Who Is Qualified to Lay Hands on the Sick? (Kenneth E Hagin)

Who Is Qualified To Lay Hands on the Sick

By Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

…They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:18

We’ve looked at this scripture before in explaining that not all healings are instantaneous. Now let’s look at the previous verse, Mark 16:17. “And these signs shall follow THEM THAT BELIEVE….”

These signs, such as laying hands on the sick, shall follow believers. Who shall lay hands on the sick?

Believers shall lay hands on the sick.

You see, laying on of hands is more than a sign. It is also a New Testament doctrine. It’s one of the fundamental principles of the doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:1 and 2 says, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands….”

The doctrine of laying on of hands belongs to the whole Church. Any believer has the right to lay hands on the sick in the Name of Jesus.

In 1963, I was preaching at a meeting in Tulsa, and a young Baptist couple came up to me. The wife said to me, “We’re so glad we came.

We’ve learned so much. You spoke about the laying on of hands a few nights ago. Well, my husband started mowing the lawn yesterday. I heard the lawnmower running, but I realized it wasn’t moving.

“So I ran out and looked. My husband was lying in the middle of the front yard, flat on his face. The lawnmower had run up against the house and was still running. Ordinarily, I would have panicked and gone wild, but instead, I rushed out there and laid hands on him.”

The Bible says that believers, not just preachers, shall lay hands on the sick. I am a believer. I can lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

In Prayer (Kenneth E. Hagin)

In Prayer

By Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin

“And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24).
 

This charter prayer promise is perhaps the most staggering statement that ever fell from the lips of the Man of Galilee.
 

What does Jesus mean “in that day”? Looking toward the future, Jesus, in effect, was saying, “I’m going away. I’m going to Calvary. I’m going to die. But I’m going to be raised from the dead. And I’m going to ascend on High. I’m going to sit down at the right hand of the Father. And a new day is coming. A New Covenant, or New Testament, is coming into being! And in that day, ye shall ask Me nothing.” This day in which we live is that new day!
 

“Hitherto, up until now have ye asked nothing in my name.” The disciples did not pray in the Name of Jesus while Jesus was on the earth. It wouldn’t have worked. And they didn’t need to, because while Jesus was with them, He met their every need.
 

But the time was coming when Jesus would leave them. That was when they needed His Name. The Name of Jesus takes the place of Jesus personally in performing miracles, delivering from Satan’s authority, and bringing God on the scene!
 

Confession: I am a “New Covenant” Christian. I pray to my Father in the Name of Jesus. I ask in Jesus’ Name. I receive – and my joy is full!

Scriptures Concerning Christ’s Redemptive Work on the Cross

  • Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.
  • John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
  • Romans 3:25 God presented Him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood.
  • Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:3 …Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made Him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
  • Hebrews 2:17 For this reason He [Jesus] had to be made like His brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people.
  • Hebrews 9:28 Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
  • 1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.
  • 1 John 2:1-2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
  • 1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

The Normal Christian Life, chapter 3 (Watchman Nee)

I consider that this chapter, beautiful illustrated and explained will aid as you seek to learn from and understand Romans 1-8:

Our old history ends with the Cross; our new history begins with the

resurrection. “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things

are passed away; behold they are become new” (2 Cor 5:17). The Cross

terminates the first creation, and out of death there is brought a new

creation in Christ, the second Man. If we are `in Adam’ all that is in Adam

necessarily devolves upon us; it becomes ours involuntarily, for we have to

do nothing to get it. There is no need to make up our minds to lose our

temper or to commit some other sin; it comes to us freely and despite

ourselves. In a similar way, if we are `in Christ’ all that is in Christ

comes to us by free grace, without effort on our part but on the ground of

simple faith.

But to say that all we need comes to us in Christ by free grace, though

true enough, may seem unpractical. How does it work out in practice? How

does it become real in our experience?

As we study chapters 6, 7 and 8 of Romans we shall discover that the

conditions of living the normal Christian life are fourfold. They are: (a)

Knowing, (b) Reckoning, (c) Presenting ourselves to God, and (d) Walking in

the Spirit, and they are set forth in that order. If we would live that life

we shall have to take all four of these steps; not one nor two nor three,

but all four. As we study each of them we shall trust the Lord by His Holy

Spirit to illumine our understanding; and we shall seek His help now to take

the first big step forward.

Our Death With Christ A Historic Fact

Romans 6:1-11 is the passage before us now. In these verses it is made

clear that the death of the Lord Jesus is representative and inclusive. In

His death we all died. None of us can progress spiritually without seeing

this. Just as we cannot have justification if we have not seen Him bearing

our sins on the Cross, so we cannot have sanctification if we have not seen

Him bearing us on the Cross. Not only have our sins been laid on Him but we

ourselves have been put into Him.

How did you receive forgiveness? You realized that the Lord Jesus died

as your Substitute and bore your sins upon Himself, and that His Blood was

shed to cleanse away your defilement. When you saw your sins all taken away

on the Cross what did you do? Did you say, `Lord Jesus, please come and die

for my sins’? No, you did not pray at all; you only thanked the Lord You did

not beseech Him to come and die for you, for you realized that He had

already done it.

But what is true of your forgiveness is also true of your deliverance.

The work is done. There is no need to pray but only to praise. God has put

us all in Christ, so that when Christ was crucified we were crucified also.

Thus there is no need to pray: `I am a very wicked person; Lord, please

crucify me’. That is all wrong. You did not pray about your sins; why pray

now about yourself? Your sins were dealt with by His Blood, and you were

dealt with by His Cross. It is an accomplished fact. All that is left for

you to do is to praise the Lord that when Christ died you died also; you

died in Him. Praise Him for it and live in the light of it. “Then believed

they his words: they sang his praise” (Psalm 106:12).

Do you believe in the death of Christ? Of course you do. Well, the same

Scripture that says He died for us says also that we died with Him. Look at

it again: “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is the first statement,

and that is clear enough; but is this any less clear? “Our old man was

crucified with him” (Romans 6:6). “We died with Christ” (Romans 6:8).

When are we crucified with Him? What is the date of our old man’s

crucifixion? Is it tomorrow? Yesterday? Today? In order to answer this it

may help us if for a moment I turn Paul’s statement round and say, `Christ

was crucified with (i.e. at the same time as) our old man’. Some of you came

here in twos. You traveled to this place together. You might say, My friend

came here with me’, but you might just as truly say, `I came here with my

friend’. Had one of you come three days ago and the other only today you

could not possibly say that; but having come together you can make either

statement with equal truth, because both are statements of fact. So also in

historic fact we can say, reverently but with equal accuracy, `I was

crucified when Christ was crucified’ or `Christ was crucified when I was

crucified’, for they are not two historical events, but one. My crucifixion

was “with him”.[3] Has Christ been crucified? Then can I be otherwise? And

if He was crucified nearly two thousand years ago, and I with Him, can my

crucifixion be said to take place tomorrow? Can His be past and mine be

present or future? Praise the Lord, when He died in my stead, but He bore me

with Him to the Cross, so that when He died I died. And if I believe in the

death of the Lord Jesus, then I can believe in my own death just as surely

as I believe in His.

Why do you believe that the Lord Jesus died? What is your ground for

that belief? Is it that you feel He has died? No, you have never felt it.

You believe it because the Word of God tells you so. When the Lord was

crucified, two thieves were crucified at the same time. You do not doubt

that they were crucified with Him, either, because the Scripture says so

quite plainly.

You believe in the death of the Lord Jesus and you believe in the death

of the thieves with Him. Now what about your own death? Your crucifixion is

more intimate than theirs. They were crucified at the same time as the Lord

but on different crosses, whereas you were crucified on the self same cross

as He, for you were in Him when He died. How can you know? You can know for

the one sufficient reason that God has said so. It does not depend on your

feelings. If you feel that Christ has died, He has died; and if you do not

feel that he died, He has died. If you feel that you have died, you have

died; and if you do not feel that you have died, you have nevertheless just

as surely died. These are Divine facts. That Christ has died is a fact, that

the two thieves have died is a fact, and that you have died is a fact also.

Let me tell you, You have died! You are done with! You are ruled out! The

self you loathe is on the Cross in Christ. And “he that is dead is freed

from sin” (Romans 6:7, A.V.). This is the Gospel for Christians.

Our crucifixion can never be made effective by will or by effort, but

only be accepting what the Lord Jesus did on the Cross. Our eyes must be

opened to see the finished work of Calvary. Some of you, prior to your

salvation, may have tried to save yourselves. You read the Bible, prayed,

went to Church, gave alms. Then one day your eyes were opened and you saw

that a full salvation had already been provided for you on the Cross. You

just accepted that and thanked God, and peace and joy flowed into your

heart. Now salvation and sanctification are on exactly the same basis. You

receive deliverance from sin in the same way as you receive forgiveness of

sins.

For God’s way of deliverance is altogether different from man’s way.

Man’s way is to try to suppress sin by seeking to overcome it; God’s way is

to remove the sinner. Many Christians mourn over their weakness, thinking

that if only they were stronger all would be well. The idea that, because

failure to lead a holy life is due to our impotence, something more is

therefore demanded of us, leads naturally to this false conception of the

way of deliverance. If we are preoccupied with the power of sin and with our

inability to meet it, then we naturally conclude that to gain the victory

over sin we must have more power. `If only I were stronger’, we say, `I

could overcome my violent outbursts of temper’, and so we plead with the

Lord to strengthen us that we may exercise more self-control.

But this is altogether wrong; this is not Christianity. God’s means of

delivering us from sin is not by making us stronger and stronger, but by

making us weaker and weaker. That is surely rather a peculiar way of

victory, you say; but it is the Divine way. God sets us free from the

dominion of sin, not by strengthening our old man but by crucifying him; not

by helping him to do anything but by removing him from the scene of action.

For years, maybe, you have tried fruitlessly to exercise control over

yourself, and perhaps this is still your experience; but when once you see

the truth you will recognize that you are indeed powerless to do anything,

but that in setting you aside altogether God has done it all. Such a

revelation brings human self-effort to an end.

The First Step: “Knowing This…”

The normal Christian life must begin with a very definite `knowing’,

which is not just knowing something about the truth nor understanding some

important doctrine. It is not intellectual knowledge at all, but an opening

of the eyes of the heart to see what we have in Christ.

How do you know your sins are forgiven? Is it because your pastor told

you so? No, you just know it. If I ask you how you know, you simply answer,

`I know it!’ Such knowledge comes by Divine revelation. It comes from the

Lord Himself. Of course the fact of forgiveness of sins is in the Bible, but

for the written Word of God to become a living Word from God to you He had

to give you “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him”

(Eph. 1:17). What you needed was to know Christ in that way, and it is

always so. So there comes a time, in regard to any new apprehension of

Christ, when you know it in your own heart, you `see’ it in your spirit. A

light has shined into your inner being and you are wholly persuaded of the

fact. What is true of the forgiveness of your sins is no less true of your

deliverance from sin. When once the light of God dawns upon your heart you

see yourself in Christ. It is not now because someone has told you, and not

merely because Romans 6 says so. It is something more even than that. You

know it because God has revealed it to you by His Spirit. You may not feel

it; you may not understand it; but you know it, for you have seen it. Once

you have seen yourself in Christ, nothing can shake your assurance of that

blessed fact.

If you ask a number of believers who have entered upon the normal

Christian life how they came by their experience, some will say in this way

and some will say in that. Each stresses his own particular way of entering

in and produces Scripture to support his experience; and unhappily many

Christians are using their special experiences and their special scriptures

to fight other Christians. The fact of the matter is that, while Christians

may enter into the deeper life by different ways, we need not regard the

experiences or doctrines they stress as mutually exclusive, but rather

complementary. One thing is certain, that any true experience of value in

the sight of God must have been reached by way of a new discovery of the

meaning of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus. That is a crucial test and

a safe one.

And here in our passage Paul makes everything depend upon such a

discovery. “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the

body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to

sin” (Romans 6:6).

Divine Revelation Essential To Knowledge

So our first step is to seek from God a knowledge that comes by

revelation — a revelation, that is to say, not of ourselves but of the

finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. When Hudson Taylor, the

founder of the China Inland Mission, entered into the normal Christian life

it was thus that he did so. You remember how he tells of his long-standing

problem of how to live `in Christ’, how to draw the sap out of the Vine into

himself. For he knew that he must have the life of Christ flowing out

through him and yet felt that he had not got it, and he saw clearly enough

that his need was to be found in Christ. `I knew’, he said, writing to his

sister from Chinkiang in 1869, `that if only I could abide in Christ, all

would be well, but I could not.’

The more he tried to get in the more he found himself slipping out, so

to speak, until one day light dawned, revelation came and he saw.

`Here, I feel, is the secret: not asking how I am to get sap out of the Vine

into myself, but remembering that Jesus is the Vine — the root, stem,

branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit, all indeed.’

Then, in words of a friend that had helped him:

`I have not got to make myself a branch. The Lord Jesus tells me I am a

branch. I am part of Him and I have just to believe it and act upon it. I

have seen it long enough in the Bible, but I believe it now as a living

reality.’

It was as though something which had indeed been true all the time had

now suddenly become true in a new way to him personally, and he writes to

his sister again:

`I do not know how far I may be able to make myself intelligible about it,

for there is nothing new or strange or wonderful — and yet, all is new! In

a word, “whereas once I was blind, now I see”….I am dead and buried with

Christ — aye, and risen too and ascended….God reckons me so, and tells me

to reckon myself so. He knows best….Oh, the joy of seeing this truth — I

do pray that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may

know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ.'[4]

Oh, it is a great thing to see that we are in Christ! Think of the

bewilderment of trying to get into a room in which you already are! Think of

the absurdity of asking to be put in! If we recognize the fact that we are

in, we make no effort to enter. If we had more revelation we should have

fewer prayers and more praises. Much of our praying for ourselves is just

because we are blind to what God has done.

I remember one day in Shanghai I was talking with a brother who was

very exercised concerning his spiritual state. He said, `So many are living

beautiful, saintly lives. I am ashamed of myself. I call myself a Christian

and yet when I compare myself with others I feel I am not one at all. I want

to know this crucified life, this resurrection life, but I do not know it

and see no way of getting there.’ Another brother was with us, and the two

of us had been talking for two hours or so, trying to get the man to see

that he could not have anything apart from Christ, but without success. Said

our friend, `the best thing a man can do is to pray.’ `But if God has

already given you everything, what do you need to pray for?’ we asked. `He

hasn’t’, the man replied, `for I am still losing my temper, still failing

constantly; so I must pray more.’ `Well’, we said, `do you get what you pray

for?’ `I am sorry to say that I do not get anything’, he replied. We tried

to point out that, just as he had done nothing for his justification, so he

need do nothing for his sanctification.

Just then a third brother, much used of the Lord, came in and joined

us. There was a thermos flask on the table, and this brother picked it up

and said, `What is this?’ `A thermos flask.’ `Well, you just imagine for a

moment that this thermos flask can pray, and that it starts praying

something like this: “Lord, I want very much to be a thermos flask. Wilt

Thou make me to be a thermos flask? Lord, give me grace to become a thermos

flask. Do please make me one!” What will you say?’ `I do not think even a

thermos flask would be so silly,’ our friend replied. `It would be nonsense

to pray like that; it is a thermos flask!’ Then my brother said, `You are

doing the same thing. God in times past has already included you in Christ.

When He died, you died; when He lived, you lived. Now today you cannot say,

“I want to die; I want to be crucified; I want to have resurrection life.”

The Lord simply looks at you and says, “You are dead! You have new life!”

All your praying is just as absurd as that of the thermos flask. You do not

need to pray to the Lord for anything; you merely need your eyes opened to

see that He has done it all.’

That is the point. We need not work to die, we need not wait to die, we

are dead. We only need to recognize what the Lord has already done and to

praise Him for it. Light dawned for that man. With tears in his eyes he

said, `Lord, I praise Thee that Thou hast already included me in Christ. All

that is His is mine!’ Revelation had come and faith had something to lay

hold of; and if you could have met that brother later on, what a change you

would have found!

The Cross Goes To The Root Of Our Problem

Let me remind you again of the fundamental nature of that which the

Lord has done on the Cross. I feel I cannot press this point too much for we

must see it. Suppose, for the sake of illustration, that the government of

your country should wish to deal drastically with the question of strong

drink and should decide that the whole country was to go `dry’, how could

the decision be carried into effect? How could we help? If we were to search

every shop and house throughout the land and smash all the bottles of wine

or beer or brandy we came across, would that meet the case? Surely not. We

might thereby rid the land of every drop of alcoholic liquor it contains,

but behind those bottles of strong drink are the factories that produce

them, and if we only deal with the bottles and leave the factories

untouched, production will still continue and there is no permanent solution

of the problem. The drink-producing factories, the breweries and

distilleries throughout the land, must be closed down if the drink question

is to be permanently settled.

We are the factory; our actions are the products. The Blood of the Lord

Jesus dealt with the question of the products, namely, our sins. So the

question of what we have done is settled, but would God have stopped there?

What about the question of what we are? Our sins were produced by us. They

have been dealt with, but how are we going to be dealt with? Do you believe

the Lord would cleanse away all our sins and then leave us to get rid of the

sin-producing factory? Do you believe He would put away the goods produced

but leave us to deal with the source of production?

To ask this question is but to answer it. Of course He has not done

half the work and left the other half undone. No, He has done away with the

goods and also made a clean sweep of the factory that produces the goods.

The finished work of Christ really has gone to the root of our problem

and dealt with it. There are no half measures with God. “Knowing this,” says

Paul, “That our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might

be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin” (Rom. 6:6).

“Knowing this”! Yes, but do you know it? “Or are ye ignorant?” (Rom. 6:3).

May the Lord graciously open our eyes.

Run Through Romans (ch. 5.12)

 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Romans 5.12 introduces a new topic for Paul. 

Paul’s topic from Romans 1.18- Romans 5.11 has been consistent: how God has completely dealt with the fact that man has sinned.  You and I have done unrighteous things, and we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  However, God has dealt with the problem of your sins by placing them on Jesus.  Jesus bore your sins and now you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  The correct theological term for this is “justification”. 

Justification is the process where God declares an unrighteous person righteous by virtue of the fact that Jesus died for their sins.  You cannot be justified by any action or any religious ritual, but only by believing in Jesus Christ.  This is called justification by faith.

Romans 5.12 introduces another section of this book, which continues to the end of Romans 8.  The topic of Romans 5.12-Romans 8 is not justification as much as sanctification.  What this word means and how it applies to a Christian shall be explained as we work through the next few chapters.

By now I want you to realize that in addition to the problem of your sins, you have a second problem.  A far worse problem: the problem of sin.

Sins and sin.   It is a subtle difference but one that is so important for you to live in victory.  In the previous 5 chapters Paul has expertly explained that Jesus has paid the price for your sins.  Now he is going to show you how to deal with sin.

So what is the difference between sins and sin.  A good analogy, and I am greatful to Watchman Nee for this analogy, is to imagine a factory making a product.  The product is the same as sins, but the factory is sin.  Even if you went all throughout the country destroying the product, you wouldn’t ever be able to complete your task as the factory would still be making the product.

Even, in the same way, you have committed sins.  The work of Jesus has completely dealt with your sins, by placing them all on Jesus.  Jesus paid the price for your sins.  Every single action that was selfish, unrighteous, destructive, disobedience to God, dishonouring to God, disrespectful to other humans: Jesus paid the price.    And we are declared righteous because Jesus paid the price, not because of anything we have done or could ever do.

But the fact is this: inside your heart, before you became a Christian, was nothing short of a sin-factory.  All the sins you ever committed came from somewhere: and they came from your heart.  You acted selfish because you were selfish.  You lied because you were a liar. 

This is contrary to much of modern thinking about psychology and behaviour.  Many people today will determine your behaviour by your actions: if you lie, then that makes you a liar.  That is not true: you are a liar, that is why you lie.   There are clinics and self-help programmes all over the place that are dealing with behaviour and managing behaviour.   But people do these programmes and after a few months are doing the same things again and again.   The product has been destroyed, but the factory is still there.

The beauty of the gospel message is that Jesus doesn’t just deal with the product: he destroys the factory.  He doesn’t just forgive all your sins, He gives you a new heart.  So many Christians are told that Jesus forgives, but are then left to struggle to live right and live a life of victory and joy.  Paul outlines the full gospel in Romans, and in the next few days and weeks we are going to learn how not just to know that you are righteous, but how to live a righteous life in the world.

 12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world

Like he does with the problem of sins, Paul starts in Romans 5.12 by introducing the problem.  The problem is this: by one man (Adam – who was a real person made by God in His image just as the Bible says), sin has been brought into the world.  Adam sinned. 

and death by sin

Death is brought into the world by sin.  Sin always leads to death.  If there is no sin, there is no death.  You are going to die because you sinned.  If you don’t believe in Jesus, you will be going to hell.  That is the reality of the situation.  Sin leads to death and hell, and without Jesus paying the complete price, you would die and enter hell.  But because Jesus dealt with your sin, you can enter heaven and enjoy heaven on earth.

and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Adam sinned.  Adam, like every human, was made up of three elements: spirit, soul and body.  When Adam sinned against God, immediately his spirit died.  Adam could no longer communicate freely with God without fear, without shame.  From that moment, gradually his soul started to die.  He has his first argument with his wife, one of his son’s murdered another, his thinking and his emotions became darker.  Eventually at the end of this death process, his body died.

That happens now to every son of Adam.  Adam’s entire nature changed due to sin.  It happened to you and it happened to me.  We were born on the planet spiritually dead.  We do not care for God, we do not seek God.  Over time our soul – our emotions and our thinking and our decision making power – dies.  We lose the ability to think, we lose the ability to empathize.  We start getting pleased and having positive emotions at negative and sinful situations.  Eventually our body will die, and our sin-filled dead spirit and soul will descend into hell for eternity.The fact is that you were by nature a child of wrath.  By believing in Christ, you have been made righteous, and you can now enter heaven.  All your sins have been forgiven.

The only escape from this is to be born again.  Being born again means that your dead spirit is reborn and is now a living spirit.  Now you can hear the voice of the Lord, your conscience is restored.  Your living spirit will start to influence your soul, and your thinking will become clearer.  And when your body dies, you will ascend to heaven and enjoy heaven.  At an appointed day, your body will be re-created as a sinless and incorruptible body, and you will enjoy a new heaven and a new earth, in the presence of the Lord, forever.

 

But you don’t have to continue living the same way when you become a Christian.  Becoming a Christian isn’t just God wiping the slate clean so you can get into heaven when you die: it is God throwing the slate away and giving you a brand new life: a resurrection life, the life of Christ.  How this works and how you can enjoy this life is the theme of Romans 5.12-Romans 8.  And in the next few days and weeks, we will unpack this for you.

