sacrifice Jesus made all healing possible—spiritual, mental, physical
and even environmental—still, the primary intent of Isaiah's prophecy
and Peter's reference to it does in fact refer to the healing of our
physical bodies and minds. This is clearly shown by the context in which
this same passage is once again quoted in Matthew 8:14-17, after Jesus
healed Peter's mother-in-law: That evening they brought to him many who
were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and
healed all who were sick. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the
prophet Isaiah, "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases."
Furthermore, 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). to the top |
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| 72 |
In giving the Corinthian Church instructions on the proper way to
observe the Lord's supper (while correcting their errors), Paul
showed how "the wrong manner or attitude toward the body and blood of
the Lord (symbolically represented by eating the bread and drinking
the wine during the Passover memorial service) has resulted in many
Church members remaining weak and ill, with some even having died. to the top |
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|
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| 73 |
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. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of
the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body
eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak
and ill, and some have died (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). to the top |
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|
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| 74 |
Paul's precise reference and analysis in verse 30 may be difficult
to discern. But what is immediately clear is that physical ills do
result from spiritual problems. Some commentators feel that the physical
sickness and death were a direct result of the Corinthians' sins in
profaning the Lord's supper, or were a judgment from God. There is a
variation on this theme, however, which could equally apply. This would
involve healing—or, more precisely, the absence of it. to the top |
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|
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| 75 |
To investigate this possibility we should consider two simultaneous
equations and then solve them together. In the first equation, "the body
of the Lord" (vv.27 and 29) which a Christian must discern in order to
eat the bread and drink the wine in a worthy manner is the same "body"
which Peter (quoting Isaiah) said was wounded so that we could be
healed. In the second equation, the profound appreciation of, and
personal identification with, the sufferings and sacrifice of Jesus
Christ, which are vital elements of the healing Process, are also an
important part of the Passover service. What emerges from the two
equations is the strong suggestion that it could well have been the lack
of physical healing in the Church, caused by a lack of appreciation for
the fact that Jesus was wounded for our healing, which was Paul's point
to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:30)—an admonition that should not be lost
on the Church of God of any age. to the top |
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| 76 |
HEALING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH During Jesus' ministry no
one except Jesus Himself had God's Holy Spirit; consequently, no one
else was empowered with godly faith. Jesus' healings, therefore, served
the important purpose of being the overt physical evidence absolutely
essential to stimulate His disciples' own human faith; His healings were
necessary for even His closest friends to believe in Him as Savior, and
it is unlikely that He would have gained any following at all without
these miracles. (The fact that His healings were performed to inspire
faith in His disciples is seen by the numerous instances when such
miracles were accompanied by comments by Christ on the topic of faith,
Matthew 9:22, 17:18-20; Mark. 9:23; Luke. 8:48-50,) to the top |
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|
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| 77 |
In commissioning His disciples, Jesus told them that they too would
"heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out "demons" to
accompany and corroborate their preaching that "the kingdom of heaven is
at hand" (Matthew 10:8). As Luke recorded it: "Whenever you enter a town
and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it
and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you"' (Luke
10:8-9; cf. 9:2,11). to the top |
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|
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| 78 |
Jesus kept His promise to His disciples. After His resurrection and
the sending of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the apostles
performed astounding miracles. to the top |
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|
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| 79 |
And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both
of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the
streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at
least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered
from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted
with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. (Acts 5:14-16) to the top |
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|
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| 80 |
The healings Jesus Himself performed were utterly miraculous and
spectacular—many in full public view. "And great crowds came to him,
bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many
others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them" (Matthew
15:30). Likewise, the apostles performed incredible miracles—miracles
such as the healing of the congenitally lame man by Peter and John at
the gate of the Temple (Acts 3:1-11), and the healing of the
