Miraculous Divine Healing And Atonement
Miraculous Divine Healing And Atonement
The modern practice of miraculous divine healing (so-called) is
based, in part, on erroneous conclusions from biblical principles. One
such unfounded assumption is that along with the atoning work of the
Lord Jesus Christ, healing from physical maladies is included. A passage
appealed to is Isaiah 53:4-5. "Surely He hath borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows; yet we did not esteem Him stricken, smitten of God
and afflicted. But 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." Since the prophet affirmed that we are
healed by His stripes, and since He did cure certain individuals during
His personal ministry on earth, some opine healing is part of and
coextensive with atonement. We will study this a little more closely in
just a minute.
But first, again let me warmly invite you and your family to visit
the West End Church of Christ today. We begin Bible study at 9 a.m. --
just under an hour from now. During this period of time we divide into
various classes, usually by age grouping, and some very fine teachers
conduct stimulating discussion of various biblical themes. At 10 this
morning we meet for our congregational worship. We partake of the
Lord's Supper, sing praises to the Lord, pray together, give of our
means, and honor the sacred Godhead by teaching the word of God.
Tonight we meet again at 6 p.m. for evening worship. Wednesday night at
7 p.m. we have more classes for all ages. Our meeting house is located
at 1609 Parkside Drive, just across from Lampkin Park and Tapp’s Drive-
In. We urge you to come and visit with us if you possibly can.
We also offer a free tract titled “I received a Healing Cloth.”
Brother V.E. Howard wrote it. It complements the lesson we will study
together today on this program. It is one of the best I have read. It
is true to the Bible and helpful for those who may have been deceived by
those calling themselves “faith healers.” Please let us know if you
would like to read it. We will send it to you post paid. Also, if you
have any other bible theme you are interested in, we may have some
material that will help you in your studies. If we don't have it, we
can probably get it for you. So, let us know what way we might be able
to be of service to you in your studies of the greatest of all
documents, the Bible.
After one carefully considers the prophetic passage above certain
conclusions must be drawn. If the healing mentioned is physical healing
and is as extensive as the atonement of Christ, then all who receive the
benefits of His atonement receive an equal amount of physical healing.
Atonement benefits all who receive the forgiveness of sins through faith
in the blood of Christ. Paul wrote, "Much more then, being now
justified by His blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through
Him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through
the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by
His life; and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation
(atonement, KJV)" (Romans 5:9-11).
The healing Jesus did during His personal ministry could not have
been what the prophet Isaiah meant. Isaiah said that the healing came
from "His stripes." This refers to the death of Christ. Atonement was
accomplished at the death of Christ -- "Christ died for us" (Romans
5:8). How could His miraculous healing of the sick, cleansing lepers,
raising the dead have been part of the prophecy of Isaiah? All this
happened before He received the "stripes." The stripes refer to His
brutal crucifixion on the cross.
If the atonement of Christ includes bodily healing then Jesus died
for our diseases. If the Lord died for the diseases of mankind, then
every single person who accepts the terms of atonement receives physical
healing. But Jesus did not die for the illnesses of mankind. He died
for the sins of mankind. Remember again the prophet's words. "Yet it
pleased Jehovah to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt
make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall
prolong His days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in His hand"
(Isaiah 53:10). The New Testament repeats this in passages such as I
Corinthians 15:3; I Peter 1:18,19 and others. Nothing but human
presumption can make the death of Christ include healing of physical
disorders in the human body.
If healing of physical afflictions and ailments is part of the
atonement anyone who continues to have bodily affliction is obviously
lost. One who suffers some physical disorder has not been reconciled to
God, forgiven of sins, or saved. This is the obvious conclusion if
atonement includes physical healing. If there is a case where someone
who has received forgiveness of sins, but retains physical ailments or
diseases, then it is obvious that atonement has nothing to do with
physical healing. Let's look at some examples. Paul, formerly Saul,
obeyed the Lord and was forgiven of his past sins. He was told by a
special messenger of Christ to "Arise and be baptized and wash away thy
sins, calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16). That is what Paul
did. Later he wrote, "Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized
into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3). Notice
the personal pronoun "we." That includes Paul. He was baptized into
the death of Christ. In the death of Christ man receives the benefits
of Christ's atonement for sin. But Paul suffered physical disorders
after conversion. He called his bodily affliction a "thorn in the flesh
" and prayed three times to have it removed (II Corinthians 12:8,9).
The Lord said no. Then Paul added, "Most gladly therefore will I rather
glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me"
(verse 9). If body healing is as extensive as the atonement for sin why
was Paul not granted relief from his physical infirmity? The answer is
obvious. Bodily healing is not part of the atonement.
