A Scriptural and Practical Approach to Divine Healing

Introduction

While it cannot be denied that the New Testament teaches that God did heal many people supernaturally in the first century, there are many in the church today who would be keen to downplay the present day relevance of such examples for those presently suffering with various forms of sickness and disease. The ministry of divine healing in the name of Jesus has been especially controversial in the last century, and has stirred up much religious feeling on both sides of the issue. At times this has been at least in part due to the unwise practices of certain well-known “faith-healers”. In some cases people have rejected divine healing because they could not accept some of the doctrines and practices of those who advocated it. Yet the Scripture does speak on this issue, and it is of great relevance to those who are sick and suffering, if perchance Jesus Christ might still be willing to demonstrate his compassion and power by healing them.

We must be willing to “test all things”, and “hold fast to that which is good”. Our standard of reference for discerning truth must be the Scriptures themselves, and not the pronouncements of popes, reformers, theologians, pastors, teachers or evangelists - although all of these may have something worthwhile to say at times.

Importance of the issue for those in Pain

No-one really enjoys pain, and sickness is often a source of great pain and anguish to many. Some suffering and pain is part of the plan of God for our lives (2 Tim. 3:12; Ps. 34:19), and some pain is the result of ignorance or other factors for which God cannot be blamed (Hosea 4:6; Proverbs 1:24-33; Prov. 19:3, 19,29).

Today multitudes of Christians are sick and diseased. The reality is that virtually all of us have to battle with the spectre of sickness and disease at some time in our lives. If there are sick Christians that God wants to heal, then we cannot assume that this healing will automatically take place without any co-operation from our part. Although God can bring good things even out of sinful episodes and terrible tragedies, this does not mean that God intended for these things to have happened - at least not in every case. God can use sickness - He can even use the devil himself - but that does not make God the author of sickness any more than it makes Him the author of sin.

God may have better ways of teaching an obedient child than sickness. After all, He gave us His Word, His Spirit and gifted teachers to instruct us in His ways. We ought to consider how much the mission of the church is being obstructed by sickness and incapacity in its members. How many resources of time and money are being consumed through sickness in the church? Before dismissing the whole issue of divine healing as an irrelevant side issue, we should be willing to carefully consider what the Scripture teaches because of these aspects also. It is not as if nothing is at stake in this issue.

Divine healing is not only an issue relevant for sick Christians. Consider this. If divine healing can come to those unbelievers hearing the message of Jesus Christ, and thus confirm to them the reality of God’s love and power - should we close our ears and eyes to these things? Would it not be better to fully investigate what possibilities there are for us to glorify God through this kind of ministry - so that more lost souls can be saved? Jesus said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” (Jn 4:48). If it is possible that we can have any part to play at all in the manifestation of signs and wonders, wouldn’t it be worth it for the sake of those who are more deeply bound in the chains of unbelief than perhaps we were, when confronted with the claims of Christ?

God has more than a religious theory to help those who are sick and in pain

Many times the church has sought to comfort the sick with religious notions instead of effectively ministering divine healing through faith in the name of Jesus. The seriously ill may be encouraged by such ideas as these: “You must be very holy for God to have chosen you to suffer in this way.” or “God is using this to teach you a lesson.” or “God is pleased when He looks down and sees you suffering so patiently”. All these notions and others like them may be quite comforting to the minds of the sufferers, but that does not mean that they are the pure truth of God at all!

In fact, such words may in fact lead to religious pride or to distorted views of the character of God. Sometimes sick Christians will hold on to such ideas with more tenacity than to any of the Scriptural encouragements to faith for divine healing. These religious notions can therefore become barriers to what God wants to do in producing expectation and faith for healing in the sufferer.

The Good News is that God is healing people today through faith in the name of Jesus. All kinds of miracles have taken place. We have Scriptural reasons to believe that God wants to heal us when we are sick. We can have deliverance today through the ministry of God’s Spirit to our mortal bodies.

Copyright (C) 1998 by Michael Fackerell. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction

Importance of the issue for those in Pain

God has more than a religious theory to help those who are sick and in pain

Do we learn the will of God from experience or from the Word?