congenitally crippled man by Paul in Lystra (Acts 14:8-11). In both
cases, it was the stunning and incredible aspect of the healing—withered
limbs instantly regenerated, strengthened and made whole—that gave the
apostles the opportunity to preach the gospel boldly and proclaim it
loudly before large, hostile crowds. to the top |
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|
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| 81 |
But as the years went on, it appears that the initial surge of
tremendous spiritual power began to wane. In later decades, dedicated
Church members are seen sick and dying, and the days of astounding
miracles of healing seem to have ended. Paul talks about some in the
Church having "the gifts of healing" (1 Cor. 12:9), yet "healers" are
mentioned behind apostles, prophets, teachers and workers of miracles in
verses 28-30, and verse 10 seems to indicate that those at the higher
levels of responsibility in the Church did not necessarily have the
gifts of healing. to the top |
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|
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| 82 |
Was the attenuation of major healing miracles the result of a
proportional decline in the faith of the elders and members? The answer
appears to center more around God's overall, long-term purpose for His
Church. At its inception, there was no New Testament record to read and
there was great persecution to endure. Consequently, God poured out His
spirit to begin the Church and give its members confidence. But 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. to the top |
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|
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| 83 |
Coming down the centuries to our time, God's Church has many
advantages today that were unavailable in the first century. The mass
media of radio, television and publishing enable the gospel to be
preached to all the world. The complete New Testament gives us a full
account of Jesus' life, teachings and healings, and through God's
Spirit, we should be able to study God's Word and develop real spiritual
faith without depending on the external crutch of physical evidence
through miracles. to the top |
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|
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| 84 |
As far as healings are concerned, we surely know that God is not
pouring out His Spirit to empower His ministers to perform breathtaking
miracles as obviously and as supernaturally inspired as those that
occurred in the early New Testament Church. (Perhaps God will do so
at some future date; there are biblical hints and parallels which seem
to suggest this possibility as we move closer to the return of Christ.)
Does God's Church today have even the same type and frequency of
healings that the later New Testament Church had? It is hard to know for
sure. to the top |
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|
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| 85 |
But 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. 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. to the top |
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|
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| 86 |
DIVINE HEALING, FAITH AND PHYSICAL/MEDICAL PROCEDURES:
INTERRELATIONSHIPS, APPLICATIONS AND CHRISTIAN RESPONSIBILITIES 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. The following points help
project the proper perspective: to the top |
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|
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| 87 |
A human lifespan is only temporary and was so intended from the time of Adam. Whether it be 969 years, seven decades, three months or one day, each physical life will eventually come to an end. The human body was designed to die. It may come by accident; it may be by disease; or perhaps the body will just wear out. But the statistics for it have never dropped below 100 percent. God could, of course, preserve physical existence to eternity, but He has not chosen to do so. We know of no case where He has maintained physical life indefinitely, even for the patriarchs and prophets. Yet God has many times chosen to extend physical life temporarily by healing a disease or repairing an injury. 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. to the top |
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| 88 |
Once this physical life ends, healing ceases to be a concern, since the body of the resurrection shall be a spiritual one. Healing, therefore, pertains to this life alone and is a short-term, although important concern. One should never forget that the real hope of all true Christians—both for the healthy and for the sick—is eternal spiritual life through the resurrection and not prolonged physical life through healing. Furthermore, one's ultimate reward is neither determined nor affected by whether he was or was not healed during his physical lifetime. The fact that we can know by the written record of God's Word that Jesus Christ performed the most amazing and incredible healings during His ministry, and that those healings manifested God's power through Him, should give us great confidence. 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. to the top |
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| 89 |
3. Healing is not an indicator of righteousness; nor is it a test
of spirituality. Even the most righteous and most spiritual
eventually die of something physical. Healing is an example of God's
mercy, a product of God's wisdom. When He chooses to intervene and heal,
we should be grateful. When He does not, we should not necessarily
assume lack of faith, unrighteousness, and/or insufficient spirituality.
And when we die, "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord" (Rev.
14:13). Therefore, neither healing nor the lack of it are an indication
of one's level of faith or spirituality. In Acts 3:1-8, God healed,
through Peter and John, a man who had no idea that he was about to be
healed; he desired money, and was totally shocked at being healed.
Surely the healing of this man was not at all indicative of his
righteousness or spirituality. God sometimes heals the new convert and
the spiritually immature, while he may withhold it from the mature
Christian. And we shall all, no matter how spiritual, eventually die of
some physical state which God does not correct and heal. Another
situation where healing was not an indicator of righteousness or a test
of spirituality was the example of the apostle Paul mentioned earlier.
If his thorn in the flesh was physical, he was not healed of this
serious affliction. to the top |
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| 90 |
4. Faith is not the sole criterion for determining whether a person shall be healed.One main prerequisite God requires for healing is the total confidence and faith that God does indeed exist and can heal us of our illnesses (Matthew 9:28-29). One must not forget that the people whom Jesus healed during His earthly ministry had, for the most part, already heard numerous accounts from far and wide of His miraculous intervention in other people's lives to heal them. It would not, therefore, have required that much effort on their part to believe that Christ could—and, indeed, would—heal them. This means that those whom Jesus healed by no means had to have been spiritual giants possessing great faith—quite possibly it was just the opposite. As Jesus Himself said in another context, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). to the top |
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| 91 |
But the Bible also shows that other factors, at times known only to
God, enter into His decision regarding whether, when, why and how to
heal the sick person. 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, etc. Furthermore, the object of God's purpose
may not always be the sick person himself: God sometimes heals for
reasons other than solely to restore someone to health (e.g. as a
witness to those who see the sick person healed, etc.) to the top |
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| 92 |
God is intensely concerned with an individual's mind and
heart—attitudes that are always obvious to God though often not apparent
to others. In the matter of healing, it may be one's attitude as much as
one's faith that may influence what God will do. "But this is the man to
whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles
at my, word" (Isaiah 66:2). 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. to the top |
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| 93 |
The New Testament refers to "gifts of healing" (1 Cor. 12:9,30)
which apparently differed from the normal function of elders anointing
the sick. Only a few had this unusual gift of healing; it was not the
possession of everyone. In the Church today, we see no evidence of such
a gift having been bestowed on any individual, certainly not as a
permanent thing. Perhaps God will give this gift in the future, but He
has not done so yet. to the top |
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| 94 |
Since the Church recognizes these individual circumstances, it
vigorously teaches that there is no way of knowing in advance whether
any person will be supernaturally healed. Similarly, the Church teaches
with equal vigor 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. 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. to the top |
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| 95 |
5. The relationship between healing and faith is complex, necessitating an understanding of the whole Bible and current, practical experience.The numerous healings of Jesus Christ show the clear, active involvement of the faith of the individual (Matthew 9:22; Mark 9:23; Luke 8:48-50). Yet, the man healed in Acts 3 obviously had no faith whatsoever, despite which he was completely healed. Likewise, the slave of the centurion was healed because of the centurion's faith—the slave himself probably did not even realize why he suddenly got better (Matthew 8:5-13). to the top |
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| 96 |
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. Jesus said that if we had enough faith
we could literally move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Yet no living
Christian that we know of has had such faith. It is impossible to "work
up" such faith; in the same way, it is impossible to "work up" the faith
involved in healing. Only God can supply this faith. It is His
responsibility and, consequently, 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. On the other
hand, 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." to the top |
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| 97 |
The faith that Jesus said was involved in healing seems so simple,
yet so difficult, and yet so simple again. Faith is the belief that God
shall heal. But our years of experience in the Church, going through our
own trials and empathizing with the trials of others, sometimes add
enormous complexities to faith. Knowledge itself—and all human knowledge
is partial—can sometimes militate [have influence] against faith.
