One of the
greatest parts of the good news of Jesus is
that God has not only provided atonement for
our sins but that He has by the same
atonement borne our sickness and diseases.
God wants to
save, pardon and heal us. According to the
book of Galatians Jesus has redeemed us from
the curse of the law. The curse of the law is
described in Deuteronomy 28 as all sorts of
disease and separation from God’s
blessing. Jesus our Savior and Good Shepherd
according to John chapter 10 has come to give
us more “abundant life” in our
spirits, souls and bodies.
“The
thief has come to steal, kill and destroy but
I am come that they may have life and have it
more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
The abundant life includes healing
The evidence
from the ministry of Jesus and His disciples
is that God wants to heal those who are
oppressed by the misery of sickness. This
does not mean that everyone will be healed
but it does mean that wherever God’s
will is fully realized, healing will happen.
Christians were appointed by Jesus not only
to have compassion for the sick but also to
get them healed though the merits of his
atonement. This awesome responsibility was
given to the church. We need to recover this
responsibility, which is a major part of the
evangelistic and pastoral ministry. The Holy
Spirit is restoring this truth and reality to
the church worldwide today.
Jesus said:
“And he sent them to preach the kingdom
of God, and to heal the sick." (Luke
9:2)
“ And these signs will accompany those
who believe: in my name they will cast out
demons; they will speak in new tongues; they
will pick up serpents, and if they drink any
deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they
will lay their hands on the sick, and they
will recover.” (Mark 16:17-18)
Wherever the gospel is fully proclaimed,
healings happen. Millions in our day are
experiencing health and healing through the
benefits of Jesus.
Healing is
not magic but a process of recovery of health
through faith in God; understanding and
meditating on the scripture; renewing our
thinking and attitudes; trusting in the
atoning sacrifice of Jesus; repentance;
lifestyle changes; forgiveness; and obedience
to God’s ways. Healing is not always
instantaneous; faith requires reinforcement
with determination and patience.
Because some people are not healed does not
mean that it is not God’s will to heal.
Sometimes there are blockages that can be
easily removed and sometimes there are
situations we fail to discern. Believers who
are not healed should never be pressured or
condemned for not being healed but gently
helped to avail of God’s tremendous
resource of healing in Jesus.
Our prayer
is that the following pages may help you lay
hold of this great benefit of God’s
mercy.