God did heal supernaturally. Does God still do it?

How can one know if the source of supernatural healing is Divine or satanic?

What Are Some of The Scriptures Indicating Divine Healing is God’s Will?

False Doctrines that Obstruct Divine Healing

The Good News for those Suffering with Sickness

What is the role of faith in divine healing?

What are some different ways to receive or minister divine healing?

Calling for the Elders of the Church

Laying on of Hands

Intecessory Prayer

Listening to Preaching on Divine Healing from the Word of God

Meditation on the Word

Confessing the Word in the first person

Speaking to the Mountain

Praising God for the Promises

Obedience to a Divinely given Instruction

Personal Fasting and Prayer

Deliverance from Evil Spirits

The Gifts of Healing, Miracles and Faith

Receiving Holy Communion with Understanding

Obstacles to Effective Divine Healing Ministry

What do I do if the answer doesn’t come immediately?

What do I do if the problem goes away but then seems to return?

What about doctors and medication?

Who can minister divine healing?

What are some principles guiding the ministry of divine healing?

How can a person become more effective in divine healing?

Is divine healing just a side issue?

Divine Healing and Evangelism

Divine Healing and the Kingdom of God

Do we learn the will of God from experience or from the Word?

Some have confused notions concerning what is meant by the Will of God. It is believed by some that whatever happens is the Sovereign Will of God. For such believers, the question of God’s will in the matter of healing must be determined by experience. Prayer may be offered for healing, and if the sickness persists, it is concluded that the sickness must have been the will of God! If the person got better - be it through medical intervention or otherwise, it is concluded that it was God’s will to heal that person - but when the next case comes along we will just have to wait and see what God’s will is.

When people think like that, there is little room left for faith, since faith is the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) or “faith is being sure of what we hope for, and it is certain of what we do not see.” When people are unsure whether what they hope for is God’s will, they cannot be sure that it will come. This is not faith. In fact it is merely natural hope mixed with uncertainty.

Some point to examples of Christians, even great Christians, who were sick and died sick. Some even believed they would be healed. This does not prove anything one way or the other. We are not called to judge the spirituality of such Christians. Nor should we use their example to determine what the Scriptural teaching is. We would do better to judge experiences by the Word of God, than to judge the Word of God by experiences.

We take a great step forward when we realise two things:

(1) That God tells us what His will for us is in His Word. It is revealed through His promises, His declarations, and through the life and ministry of His Son Jesus Christ.

(2) The will of God is not always done in our life or in our world.

Concerning the latter point, consider the Scripture “[The Lord] ... is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9). We know that not all come to repentance - even though God would like them too. Therefore God’s will is not done in their lives.

There is another interesting verse in this regard in Luke 7:30. Here the Word of God states, “But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him [John].” The plain meaning is that it is possible for men to reject the will of God for themselves. This means that what happens is not always the will of God. This means that just because a person was not healed does not automatically mean that it was not God’s will to heal them.

What God’s will is, is clearly revealed through the Scriptures. It can be seen through the ministry of Jesus to the sick, for Jesus perfectly revealed the will of God on the earth. It is seen in the many promises concerning divine healing in both the Old and New Testaments. We must remember that “all the promises of God in Him [Christ] are Yes, and in Him, Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2 Cor. 1:20). Whatever God’s Word has promised is a clear indication of God’s will - for it is God’s will to keep His promises. And we will consider many of those great and precious promises concerning divine healing in the sections below.

All this is not a denial of God’s Sovereignty and rulership of the universe. It just shows how serious human choices are. God respects our ability to choose and will faithfully administrate the outcome of those choices - be it through judgements or blessings. Nothing takes God by surprise - and yet there are many choices people make and things people do that were not desired by our loving Father.

God did heal supernaturally. Does God still do it?

Yes! Today more and more people are thanking God for the healing they received from God, which was accomplished by a direct action of the Spirit of God in their bodies. All the time cases are reported of deaf ears opening, cripples walking, internal organs being healed, backs straightening and so on. Jesus Christ is still doing it!

The Scripture provides many models of Christ’s healing work. All these principles are relevant to us in building up our faith in these areas. We should not allow the traditions of men to neutralise the impact of these Scriptures to us.