Faith cannot be faked, and with the many demands and multifarious
distractions impacting the Christian, faith may just not be there. The
examples of faith in the New Testament seem so simple—almost too
simple—to us. These people did not have time to develop the faith we
think is necessary—they hardly knew Jesus or the apostles, and certainly
had little idea what they taught—they just immediately believed and were
healed. Maybe there is a lesson here. to the top |
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| 98 |
6. The lack of faith is not sin, nor is the lack of healing a sin; healing is rather a special benefit from God, which is neither commanded nor required.Healing is a special benefit from God—a gift from our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ. But healing is not a part of God's spiritual-moral law, and as such is neither commanded nor required by God. Consequently, it cannot be a sin if one is not healed. 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. It is just that the individual who asks for anointing is seeking this special benefit from God. to the top |
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| 99 |
We all, in some manner, lack faith. This is no more an indictment
than to say that we are all human. How many have the faith to move
mountains? Yet no Christian feels spiritually inferior because he cannot
do so. The same lack of spiritual inferiority should equally apply to
the faith required for healing. How many have consistent faith? On the
other hand, to say that a person lacks faith is not necessarily to blame
him in any way, since faith comes from God. If that individual does not
have faith, it may be because God has not given it to him. Can one blame
God for not having given someone something that only He can give? Of
course, this does not mean that the individual does not have a
responsibility; yet the faith required for healing must come as a gift.
to the top |
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| 100 |
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. (The scripture which states that "for whatsoever is
not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23) 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.) to the top |
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| 101 |
There is sometimes the misconception that if something did not
happen as hoped, it was due to lack of faith. As a blanket assumption,
this is untrue. What is faith? It is total belief. But even absolute
belief in something contrary to God's intention will not bring it about.
God may honor faith or belief in something not contrary to His will.
Conversely, He will not honor a request contrary to His will, no matter
how much faith the requester has (for example, the death of David's
and Bathsheba's first child). Jesus Christ—our perfect example of
faith—requested that the cup of His suffering and death be taken from
Him. It was not removed—not because of a lack of faith, but because God
had ordained otherwise. to the top |
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| 102 |
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. Healing is not just a matter of faith—it
is also a matter of mercy. God said, "I will have mercy on whom I have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Rom.
9:15, citing Ex. 33:19). Healing is an extension of God's mercy; it
is not an absolute promise according to one's faith. Faith usually
does—but does not forcibly have to—have something to do with it. to the top |
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| 103 |
There is no better example of a spirit-filled Christian with great
faith in God than the apostle Paul. Yet he had a "thorn in the flesh"
which he was apparently never healed of (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Was the reason
for his not being healed any sin on Paul's part? Was there any sin
involved at all? Was his physical infirmity itself the result of sin?
Was Paul's failure to be healed a sin in itself? Was it symptomatic of a
lack of faith which was a sin? We can pretty well answer all of these
questions in the negative and be quite confident of this conclusion, not
because Paul did not sin, but because he was so open and honest in
freely admitting his most personal sins. Paul was so hard on himself in
Roman's 7, where he exposed his own sin of covetousness and his other
human frailties, that we can rest assured that if there had been even a
possibility that sin was in any manner connected with his physical
infirmity—if some sin on his part might have been the cause of it, or if
the lack of healing might have been a sin, or if he might have lacked
faith—Paul would surely not have hesitated to fully disclose it. The
only possible reason Paul did not discuss sin in the context of his own
physical infirmity was that sin was not involved at all. Paul's attitude
to his failure to be healed is truly exemplary. to the top |
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| 104 |
Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me;
but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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).
to the top |
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| 105 |
There is no question that Paul did not lack faith; faith had no
relationship whatsoever to the fact that he was not healed. God simply
knew what was best for him. Paul needed this infirmity to keep him "from
being too elated by the abundance of revelations" (v.7) given to him
(such as being "caught up to the third heaven . . . into Paradise . . .