I hope it excites you as much as it does me,

Blessings,

Ben

Understanding Spirit, Soul and Body (Andrew Wommack)

Understanding Spirit, Soul, And Body
By Andrew Wommack

Did you know a Christian can actually die from sickness or disease while the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lies dormant within them? Or did you know that believers can be overcome with depression, anger, and bitterness, all the while possessing God’s love, joy, and peace in their spirits?

It’s true—they can and they do. Why? Because they really don’t understand what changed when they were born again, and therefore have difficulty receiving the promises of God. The Bible says that every born-again believer has undergone a complete inner transformation.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 5:17-18).

It doesn’t say that all things are becoming new or have the potential of becoming new; they are new, the moment you are born again. But in order for that to make sense, you must first understand how God created you.

God’s Word clearly teaches that we are three-part beings, but very few Christians have a functional understanding of spirit, soul, and body in their daily lives. Intellectually, most Christians believe they’re three-part beings, but functionally, they act as though they’re only made up of body and soul. They’re confused about the operation of the soul and spirit, seeing them basically as the same thing.

Even Strong’s Concordance fails to distinguish all three! It defines “spirit” (pneuma in the Greek) as “the rational soul.” However, in my study of God’s Word, I have found a very distinct difference between spirit and soul. Your spirit is your innermost part, not your “rational soul.”

First Thessalonians 5:23 makes it very clear:

“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (emphasis mine).

If you were talking to me face to face, you’d be looking at my body but speaking to my soul. The word “soul” is defined by some as the mind, will, and emotions. While that’s certainly true, it’s incomplete. The “conscience” should also be included in that definition. The soul is really what most people call the “personality.”

You can feel both your body and your soul and are receiving information from them all the time. For example, if I put my hand on your shoulder, you would know that I touched you. I could also make you feel happy or sad, or even hurt you without any physically contact, simply by the words I speak. Those words are processed by your mind, and the result of their effect is often expressed in your emotions.

It’s easy to know how your body feels, what’s going on in your mind, and what emotions you’re experiencing. However, your spirit is much different. It cannot be accessed in any natural way.

John 3:6 says,

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Jesus meant that there’s no direct connection between the spirit and flesh. They are interrelated, but spirit is spirit and flesh is flesh. You simply cannot contact your spirit through your five senses or through your mind, will, or emotions. Therein lies one of the great problems of the Christian life!

If you don’t understand that spiritual reality can’t be felt, then you’ll be confused when God’s Word declares that you have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living in you (Eph. 1:19-20). If you think truth can be discerned through your natural senses, you’ll be baffled when the Bible says you’re a brand-new creature who can do the same miraculous works that Jesus did (2 Cor. 5:17 and John 14:12).

The apparent disparity between your natural experiences and God’s Word will cause you to throw up your hands in frustration and conclude, “It must not be true.” It’s understanding spirit, soul, and body that unlocks the spirit realm so you can experience who you are and what you have in Christ.

In the natural, the spirit realm can’t be seen or felt; the only way to accurately perceive spiritual truth is through the Bible. Simply take God’s Word and believe it!

Jesus said in John 6:63,

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

God’s Word reveals spiritual reality. If you want to know what your spirit is like, you must find out from the Word, not rely on emotions or other perceptions. God’s Word is spirit and life! When you look at your face in a mirror, you aren’t really seeing yourself; you’re viewing a reflection. Even though it’s only a reflection, you have learned to trust it and act on what you see. God’s Word is just like that mirror: it reflects perfectly who you are in the spirit.

“For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therin, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:23-25).

You must look into God’s mirror and trust the spiritual reality you see! It reflects your new born-again spirit, your innermost part. However, it does not reflect your body or your soul.

Although full payment has been made for your glorified body through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, you still have a corrupted body. One day it will be redeemed and changed into an incorruptible one. For now, you still must live in the same body you had before you were saved.

Your soul wasn’t saved either. You may have the same thoughts and emotions you had before you were saved. And because of that, some people seriously doubt whether or not they are saved. They don’t understand that the change took place in their spirits. Typically, your body and soul are both impacted by what happens at salvation, but that’s not where the complete change took place.

The good news is you can change your mind. In fact, we are commanded to do so.

Romans 12:2 says,

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Your soul can be transformed to the degree that you renew your mind, change your attitudes, and conform to the Word of God. This should happen, and it’s in the process of happening, but it didn’t happen automatically when you were saved.

In your soul, old things did not pass away, and all things haven’t yet become new. For that reason, you could actually die from sickness or disease even though you have all of the power that raised Jesus from the dead residing untapped within your spirit. It’s like dying of thirst while leaning against a well full of life-giving water.

Think of your soul like the valve on a faucet. It controls the rate and volume of the flow of the spirit into your body. If your mind is renewed and in agreement with the Word, the valve is wide open. But if it is in agreement with what your body is feeling or your emotions are experiencing, the valve is either closed or in the process of closing.

Your soul has the power to keep every drop of life-giving power from ever reaching your physical body or flooding it with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. If the valve is open, you’ll experience healing, deliverance, anointing, victory, power, joy, prosperity, and more. So, keep it open!

This revelation of the relationship of the spirit, soul, and body has transformed my life. When I realized that God had already given me everything I needed and it’s all contained in my spirit, it set me free. All I needed to do was release it. That simple understanding changes everything.

The Christian life isn’t a process of “getting from God”; it’s a process of renewing the mind and learning to release what you’ve already received.

If you don’t understand that you have already received all that you will ever need (in your spirit) at salvation, there will always be an element of doubt. You may know it’s possible or even promised in the Word, but you’ll be trying to perceive it in the mental, emotional, or physical realm. That’s a formula for failure.

That erroneous concept can also result in a performance-based relationship with God: “If I’m good enough, if I read the Bible enough, if I pay my tithe,” and on and on it goes in an attempt to motivate God to give you what you need. It’s the misconception that God hasn’t already given you everything and that somehow you have to make yourself worthy enough to get it.

You’re already worthy because of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. He paid the price for everything you will ever need. In fact, you’ve already got it. It’s just a matter of understanding the relationship of the spirit to the soul and body.

Understanding spirit, soul, and body is critically important to every believer. It’s like the key that opens the treasure chest of God’s grace. It could be a matter of life and death, and it’s the foundation to understanding the rest of Scripture.

Does Sickness Glorify God (Troy J. Edwards)

Does Sickness Glorify God? By Troy J. Edwards

Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. -John 11:3, 4

Taken out of it’s contextual setting, this Scripture would appear to teach that God gets glory out of the sickness of others. So many have used this passage irresponsibly. However, a careful study of this passage proves that it is not so much the sickness that brought Jesus the glory, but it was what Jesus did concerning the sickness that glorified Him. Of course someone may believe that I am incorrect in my assumption. They may say, “But Troy, the passage plainly says that this sickness is for the glory of God that He may be glorified. It does not say anything about the end result.” It also says (if we keep it in context), “This sickness is not unto death…” Yet, several passages later, Jesus tells His disciples, ” Lazarus is dead.” (John 11:14). If He had done this in our day, the Lord would be accused of being a liar and a false prophet. He would be denounced on many of the present day “apologists'” radio shows and internet webpages.

What did Jesus mean here? He simply meant that Lazarus was saved and was not dead as in eternally separate from God. Jesus said that Lazarus was asleep (John 11:11). This is the same description given of every believer whose spirit has left their physical body to be with Jesus (1 Cor. 11:30; 15:6; 1 Thess. 4:13, 14). Therefore, we know that He did not lie. Yet, today’s critics would not bother to take the time to see exactly what Jesus is saying. On the contrary they would have attempted to destroy His public ministry.