How can one know if the source of supernatural healing is Divine or satanic?

Satanic healings take the attention away from Jesus Christ as the healer and are coming through people who promote unscriptural and/or occultic doctrines. They come without any reference to the cross of Christ and they lead people away from the true knowledge of God rather than to the foot of the cross. Satanic healings transfer the problem from the body to the soul of man. Those who have been to occultic healers often become mentally disturbed and confused.

This should not lead us to be fearful of the godly ministry of divine healing, however. We should bear in mind the teaching of Jesus in Mathew’s gospel.

Matthew 7:9-11

“Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

We have nothing to fear of the ministry of humble, Christ exalting men who teach the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God, call people to true repentance and faith in Him and give all the glory to God for the miracles and changed lives that come as a result.

What Are Some of The Scriptures Indicating Divine Healing is God’s Will?

Proverbs 4:20-22

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ears to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.

The Word of God has a key role in divine healing (see also Ps. 107:20). It can be health to all our flesh - leaving no room for sickness and disease in our flesh. It is difficult to spiritualise this passage and say that it is really talking about healing for our spirits or souls - since it specifically mentions our flesh - with no ifs or buts about it.

If you are sick you need to get your ears and your eyes onto the Word of God itself and off negative reports, unbelieving theologies, religious traditions and the pain itself. For God’s Word itself can become medicine to your flesh if you take that medicine faithfully according to prescription. God is Almighty but also a God of integrity, and sooner or later He will back up His own words when they are mixed with faith.

James 5:14,15

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save [heal] the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

This is a New Testament instruction that many sick Christians do not put into practise. The implication here is that the elders of the church should be willing to come to the bed of the sufferer, and able to pray the prayer of faith for healing. The word for "saved" in Greek is “sozo” and is used many times for "healed" as well as "saved" in the New Testament. This is no accident, because healing is really just an expression of God’s salvation for the body.
 

Here we have two very unambiguous promises concerning divine healing. Together with other promises and statements made in the Word of God, little room is left for doubt and unbelief at least concerning what the Bible teaches is God’s promise and intention in these matters.

Mark 16:17,18

And these signs will follow those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons ... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Although this promise is primarily valid for those engaged in evangelism (Mark 16:15), the truth remains that many times God will use the laying on of hands to impart the power of the Holy Spirit into a person’s body so that sickness is dissolved. Often this happens in conjunction with “the gifts of healings” (1 Cor. 12:9) - one of the manifestations of the Spirit given to build up the body of Christ.

Other Relevant Scriptures

Is. 53:4,5; Ex. 15:26; Ps. 103:3; 3 John 2; Ps. 107:20; Romans 8:11.

False Doctrines that Obstruct Divine Healing

1. Sickness is a blessing, of which God is the author.

Nowhere does God’s Word refer to sickness as a blessing. Rather, it is shown to be part of the curse of the law, which is detailed in Deutoronomy 28:15-68.

Deut. 28:15

But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these CURSES shall come upon you and overtake you.

Deut. 28:61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed.

These Scriptures clearly reveal that sickness and disease are curses and not blessings. Thankfully, under the New Covenant, we have the declaration of Galatians 3:13:

Galatians 3:13

Christ has REDEEMED us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).

This Scripture actually reveals that when Jesus hung on the cross (the tree), he became a curse for us. In this way, He took the curse of sickness we justly deserve. The next verse tells us that it was so we could experience the blessing of Abraham.

Galatians 3:14

that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

God’s intention is that we pass from curse to blessing. It was important enough to God for Jesus to pay the price for it when he suffered on the cross. So a real part of what God makes available for the Christian is the provision to be delivered of the curse of sickness and come into the blessing of God.

Sickness may be at times a judgment on the disobedient, but it cannot be viewed as a blessing. Sickness and death came in with sin, and are part of the corruption of nature which came by mankind’s initial rejection of our loving Father.

2. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a sickness, and God didn’t want to take it away.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast of my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Many have taught that Paul’s “thorn” was a sickness, which Paul wanted the LORD to take away - but the LORD was quite unwilling to take it away (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Thus many sick Christians today have been taught that since their prayer for healing has apparently been denied by God, they are in the same situation as Paul. They see that God has given them this sickness for the purpose of character development - that they might exhibit fortitude and patience in their suffering and thereby glorify God.

While patience in suffering is certainly commendable, this passage tells us what the “thorn in the flesh was”. Paul himself says that it was “a messager [Gk: angelos] of Satan to buffet him”. This means Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was really a person - most likely a fallen angel of Satan.

The use of the word “thorn” is obviously symbolic. We can see that also in the book of Joshua it referred to a harassing person or people. When Joshua told the Israelites that if they make peace with the Canaanites they would be “scourges on your sides and thorns in your eyes” (Joshua 23:13) he meant that they would be harassed and attacked by them. We should not make too much of the fact that the thorn was “in the flesh”, just as we would not draw too many conclusions about the location of the problem if we heard someone being described as “a pain in the neck”, or, to use the Old Testament expression “a thorn in the eyes”.

Therefore the most likely conclusion is that Paul was at some time in his ministry under intense demonic attack. These attacks may at times have produced physical discomfort and weakness, since Paul mentions “infirmities” in 2 Cor. 12:10. But he also mentions “reproaches”, “needs”, “persecutions” and “distresses” - all of which were likely also to be the results of this demonic angel stirring up trouble for Paul.

This view is in line with the text itself. The thorn was given lest Paul be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations. God did not want Paul to become haughty, arrogant or puffed up by the great revelation knowledge he received. Therefore he permitted Paul to get into circumstances where he would need to continue to depend on God and His power, and not on what Paul already knew and understood. Our true wisdom is to humble ourselves before the Lord and receive His help against our spiritual enemies who can stir up much trouble for us at times.

One thing is clear. Paul’s “thorn”, however distressing it may have been at times, did not prevent him from engaging in “labours more abundant” (2 Cor. 11:23). Are some of those who are claiming to have a thorn like Paul’s using their thorn as an excuse for not being able to work hard for the Lord? Are the exhortations to “be prepared for every good work”, to “be careful to maintain good works” and to be “always abounding in the work of the Lord” only applicable to Christians without “thorns”?

Paul’s thorn did not cause those on the island of Malta to have doubts concerning divine healing (Acts 28:8,9). While teaching on Paul’s thorn by many modern preachers has destroyed the confidence and expectation of believers that God shall heal them by his power, it was not so in Paul’s day. The words and works of Paul were doubtless in line with the testimony of the whole of the Word of God, which we are told is “medicine for all our flesh” (Prov. 4:22).

If a Christian is convinced that God has given him a sickness, a “thorn” for character development or any other purpose, then surely it would be wrong for them to go to the doctors to seek to have the “thorn” removed!

God wanted Paul here to humble himself and get more grace from God, so that he could overcome these demonic assaults. Indeed, the Christian life will have many battles with evil spirits. By humbling ourselves we receive grace from God to not only live patiently and righteously in these trials, but also to rebuke them and eventually clear the demonic opposition out of our path, no matter how strong and persistent it may seem to be.

In conclusion, Paul’s thorn was a fallen angel, not a sickness as such. And although there may be various demonic attacks on our bodies and our situation, this does not change the fact that God’s intention for us is to overcome these things through faith and patience and receive the fulfillment of the promises He has made to us concerning healing and every other problem. In the midst of these attacks we are supposed to gain spiritual strength. We are not supposed to just let the devil walk all over us.

3. Paul and his team were sickly - so this is what God wants.

It is true that Paul at times was physically weak (Galatians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:10). Epaphroditus, a co-worker of Paul was sick at one stage, but God had mercy on him and healed him (Php 2:25-30). Timothy was instructed to “use a little wine for his stomach’s sake and his frequent infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23) and Trophimus Paul left in Miletus sick (2 Tim. 4:20). What can we make of all this?

These passages were included in the word of God to guard us against extreme positions and harsh judgments against those who at some points in their lives may have battles with sickness. The fact is, we live in a fallen world and the Kingdom of God has not been fully manifested. At times Christians, especially front-line missionaries may have to battle with sickness brought on by such factors as overwork, poor quality nutrition or water supplies, or demonic attack. God never guarantees that our prayers for the healing of others will have immediate visible results. In the case of Trophimus, Paul could not wait until the manifestation of healing came, because he had kingdom work to do and it was time to move on. God healed Epaphroditus and none of these men died of sickness as far as we know.

We must look after our bodies in the natural sense and not abuse them even in times of revival. Otherwise they may wear out and we will die before the time. God expects us to use wisdom and not to work ourselves to death or eat poorly if we have the opportunity to protect our health by eating well in moderation.

There may still be times when Christians, even spiritually advanced Christians, will struggle with demonic attacks on their health. But God has given us His word and His promises concerning healing. So we have a “sword” to fight with and God expects us at times to fight. The reality is that battles are not always won instantaneously, but that is no reason to give up the fight, to give up hope or to cast away our confidence or the confession of our hope.

The truth is that Paul often exprerienced the supernatural strengthening of God in his body in order to complete his mission. How else could he have got up and preached in the city immediately after he had been left for dead by those who stoned him outside the city (Acts 14:19,20)? After so many beatings with rods in which the bones of his feet were likely broken in many places, how could he continue his travels? Paul also knew the supernatural intervention of God in divine healing - and we should expect it too if we are serving the Lord.

4. God is glorified through my sickness.

Many times it is the sufferer that is glorified when he patiently endures his sickness without complaining. People will praise and glorify such a person. But God receives a greater glory when all can see that He has truly intervened in restoring to health the sick person. When we receive the fulfillment of the promise of God, God is glorified (2 Corinthians 1:20).

When people saw the paralyzed man get up and walk at Jesus’ command, they were “all amazed and glorified God saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’” (Mark 2:12). This is the better way to glorify God. The streets of India are full of sick people - Hindus and Buddhists who seem to be patiently bearing their suffering, accepting it as their “karma”. But when they are healed in Jesus’ name then truly God is glorified.

We should seek to follow the New Testament pattern of glorifying God with regard to our bodies. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8)

5. God needs to use this sickness to teach me a lesson.

If we are willing to listen to God’s Word and God’s Spirit, there is no need to get into a place where God needs to use sickness to teach us. If an earthly father was to break his child’s arm or put harmful germs in his food when the child was disobedient, that father would be considered to be a child abuser. Well, God in heaven is not a child abuser. If we disobey Him or permit idols to have a place in our hearts, then it is true that we are opening the door for Satan and his demons to afflict us. But this is not the same thing as God needing to use sickness to teach us a lesson.

A mature approach to learning from God is to discipline ourselves to pray, hear God’s Word, and act on what it says. God promises to protect those who stay “under the shadow of the Almighty” from the attacks of the evil one (see Psalm 91).

6. I guess I’m another Job.

Although there may be times when we are battling sickness and cannot understand why God is permitting it to continue, we do need to be faithful to God as Job was. However, even Job sinned by allowing negative fear into his life and being self-righteous. “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” (Job 3:25). Fear attracts the thing we fear, and expresses a lack of trust in God, which is sin. We should not model our lives on Job, as wonderful as he was in other areas, but rather on Jesus.

While it is wrong to condemn those who are sick as Job’s friends did, we also must remember that God eventually did heal Job and restore his fortunes more than at the first. If we are going to be like Job then we should expect a practical manifestation of the Lord’s goodness and compassion also (James 5:11).

Another point to remember is that Job was not an Israelite and did not have the promises that we have in the Bible. God had not made a covenant of healing with Job as far as we know, as He did with the Israelites. The Israelites demonstrated far less moral uprightness than Job, and yet “there was none feeble among His tribes” when they came out of Egypt. Statistically, this represents an amazing miracle. God established a covenant of healing with the Israelites which Job himself knew nothing of.

Since we have greater promises and covenants available to us than Job did, we should not use him as a model of the relationship of sickness to the believer.

Also, if our life is not upright as Job was, how can we be sure than we are right in comparing ourselves with Job? But even if we have come into that level of holy living, we should believe all the promises of God concerning healing. Sickness is not the only way that a person can suffer. We will suffer at times and our loyalty to God will be tested, but let it be suffering that glorifies God and not ourselves.