and hearing things that cannot be told, which man may not utter,"
vv.2-4). Paul accepted God's decision that, "My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v.9), with magnificent
humility and a fiercely loyal desire to now fully appreciate his
physical weakness, which God knew was important for his spiritual
strength: "I will all the more gladly boast of my weakness, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me" (v.9). There can be no better example
to follow—no better attitude to have—whenever God, for reasons only He
knows, decides to withhold His blessing of healing. 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. to the top |
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| 106 |
7. Faith must not be confused with desires, fears or pressures.
A person's faith—even one's own faith—is difficult if not impossible
to assess. It is in no way "godly" or "spiritual" for a person to
overestimate his own faith, then make drastic decisions based upon this
misjudgment. "Hoping" or "wishing" to be healed is not the same thing as
having the special faith that God must give to really be healed. Neglect
is not faith, neither is fear of doctors and hospitals. to the top |
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| 107 |
It is natural—although surely not wise——for humans to delay
undergoing even a medical diagnosis to determine the cause, nature or
extent of an illness because of fear of what they might learn. Some even
confuse this fear of diagnosis—the unwillingness to face the reality of
their condition—with faith. Fear and faith are not equal; they are in
fact opposites. For some it is a fear of the unknown; for others it is a
fear that if they find out something frightening they will not have the
faith to face it. But 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. to the top |
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| 108 |
Similarly, it is strangely simple to confuse faith with stubbornness
or pride. Peer pressure can also loom as a powerful force, imposing
itself as a surrogate for faith, inhibiting the individual from doing
what should be done. Likewise, for some to suffer rather than seek
relief can fulfill certain psychological needs. Having a
martyr-complex—enjoying watching others watching you languish—is far
from the simple faith of those Christ healed. Dying in stubbornness or
pride, continuing to suffer in order to uphold one's own
self-righteousness or self-image is just another manifestation of human
nature. Thus, it is possible for a person to neglect medical help
because of subconscious factors or vanity, while convincing himself (and/or
trying to convince others) that it is because of faith and
spirituality. to the top |
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| 109 |
A Christian must walk in continual faith. This faith is demonstrated
in many ways. If God allows a person to die, this may be a demonstration
of faith. But, 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. To
refuse the operation may be only fear, peer pressure, neglect or
ignorance—not faith. to the top |
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| 110 |
It is likely that God would heal more people, if more people had
more faith to be healed. 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. As previously stated, it is not
enough to "think" or "hope" that one has the proper faith, or to wish"
that he had it. One reason people are not healed is because they do not
have the appropriate faith. This does not mean they should pretend to
have this faith. That would be disastrous. For a person not to
acknowledge his lack of faith in this area would be folly indeed. to the top |
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| 111 |
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.)
For God to heal people without faith—but who think they have it—would
serve to perpetuate their self-deception. Perhaps this is one reason why
God does not heal more often. Since God will not give someone something
he does not want (i.e. the faith that the person thinks he already
has) 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. to the top |
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| 112 |
8. Healing and faith are totally private matters between a person
and God. Anointing for sickness is a solemn ceremony. It is an
expression of the faith of Jesus Christ and an affirmation of our faith
in Him—the recognition of God's sovereignty over our life and well
being. It is thus a very personal thing between the individual and God,
similar to prayer, though the minister is an important part of the
process. No one should take upon himself the role of spiritual judge or
"second guesser" over another's actions in this regard. To do so is to
usurp that person's God-given right of free moral agency. Therefore, 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. On
the other hand, 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. There is an extremely
important caution here, however. 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." What
at first may appear to be the most insignificant symptoms can later turn
out to have been the early manifestations of a serious illness. More
than one person has died of pneumonia which started out as a cold, or of
cancer of the colon which in its earlier stages seemed only a minor
digestive imbalance. Hence, although the minister himself should preach
publicly about the solemnity of anointing and about taking Christ's
sacrifice seriously, he should nonetheless respect the judgment of the
sick person who feels that he needs anointing. to the top |
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| 113 |
9. It is neither possible nor profitable to determine why God has or has not healed an individual.One can seldom say with certainty why a person has or has not been healed. To conclude that one person was healed because of his spiritual uprightness is no more accurate than to conclude that another person was not healed because of his spiritual inadequacy. The Biblical example of Paul and others simply negates such reasoning and renders any such exercise fruitless. 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. The additional uncertainty of not knowing what "the gifts of healing" (1 Cor. 12:9) were and how they worked—and how they may apply today—adds further complexity to our understanding of the application of healing. to the top |
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| 114 |
Since all must eventually die, it is inevitable that many will
suffer from incurable diseases. If the best physical knowledge cannot
heal and God chooses not to intervene, then "blessed are the dead who
die in the Lord." If that is the way God allows one to serve, so be it.
