By Pamela Rose Williams
This is a post that might cause some to be offended because faith healing is a very controversial subject among believers and nonbelievers. I pray that rather than be offended by what you read that you pick up your Bible and study it out for yourself. And please read all the way through the post to get the entire message of what I am sharing here.
There is no doubt that if you want to find a faith healing ministry you can just turn on the TV. But is this something that we should be promoting as Christians? I ask this because it seems that with the faith healing ministries today it is hit or miss. Sometimes people are healed (or so it appears) and sometimes they are not healed. I have even heard it said that if people are not healed it is because they lack the faith to be healed. Ministers that promote this “healing” are said to have the gift of healing. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about the gift of healing to see what God would have us to do.
In the message entitled “What is the true gift of healing” Dr. Mike looks to the Bible on this controversial subject. You can click on that link to listen to it if you like. Of course it was my husband doing the preaching, but regardless of who is preaching the Word, the message remains the same. This particular message really caused me to study the Bible to see how often people were healed when Jesus and/or the Apostles set out to heal them. It even made me dig a little deeper. Have you ever really examined the Bible to see how often people were healed? You should study it out and not rely upon me or anyone else to tell you what the Bible says (2 Timothy 2:15-16)
Let’s start here:
35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. (Matthew 9:35)
How much of the sickness and disease was healed by Jesus? He healed EVERY sickness and EVERY disease. In this verse and the surrounding verses in Matthew 9, I found nowhere mentioned that those that were sick and diseased had to have faith to be healed.
How about:
33And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. 35And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. 36And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. 37And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about. 38And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. 39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them. 40Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. (Luke 4:33-40)
How many which were sick with divers diseases were healed? EVERY ONE of them! Faith isn’t mentioned here either.
12And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. 13And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. 14And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) 15Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 16There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one. (Acts 5:12-16)
Out of the multitude how many that were sick or vexed with unclean spirits were healed? They were healed EVERY ONE.
While Jesus walked this earth we can look back and see this gift of healing was a SIGN to the unbeliever. The power to heal was given to the Apostles so that when they healed someone, others would see it and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and have life through Him (John 20:30-31). In the early Church (after Jesus rose from the dead) the Apostles’ continued gift of healing became a SIGN to the unbelieving nation of Israel (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). And every time that we see in the New Testament that the gift of healing was used, Jews were present. So faith and healing are related, however faith is not required to be healed.
Sign gifts were given to the Apostles and they were for a time. God gave the gift a healing as a sign to the Jews and because of their unbelief God extended the gospel of grace to the Gentiles (Romans 11). I also believe that the Bible teaches that God has blinded the Jews to the truth of the gospel — for a time — according to the scriptures (Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 11:2) and that He is coming again to redeem them that believe in what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary.
From what I have studied, I believe that today is not the time for the gift of healing — if it were true that people today possess the gift of healing, they would still be successful in healing EVERY TIME and EVERY ONE, just as we see from our examples in the Bible.
Don’t stop reading …
You know, the Bible is a very logical book. So let’s think about it logically, if the gift of healing were one that is still in effect today we would not need:
hospitals
doctors
nurses
resuscitation equipment
medications
portable oxygen
medical procedures & surgery
other life sustaining efforts
If the gift of healing were one that is still in effect today, those who claim to have this gift should be cleaning out every healthcare facility in our city, county, state, providence, country and WORLD.
Don’t get me wrong…
I am NOT saying that God does not still heal today. He is the Divine Healer! Only He can heal when He chooses to do so. Even Paul talked about that in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. God is the One who gets the glory, even in our weakness (Galatians 4:13-15, 2 Corinthians 11:22-29). God cares about our physical well-being (1 John 5:14-15, Hebrews 4:14-16, James 5:13-16) and He works all things together for good for His glory.
Study it for yourself. Do some still have the gift of healing as we saw during the times of Jesus and the Apostles?