Even in Jesus’ day, He had His fair share of critics, “And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” (John 11:37) Aaaah the critics. Jesus had to deal with them even in His day. Should not His present day followers expect the same treatment? Surely the servant is not above His master. Therefore, I believe that I am quite justified in saying that the context of this passage proves that the end result of the sickness, or how Jesus demonstrated His authority even over death, is what brought God the glory. The fact that Lazarus was sick is not what brought God glory. It was what Jesus had done about it the sickness that glorified Him as we read the context of this passage. In case anyone thinks otherwise please read John 11:37 again and see that the dead Lazarus was bringing Jesus criticism rather than glory.

Those who insist that Jesus taught that the sickness was to the glory of God must also keep it in context by saying that the sickness was not unto death. Using this method of interpretation then a person would be accused of calling Christ a liar since Lazarus actually died. Yet, we know that if we read the whole chapter and other Bible passages, our Lord is vindicated from this horrendous accusation. The fact that Lazarus was raised from the dead is what gave glory to God and not the sickness itself can be confirmed as we read further:

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. – John 11:40-45

Jesus asked, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” Believe what? Believe what He said about Himself being the resurrection and the life? Jesus did not want them to see this as just some future event but He wanted them to take note that resurrection and life was available NOW!!! By placing their faith in this they would see the glory of God. In verse 45 we are told that the Jews believed on Jesus. What caused the Jews to believe on Jesus? Was it the sickness and/or the death itself? No. The the fact that the sickness was not healed caused some to criticize the Lord (John 11:37). It caused Martha to limit the power of God when she said, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:32). It caused the Jews to weep and cry instead of rejoicing that their Savior was there in the midst of them. This caused the Lord Himself to groan (John 11:33). I do not believe that the sickness and subsequent death brought Jesus any glory. Nevertheless, the sickness was for the glory of God in this manner: it was an opportunity to demonstrate the power of God over sickness, disease and death itself. The sickness and death brought doubt, sadness, criticism, and grieving. Yet, when Jesus demonstrated resurrection power, this in turn caused many of the Jews to believe on Him. The demonstration of the power of God brought Jesus glory.

This same resurrection power is still available to give life to your mortal body: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. – Rom. 8:11

Your healing is what brings glory to God. Resurrection power is available to you by faith to give life to your mortal body. What Jesus asked the sisters of Lazarus, He asks every sick person today, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” His resurrection power, that same power that raise Lazarus from the dead, that same power the raised our Lord from His grave, is available to those who will simply believe. Martha did have enough faith to know that the Lord always received that which He prayed for, “But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” (John 11:22).

It was the answer to Jesus prayer for Lazarus resurrection that gave God the glory due to Him. Answered prayer glorifies God: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. -John 14:13-14 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. – John 15:7-8

The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest translates John 15:7-8 this way: “If you maintain a living communion with me and my words are at home in you, I command you to ask, at once, something for yourself, whatever your heart desires, and it will become yours. In this my Father is glorified, namely that you are bearing much fruit.” You see, if we are having communion with God and His words are in us we will not ask for something that does not bring God any glory. Certain prayer requests for ourselves are not considered by God to be selfish and self centered.

On the contrary, answered prayer brings glory to God. The Word of God has enough promises that gives us the surety that it is always God’s will to heal our bodies as well as our spirit and soul. To ask for healing and receive it brings glory to the Lord. God gets glory as we pray in line with His Word and His promises. Not once has God ever denied a request that was presented to Him in conjunction with His revealed will. He says, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Cor. 1:20). It would not bring God glory to deny a request when there is a clear promise for it in His Word.

Do not let unbelieving critics and Christian skeptics cheat you out of the blessings that God has clearly promised you. Healing is a promise from God. The Bible tells us “And the prayer offered in faith shall make the sick person well, and the Lord shall raise him up.” (James 5:15; The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest). There is no spiritualizing this passage. It is a clear cut promise of healing when conditions are met. The Blind Man In John 9 John 9:1-3 is also used by some to teach that God gets glory out of our sicknesses. They also use this to teach that sickness is not necessarily the cause of sin. I agree with them wholeheartedly on the latter while disagreeing with them strongly on the former.

Thank God for passages such as this one and the book of Job which teaches us that the rotten things in life that may come upon a Christian does not necessarily mean that he or she has sinned. Yet, I cannot agree with my brethren that this passage teaches us that God sovereignly chooses some to suffer sickness for His glory. Let us read this passage: 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 hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but 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 cometh, when no man can work. -John 9:1-4 It is unfortunate but true that so many stop reading right there.

This along with John 11:3-4 are the proof texts used by some to teach that God gets glory from the person’s sickness. Just as we have shown the reader that John 11 does not teach this false doctrine, but in fact, teaches that God received the glory from Lazarus’s resurrection, the same truth applies here. God did not sovereignly choose this man to be sick. So many have interpreted this passage to teach that the man was born blind as a result of “divine providence.” Due to the “period” placed after verse three in John chapter 9, this passage may seem to make a wonderful proof text to those who advocate sickness as a blessing from God.

However, every Bible student knows that the New Testament was not originally written in the English language. The English language was not in existence during the period that the New Testament was being written as the Spirit of God inspired the men who wrote it. The controversial Open View Theologian, Pastor Gregory Boyd gives some wonderful insights into this passage: the verse should not be interpreted as suggesting that God’s will is behind this man’s blindness in the first place, and this is my third point. The original verse does not say that “he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed.” The Greek simply has hina with the aorist subjunctive passive of phaneroo (“to manifest”) and can readily be translated as, “But let the works of God be manifested.” As is certainly the case in Mark 5:23, Ephesians 5:33,2 Corinthians 8:7; as is likely the case in Mark 2:10, 5:12, 10:51 and a host of other passages; and as is frequently the case in the Septuagint and later postapostolic writings, the hina here should be taken as forming an imperative, not a purposive, clause.

In this light, Jesus is simply saying that, in contrast to the misguided moralistic speculations of the disciples, the only thing that matters concerning this man’s blindness is that God can overcome it and thus be glorified through it. In the satanically ruled world in which he and his disciples ministered, and in which we ourselves still live, there is no discernible particular reason why this man was born blind. The disciples’ questions, like the many assertions of Job’s “friends,” were based on the false assumption that God is behind all things, and thus that there must be a good reason for such things as blindness and the demonic torturing of a little girl-punishing sin, building character or glorifying God, for example. In this reading, however, Jesus is simply refuting (not modifying) this assumption. He is, in effect, saying that the only response to this man’s sorry condition is, “Let the works of God be manifested!” This obviously has monumental theological implications. [1]

To further drive his point home, Dr. Boyd references another scholar of the Greek languages named Nigel Turner. Turner’s remarks are well worth quoting here: The hypothesis of the imperatival hina … releases the text from the fatalism which had obsessed it, and dissolves the picture which had become familiar through all our English versions, a man destined from birth to suffer for the sole purpose of glorifying God when he was healed.[2]

We can further add to the scholarship previously referenced that the Greek texts contain no punctuation so translators had to place them where they felt would be the proper place in the sentences. George Ricker Berry, in his introduction in the The Interlinear KJV Bible says this: There is no authority anywhere for the punctuation. There are few or no points in the ancient copies, and editors naturally differ in their system of pointing. We have been obliged to punctuate for ourselves as we judged best.[3]

A.S. Worrell makes a similar observation in his translation of the New Testament: It should be understood by the reader that the division of the different books of the New Testament into chapters and verses was the work of men; and it must be confessed, with deep regret, that the work, as a whole, was very poorly done; a chapter sometimes ending where perhaps a semicolon or even a comma should have been used; and a verse often ending where the slightest division was required. Such errors tend to obscure the sense.[4]