We would do better to embrace the patience of Job without using his example to justify us in doubting the relevance of all the promises of God to us concerning divine healing and health, which were revealed to God’s people after Job was dead and buried.

7. The age of miracles is past

The Bible does not teach this, so why should we? This faith-destroying phrase has robbed many of some of God’s blessings. Indeed, if the age of miracles has passed, how can anyone be born again of the Spirit of God? For truly the “new creation” must be considered a miracle of God, since the Spirit of God is directly involved in changing the nature of the spirit of man.

To state that “the age of miracles” is passed is to mock prayer today, since any intervention of God as a result of prayer could rightly be considered a miracle. If the things that happen in answer to prayer would have happened even if no prayer was offered then prayer makes no difference and God’s promises regarding prayer are mocked.

8. Only apostles (or those close to them) can heal the sick, so it happens no more.

Firstly, Stephen, one of the seven, was not an apostle, yet he, “full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). Also later, “the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip [also one of the seven and not an apostle], hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” (Acts 8:6).

There is no solid reason to doubt the words recorded in John 14:12, “He who believes in Me [Jesus], the works that I do shall he do also” or the words of Mark 16:17, “These signs shall follow those who believe: in My name ... they will lay hands on the sick and they shall recover”.

Notice that these promises are to those who believe and not merely to “apostles who believe” or some such thing. The promises to “those who believe” are all vaid throughout the gospel age.

Even in the writings of the early church fathers we find references to many healings and miracles done through believers, even the raising of the dead. The teaching that only apostles or those close to them can heal the sick is unbiblical, and contrary to both Scripture and the testimony of history.

9. The supernatural gifts of the Spirit have passed away.

Why not say, “Thorns in the flesh have passed away with the apostles”? Seriously, there is no solid Scriptural support for this idea. It is not enough to point to the teachings of noted Christian leaders to defend this doctrine, for in many places, the testimony of church history is against this foolish doctrine. Even if there was only ONE genuine occurrence of one of the supernatural gifts of the Spirit in our time this idea would be proven false! There is too much evidence of self-denying true followers of Christ who have solid testimonies of the gifts of the Spirit working through them, for this idea to be taken seriously any more.

Some appeal to the passage below to suggest that God has done away with these gifts.

1 Corinthians 13:8-10,12

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But WHEN THAT WHICH IS PERFECT HAS COME, then that which is in part will be done away. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but THEN face to face. NOW I know in part, but THEN I shall know just as I also am known.

It is argued that when the New Testament canon was completed “the perfect” came, and then there was no further need for the gifts of the Spirit to give that partial measure of truth and confirmation of the gospel. Some see then that the gifts ceased when John finished the Revelation, others when John died, and still others, when the church councils finally authorised the NT Canon in the 4th century AD.

It should be clear enough that “the perfect” refers to the consummation of the Kingdom of God at the Second Coming of Christ. Then there will truly be no more need for the gifts of the Spirit. They will be swallowed up by something far more complete. Until then however, they will be needed wherever the gospel is preached and the church of Christ falls short of the fulness of the measure of the stature of Christ.

Here are some of the problems with the view equating “the Bible” with “the perfect” in this passage.

a. The word “then” in verse 12 implies that when “the perfect” has truly come, we will see the Lord face to face. Now people only see Him imperfectly. The proof of this is the disagreements about the will of Christ that can be found everywhere in the church. When we see Him, we will be like Him.

b. We still only know in part, for no man living has the complete revelation of everything that the Bible truly teaches about the Lord.

c. Scholars are disagreed about minor textual variations concerning what the original Scriptures exactly said, word for word. If this is so, how can we say we know “perfectly”.

d. Partial knowledge has clearly not passed away amongst Christians. So why should we say that tongues and prophecy have? If this be so then clearly this passage of Scripture points to a future fulfilment, and was not fulfilled in the 1st or the 4th century A.D.

e. When the canon was completed, not all Christians had access to it all, and not all could read. The need for God to reveal Himself through the gifts of the Spirit was totally unchanged as far as those Christians were concerned.

