Now that we have established the connection in the Atonement, let us look at the comparisons of application (appropriating the provision of the atonement). These comparisons serve the purpose of answering the second question above. 2. How is healing received and ministered? (Whose faith makes the difference?):
*Side note: The following comparisons are structured so that “1a.” deals with salvation from sin and “1b.” deals with healing. There are so many more Scripture references to support these following points, which I hope you will be motivated to search out. I will provide only some.
1a. Salvation from sin must be received by faith in this life before death in order to be fully experienced eternally in heaven. You can go to heaven sick, but you cannot go a sinner. In other words, you die a sickly saint, you won’t be sick anymore. You die a sinner, you stay a sinner. Tragically, there are many who believe that a Christian cannot stop sinning until he/she dies and goes to heaven. This belief seems to make death a stronger saviour than Jesus Christ, by implying that God cannot make us free in this present life. (Heb 9:27, Lu 16:23, Rev 22:11)
1b. Salvation from sickness (healing) will be experienced fully and eternally in heaven for the born-again believer, but it is God’s will that it be received by faith and experienced on earth. Though not as eternally costly, it is tragic that so many believe that death is a stronger healer than Jesus and therefore conclude that God’s only solution for sickness and disease is death. Many ask, “If it’s always God’s will to heal, how would anyone die?” Trust me, God doesn’t need sickness to help bring His children home. As in the case of many patriarchs who simply “slept with their fathers”, Almighty God can “take away their breath”. (Psa 104:29) Basically, every born-again believer will be healed eventually, but it’s up to our faith whether we receive it now or only then. (Rom 8:23, 1 Cor 15:52, Rev 21:4)
2a. Salvation from sin in this life obviously culminates with glorification. Though we are saved, the choice to sin is still a possibility for us but not a probability. We should understand that deliverance from sin’s penalty and power are provided for this life until glorification provides deliverance from sin’s presence. (NOW Rom 6:14, 1 Cor 10:13, 1 Jn 3:6…THEN Phi 1:23, Heb 9:28, Rev 21:27)
2b. Salvation from sickness in this life obviously culminates with glorification. Though sickness is still a possibility, it should be resisted by the believer not accepted as a probability. Deliverance from the curse (penalty) and power of sickness and disease has been provided for us now until glorification provides deliverance from their presence due to our immortal, incorruptible bodies. (NOW Rom 8:2, Gal 3:13, 3 Jn 2…THEN Rom 8:23, 1 Cor 15:54, Rev 21:5)
3a. Everyone in heaven is free from sin. (Rev 21:27)
3b. Everyone in heaven is free from sickness. (Rev 21:5)
4a. Salvation from sin brings glory to God. I don’t know of any Christian that believes that God could possibly be more glorified through someone’s ongoing bondage to sin than their deliverance. Not under any circumstance. In other words, God was perfectly secure in His glory before sin ever existed in His relationship with mankind. (Mat 9:8, Acts 11:18, 2 Cor 1:20)
4b. Salvation from sickness brings glory to God. Strangely, it seems much more common among Christians to believe that God could possibly be more glorified through someone’s ongoing bondage to sickness than their deliverance. Of course, in some mysterious way that we can’t understand until we get to heaven, they say. However, the testimony of Scripture is exactly the opposite of this mentality. Religious nor non-religious, Jew nor Gentile, Old nor New Testament ever recognized sickness and disease to be good in and of themselves. Never were they spoken of as blessings from God, nor did ever they result in people glorifying God for their lingering, afflicting presence in their lives. How many people were on fire telling people around town about how God sovereignly kept them sick for His glory? How many do this today? To the contrary, healing and health are always recognized as good in and of themselves, and people glorified God when sickness left and health returned. God did not need the entrance of sickness through sin to bring Himself more glory. Even if under judgment, sickness was always considered negative by God, and the mercy of healing was always His preference. (Mar 2:12, Lu 7:16, Lu 13:13, Lu 17:15, Jn 11:4, Acts 8:8)
5a. Sin is a violation of our God-given design: His image and likeness. Who wouldn’t agree with this? Sin steals, kills, and destroys us spiritually. Sound familiar? I wonder where sin originated? (Gen 1:26-28, John 10:10, Col 3:10)
5b. Sickness is a violation of our God-given design: His image and likeness. Why do so many disagree with this? Sickness steals, kills, and destroys us physically. In other words, sickness is to the body, what sin is to the spirit. (Same references as above)
6a. Temptation and sin are to be resisted. (1 Cor 10:13, Heb 12:4, 2 Pet 2:9)
6b. Symptoms and sickness are to be resisted. (Lu 4:39, Ja 4:7, 1 Pet 5:9)
7a. Every Christian should admit that the best solution for a sin problem or spiritual issue is divine provision/help, and that divine deliverance should be sought first. Though people have received help from counselors, programs, rehabs, etc , we believe that divine help is preferable and more God-glorifying. At any cost, live free from bondage. (Jn 8:36, Mar 5:19-20, 2 Cor 10:4, 1 Jn 1:7)
7b. Every Christian should admit that the best solution for a sickness problem or physical issue is divine provision/help, and that divine deliverance should be sought first. Though people receive help from the medical field, we believe that divine help is preferable and more God-glorifying. At any cost, get well and live free from bondage. A very interesting observation is that all of those whose oppose the belief that it is always God’s will to heal, they themselves believe it is always God’s will to get all of the medical help possible to get well, whatever the financial cost, procedural risks, etc. In others words, this belief could be summarized as this: you may never know if it’s God’s will to heal you supernaturally, but you can always know it’s God’s will for you to use all the natural, medical means available to get well. Please hear my heart. I am not anti-doctors but please don’t criticism me for being pro-God. If someone hasn’t received divine healing by faith, get well however you can is my desire for them. All I ask for is consistency. If it’s it not presumption to believe it’s always right to immediately seek medical help, than don’t call it presumption to believe it’s always right to immediately receive divine healing. (Mat 8:16-17, Lu 17:14, 2 Cor 10:4)
