The healing power of God.

 BY Argie Simonis 

The Lord has graciously provided us with many benefits. One of them is our healing. How do we receive these benefits and how can we walk in the healing that God offers us?

Look at what David writes in his psalm:

" Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name." (Ps. 103:1)

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:" (Ps. 103:2)

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;" (Ps. 103:3)

Here's a big reveal:

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases"

It is easier for someone to believe the first part of the verse, that God forgives all our sins, but many find it difficult to believe the second part that says God heals ALL our diseases.

And this happens because we all face health problems, we have friends or relatives with health problems, but we know that by grace the Lord has forgiven all our sins.

This certainly raises questions. Let's examine this more. Is it true that God still forgives and heals TODAY? Was there a time when God healed all diseases but He no longer does? Is there some limitation that God continues to forgive today, but has ceased to heal as He healed then?

And yet, forgiveness of our sins and healing are found together in the same verse! So with what logic should we seperate one from the other? Both statements are true. The Lord BOTH forgives AND heals.

The reason this question exists is because more or less all of us have someone in mind who came Christ and continues to be sick.

I will deal with this question today. I will explain to you why what David writes to us in the psalm we read is true and why we as believers sometimes get sick.

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I will answer three difficult questions:

QUESTION 1. - WHY?

For example:

- "Why am I not healed?". If God heals all diseases, why haven't I been healed?

- "Why wasn't my friend healed?"

- Why was my relative not healed?"

And an even more difficult question:

- "Why did my friend die?"

- "Why did my father, my mother, my brother die?"

These are very difficult questions, and for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one, the pain is great.

Let's go back to the psalm again. Do not forget that the fact that the Lord forgives and heals are in the same verse:

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;" (Ps. 103:3)

I will show you that this is a pattern repeated in the Scriptures. The Lord puts the forgiveness of our sins and healing in the same sentence. That's awesome!

"And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." (Isaiah 33:24)

Isaiah here speaks prophetically of the Church of Christ. People will not say I was sick, because they received forgiveness and healing. Do you see it? Forgiveness of sins and healing in the same sentence.

Again we see forgiveness of sins and healing in the same sentence! Christ took upon Himself the punishment intended for us, and by His wounds we were healed.

This Messianic prophecy that we just read from Isaiah is also verified in the New Testament:

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." (1Pet. 2:24)

Here we see it again: Forgiveness and healing in the same sentence. And in fact the word healing includes the healing of body, soul AND spirit. Through the wounds of Christ we are healed and complete.

So I pose the question to all of you:

- Do you believe that Christ bore your sins?

- Do you believe that Christ also bore your illnesses?

Before answering, you need to understand some basic things.

Let's go to Isaiah again:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." (Is. 53:4)

The Hebrew word used for "sorrows" that we read here is mostly translated in the Old Testament as "sicknesses" or "diseases".

The same statement is found in the New Testament:

"When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:" (Matt. 8:16)

"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." (Matt. 8:17)

The Scriptures clearly show us that Christ bore both our sins AND our sicknesses.

Then why do we keep getting sick? To answer this question, we must first understand how Christ bore our sins and sicknesses.

Christ bore: 

- the penalty of sin.

- the power of sin, and

- the presence of sin (and sickness).

Let's start with the punishment first. There is no doubt that Christ bore upon Himself the full punishment that was ment for us.

Remember that when Jesus reveals himself to John in the book of Revelation He tells him:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Rev. 1:8)

Jesus, God, is in all times, past, present and future. He is eternal. Therefore, 

- we have been saved, 

- are being saved, and 

- will be saved.

- We have been saved by Grace,

- we being saved, that is, we are in the process of being complete as we grow in our faith in the Lord while we live here on earth,

- and we will be saved one day.

Let me explain it better:

-- We are already saved from the penalty of sin:

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you have been forgiven and saved from the punishment of sin.

-- There will come a day when we will ALSO be saved from the presence of sin. In Heaven there is no sin, no sickness, no pain, no sorrow.

-- While we are in this life, we have been saved from the power of sin. As believers, we have the power to resist sin, because Jesus bore this power of sin upon Himself. 

But because the presence of sin continues to exist in the fallen world we live in, sometimes even we believers fall under the power of sin. We all know that even when we come to Jesus, we continue to sin:

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1John 1:8)

Do you know why this happens? Because sin continues to exist in the world.

~~ In exactly the same way, Jesus bore our sickness upon Himself. We just read it. But because the presence of sickness continues to exist in the fallen world we live in, sometimes even believers fall under the influence of sickness. ~~

This is exactly the answer to the question:

"If Jesus heals all sickness, why so-and-so died of cancer?"

