It has been said that there are two sides to redemption – the legal side and the vital side. I believe that is true. On the one hand you have the word of God, his promises revealed to his people, and then you have the actual experiences of his people in relation to his promise. The latter does not prove the will of the Father; rather the former reveals his thoughts toward us. During this series I have done my best to explore the legal side to the best of my ability. Rather than summing up what I have already written, I would like to approach healing from the other, unexplored side.
Personal Experiences
True Christian faith is not based on experiences; it is based on the word of God. Therefore an experience is only relevant to the extent that it is agreement with God’s word. Even regarding experiences that are supernatural, the believer is cautioned not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to be sure they come from God (1 John 4:1).
However, having a record of all the experiences the early church had with the Holy Spirit, we too should expect that God might visit us in much the same way. As long as our experiences are biblical, we have every reason to conclude they are an expression of the same love and power that Jesus manifested. God does not change. When Jesus offered prayer for his disciples in John 17 before being crucified, he also extended that prayer to include those believers who would come after them.
As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world (John 17:18-24, NASB).
This prayer reveals that it was Jesus’ will that the same glory demonstrated in his ministry should belong to his church for all ages. There is no hint of generational bias. Although many have relegated the ministry of healing to the early apostles, Jesus said this sign would follow those who believed in his name (Mark 16:18).
My Own Healing
A few years ago I suffered with symptoms consistent with Crohn’s disease. (I cannot say it was definitely Crohn’s disease since I never went to a doctor.) These symptoms persisted for about a year. I had very frequent diarrhea and skin rashes that occurred during night sweats. Nearly every morning I woke up in a cold sweat that literally drenched my sheets and stained them.
I was convinced that I would be healed if I exercised faith, but I endured the discomfort for quite a while before ever approaching God for healing. One reason I did not seek healing was because I was using my illness as a crutch. Any time I did not want to go to work, it was easy to call in sick because I was basically always sick. I got into the destructive habit of feeling sorry for myself.
Although it seems logical that most people who are sick desire to be healed, the truth is that is not always the case. Do you remember that Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda whether he wanted to be healed? Why would he ask such a question? Isn’t the answer obvious? Not exactly. Some people never got so much attention from others before they got sick, and they literally prefer to be sick and enjoy the attention. Despite the fact that they suffer, they enjoy a perverse power of victimhood – something they would have to give up if they got healed.
People like this get caught up in what I call “medical culture”. They constantly talk about their medications, their doctors, their surgeries, etc. It is impossible for people like this to be healed as long as they are consumed with being sick, especially if they get a sense of security from it. Such people prevent themselves from focusing on Jesus.
I was like that. Not to the extent that some people are, but the end result is the same. Eventually God got a hold of me. The Holy Spirit began to counsel me, and reveal to me areas that I needed to change. As crazy as this will sound to some, he showed me that I was heading toward an early grave before I reached my mid-fifties. That was a serious wake up call for me. I changed my direction, believed God for my healing, and was made completely well without the aid of medical science.
Defense and Confirmation of the Gospel
In Mark 16, after Jesus commissioned the church to fulfill the ministry of reconciliation, we read the result of the church’s obedience:
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed [And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.] (Mark 16:20).
God is an intelligent being. He knows that some will not believe the Gospel absent the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. Since the supreme goal of the church is to make disciples of all nations, God is more than willing to express his compassion to the sick by healing them. After all, the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).
48So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” 49The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. 51As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. 52So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household (John 4:48-53).
Notice that Jesus said this man would not believe unless he saw a miracle. Do you suppose people like that exist today? Of course they do. What was the result of the miracle? Not only did the nobleman believe, but his entire family believed. Do we really expect to get similar results without the same demonstration of power? I am convinced that people are going to hell every day, not only because they have yet to hear the Gospel, but also because they have heard without the demonstration.
An Intellectual Person and the Gift of Faith
When I began thinking differently about the power of the Gospel, I was liberated from the desire to debate people into a conversion experience. Such debates are often an exercise in futility when people are intent on convincing you of their point of view, just as you are attempting to do the same.
Once when I was working at a department store, the subject of religion came up when speaking with one of my coworkers. When she found out I was a Christian, she wanted to convince me of what she learned about religion in college. I could tell she didn’t believe a word she was saying; she was just repeating what her textbook taught her. Finally I told her that I knew God personally, and was so confident in him that I would not be afraid to proclaim his power to heal.
She then responded, “Can your God fix my problem?” I asked, “What is your problem?”