Perhaps, ultimately, that is the real test of faith—to die confidently
in Christ, entrusting to Him the life He gave to do with as He sees fit.
Death may in some cases be a greater sign of faith than life and
healing. Nevertheless, one should not prejudge his own case by assuming
this to be true and neglecting to seek proper medical aid as a
consequence. 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. God chooses who His martyrs will be: we
cannot and must not make this decision for ourselves. to the top |
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| 115 |
It is both offensive and inaccurate to say that one who is not
supernaturally healed (or who seeks medical aid) is a "Weak"
Christian. He may have weak faith (as compared to the amount of faith
necessary to be healed, but surely not as compared to the faith of other
Christians who may never have been tested in a life-or-death situation),
but that does not mean that he is a weak Christian. He may be far more
spiritually mature than most in the congregation. Indeed, God may not be
healing him because he can take it—he has enough spiritual maturity to
endure the trial. to the top |
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| 116 |
In the final analysis, faith is only one aspect of the Christian
life, and it is not even the greatest; this honor is reserved for love
(1 Cor. 13:13). "If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing" (v.2). Conversely, a person who is weak in
faith but strong in love is a far greater Christian in God's sight.
to the top |
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| 117 |
10. 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. to the top |
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| 118 |
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. But does this mean
that a Christian has no responsibility to help himself if he becomes ill
or injured, other than to trust in God for healing? to the top |
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| 119 |
Biblical examples and common sense teach us that God is practical
and logical, and He expects human beings to do what they can to help
themselves. Just as little children depend on their parents, we as
Christians must depend on God for certain things. But God also expects
us to grow and mature. 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. to the top |
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| 120 |
If a person has a badly decayed tooth, he should have it repaired or
removed. This in no way usurps God’s power of divine healing. If one has
a headache, he can take an aspirin. If one has a broken bone or an open
wound, he should have it set or sewn as the case may be. These are
physical measures which can and should be made use of. They are not an
affront to God as our Healer; nor do they contradict faith. to the top |
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| 121 |
In fact, 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). In Matthew 4:5-7, it was Satan
who tempted Jesus by setting Him on the pinnacle of the Temple and
challenging Him to throw Himself down so that God would save him. Jesus'
answer was that "You shall not tempt the Lord your God" (v.7). What is
tempting God? Is it trying to entice God into a position where He "must"
do something "good" to "save" us? If so, could we ever, however
sincerely, be putting ourselves into a position of tempting God, however
inadvertently, by asking Him to do for us what we can and should do for
ourselves? to the top |
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| 122 |
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. As such, 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. Neither does it show a lack of faith in God's
ability to heal nor does it prevent God from performing a miracle. to the top |
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| 123 |
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. It is, of course, possible to
have no faith in God and an almost superstitious faith in man's
scientific knowledge. But, in either case, 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. to the top |
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| 124 |
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. Furthermore, and even more
relevantly, He did not withhold healing from her because of it—even
though, as it appears, she came to Him as a last resort. Indeed, Jesus
said she did have the faith to be healed (v.48). Thus, this verse serves
as an example of one who had gone constantly to physicians and yet did
have faith to be healed. Certainly one could not immediately conclude
she was weak in faith because she had used the medical services of her
time. to the top |
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| 125 |
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. Faith says that God can heal; it is not a guarantee that God shall
heal in every individual situation. It is surely not a sign of faith to
neglect appropriate physical methods which can cure a disease, slow an
illness or relieve suffering. It is also not a sign of faith to seek
obscure second-class treatment when competent first-class health care is
readily available. to the top |
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|
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| 126 |
The scientific and technological progress of the health sciences has
been remarkable, especially over the last few decades, with increasing
sophistication and effectiveness of technique, combined with a
decreasing incidence of complications and side effects. For such
achievements 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. to the top |
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| 127 |