Because we continue to live in the presence of evil and sin in this world. But this does not mean that the Lord did not pay the price of sin.

~~ For you, who have accepted Jesus, God will never punish you for the sins you have committed, because He has already punished  Jesus for it! ~~

Do you know what this actualy means? If you are sick now, it is NOT because God is punishing you. God does NOT use sickness to punish His children. And this is because Jesus bore this punishment upon Himself for our sake.

Watch a prophecy about Divine Grace:

"And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee." (Ex. 15:26)

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QUESTION 2 - HOW?

In other words, how do I receive healing? How can someone receive healing? Just as we receive forgiveness. Don't forget the passages where we read that forgiveness of sins and healing are in the same verse:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Eph. 2:8)

"Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:9)

And according to James, we are saved not passively, but by our active faith that we put in Jesus Christ the Savior.

~~ Please note: We are not saved by faith, but by Grace, through faith. What does this mean; If God had not offered us His Grace and you believe that your faith alone is enough to be saved, then that is pride! Without the grace of God where can you put your faith? To yourself?

But precisely because you have put your faith in Jesus the Savior who offers salvation, you have been saved! It is His Grace that leads you to Heaven, and your faith is the way you receive this gift of salvation that was given to you by Grace! ~~

Salvation is the part of God that has ALREADY made available to us by His Grace, and faith is our response to that Grace.

There are two completely oposite extremes:

- Salvation requires works, and on the other completely opposite side,

- you must believe to receive your salvation, and every time you sin you are lost, repent and be saved again, sin and be lost again... This theology is completely unbiblical.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Εph. 2:8)

So I ask again: How are you saved? BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH.

How are you healing? BY GRACE, THROUGH  FAITH.

I'm sure you've heard these extreme theories before:

"God does not heal today as He did then."

In other words, God has been healing for thousands of years, both in the Old and New Testament when Jesus walked on earth, but for some unknown reason God suddenly changes and heals only under conditions.

These views are totaly unbiblical .

This is actualy the works mentality that Jesus condemned.

Let me give you a practical illustration: When you eat healthy, exercise and take care of yourself you will be healthy. But health is a gift from God. In the same way, salvation is a gift from God and we are called to stewart the salvation that has been given to us:

"... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12)

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13)

In other words, what Paul is telling us here is that when we turn back to sin, then we have received God's grace in vain.

Likewise, I have to take care of my body, but there are people who eat healthy and exercise and yet die of some kind of disease, cancer, heart attack, stroke and so much more.

So it is not by works that I am healthy, but by the grace of God. That's why I thank Him for every breath I take. The life and health I enjoy is a gift from Him.

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Watch the other extreme now:

If you have enough faith you will be healed. You just need more faith. We have heard testimonies from people who were sick and went to a ministry that focuses on healing, and instead of healing they received criticism and guilt because they thought the reason they weren't healed was either because they didn't have enough faith, or because there was some sin in their life . In fact, what happened was that in this ministry they felt shame because there was no healing.

~~ I will give you a tip and please be careful:

Never put contemnation and guilt on someone who is suffering. We live in an evil and wicked world and we as Christians should be the first to show love to people.

You don't get sick because you don't have enough faith and you don't get healed because you always do the right thing. None of us are perfect and none of us have perfect faith. But we can be healed BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH.

Remember the 4 men who brought their paralyzed friend down from the roof of the house in front of Jesus? Do you remember what Jesus said?

"And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" (Μatt. 9:4)

"For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?" (Μatt. 9:5)

"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." (Μatt. 9:6)

We come many times and ask the Lord all these questions:

Why this, why the other, how this, how the other...

The Lord asks you personally the following:

"Which is easier for me? To forgive your sins or to heal you?"

The answer obviously is that both are equally easy for God. In the same way that we receive salvation, we also receive healing. BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH.

Don't allow any cONDEMNATION or guilt inside OF YOU if you continue to struggle with a sickness.

Don't neglect to pray for your health and that of your family and to thank the Lord for the grace He gives to youe and to your family.

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3. The last question I will answer is the following:

"What if I don't get healed?"

"if my child, my relative, my friend is not healed?"

Here is the answer:

I'll trust God anyway! See how the apostle Paul answers this question:

"According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death." (Phil. 1:20)

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil. 1:21)

"But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not." (Phil. 1:22)

"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:" (Phil. 1:23)

"Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." (Phil. 1:24)

No matter what I face, I know that God forgives ALL sins and heals ALL diseases. We still live in a wicked and fallen world, but God remains faithful and we can trust Him in every situation.

Amen!