f. The purpose for the supernatural gifts of the Spirit was not and is not to establish true doctrine - but rather for the building up of the body of Christ. People still need the personal encouragement that comes through the Holy Spirit speaking and acting directly through people to them. The need therefore for healing, prophetic confirmation of the specific will of God, supernatural wisdom and knowledge is just as real now as it ever was. And praying in other tongues will still build up any Christian who takes the time to do it.

g. So many millions of sincere Christians have discovered that these gifts are working in their lives and have received personal benefit from them. While counterfeits may exist, their existence only suggests the existence of something real that could be counterfeited.

h. There is no other Scripture which can support this theological assumption which remains unproven and has been demonstrated to be positively harmful in destroying faith for the some of the very things God ordained to build us up.

10. Supernatural healing today is all of the devil.

This doctrine, which is as old as the Scribes and Pharisees who accused Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24), is unworthy of a Bible believing Christian who believes that God is a compassionate and powerful God and that Jesus is our merciful High Priest, the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

While some manifestations of spiritual healing are demonic in their origin - such as those coming through people believing in a New Age, Satanic or Hinduistic philosophies this does not mean that genuine divine healing no longer exists. While it is true that the mere mentioning of “Jesus” or the word “Christ” in no way guarantees that the Lord Jesus Christ truly is the source of what a person is doing, neither can we say that all supernatural healings are now of the devil. How could that be so if James 5:14,15 or Mark 16:18 is still true?

Some point to Matthew 7:21-23 as proof of this doctrine.

Matthew 7:22,23 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

This passage shows us that merely doing supernatural works in Jesus’ name does not guarantee a person a place in the Kingdom of God. But the reason Jesus told them to depart is that they were “practicing lawlessness”, and “not doing the will of the Father in heaven” (vs 21). If this passage was meant to show that healing the sick and casting out demons are sinful, satanically inspired activities, then many prominent New Testament figures were clearly guilty of this charge! Not only Peter and Paul, but also non-apostles like Philip the Evangelist, Stephen the first martyr and Agabus the prophet were guilty.

The presence of “signs and wonders” does not prove anything about a man’s life or acceptance with God - one way or the other.

Actually, healing the sick and casting out demons is supposed to follow every believer, according to Mark 16:17,18. It may be that many of those professing Christians who criticise such activities are themselves practicing lawlessness by deceiving the Body of Christ concerning these things, and “not doing the will of the Father in heaven” by refusing to be vessels of God’s healing and delivering power. They are not showing forth the will of the Father in the way Jesus Christ expressed it to a world in pain and darkness.

Nevertheless the passage above sounds a strong warning and exhortation to practical and moral righteousness for all those who are moving in the supernatural, using Jesus’ name. It is not one or the other, but both that fully express the will of the Father. The passage does not show that healing and deliverance being practiced today in Jesus’ name is of the devil.

11. But if the doctrine of divine healing is true, how could Christians ever die?

This is really not as great a problem as it may seem at first. The simple answer is: if Jesus does not come back first, a Christian may die through persecution, or by their body wearing out and God taking their spirit to be with him. “You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust” (Ps. 104:29). Although many Christians do die with sickness in their body this does not mean that all do or all should. After God has satifisfied a man with long life (Ps. 91:16), He is quite capable of taking his spirit without making him sick first. Those who die as martyrs are a special category and obviously do not die because of sickness.

Our bodies are still mortal and as such cannot inherit the kingdom of God. They are affected by the Adamic curse and no longer have the capacity to live forever. They must be put aside at some stage before we can receive our new resurrection bodies. Only then will that promise for our bodies become a practical reality.

We mustn’t allow philosophical arguments to rob us of the blessing of divine healing and the possibility to run the full course which God has for us in life.

The Good News for those Suffering with Sickness

If you are sick God’s path for you will eventually take you out of sickness and pain, one blessing at a time. Unless you are satisfied with long life already, you ought to be able to experience your healing well before you receive your resurrection body! This is not to deny the Sovereignty of God, but rather, it is to affirm His Faithfulness and the integrity of His Word.

Proverbs 4:18

“But the path of the righteous is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter until the perfect day.”