If atonement includes physical healing then anyone who get sick
after conversion forfeits the benefits of the blood of Christ in
atonement. Paul spoke of Timothy's "often infirmities" (I Timothy
5:23). His infirmity was not sin -- it was stomach trouble. Paul
mentioned Trophimus whom he left in Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). His
sickness was not sin. Luke was a physician. If the claim is true that
atonement includes physical healing Luke had no work to do for his own
brethren in Christ. But, simply put, the claim is false.
No Christian should ever have a headache, cold, sinus infection,
allergies, heart problems, or any other physical ailment, if the claim
is true. In fact, if atonement includes preservation of the body from
disease why would any child of God ever die? As long as a child of God
remains faithful he is free from the power of sin (Romans 6:14). And,
if the child of God is faithful to the Lord, he would never become ill
or die. Since faithful children of God have died from illness, obviously
the claim made by proponents of modern day miraculous divine healing is
utterly false.
Those who seek to find biblical proof that miraculous divine
healing is still being practiced by God's people cite James 4:14, 15
which reads, "Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be
forgiven him." Certainly James has physical healing in mind in the
first part of this verse. The second part, "and if he have committed
sins," refers to another kind of illness -- spiritual sickness. The
passages affirms there is relief from both maladies.
The elders were to be summoned to pray for the sick and anoint him
with oil. James affirms that the prayer of faith shall save the sick.
Prayer in behalf of those who suffer physical sicknesses, no matter how
severe they be, is the privilege of every Christian. But this verse
specifies elders of the church. Elders are those who have been given
the responsibility of watching for the souls of Christians under their
charge (Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5:2-3). Note in the reference in Peter
the expression "charge allotted to you." These men of maturity,
spirituality, and godliness could pray the "prayer of faith" and the
sick would be healed.
There are two things to consider. First, during the first
century, while the church was in a stage of infancy, miraculous divine
healing was practiced. No one can successfully deny this. From this
passage one could conclude that the elders who prayed and anointed with
oil were among those to whom was granted the miraculous power of
healing. "Gifts of healing" are mentioned in I Corinthians 12:9. Who
is to say that these elders were not recipients of this gift? Granting
that the elders of the verse were able to pray a prayer of faith and
anoint the sick with oil and the sick would be fully recovered does not
prove that anyone has such power today. What is there in the passage
driving one to the conclusion that the powers to heal miraculously
continued beyond the first century?
The second thing to consider is the distinct possibility that no
such thing as miraculous healing is even involved. When elders (in any
dispensation of time) pray a prayer of faith, they petition the Heavenly
Father that He be merciful to one afflicted with disease or illness. The
Almighty answers prayer -- but not always by some miraculous
manifestation of His power. Sometimes through doctors, therapists,
medicines, or clinics God answers prayer. If the elders of the verse
prayed for the recovery of a sick person, according to God's will, they
rested their case. The anointing of oil was probably no more than a
medicinal remedy to comfort and soothe the suffering patient. What is
there in the verse to indicate that some miraculous properties were
inherent in the oil? Besides, what kind of oil was it? If God intended
for elders to continue to anoint the sick with oil, surely He would have
give more information as to the kind of oil, how and where to apply it
to the sick.
But those who misuse this verse to contend that miraculous divine
healing is still the order of our day encounter a problem when they fail
to cure someone. Many of you who read this have heard "faith healers"
claim that the individual who needs healing must have faith and pray in
faith for recovery. When someone is not cured they then claim the
individual lacked sufficient faith. But the passage does not say the
"prayer of the faithful" it says "the prayer of faith" will raise him
up. The prayer of faith is the prayer of the one praying for the sick.
So, the "faith healers" evidently lack faith when someone is not cured.
If the passage affirms that the prayer of faith will cure the sick, it
should work regardless of the faith of the sick person.
So, it is easy to see that James 4:14, 15 does not support the
claim for continued miraculous divine healing today. Its misuse is just
another example of the weakness of the claims made by "faith healers"
and their ilk. Little do they apparently realize the danger of
"wresting the scriptures to their own damnation" (II Peter 3:16).
If you have a question about any of these things that have been
said -- please contact us. Our mailing address is West End Church of
Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, Ky. 42101. If you would
like any kind of Bible study materials, we will try to help you. Well,
thank you again -- we appreciate the opportunity to come to you each
Sunday on this radio station and hope you'll be back here again next
Sunday -- 8 a.m. Good-bye and God bless you.
Radio Sermon No. 14
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