She opened up and told me about a disease she had. I cannot remember what it was, but it had something to do with urinary function. The disease prevented her from eating certain foods, and she was required to take medication. A spirit of boldness came upon me and I said, “You’re healed!” She gave me a puzzled look and said, “Aren’t I supposed to believe or something?” I said, “No. From this day forward that disease will never trouble you again. Go and eat what you could not eat.”
Although we worked together for weeks after that, neither one of us ever spoke of that day. Two years later I was working in the same place, and she came in. She thanked me, and said that her eyes had really opened after that day. She had been healed for two years. She had heard the Gospel before, but she had never seen it demonstrated. When it was demonstrated, she believed and it changed her life.
Our Responsibility
Jesus said that to whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48). Many people are ignorant of what the scriptures say concerning healing. But once the truth is revealed, it demands a response. Of course, the response is contingent on whether you have received an impartation of truth. If this is the case, be open and willing to receive greater insight about healing, and purpose in your heart to be a doer of the word and not a hearer only.
Conclusion
Throughout this series I have endeavored to present what I believe to be God’s revealed will to heal. I bear a responsibility to God for what I have taught. There is a higher standard of judgment for those who teach. If I have erred in anything I have taught I implore God to be merciful. I urge each person to search the scriptures and determine to find the truth. Do not accept anything that anyone (myself included) teaches that cannot be verified by the Bible.
In conclusion, I would like to offer a prayer for you, the audience. This is a prayer inspired by the Holy Spirit for illumination from on high. It is found in the first chapter of Ephesians. Pray this prayer for yourself as I pray it for you.
15For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Chris, thank you so much for this series. I admit that I am still skeptical. However, in broad terms I think your article has challenged me to be more faithful in God’s power (healing and otherwise). I have to examine myself as to whether my reservations are healthy skepticism, or doubt.
I second Colin’s comment. I am skeptical when healing is taken to the point of a healing “gospel,” but I do think that Christians should be much more willing to trust God for supernatural healing. Thanks for your insight, it’s been interesting.
Thank you for your series. I’ve been waiting until the end to ask you a couple somewhat personal questions. Feel free not to answer if you aren’t comfortable doing so–I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to answer. But you did give a personal anecdote in this installment so maybe you are willing to answer some personal questions.
1. Do you consider yourself to have the spiritual gift of healing? (I Cor 12) Do you know of anyone who does have that gift?
2. How do you feel about doctors? Specifically, what do you think about a believer taking up a medical profession? Would that career be inconsistent with your take on healing?
My last comment isn’t about healing, but rather about faith. I’ve been doing quite a bit of thinking about faith in recent months, and your third section brought up one specific thing that has been rolling around in my head: “belief” after one sees proof is really isn’t belief at all. For instance, Jesus seemed happy that Doubting Thomas finally accepted the truth of who Jesus was and what he could do after he was confronted with physical proof. But Jesus said it was even better when people would accept/believe without the physical proof. It almost seems to me that what Doubting Thomas had really wasn’t faith–I mean, what kind of faith does it take to accept something that is proven right before your own eyes and something you can touch?
Another example of what I’m trying to say is in the expression “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Well, if you see it, then there is nothing to “believe” because it has been proven by its coming to pass–no faith needed there, only common sense.
My own thoughts about this don’t really have to do with healing, but Jesus did use miracles, signs, wonders, and healings to “force” people to accept who he was, or at least to make them without excuse if they didn’t, and many didn’t accept it even with apparently compelling proof. We don’t have the physical Jesus here on earth doing miracles any more. Instead, we have to accept Jesus’ message with less than physical proof. We who have faith have gotten it via the hearing the Word of Christ.
Thainamu, you have posed some excellent questions. As to your first question, let me approach it this way.
“There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
(1 Corinthians 12:6,7)
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
(1 Corinthians 12:11)
So the manifestations of the Spirit are attributes of the Spirit manifested through individuals according to His will. Therefore, if a gift is manifested through a person, it isn’t really accurate to say that he “has” that gift. And if the gift consistently works through such a person, it is for the “common good” (verse 7) of all and should not be used to promote one’s self in any way; it should only promote Jesus. But to answer your question more directly, yes such a gift has been manifested through me and many others. But since these gifts work as the Spirit wills and not as I will, I don’t carry it in my hip pocket. So neither I or anyone else can make it work on command.
With respect to doctors, I do not think it is wrong to seek medical advice as long as one keeps in mind that doctors are fallible human beings while Jesus is the Great Physician. Personally, I am very distrustful of mainstream medical science. Essentially, I think it is a racket and more often then not treats symptoms rather than root causes of disease. I haven’t been to the doctor for about 7 years, and I don’t plan on going any time soon. I think more Christians should be doctors. I would rather have a Christian doctor than an unbelieving one.
