BULLETIN ARTICLE – 18 February 2018
Whenever the topic of healing is discussed, the question “Does God always heal?” is usually asked. This is not an easy question and it does not have an easy answer.
We see sickness so prevalent in this world, with new strains of viruses and new diseases appearing so often. There is still no cure for cancer or AIDS. Our church often prays for the sick amongst us, with a segment of every pastoral prayer dedicated to praying for the healing of our brothers and sisters.
The Bible does not shy away from showing us instances of sicknesses – the Egyptian plagues, the lepers, the blind man Jesus performed his miracle on. We are taught in the Bible that sickness comes as a consequence of sin and this is part of our earthly suffering the defiance of God has brought on us. Still, we pray for healing knowing that God can do all things. Some churches even preach that a belief in God would always bring health and prosperity.
Debates about the assurance of healing from sickness are still ongoing in the theological community. However, we must remember that there are two kinds of healing – earthly and spiritual. While earthly healing is debatable, we know for certain that God will ALWAYS heal us spiritually. We come to God in humility and “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
In the gospel of Mark we read that Jesus’ many instances of healing earthly sicknesses were always used to further his preaching of the gospel of salvation in the Kingdom of God. The miracles of healing he performed pointed to his ability to heal us from our spiritual sickness, sin, the greatest disease of all which can only be healed by our Lord. 1 Peter 2:24 quotes the prophetic passage in Isaiah 53, saying: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
The spiritual healing that God promises us is greater than any earthly healing we desire. Jesus’ death on the cross has ensured that we will always be healed from our sins, as long as we believe in him and accept him as our Lord and Saviour. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 assures us on this: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