Things will get better, at least in the soul of an obedient Christian. But God has something for the body too!

Psalm 103:2-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who HEALS ALL YOUR DISEASES, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

At the cross Jesus already legally accomplished your healing and deliverance. What is necessary now is to follow Him in all things and let Him make some changes to your life. One of them, if you are sick and in pain, will be your healing.

Isaiah 53:4,5

Surely he has borne our griefs [Heb: choli = sicknesses] And carried our sorrows [Heb: Makob = pains] Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes WE ARE HEALED.

In this passage Isaiah the prophet foretells the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary. Just as Jesus bore our sins and the punishment for our transgressions, he also bore the curse, which includes sicknesses and the pains they produce. Jesus would not have done this if God wanted us to always bear our sicknesses and pains ourselves.

There is really no good reason for translating “choli” as “griefs” and “makob” as “sorrows” except perhaps to uphold religious tradition. These words really mean sicknesses and pains respectively. That is why Matthew, when quoting this passage in Matthew 8:17 renders it as “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”. This implies a physical interpretation for the Isaiah prophecy.

Just as salvation has been provided for all men in the area of forgiveness and spiritual regeneration, so it has also healing been provided for by the same sacrifice. But people need to appropriate the benefits of Calvary by repentance and faith, and so it is also with divine healing. We have the strongest indications here that God doesn’t want us to remain sick - just as He doesn’t want us to remain in sin. Faith takes hold of the provision of Calvary. We may need to add patience to our faith in order to inherit the promises (Hebrews 6:12), but the promises are there and they can be really experienced.

God is interested in our total healing and salvation. Therefore we are wise if we co-operate with the way He is leading us. Many times God will begin by addressing a spiritual or emotional problem in our lives before He gets around to removing the physical infirmity or disease. Thus God may first lead a person let go of bitterness and resentment in their life - thus freeing them emotionally, before the manifestation of the physical healing can come.

We cannot tell God the way He must heal us. It is an error to command God or try to use “faith” to force Him to do something we are not convinced He wants to do. We need to realise that God does want us to be well - but the way He wants us to receive that wellness may not be known to us. This is why we need to seek to know God’s ways and be sensitive to His Spirit. We really need to be dependent on the Spirit for all things. True faith is based on relationship with God, not formulas and principles. Failure to understand this has led to a lot of grief and disappointment amongst those who have been looking to the Lord for divine healing.

We will consider below different ways which God may use in order for us to actually receive our healing, which He provided for us at the cross.

What is the role of faith in divine healing? Is lack of faith always to blame when the sick is not healed?

Faith has an important role not only in divine healing, but also in our salvation, and everything we do in life. Since the Word tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6) and “whatever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23) it is obviously very important to God that we do all we can to develop our faith.

It is possible to have great faith in God for certain areas while being full of doubt in other areas where God has spoken. Many believe God for the salvation of their soul that believe nothing definite regarding the healing of their body. Some have faith to pray effectively for revival or even for the healing of others and yet do not seem to have any confidence in regard to the healing of their own body. Some have faith for their healing and yet do not even have faith for salvation! Think of how many were healed under Jesus’ ministry and yet did not follow Him! It is therefore a mistake to consider that having faith in one area means that there is nothing more God is expecting you to believe for in life.

We ought not to judge people whose faith is deficient in a particular area, but rather encourage them with the Word. People however can be discouraged by if they somehow conclude that what we are really saying is that they are “second-rate Christians” because they struggle in the area of divine healing. We must bring the living water of God’s life to such people, not discouraging words of condemnation which put all the responsibility for receiving healing on the patient.

When Jesus sent out the seventy He simply told them to “heal the sick there” (Luke 10:9). He put the responsibility on the disciples, and not on the sick. The great challenge for all God’s ministers (which should include all true Christians) is to stay close to the Holy Spirit under the authority of Jesus Christ and to know exactly how, when and where to minister divine healing in Christ’s name. Since faith comes out of fellowship with Christ, our communion with the Lord through the Holy Spirit is very important if we are to minister divine healing consistently and effectively. The commission for divine healing is still given to the body of Christ today (John

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