The Church is not in the health business. Consequently, it is not
the Church's responsibility to endorse or condemn any particular
treatment or procedure. 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. to the top |
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| 128 |
Faith is demonstrated in various ways. 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? To have the operation may evidence greater commitment to God,
because one believes in the importance of service to His Church. To
refuse the operation may only be the unintended neglect of one's
Christian responsibility to God and His Work. to the top |
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| 129 |
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. One should
always consider the long-range implications for oneself and one's family
in these areas by seeking experienced professional counsel and by making
wise, sound-minded decisions. 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 (much as God inspired the craftsmen who built the ark of
the covenant and the Tabernacle, and, later, the Temple, see Ex. 31:3ff;
35:31, 36:1-2, 1 Kings 7:14). to the top |
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| 130 |
Faith in God for healing and the sensible, sagacious use of the most
modern medical/health procedures do not clash. They can, indeed, work
together in harmony. The human personality is a unified whole composed
of physical, mental and spiritual elements, and each one must be
functioning as effectively as possible for the whole person to be
completely healthy. In recent years, as a matter of interest, there has
been increasing recognition among large segments of the medical
profession that they should focus their attention as much on the
maintenance of good health and the prevention of disease as they have on
the treatment of disease. One reflection of this is the increasing
employment of the term "health sciences" instead of "medical science."
Another reflection of this trend is that many doctors have come to
appreciate that spiritual factors, especially faith and prayer, can play
a significant role in the recovery of patients. to the top |
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| 131 |
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. 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. to the top |
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| 132 |
11. Physical procedures cannot be evaluated based on spiritual criteria; all routine maintenance, as well as special treatment for illness or injury should be the most effective and finest available.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. to the top |
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| 133 |
No physical procedure is intrinsically more righteous or spiritual
than any other, though one may well be more effective and have fewer
side effects than another. 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. to the top |
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| 134 |
There should be no hair-splitting between different physical
treatments as far as their spirituality is concerned Such would be
contrary to the implications of the Bible, the teachings of the Church,
logic and plain common sense. 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. to the top |
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| 135 |
Stitching together an open gash in one's arm is just as physical as
open-heart surgery to stitch together a hole between one's
ventricles—both involve human intervention to aid the body's normal
regenerative processes in restoring the cellular tissue. Special diets
and supplements to fight cancer are just as physical as surgery,
radiation and chemotherapy. To have a broken bone set is physical; to
take an aspirin is physical; to fast for health reasons is physical.
Mega-vitamins, rosehip tea, laetrile, wine and oil are all just as
physical—and just as non-spiritual—as penicillin, vaccinations, cataract
removal and appendectomies. To extract a seriously decayed tooth does
not differ in kind from excising a malignant tumor or a diseased
appendix—both involve professional competence to remove a damaged part
of the body before its continued deterioration causes worse
complications, such as the spreading of infection, The efficacy of
different physical treatments is evaluated by their results, not by
their degree of spirituality. One may be physically preferable—one drug
may be more beneficial with fewer side effects than another—but one is
surely not spiritually better in God's sight. Therefore, a person
chooses to do something physical about a bodily condition, his concern
should not be about which method is more spiritual. Rather, his sole
concern should be to find out what is the best method with the fewest
side effects. to the top |
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| 136 |
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. The appropriate
use of nutrition, for example, should always be part of a
health-maintenance and disease-prevention program. Eating natural foods
(as much as logically possible) in a balanced diet and avoiding
processed sugars and starches, are both much easier and more enjoyable
to do than later being forced to undergo medical treatment. to the top |
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| 137 |
Proper health care should include periodic physical examinations for
all Christians and their families by a qualified medical doctor. 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. to the top |
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| 138 |
When one seeks professional medical help, he should select the most
competent within his means. There are different specialties and