I respect your opinion, but I do want to address a quote from the above post.
“My own thoughts about this don’t really have to do with healing, but Jesus did use miracles, signs, wonders, and healings to “force” people to accept who he was, or at least to make them without excuse if they didn’t, and many didn’t accept it even with apparently compelling proof. We don’t have the physical Jesus here on earth doing miracles any more. Instead, we have to accept Jesus’ message with less than physical proof. We who have faith have gotten it via the hearing the Word of Christ.”
I partly agree with what you have said, namely that our faith is the result of hearing and not seeing. However, I believe our faith should result in seeing and not the other way around. And like Paul said, the miracles that accompanied his preaching of the Gospel caused people to have faith (yes, faith) in the power of God rather than the wisdom of men (1 Corinthians 2:4,5). So there is a faith that comes by witnessing the power of God. Although we expect Christians to be more mature and receive a truth purely on the hearing of it, we cannot hold unbelievers to the same standard. Jesus never did and neither did Paul.
Your take on spiritual gifts is a bit different from what I’ve normally heard, and maybe you’re on to something. I gather from what you say that you would view the various lists of spiritual gifts given in the NT as very “flexible” in that a given believer may manifest gift A today and gifts B and C next week. Also, he or she may be the conduit for all of the spiritual gifts at one time or another in his or her life. Would that be a fair statement of your stance? (I’ve often heard talks on spiritual gifts that relate them to one’s natural–albeit redeemed–inclinations, so that a given person wouldn’t be likely to manifest any more than a small number of them.)
“So there is a faith that comes by witnessing the power of God.”
There is such a thing as the “burden of proof” and maybe that is where you and I could agree. Back to the example of Doubting Thomas, yes, he had tons of physical proof right in his own hands, but there were things about Jesus that he still had to accept with “blind” faith. He had physical proof of resurrection that he could observe with his senses, but it would still take faith to accept the idea of eternal life in heaven, for instance. The amount of evidence that a given person requires before he can believe may not be the same for all people. “Child-like” and “blind” faith would be on the opposite end of the continuum than what Doubting Thomas required.
“I gather from what you say that you would view the various lists of spiritual gifts given in the NT as very “flexible” in that a given believer may manifest gift A today and gifts B and C next week. Also, he or she may be the conduit for all of the spiritual gifts at one time or another in his or her life. Would that be a fair statement of your stance?”
That is precisely what I believe.
With Thomas and the other doubting disciples, they had no excuse. They had plainly heard Jesus tell them that he would rise again after the third day. Plus they had been with him long enough to know that what he said would come to pass. Jesus rebuked all of them (not just Thomas) for their unbelief (Mark 16:14). The NIV translates “unbelief” as “refusal to believe”.
Contrast this group of inexcusable disciples with the nobleman to whom Jesus spoke saying, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe” (John 4:48). What was the difference? The disciples had both heard and seen the wonders of God. The nobleman was just being introduced to Jesus’ ministry. When Jesus healed this man’s son, the whole family of them believed (John 4:53). From this point forward they would have to accept a greater degree of accountability, because they had tasted and seen the goodness of the Lord. To whom much is given much is required.
One question I do have Chris is this: is there a time when a believer should accept a terminal illness? After all, such circumstances can glorify God as much as a healing could.
“One question I do have Chris is this: is there a time when a believer should accept a terminal illness? After all, such circumstances can glorify God as much as a healing could.”
Never. Terminal illness glorifies the devil, not God. Jesus came that we might have abundant life because he is the resurrection and the life. I believe the idea that sickness glorifies God comes from a misunderstanding of a passage in John 11.
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
Question: How was God glorified in the midst of this? The answer is clear. He was glorified when Lazarus was raised from the dead. Therefore, God was glorified in the miracle of his resurrection rather than his terminal illness. Now look at verses 40-44.
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
hi. I found your site by chance as I have Crohn’s disease and it came up in an obscure search I did. Let me tell you that I very much doubt that you really did have the disease - I can tell you from bitter experience: You would know if you had it!
I really must also tell you that I have never before read such an amount of unsubstantiated nonsense in my life. I will never understand why people such as yourself believe these stories of invented history and unsupported - by scientific study, which is solely based on the proof of facts - concepts such as ‘an intelligent god’ etc etc. I wonder what is it that blinds your rational thought to the obvious and possibly more mundane(to you) reality that we see before us?