Though, I personally appreciate the division of the Bible into chapters and verse for the fact that it is easier to reference, Dr. Worrell has made an interesting observation that can be applied to John 9:3 and 4. If we removed the period from the end of verse three, and replaced it with a comma or semicolon, and if we had not divided these two verses, we would have a better understanding of this text that is consistent with the rest of Scripture. Gordon Lindsay, founder of the Christ For The Nations Bible Institute made this statement in volume 3 of his series of books, The Life And Teachings of Christ: There is no punctuation in the original Greek and the sentence could be punctuated as follows: “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents, but 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 cometh when no man can work.”[5]

Further in his book, Gordon Lindsay makes it clear that he does not claim to have the correct punctuation. Nevertheless, he does present another alternative that the majority of English translations do not provide. One of the few that do offer this alternative is Robert Young’s Literal translation of the Bible: Jesus answered, `Neither did this one sin nor his parents, but that the works of God may be manifested in him; it behoveth me to be working the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night doth come, when no one is able to work: — when I am in the world, I am a light of the world.’ -John 9:3-5; Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible

Notice that Young places a semicolon where most other translations use a period. According to the Webster’s dictionary, a semicolon is used to indicate, “a degree of separation greater than that marked by the comma and less than that marked by the period.” It is also used “…to separate closely related clauses.”[6]

It seems to me that Dr. Young did not not see the man’s blindness as the “providence of God” or “for the Glory of God.” We should not read this man’s blindness as “divine providence” but rather as DIVINE OPPORTUNITY!!! If we read the passage carefully in the KJV, we will see that Jesus was not saying that God ensured that this man was born blind so that God could later heal him. What he was saying was that because this man was born blind, this provides a great opportunity to work the works of God. The Contemporary English version makes this distinction clearer: As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been born blind since birth. Jesus’ disciples asked, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?” “No, it wasn’t!” Jesus answered. “But because of his blindness, you will see God work a miracle for him. As long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me to do. When night comes, no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:1-5; Contemporary English Version)

A controversial paraphrase of the New Testament by Eugene Peterson called “The Message” also brings the thought of divine opportunity rather than divine providence in this case: Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, “Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?” Jesus said, “You’re asking the wrong question. You’re looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is over. For as long as I am in the world, there is plenty of light. I am the world’s Light.” (John 9:1-5; The Message by Eugene Peterson)

Lawrence O. Richards in his Bible Background Commentary illustrates this point well in differentiating between “divine providence” and “divine opportunity:” What is important here is not the answer Jesus gave – that the blindness was not a punishment for sin at all, but would serve as an occasion to glorify God. What is important is that when the disciples saw suffering – their curiosity rather than their compassion was aroused. The light that Jesus brings, and in which we are to walk, must radically change our priorities. Solving theological puzzles, and even being “right” in our interpretations of Scripture, should be less important to us than displaying the compassion and concern for others that Jesus’ own actions constantly reveal.[7]

It is tempting to quote more scholarship on this but I believe that this will suffice in making our point. Nevertheless, there are several other teachers and commentators who convey the same thought that I am presenting, which we have placed in our footnotes for further study[8].

As we read further along in the chapter we will see again that it was the healing that brought glory to God, not this man’s sickness. The sickness was an opportunity for the power of God to be demonstrated. Verse 4 in most translations outside of the King James uses the personal pronoun “we” instead of “I” showing us that Jesus wants us to cooperate with Him in this work. We must do the works of Jesus and even greater than these (John 14:11-13; Mark 16:15-20). We are not to look at others with disdain, concerning ourselves with the cause of their sin. If sin be the cause of their predicament, let us minister God’s forgiveness as well as healing (James 5:14-16). However, let’s not condemn them. If we truly want God to be glorified, we must do the same works that Jesus did and healing the sick is one of them (Matt. 10:1-8; Luke 9:1-3).

However, in our ministering, it is equally wrong to say that God is punishing someone for their sins by sickness as well as to tell someone that God has placed sickness on them to glorify His name. This has a tendency to cause some to become bitter with God. We must simply proclaim the promises of God concerning restoration and deliverance from sin and sickness. Scriptural Proof That Healing Glorifies God I want to present to the reader several Scriptures that shows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is divine healing, not sickness itself, that brings glory to God. I will not expound very much on these passages since I have already done so in my book, Divine Healing Guaranteed[9]

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day. -Luke 5:24-26 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. -Luke 13:12-17

And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. -Luke 18:35-43

 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. -Acts 4:21-22

So far we have seen that the passages used by some to teach that God derives glory from our sicknesses can be refuted when we read the passages within their context and see what they are truly teaching. We have seen that the above passages are clear that the healings wrought in the ministry of Jesus caused the people to glorify God. Finis Dakes made this statement in his study Bible: Miracles will always bring glory to God; but failure, sickness, and disease will not. It is held today that sickness glorifies God because one has opportunity to witness to souls, but why not look at it in this light – could not the same witnessing be carried on better in a well body? Is it not better, therefore, to think this – that God gets glory in spite of our sicknesses, not because of it? Would God have received the glory for all the healings recorded in the blind, the sick, and the lame had not been healed and the demons cast out? Would He have received glory if Lazarus had remained dead?

Definitely not, so what is the source of God’s glory – to remain sick or be healed?[10]

In conclusion, I do not want to seem insensitive to those who are suffering a physical handicap or a sickness of any kind. It is not my intention to hurt anyone or to make them feel that they are any less of a child of God or that they are in sin. The purpose of this essay is to refute and destroy traditional ideas concerning sickness and God’s glory. It is my desire that God’s children always seek the provision that Christ has purchased for the healing of their bodies. Nevertheless, I do not think any less of anyone who, for one reason or another, has not received this provision or do not sense the necessity to do so. My main objective is to teach the plain truth of God’s Word in these areas, not to belittle others who do not have the same understanding of the Scriptures that I have in these areas. Nevertheless, if one believes that sickness originates from God and is used to glorify Him, one must have something other than out of context Scripture passages and traditional interpretations. Our beliefs must have a solid grounding in the plain truth of Scripture. As Andrew Murray once said, “Although many sick people may have glorified God by their patience in suffering. He can still be glorified by a health which He has sanctified.”[11]

 

Notes

1. Boyd, Gregory A. God At War: The Bible & Spiritual Conflict (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1997), p. 233

2. Turner, Nigel Grammatical Insights into the New Testament (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1965), p. 145. As quoted in Boyd, God At War, pp. 233, 234

3. Berry, George Ricker The Interlinear KJV: Parallel New Testament In Greek And English (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) p. ii

4. Worrell, A.S. The Worrell New Testament (Springfield, MS: Gospel Publishing House, 1980), p. v

5. Lindsay, Gordon The Life & Teachings Of Christ Vol. 3 (Dallas, TX: Christ For The Nations, 1987), p. 46

6. Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary (Macmillan, U.S.A., 1999)

