Monday, October 3, 2022

Christ our Healer

 for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26b KJV

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2 KJV 

 We are continuing our study of divine healing and wholeness. We are examining five proofs that it is always God's will to heal. When a loved one or we have a need for healing we can have boldness and confident assurance it's God's will to heal every time.

 When we speak of praying for another's healing, and that healing isn't instantaneous, then spiritual-sounding religious tradition attempts to provide a reason. They say things like God is more interested in building that person's character through this illness. Or God has a purpose in the delay so as to build endurance, or to use the person as an example of how to suffer joyfully. 

 That is all religious hogwash based on the powerless, Faithless tradition of men. Jesus never withheld healing from anyone. He never used the Curse to perfect, instruct, mold, produce patience, teach or train anyone. Look at Luke 22. Jesus healed a man who came to incarcerate Him. I'm confident that this fellow probably needed some character development.

 Looking at Jesus brings us to the fourth proof of God's will to Heal. Jesus' actions in His ministry reveal God's heart for healing. Peter sums up what Jesus did in His earthly ministry;

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts 10:38 MEV

 This passage unveils much of Jesus' work of ministry. This passage reveals what Jesus went about doing, good. How many it's God's will to heal, all, and who the oppressor is, that is, the one bringing sickness and disease, which is the enemy, the devil. 

 Jesus only went about doing good. He declared He only does what He sees His Father doing. Since Jesus only went about doing good and healing and delivering and providing for all, then we can rejoice to know this is who our Father is. God is therefore not the author of evil or torment, poverty or disease, or disaster. God is a Good Father and only does good!

 For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38 MEV

 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 14:9 MEV

 Jesus is the express image of Father God. Jesus is the will of God in action. Jesus is perfect theology. Jesus is our clear perfect picture of God's will. He never brought poverty but provision to all who came to Him. He never made anyone sick. He only healed whosoever came to Him. Looking at Jesus how then can anyone conclude healing isn't always God's will?

 The fifth and final proof of God's will to heal is Jesus' redemptive work on the Cross. On the Cross, Jesus not only paid the penalty for our sins, not only paid the price for the complete forgiveness of every sin, not only made Righteousness by Faith possible, but He also bore every sickness and every disease. He purchased our healing at Calvary. 

Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted. And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace [is] on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us. Isaiah 53:4-5 YLT

 Isaiah 53 records Jesus' work of redemption on the Cross. Jesus took your sickness and your disease. Just like salvation is available to whosoever trusts in Christ alone, healing for every sickness and disease is also available for whosoever trusts in Christ alone. In fact, when one places their trust in Christ, all that Christ procured at Calvary is immediately theirs in Him

 Tradition rejects this glorious truth of the Gospel. They claim Jesus' bearing all sickness and disease was fulfilled before the Cross. That this prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus' earthly ministry. That Isaiah was only referencing Jesus healing people in Israel to prove He was the promised Messiah. They cite Matthew 8 as proof.

 There is a major issue with this. It's true that Matthew 8:17 declared that it be fulfilled what Isaiah spoke, as Jesus ministered healing to a multitude. However, this doesn't prove that healing is not in the redemptive work of Christ on the Cross. How can I say this? Because I, as a Gentile, a non-Jew, have trusted in Christ and have received new life in Him.

 Matthew goes on to say in the 12th chapter that Jesus healing a multitude, and not wanting it broadcast abroad fulfilled another prophecy of Isaiah. This passage in Matthew 12 destroys this weak argument against healing in redemption. Look closely at this passage;

 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:...

 And in His name Gentiles will trust.” Matthew 12:17, 21 NKJV

 This passage tells me salvation being made available to non-Jews was fulfilled before the Cross as well as healing the sick. So because of the way tradition interprets Matthew 8, we have to also conclude that saving non-Jews was only for His earthly ministry too, and not for us today. I hope we can see this is not what these passages are teaching.

 Jesus was simply revealing the Father to mankind. Jesus was giving us a sample of His complete work of Redemption soon to come. Jesus is so Good and merciful He couldn't wait till Calvary to minister help and hope and healing.

 Still another tradition is that Jesus only "healed" us from sin. That Isaiah 53 is speaking of spiritual healing. The problem is we weren't sick with sin. We were dead in sins. Not sure about you but I have yet to see any dead people healed. I know of dead people being raised back to life. That's not healing that's a miracle of resurrection life. 

 On the Cross, Jesus not only made us Righteous and forgiven, but He also made us healed and whole. Look at Jesus' complete work of Redemption. From the garden to the grave, Jesus purchased our total and complete redemption. By His stripe, healing was made ours. He took our curse and gave us the blessing, Redemption from the curse, and complete Righteousness. He became something He never was so we who trust in Him could be something we never were.

 In summation, is healing God's will? Absolutely! His compassion and lovingkindness prove it. His Redemptive name reveals it. His Word confirms it. His ministry and Finished Work of Redemption demonstrated it. Healing is always God's will. Now trust Him for wholeness at all times, trust on the basis of His Goodness and not your own. 

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay