Faith And Healing

This is Part 3 of my article on healing…

A few months ago, and in an effort to share the truth about God’s healing through faith with an associate, I shared a testimony of how the Lord used me to bring complete healing to someone. The following is his response, which caused me to write a series of teachings to counter this man’s “perverted theology” concerning healing. I will deal with his statements, dividing them into four articles. As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, it is sad to say that the vast majority of Christians today have the same theology, which is why we aren’t seeing people being healed as they should.

“Thanks for sharing the testimony of the guy God chose to heal. We also know that God can heal miraculously and instantaneously, and we’ve had stories of that taking place on the mission field. It doesn’t always happen - God is sovereign and may have another purpose in mind for the sickness - but it is always good to ask, repeatedly, and in faith.”

• It doesn’t always happen - God is sovereign and may have another purpose in mind for the sickness –

It is true that healing doesn’t always happen, but it is NOT God who is responsible when it doesn’t. In the same way that salvation (forgiveness of sins) is offered to every person, we know that NOT everyone will be saved. Does that make the word of God that says, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9] a lie or of no effect? Of course it doesn’t!

Here’s what the Bible says, For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid. Yea, let God be true and every man a liar, as it is written, That you might be justified in your sayings, and might overcome when you are judged. [Romans 3:3-4]

The teaching of the sovereignty of God in today’s church is in my opinion the most offensive to the character and nature of God, the most damnable heresy, and the most destructive to God’s people I have ever known. Because of this belief that God is in absolute control over everything that happens in the universe, many Christians are passive and ripe prey for the enemy who goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. To even suggest that God is responsible (either by His direct will or allowance) for all the wars, murders, rapes, child molestation, starvation, babies being aborted or born addicted to drugs or infected with HIV, and every other rotten thing that happens in this world is a terrible indictment of His character. Everything the enemy and mankind have produced has been attributed to God because of this false teaching.

If God is “sovereign” in the way many believe, that would mean that God is responsible for sin as well. And if God is in complete control over EVERYTHING that happens, then the fact that you are reading this is God’s will too. With this way of thinking you must draw the line somewhere—that God is not the author of any of the rotten things in this world, or even for why you are reading this teaching. If you draw a line, then God is not sovereign as you say. Either He is sovereign as you say, or He’s not! Either He’s responsible for EVERYTHING including sin, or He’s not.

Here’s the truth: God leads—He does not control. He desires you to submit to His will, but gives you the choice. This is the essence of love—that love is not true unless one has a choice NOT to love and so on. We are not robots or pawns in the hands of God. In fact, one of the fruit of the Spirit is “self-control”. I imagine the sovereignty of God doctrine followers pervert this passage as well. God could’ve created robots that would bark out, “I love you!” at His command, but this isn’t true love. And contrary to the world’s definition, love is a choice—not an emotion or feeling.

In the ministry of Jesus, there are several accounts where it is clearly said that Jesus healed ALL that were sick. Several others infer that all were healed.

We do have one instance where the Bible records people not being healed in the ministry of Jesus and this instance is recorded in both Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels. And the Bible is very clear concerning the reason people weren’t healed—and it was because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:53-58; Mark 6:1-6). In fact, the Bible says that Jesus could do no mighty works. It doesn’t say Jesus would not do any mighty works, indicating it was Jesus’ will to do mighty works in Nazareth, but because of unbelief, He was not able.

Many people gasp at this passage, saying, “That’s not true! God can do anything! It must really be that He chose not to do any mighty works.” Yes, God can do anything, but He will not violate His word, nor alter the thing that has come from his mouth (Psalm 89:34-35). He gave us the power to choose life or death, and the Scripture says that unbelief prevents the promises of God from being fulfilled in a person (Hebrews 3:12, 18-19; Hebrews 4:1-11; Psalm 78). God is faithful to His word, even at the expense of His promises NOT being fulfilled in His children, and despite what His desire is. In the case of heaven or hell, God honors our choice to enter into life or death. Again, this is how faithful He is to His word.

For what purpose does the Bible teach concerning God using sickness against people? In the Old Testament, God put sickness on people for ONE purpose—and this was for punishment. Therefore, because Jesus took our punishment and the Scripture says that He bore our sicknesses and carried our diseases (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17) it is clear that God has absolutely no purpose for sickness. Jesus NEVER put sickness on anyone. He NEVER cursed anyone with sickness! He NEVER told a sick person that God had some redemptive or character-building purpose for sickness! Jesus NEVER told a sick person that their sickness was for God’s glory, or in order to draw the sick person closer to God. He didn’t tell them that sickness was a method of teaching them either. Rather, Jesus healed ALL that were sick, and God was glorified when people were healed—NOT sick!