7. Richards, Lawrence O. The Victor Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1994), p. 241

8. I did not want to put all of the quotes in the body of this essay nor did I not want to exclude them altogether. I believe that the below quotes will benfit those who desire further research and insight into how others see John 9:1-3: 1. Simpson, A.B. The Christ In The Bible Commentary Vol. 4 (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1993), On page 454 Simpson says, “What a blessing it would be if we would ever feel that our troubles have been permitted, not that we should sink under them, but that God might have an occasion to show what He can do in our deliverance. He definitely implies that his blindness was not the work of God, but of another hand. The works of God were to be manifested in his healing.” 2. Dake, Finis Jennings Dakes Annotated Reference Bible (Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, Inc.), p. 105, note n: “This was not the cause of his blindness but a simple declaration that the works of God were to be manifest regardless of the cause. Jesus answered their question as to whether the man or his parents had sinned. He did not state the cause, but it is certain that God was not the cause. God was the healer and Satan was back of the cause (Mt. 12:22; Acts 10:38; Jn. 10:10; 1 Jn 3:8).” 3. Guthrie, D.; Motyer, J.A.; Stibbs, A.M.; Wisemen, D.J. The New Bible Commentary: Revised (Carmel, NY: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1970), p. 949, “But that the works of God might be made manifest in him. This was a possibility which was given little consideration in our Lord’s day. That suffering could be used for God’s glory was a difficult to believe, although it is inherent in the Christian approach to the problem. This miracle, however, is not concerned with the problem. It is aimed to show the illuminating power of Christ, not only in the physical but in the spiritual sphere. Restored sight led to a developing faith.” 4. May, Herbert G and Metzger, Bruce M. The Oxford Annotated Bible (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1962), p. 1298, notes on 9.1-41, “Suffering was attributed to sin, either of the parents or of the man prenatally. Jesus denies this and shifts attention from cause to purpose; this is an opportunity for God to act.” 5. Meeks, Wayne A. The Harper Collins Study Bible (New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1993), p. 2031, “He was born blind. These words are not actually in the Greek text of Jesus reply. The point seems to be not to find a cause or a purpose for the man’s blindness but to present it as an occasion for doing God’s works of healing (see 4.34; 5.17-21, 36; 10.32-38; 14. 10-12; 17.4)” 6. Brown, Raymond E. The Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968), p. 443. Although the commentators believe that the sickness was the divine providence of God, they further state that Jesus, “…does not say that this is the entire explanation, but he does deny that human sinfulness is that explanation.

9. Edwards, Troy J. Divine Healing: Guaranteed (Providence, RI: Victory Through The Word Ministries). In chapter 7, I expound more on the practical principles found in the Scriptures that show that God is glorified as His healing power is displayed in sick bodies. This book is now free and can be downloaded from the internet.

10. Dakes, p. 82, note i 11. Murray, Andrew Divine Healing (Springdale, PA: Whitaker House, 1982), p. 74

Covenant of Healing (Pastor Tim Burt)

Our Covenant of Healing

1 John 5:4-5 “… This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

When it comes to healing, the Word of God is firmly established that it’s God’s will to heal and His will for us to be healed. Until that is a completely settled issue in your heart – faith on this matter cannot exist and it is only be faith that we please God! We have the witness of scripture from Isaiah, Matthew, and First Peter that Jesus died not only to save and deliver us from Hell instead giving us eternal life, but also so that we could experience the blessing of God including healing in this life – now!

Isaiah 54 paints a picture of the coming Messiah. He would come and be punished in our place taking our sins upon Himself. He would pay the price for our sins and our sicknesses and diseases. These verses also indicated that though the Messiah would do this, many would not recognize that what He was doing was His assignment of mercy and grace from God. Many would think that what Jesus went through was punishment from God brought on by His own lunacy. Isaiah 53:4-5 says of Him, “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.”

The Hebrew words for griefs means sickness and disease. Jesus was beaten and punished for our sins to deliver us from the curse of sin including sickness and disease. This is why “with His stripes we were healed.” Can that really mean physically healing for today? Let’s look at the second witness from Matthew concerning these verses and see.

In Matthew chapter 8 we read about Jesus healing a man with leprosy and the centurion’s servant. We then see Jesus coming to Peter’s mother-in-law’s house. She was physically sick. What did Jesus do for her? Was this about physical healing? We read: Matthew 8:14-17 “And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the evening 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 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” This is where we will see the witness of Matthew agree with the witness of Isaiah 53:4-5. Isaiah was prophesying of the Messiah to come and what He would do. Now we see Jesus actually doing it as the Messiah just as Isaiah foretold. What Jesus was doing, it says, was fulfilling the words of the prophet Isaiah saying, “that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (Isaiah) the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” This is physical healing. This is what Jesus did. This is what the prophet Isaiah said hundreds of years before that He would do. He did it because it was the will of God.

We then see this verse from Isaiah quoted one more time in 1 Peter 2:24. Speaking of Jesus, Peter wrote: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds (beatings or stripes) you have been healed.”

Jesus has provided us with a covenant of healing. Jesus bore not only our sins but our sicknesses and diseases. He never intended this to end or to be a secret. It was part of the great commission to all His disciples and to any who would believe. Mark 16:15-18 “And Jesus said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

In America, we may not deal with poison water or even snakes invading our space that we need to be delivered from, but in many parts of the world where I have Fresh Manna Readers, they do need those promises. Regardless, we are all surrounded by those that need healing. You will not lay hands on the sick if you do not believe it is God’s will to heal them. You will not believe for healing if you aren’t absolutely convinced that it’s God’s will. As long as there is a doubt, there is not faith. Healing has got to become a settled issue for you. You cannot impose healing on someone else. Everyone has to believe themselves and trust me – you do not know what is in the mind or heart of someone else. Quit measuring the reality of healing by others and let the Word of God alone set the standard for what you believe and your faith.

Go through the gospels and highlight every single instance of Jesus healing and look for God’s will in the matter. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” He also said that ”a house divided against itself cannot stand.” If God was making people sick and Jesus was healing them, then they would be divided. They were not. Sin through Adams’s fall has infected all of humanity. The effects of sin – sickness and disease, poverty and lack, and calamity and destruction along with Satan’s attack has touched all our lives – all of humanity whether we did anything to bring it on or not.

Jesus knew our human frailty and out of compassion gave us “gifts of His Holy Spirit” including healing to help us until He completely destroys every last work of Satan. This is how “…everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/

Is it God’s Will to Heal All? (Derek Prince)

Let’s approach these questions in a logical manner. Before I became a preacher, I was a logician. I believe the Bible to be the most perfectly logical book in the world. And God wants us to be logical in applying its truth. Suppose you said, “I believe my sickness is God’s Will for me. It is a blessing.” Well, then, please be logical. Don’t try to get rid of God’s blessing. Cultivate it. If God has placed sickness upon you to do you good, then you are wroing to seek to get rid of that sickness. If it is God’s will for a Christian to be sick, then it is sinful for him to try to be healed. Let’s discover the three main ways in which God’s Will concerning healing is revealed in His Word: (1) by the nature of God; (2) by Jesus’ ministry; and (3) by Christ’s atonement.

Revealed By The Nature Of God

Read with me the incident that took place at the time Israel was coming out of Egypt into the wilderness in Exodus 15:23-26. (23) Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bittere. Therefore the name of it was called Marah [which is the Hebrew word for “bitter”]. (24) And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (25) So he cried out to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, (26) and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

I n Hebrew, the last phrase, “who heals you” is a single word. It literally means “your doctor.” In other words, God said to Israel, “I am Jehovah, your doctor.” This revelation was given, not because Israel sought it, but because God desired them to receive it. It was the revelation of the eternal nature and will of God for His people.

Notice God’s promise began with an “if.” God said, “I am your doctor, and will continue to be your doctor, provided you meet certain conditions.” The first condition is the basic and primary condition for receiving healing from God all through Scripture. It is, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God.” The literal Hebrew phrase is, “If listening you will listen …” It repeats the verb “to listen.”

Do you ever listen to God wiht the right ear and to the devil with the left? God’s Word and the devil’s lies meet in the middle of your head, and the result is confusion. “To listen, listening” means to give your undivided attention to God’s Word. He says, “If you will listen, listening, I am your doctor permanently.” What a beautiful promise!

Twelve centuries later, God said to Israel to Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I do not change.” Continuing on in the New Testament, we read: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, wiht whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17). God never varies and never changes his mind. He has moods. And He says, “I am your doctor.” He was and is and will be. God’s nature never changes.

Revealed by Jesus’ Ministry

To me, the clearest summary of the ministry of Jesus is given in Acts 10:38. It says: How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Notice all three Persons of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are united in the ministry of healing. God the Father anointed Jesus the Son with the Holy Spirit. The Son went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. Healing is of God. Sickness is of the devil. This is very, very clear. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in bringing healing to suffering humanity.