If you are correct in your wild assumptions (and they are many) about god, the universe and everything then you have many unanswerable questions. I have no doubt you can somehow answer them by using the bible but that is no answer.
You would have to have some explanation as to why anyone suffers at all?
Why would some people be born woith a horrific and painful disease and yet others are not?
Why are children killed in the most torturous fashion, daily, around the world?
Why do you assume that somehow, idolising some deity would grant you any kind of prize? where is the logic or sense in that concept?
It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever does it?
Please, I have tried not to just be insulting and instead I am just letting you know how your post made me feel, I trust you will not delete this and hope that you might try to answer some of my questions.
Let me just clarify one thing: I didn’t ask you ‘Why’ about those things because I think you MUST know the answer, it is because people who speak like you do, believe like you do, presume to have the answers to things of that nature. As you presume to know such deep things about life then I assume you can answer those questions. I just want to clarify that I, as a non believer, do not presume to know the answer to any of the questions I posed you. I would surmise that the ONLY rational and honest way of answering those questions is to say we do not know the answers.
Regards,
P.
FaeGiN said, “Why do you assume that somehow, idolising some deity would grant you any kind of prize? ”
FaeGiN, thanks for stopping by. I know your questions were mostly aimed at ChrisA, the author of the article, so I’ll let him respond to them. But I will say that those of us who are Christian believers do not at all assume that, because we love and worship God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), he will grant us anything more than the direct things he offers to us in the Bible, particularly, the forgiveness of our sins.
I’m sorry that it was because of your illness that you found us here, but we’d be happy to have you join the conversation if you’re so inclined.
Thanks for the reply Thainamu. Can I just ask you - which version of which bible do you subscribe?
Is it the New Testament or the Old?
Do you not go along with the concept of ‘treasures in heaven’ or Gifts from God as some Christians put it?
It is worth looking at the basic concept of what makes you believe that you or anyone would receive anything more than anyone else who does not believe in such things. What I mean to say is, there is no logic in the idea that worshipping some ‘thing’ or deity if you like, would in some way please said Deity. why would it please ‘him’? Or is it to appease him in which case it implies that he would be angry or upset with you if you did not do it?
which then brings us to - what kind of a Deity gets irritated or annoyed or angry just because a single human refuses to believe he exists?
It all makes no sense at all is all I am saying.
If you were to say ‘there is a god’ he tells us that if we care for orphaned children we will get a special place somewhere. If we put others before ourselves then we will be given..etc etc.
I know that sounds silly but it is just to illustrate my point.
If it was as I just outlined, at least then we would be able to see the logic. It would have a meaning to it. there is reason behind it all.
The present Christian view and the way that every single part of the belief system hinges on the bible and nothing else, is a very weak argument to be on the wrong side of in my opinion.
therefore there has to be something else that makes people, like yourself, believe this stuff.
the bible isn’t enough. It cannot be.
It is just a book as you know.
anyway, maybe speak to you more later.
Faegin
Faegin, you ask a lot of good questions. I probably won’t be able to answer them all. I believe in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. While I know my Christian life is far from perfect, I would say that the possibility of me getting treasures in heaven is not what makes me believe in or serve God. I serve God because I love him, and I love him because he loved me first. He showed his love for me by offering me forgiveness for my sins, and I accepted that gracious offer by faith. So while I might be storing up treasures in heaven, I’m really serving God out of love and obedience, in response to his love for me.
As for it making sense, I’m with you on that! It makes no sense at all for an omnipotent God to care in the least about us sinful humans, but I believe that he does–he is not just a supreme being watching his creation from afar, but a supreme being who is involved in this world. I find that fact amazing!
Have you ever heard of the author CS Lewis? He wrote a little book called Mere Christianity that you might find useful.
Hi Chris,
I enjoyed reading all your Healing Articles, I have some questions. In your personal healing experience how long did it take from the time you believed God until the answer was fully manifested? Did the healing come gradually or instantly?
Thanks
Bill
Bill,
It took a few weeks. Let me explain in more detail how it happened. On the basis of Mark 11:24 I prayed the prayer of faith, believing that I received healing when I prayed.
“Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
From that point on I did not waiver in faith, even though the symptoms persisted. I was specifically led by the Spirit not to use the medication I was using to alleviate the symptoms. I knew that as long as I used the medication, I would lose the motivation to stay in faith. I intentionally neglected to mention this in the article because I did not want people to get the impression that I was against medicine, although I am admittedly distrustful of medical science in general. Gradually the symptoms just left.