Does God Heal Today?

Christine

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« on: November 10, 2007, 08:08:45 PM »

Does God Heal Today? By Ron Knight

When answering the question of whether or not God is healing the sick today, we must first clarify and qualify just what the real issue is.

The real question is not whether God CAN heal the sick today, because the record of scripture is clear on the truth that "with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27), and "with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). The real question is whether or not God has PROMISED, in His written Word to us today, to heal us SUPERNATURALLY or not. Is supernatural healing His Will or plan for us today? Is God operating a supernatural healing program for believers today; those who have put their faith and trust in the shed blood of His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ, and Him ALONE, for full payment of their sins?

Any student of the bible can, with only a small glance at the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, see that a MAJOR part of His preaching to Israel about their "gospel of the kingdom" was supernatural healing! In Mat 4:23, as the Lord begins His earthly ministry, He goes about preaching and supernaturally "healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people" of Israel. In the next verse, 24, He continues to heal even more Israelites, as many as sought healing from Him, turning NONE away. Even when He commissions His 12 apostles later in chapter 10:5-8, He gives them His power to not only supernaturally heal the people of Israel, but even the power to "raise the dead" (See note at bottom of page about this practice today).

No doubt, part of our Lord's, and His earthly apostles' commission from God the Father was to preach the coming Davidic kingdom to Israel, and to supernaturally heal "all" manner of sickness and disease, up to, and including, death! So why this particular healing ministry? Well, Israel was created by God to be His physical, visible, people in the Earth to manifest His glory! As that nation manifested PERFECT physical health, and many other blessings of God to the other gentile nations, the gentiles would then seek the God of Israel. Therefore, our Apostle Paul says in Rom 15:8, that our Lord, during His earthly ministry, was "a minister of the circumcision (Israel, thru God's covenant with Abraham in Gen 12-18) for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the (Jewish) fathers". The Lord Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of God's Word to that nation, came as their Messiah. He manifested His Person as their Jehovah God by opening the eyes of their blind, the ears of their deaf, giving strength to walk to their lame, and speech to their dumb, etc., just as their prophet Isaiah said in Isa 35:4-6, as well as many other of their prophets. So we see that God had PROMISED the Nation of Israel in His written Word to them, that He would heal them supernaturally.

But what about the people of God today in the Dispensation of Grace, the Church, the Body of Christ? Has God PROMISED, in His written Word to us thru Paul (Romans-Philemon), to heal us supernaturally like He did with Israel? Well, first of all it is clear from all scripture that the human body is "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). We can praise our Creator, The Lord Jesus Christ, for all the healing properties He put in our bodies at creation, with the forming of our first father Adam. But unfortunately, with Adam's sin came death, and the corruption of this masterpiece of the human body. Our Apostle Paul says the following about our physical bodies of flesh: It is a "body of death" (Rom 7:24), it "perish" (2 Cor 4:16), and it is "vile" (Phil 3:21). In Philippians 2, and 2 Timothy 4, God allowed 2 faithful brethren in the Lord to remain sick...one even almost died. Even Timothy himself had to be prescribed some medicine from Paul in 1 Tim 5:23. It is no doubt to me that this prescription was also endorsed by Luke the beloved physician, who was also our Apostle's personal attending physician during his own sufferings of physical infirmities (Col 4:14).

Paul makes it clear that today, we believers in the Church, the Body of Christ, just like the whole creation, "groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Rom 8:18-25). He says that because of the current "bondage of corruption", everything on earth, including our bodies, are subject to the pain and sting of sin and death. We as believers, are not immune from the effects of sin on our mortal bodies! It is part of the "gift" of suffering that the Lord gives us as His saints today (Phil 1:29). Unlike Israel, who when they suffered in their physical bodies, it was a sign from God of His disapproval of them (Deu 28:60), we as His saints today, can, like our Apostle Paul, "glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ can rest upon me" ( Cor 12:9). Even though our Apostle prayed diligently to the Lord thrice to remove his infirmity, the Lord DID NOT, but said unto him (and to us), "my GRACE is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." God's grace message today is found in the 13 letters of our Apostle Paul! So although Christ did not remove Paul's infirmity, He did give him His grace to bear and endure (1 Cor 10:13).

So my friend, you too can learn to say with Paul, "most GLADLY therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me"! And although God has not promised to supernaturally heal us of all our sicknesses and diseases today like He did with the Nation of Israel, He does have a "far more exceeding and eternal" healing program for us called the resurrection, or the "rapture", or "catching away" of His church (2 Cor 4:16-18, 1 Thes 4:13, Phil 3:20-21, Tit 2:14). One day the Lord Himself will come back and deliver us from this sin cursed world and take us home to the Heavenly Places with Him. We will, at that time, get our new glorified bodies, just like He now has, and then function, operate and serve and fellowship with Him for all eternity in the Heavenly Places, in His Heavenly Kingdom (Rom 8:23, 2 Cor 5:1-8, Phil 3:21, 2 Tim 4:18). Even so, come Lord Jesus, praise ye the Lord, Amen:-)!

[Writer's note: Notice that NO ONE today ever raises the dead, which is the bible's ULTIMATE proof of a "healer"! In fact, have you ever seen anyone even "healed" of an amputed arm or leg, in which it grew back (Mt 12:10-13). I am sure all the wounded war veteran's who come back home all torn up could use their help. That would be a very convincing way to share Christ with them wouldn't it? Why are all the so-called "healings" today inward things (cancer, etc.) that can not be seen, nor confirmed like in the Lord's day? Or why, when you do not get your healing, do the so-called "healers" claim that you don't have enough faith (or money), or that there is some sort of "sin in your life"...what person on earth today does NOT sin...even them!? The Lord Jesus Christ could heal you based on someone elses faith, not your's (Mt 9:2)!

Why do some of the "healers" today wear eyeglasses? Can they not heal their own sight (Luke 4:23)? I even heard a "healer" on the radio preaching about the Lord's supernaturally healing thru him, and yet he himself was sick at the time he was speaking and had a cold in his own throat, coughing up a storm right there on the air:-)! When believers claim that God "healed" them, what do they say to all their brothers and sisters in Christ who pray to God and yet are not healed? No my friend, no matter all the claims of believers and non-believers alike of some "miraculous" or supernatural healing from God, the DEATH rate is still one apiece...we all DIE! God's REAL healing program and promise for us believers today is when He gives us our NEW bodies at he rapture. Til then we will all get old, get sick, hurt, and (if the Lord tarries) we will all die. And if you are honest, you know deep down in your heart that this fact is true, even in your own life. Why not seek comfort in the Word of His Grace thru your Apostle Paul's 13 letters Romans-Philemon?! Thank You.