Many people misinterpret Jesus’ words in John 9 when He referred to a man having been born blind so that the works of God could be made manifest in him. They reason that God made this man blind for the purpose of God’s work to be revealed in him. I don’t believe this is true—God doesn’t make imperfection! This man was born blind—NOT because of his own sin, or the sins of his parents, but rather, he was born blind because we live in a fallen world. What the Lord was teaching was for the disciples to move from the cause of the blindness to the cure, which was healing. I blame this misinterpretation on the breakdown of the verses. Here’s how I see the exchange:

And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth, and his disciples asked him saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents. But (so) that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. [John 9:1-5]

In other words, Jesus was saying, “Stop debating about what caused this sickness. Let’s focus on doing the works I came to do!” Doesn’t that make more sense and present God in a greater light than what is commonly believed?

And even IF the common belief were true—that God actually made this man blind so the works of God could be made manifest in him, we must conclude that the “works of God” can be only healing as this is what Jesus did for the man. You cannot plug other “works” into this philosophy because we know from Scripture that Jesus never inferred any purpose of sickness other than being healed from it.

David the psalmist proclaimed, I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the LORD. [Psalm 118:17] It is clear that healing of the sick was the works of the Lord as Jesus proclaimed, My Father works hitherto; and I work. Verily, verily I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do. For whatsoever he does, these also does the Son likewise. [John 5:17, 19]

Either Jesus is a liar, or the work of the Lord is to heal. There’s no middle ground here. God is glorified when we declare His works—not the devil’s!

Many people might argue that getting and remaining sick is all a part of the ministry of suffering. Why, if Jesus suffered for our sicknesses and diseases, would He want us to suffer with them? That would mean that what Jesus suffered wasn’t enough! This would also be the same as saying that it is God’s desire that we suffer or tolerate sin.

Any suffering on our part always refers to persecution and other hardships because Jesus didn’t redeem us from persecution, ridicule, rejection, etc. In fact, Jesus promised we would have those things, and the apostle Paul said, Those who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. [2 Timothy 3:12]

But we do have many promises concerning healing of sickness and disease in this present world. Again, Jesus NEVER mentioned this “ministry of suffering” with sickness and one would think if it were to be such a prevalent doctrine, He would have mentioned it at least once.

Even in the case of Lazarus (John 11), whom many believe Jesus allowed to be sick and die from this sickness, you must conclude that if God allows someone to be sick and dies, then the only solution is for God to raise them from the dead. And this does not refer to the new birth in Christ or the resurrection from the dead, because Lazarus could not have been born again, and later by all accounts, Lazarus died again—this time for good.

If you believe that Lazarus was sick for the glory of God (John 11:4) you would then also have to accuse Jesus of not glorifying God when He healed others. God was NOT glorified in Lazarus’ sickness nor his death. Rather, God was glorified when Jesus raised him from the dead. In fact, Jesus reminded Martha about the glory of God just prior to raising him from the dead, Said I not unto you that if you would believe, you should see the glory of God? [John 11:40]

Now some of you may bring up Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12) saying that God refused to heal Paul from an infirmity in his flesh. For the sake of repeating myself, I simply suggest that you read my teaching “The Truth About Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh”. However, I will say that the Bible makes it very clear as Paul wrote that the thorn in the flesh was the messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he be exalted above measure because of the revelations given to him (2 Corinthians 12:7)

It is clear from what Paul wrote of previously (2 Corinthians 11) that this thorn in the flesh was persecution and hardships at the hands of people. The term “thorn in the flesh” is an Old Testament term that always referred to people who would cause trouble for God’s people. It was definitely NOT sickness!

For those who adhere to the doctrine of the sovereignty of God and the ministry of suffering that includes sickness, I want to make sure you’re not a hypocrite. If God is sovereign like you say, or you believe sickness is part of the ministry of suffering, or that God may have some redemptive, character-building, or humbling purpose (I heard a famous evangelist tell Larry King that God was using his Parkinsons disease to “break him” of pride), or that He may be using sickness to draw you closer to Him, then PLEASE tell me that you are not seeking medical attention and in rebellion against God’s will for you! PLEASE tell me that you’re not fighting against God’s purposes for you!

If God is sovereign like you think, then He is in complete control of your sickness, and once He has accomplished His purpose for your sickness, then perhaps He will choose to bring healing to you. Therefore, please do not go to the doctor or seek relief from God’s will for you. And also, please don’t relieve the suffering of your children from sickness, because if they’re sick, it must be God’s will for them to be sick as well. And, I also hope that you see the entire health care profession (doctors, nurses, druggist, researchers, scientists, hospital employees) as being of the devil, and antichrist, because if people are sick, it must be God’s will that they are sick, and if they’re trying to make people well against the will of God, then they are of the devil.

People like this place so much faith in this “sovereignty of God” doctrine until they are faced with such bold words.

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