The earthly ministry of Jesus was the revelation of God’s Will in action. In John 6:38 He said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” There is no record in the Scriptures that Jesus ever turned away any person who came to Him for healing. There were those who did not come and, therefore, did not get healed. But everyone who came to Him was healed. He never said, “It is not the will of God … There is a reason for your sickness that I cannot change … You have been sick too long …” Every person who came to Jesus for healing was healed.

Revealed by Christ’s Atonement

Isaiah 53:4-5 contains the Bible’s most complete description of the atonement of Jesus:
(4) Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we were esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (5) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Were the New King James version uses the English words griefs and sorrows, the literal Hebrew translation is “sicknesses” and “pains.” God’s provision for these conditions is “healing.” In describing the ministry of Jesus, Matthew writes: “They brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses’” (Matthew 8:16-17). Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled. Jesus “healed all who were sick.”

Old and New Testaments unite in this clear testimony: On the cross Jesus took our sicknesses, He bore our pains; and by the wounds inflicted on His physical body, physical healing was obtained for us. Is healing the will of God? Yes! Hear Jesus declare it from the cross in John 19:30, “It is finished!” All we have to do is receive it.

Faith For Healing Is Based On Knowledge (Andrew Wommack)

Faith For Healing Is Based On Knowledge
By Andrew Wommack

At one of my Gospel Truth Seminars, I ministered to a man who had detached retinas. I was standing right in front of him, and he said I was just a blur. With the service about to start, I only had a moment to minister, so I told him to come forward at the end, and one of our prayer ministers would continue the process. He did and, after further ministry, gave a great testimony. Not only could he see me clearly, but he could see the faces of the people at the back of the auditorium. Thank You, Jesus! That’s a miracle!

In the same service, a woman came forward whose eyes were clouded with cataracts. She could barely see, but after the prayer minister prayed for her, the white glaze over her eyes was gone, and she said her eyesight was great. Another man came off the oxygen tank he had been attached to for months. Deaf ears were opened; cancers were cured; and backs were healed. Hallelujah!

The most exciting thing to me about these miracles is that I’m NOT the one who prayed for most of these people.

Not long ago, I was doing all of the ministry. Don’t misunderstand; I enjoy ministering God’s healing to people. But, as the crowds grew, it became difficult to pray for everyone. I often prayed with people till after midnight, and yet there were many more that couldn’t stay and left without their healing. Now that we have prayer ministers, hundreds of people can be ministered to each night. Many more miracles are taking place, and it’s especially satisfying to see them experience the same and even better results than I do.

I think this sends a much needed signal to all who will listen; television ministers are not the only ones who can operate in this miraculous power of God! Praise God for the true men and women of God on television, but Jesus said that believers will lay hands on the sick, and the sick will recover (Mark 16:18). The job of the minister is to train the body of Christ so that they can do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12). The day of the one-man show in the body of Christ needs to come to an end, and we’re literally seeing that take place in our meetings.

Some of the local prayer ministers we train have never seen a miracle happen through them before. I remember one man who helped us at a seminar. He received the pre-seminar instruction and training, and on the very first night saw a person’s blind eyes open when he prayed. He told us the next day that he was so excited, he didn’t sleep all night. Not only did the blind person get healed, but I can guarantee you, that young man will never be the same. That is awesome!

Would you like to see the blind receive their sight or the lame walk when you pray? Do you desperately need healing yourself? Here’s the good news—whether you’re praying for another’s healing or receiving your own, it’s available to every true follower of Christ! Jesus gave every disciple who believes the power and authority to do the same works that He did. What a statement! But it is absolutely true. John 14:12 says,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

All believers will do the same works that Jesus did; it’s not limited to ministers. There’s just a shortage of believing believers.

How do you get to the place where you can see the miraculous happen in and through you? It starts with the renewing of your mind. Faith is based on knowledge, and everything we need to know to be a victorious Christian is explained in God’s Word. That’s what the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:3-4:

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Knowledge of a few basics truths, when properly understood and applied, will make a huge difference in releasing His power and receiving your healing. Last month I shared one of the most important things the Lord has ever shown me: God has already placed His healing power within us, and it is now under our authority. It isn’t up to God to determine who receives healing; it’s up to us! What a powerful statement! It’s our failure to understand and use the authority we have that is keeping God’s healing power from flowing as it should. It’s imperative that we discover what we have and learn how to release it. If you don’t have my album entitled The Believer’s Authority, you need to get it. The message will not only affect the way you receive and minister healing, but it will change the entire way you relate to God. It’s a powerful teaching.

Here’s another indispensable basic truth you must know and understand about healing: It’s never God’s will for us to be sick; He wants every person healed every time. That’s nearly-too-good-to-be-true news, but that’s the Gospel. Most Christians don’t know or believe that. They think the Lord makes them sick, or at the very least, He allows Satan to make them sick to either punish or correct them. That kind of thinking will get you killed; it’s not what the Bible teaches.

One of the most elementary principles in God’s Word is given in James 4:7. It says,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

This verse clearly teaches that some things are of God, and some things are of the devil. Notice it doesn’t present a third category: from God through the devil. No! Sickness has nothing to do with God! Submit to the things of God, and resist the things of the devil. It’s that simple. To believe that God allows or approves of Satan’s actions defies the logic of James 4:7. It eliminates our responsibility to resist and places ultimate responsibility for everything back on God.

The widely-accepted doctrine that God controls everything is a deception. If Satan can confuse and deceive you on that issue, he’s got you! Why? Because you’ll stop resisting. No one wants to resist God’s will, and if you think that God is behind your sickness, you’ll submit to it. That violates the instruction of James 4:7, it won’t get you healed, and it lets Satan have his way in your life.

You must believe God always wants you healed. It’s so simple, it takes help to misunderstand. But sadly, most Christians receive plenty of help from religion in misunderstanding this. Look at it this way: If God wanted you sick, for whatever reason, then why visit the doctor or take medication? It would seem more logical to allow the sickness to run its course so God’s purpose could be accomplished. Of course I think that’s foolish, and hopefully, so do you.

What’s the bottom line on God’s will for our healing? His Word reveals that to us in 3 John 2, which says,

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

John was writing a letter to believers under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He revealed that the Lord wants us healthy just as much as He wants us to prosper emotionally and mentally.

When Peter preached the Gospel to Cornelius in Acts 10:38, he summarized the ministry of Jesus by saying,

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

Today some preachers are saying that healing is of the devil, but that’s not the message Peter gave. Notice what Peter said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Not only was Jesus doing good when He healed people, but He healed all that were oppressed of the devil, not of God. That scripture clearly proves that sickness is not from God.

Isaiah 53 should end all debate. It was written prophetically about Jesus, the Messiah. Isaiah 53:4-5 says,

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

These verses reveal that physical healing is a part of the atonement of Christ. The Lord redeemed us from sickness just as much as He redeemed us from sin. He would no more want us to be sick than He would want us to sin. Those are radical statements to many Christians because we’ve been taught that forgiveness of sins is what salvation is all about. Well that’s certainly a vital part of salvation, but that’s not all that Jesus accomplished. We were also healed by His stripes. Sickness is not of God just as sin is not of God. Thank You, Jesus!

Just in case anyone might be thinking that the healing spoken of in Isaiah 53:4-5 is not physical but only emotional, the Bible gives a commentary on Isaiah’s prophecy. In Matthew 8:16 Jesus healed all the sick people brought to Him, and verse 17 says this was done…

“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”

Therefore, Scripture comments on itself and makes it very clear that the healing spoken of by Isaiah is referring to physical infirmities and sicknesses. If Jesus bore our sicknesses, then we don’t have to.