8a. Salvation from sin can only be received by the faith of the individual. It must be of personal consent. In other words, nobody can do it for you. (Acts 17:30-31, Jn 3:18, Rom 14:12, 1 Pet 4:5)
8b. Salvation from sickness is best received and, key word, kept by the personal faith of the individual. Though there are differing views even within healing ministries, I personally believe that a believing believer can minister healing to someone regardless of their faith or lack thereof. Believers have been given authority and dominion over all power of the enemy, which includes all sickness and disease, all spirits of infirmity, etc. However, believers do not have authority over the will or choices of another person. Since sin is a willful choice, we cannot take dominion over their God-given ability to make decisions, but we can drive out diseases and demons. Besides authority, there are gifts of the Spirit that are not dependent upon the sick person’s faith. When someone asks me or I initiate to pray, I take responsibility for my faith in the equation, and I don’t resort to blaming the person. This is quite liberating to me. In fact, to me, this belief/approach makes the doctrine and ministry of healing invincible against the emotional pressure and intimidation that are often associated with it. Let me explain…How many times have we struggled with the message of divine healing because we have thought, “Here we go again, another minister telling me why it’s my fault, lack of faith, etc for not receiving healing.” (Noteworthy consideration: We don’t struggle saying that it’s a person’s own fault, unbelief, etc if they die lost or don’t get free from sin, addiction, etc.) But now, when a believer approaches an afflicted person needing healing, with the attitude of personal responsibility for their own faith as a minister/ambassador of Christ then the stigma/intimidation is removed. The fear of God’s reputation being damaged is removed because we maintain that He never fails, and the guilt/shame of the sick person is removed because the believer takes responsibility of ministering with authority and power. I mean, how can you be offended or get defensive against a Christian who prays for someone who doesn’t experience healing and/or dies sick, but he/she responds, “God always keeps His promises and never fails. I must have missed it somewhere. I take responsibility for this failure.” Doesn’t that speak of more humility, self denial, etc rather than assuming that we pray and never lack so therefore God must not have kept His Word this time (or realistically speaking according to our experiences, many times). Most definitely, this attitude is better than always blaming the sick person’s lack of faith also. Wasn’t this the attitude of the disciples in the story of Mark 9 and Matthew 17?
Mat 17
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Was it God’s will to heal/deliver the boy all along? (Yes) Did the boy get healed/delivered when the disciples prayed? (No) Let that sink in. Interesting, right? Jesus showed us what the will of God was all along. However, we many times define God’s will by what does or doesn’t happen when we pray. Notice, even the disciples knew better than to blame God or the sick boy when they asked, “Why could not WE cast him out?” (Not, “Why did GOD not heal/deliver the boy, cast the demon out, etc?”)
Having said all of this with the hope of believers taking responsibility to minister by faith and authority, we cannot forget this important truth: Though a person can be healed/delivered by the faith of another, in order to maintain victory over the affliction, a personal faith-relationship with Christ is necessary. Jesus’ words did not let His disciples “off the hook”, though He encouraged the father’s faith for his son’s healing. There has never been a sick person who could not have received healing directly from God by their own personal faith. (Either way, someone’s faith is needed.)
Mark 9
21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
Therefore, the ideal way to receive healing/deliverance is through your own personal faith in Christ and His Word. Here’s why…
John 5
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
It appears that the lame man was healed by Jesus’ faith and authority and did not really have his own faith, unless we interpret as faith his obedience to the command of Christ, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” Regardless of how healing was ministered or received, he experienced it and the words of Jesus still ring true, especially for those who get healed through the faith of another: “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” We know from numerous passages that sin gives the devil place/access to work. Connect this story with the truth of Matthew 12:
Mat 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
In the context of this demonic physical affliction being healed/driven out, Jesus further teaches us:
Mat 12
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
The vital truth for maintaining victory over any afflicting disease/demon: Demons with their diseases seek re-entry. The key word in this passage is that the unclean spirit that was gone out of the man, returns to what he still calls “my house”, and finds it “EMPTY”. A personal faith-relationship with the indwelling Christ is the protection against demonic/disease re-entry.
I am convinced that many people have been healed and demonic diseases driven out through the faith of another believer, but the evil spirit re-entered in such way that the sick person thought they were never healed at all.
9a. A life of victory over sin requires a personal relationship of faith in Jesus, even though strongholds of addiction, depression, and demon possession can be driven out by the faith and authority of another believer. (Jn 15, Gal 5:16, Col 2:6, Jam 4:7)
9b. A life of victory over sickness requires a personal relationship of faith in Jesus, even though sickness and disease can be driven out by the faith and authority of another believer. (Jn 15:7, Rom 8:11, Jam 4:7, 1 Jn 5:18)
To be continued in Part 3