different degrees of competency among individual practitioners just as
in any other profession. One is not more "righteous" than another, but
one might be more skilled than another. to the top |
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| 139 |
All this will also help people avoid falling prey to quackery and
faddism. If a person recognizes that the best scientific knowledge
should be sought, and that this is not a sign of a lack of faith, he
will naturally want the best that he can afford for himself and his
family. 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, and he will save both his money and his health
in the process. to the top |
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| 140 |
12. Christians must never judge one another, nor compare themselves among themselves; Christians should rather encourage one another, mutually bearing their burdens.Far worse than any personal spiritual slips or lapses in faith is the commonplace gossip of judging fellow members of the congregation. Such innuendo and rumor is vicious and terribly debilitating to Christian character. Paul admonished the Roman Church, "let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother" (Rom. 14:13). In writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul sternly rebuked them for their attitude of making internal comparisons: when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding" (2 Cor. 10:12). to the top |
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| 141 |
Surely these principles apply to all facets of Christian life, but
never with more direct impact than in matters of health and healing. It
is carnal, but nonetheless common, for many individuals to consider
their own particular approach to physical health and healing as the best
or the most spiritual. All too often their desire to share this
"special" knowledge with brethren ends up in any thing from a campaign
to a crusade. to the top |
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| 142 |
While the laws of the land and the principles of God's Church give
to everyone the full freedom to make their own decisions in such deeply
personal matters, basic human decency and comity [atmosphere of
social harmony] dictate that one should never try to impose his will
on others. Brethren should be more than willing to help each other by
exchanging ideas and information in matters of health and healing. But
extreme care should be taken not to allow such conversation to subtly
degenerate into even mild coercion through deep pressure. A person
should be as respectful of another person's approach as he would want
that other person to be of his (Leviticus. 19:18; Matthew 19:19;
22:39; Luke 10:27). The worst thing we can do as Christians is to
offend our brothers in any way, especially "little ones" or those who
are weak in the faith (Matthew 18:6; Romans 14). On the other
hand, to encourage and strengthen our brothers and sisters in the
Church, bearing one another's burdens willingly and cheerfully, is the
essence of true Christianity. to the top |
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| 143 |
MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY What is the minister's role in
matters of health and healing? 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.
Furthermore, the minister is the expert in counseling his people and
serving his congregation. But he is not necessarily, by virtue of
ordination, a medical or nutritional expert. Consequently, he should
faithfully teach what the Bible says about health and healing, and he
should also encourage his people to seek the best professional advice
available when needed. to the top |
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| 144 |
The minister must be truly neutral on medical matters. Subtle
differences can be dangerous. He cannot tell one person that he "should"
take vitamins, get his broken bone set or have a decayed tooth
extracted, if he will then tell another person that, "It's up to you,"
whether to take antibiotic drugs, get an internal injury repaired or
have a diseased appendix removed, The phrase, "It is not wrong," can
also convey a negative implication, suggesting, in effect, that,
"Although it is not wrong, it is spiritually not the best." Such would
subtly assign fallacious levels of righteousness to physical procedures
when all are in fact the same in God's sight. to the top |
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| 145 |
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. The minister must operate on the highest
plateau; his realm is the spiritual and this is where he must give his
counsel and advice. Along these lines, one of his more important duties
is to be sure that members of his church are not judging each other and
are not comparing themselves among themselves with respect to health
procedures and healing. He can accomplish this most effectively by
emphasizing God's positive instructions on these matters and following
up His teachings with encouragement and exhortation. to the top |
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| 146 |
SUMMARY God can and does heal in ways and manners and at
times and for reasons that He determines for Himself. As such, divine
healing is totally beyond the scope of medical science; therefore, doing
what we can in seeking and utilizing the most competent, professional
assistance in times of illness or injury will not inhibit God from
healing us, but can contribute to the efficacious restoration of full
health. Divine healing is a miraculous intervention by the creator of
the universe in our lives; it is a special blessing from God given
according to His mercy and our faith, and 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. to the top |
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