Friday, September 22, 2006

No Healing Without the Resurrection

Do you know the cut on your finger could never heal without the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Here is an excerpt from The Miracle of Healing in Your Church Today that dicusses the subject:

We love to tell the old, old story, don’t we? And certainly the story of the Cross, the Gospel story, will live in the hearts of man forever. But while we love to tell the story of Jesus and His love, we often overlook what Jesus overpowered, what died with Him on the cross. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, the power of sin and its effect died with Him. In rising from the dead, Jesus arose victorious leaving sin and its effect in the grave (hell).

This is what makes healing possible in the world. Without the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus from the grave, there can be no healing in the world. Corruption would have long ago prevailed over God’s divine glory. Without the Gospel event, there could not be a healing process (either physical or spiritual) set in motion from the time of creation.

Without the Gospel, simple cuts and injuries would not heal. Disease brought on by unclean spirits would have long ago overpowered all life on earth. For remember that Jesus Christ holds and reconciles all things (including healing) through His body and blood (Colossians 1:15-20). I sincerely hope the reader grasps this most important precept.

In order to provide healing, the sin problem had to be answered first. We may wonder how all of this could be since Jesus did not appear in the flesh until several thousand years after creation. But remember, we live in a natural world, constrained by time. In eternity, such things as time cease to exist. Because of this, God saw Jesus on the Cross even before creation. In his mind’s eye, the Gospel was already accomplished.

This is the reason why God could tell Satan, after Satan deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden, that He “...will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (Genesis 3:15 NIV). The idea of “will” in this verse is spoken of in the venue of time.

This was the great mystery wise men searched in knowledge of before the coming of Christ. Satan sought this man who would crush his head as well. Who would be that man? If he knew the genealogical ancestors of this man, he could kill them off and foil God’s plan. But God prevailed, even in the death of His Son.

This ancient mystery, now made known (Romans 16:25-27; Ephesians 3:1-12), is the key to our freedom, both physical and spiritual. The ability to overcome sickness and sustain health for our entire lifespan, hinges on the Gospel—the suffering, death, burial, and resurrection of the man-God, Jesus Christ. This is God’s great victory over Satan.

The mark of sin on the world requires a righteous and just God to condemn it. This He has done, but it is God’s love that redeems that which is condemned (creation) back to Himself. This is done in the person of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15-20).

Before the Gospel event occurred, all of nature and mankind were sustained by the promise of God for a deliverer (Genesis 3:15). After the Gospel event occurred, all of nature and mankind are sustained by the promise fulfilled. This is how the healing process can exist in nature both physically and spiritually. For everything hangs on Jesus Christ and Him crucified for our sins and infirmities (Isaiah 53:4-5).

All healing is divine and spiritual by its nature. To think otherwise is to believe a lie of Satan. That a cut seemingly heals by itself is an act of divine healing. That nature recovers from its own disasters is an act of divine healing. Every breath of air we inhale and every blink of the eye are acts of divine love sustained in the person of Jesus Christ. That we should believe otherwise shows what great influence Satan has in our hearts.
Your comments are welcome!
Submitted by Jim Lynn

3 Comments:

At Friday, September 22, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this. In this time of pill popping and even churches which use hype and "emotionalism" to tell people that healing is simply about believing in this or that "powerful prophet/healer" - it is great to find sound biblical principles that puts the focus on the power of the cross. Thanks!!!

 
At Friday, September 22, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wholeheartedly agree with your article. It is Scripturally sound.However, the Apostle Paul spoke of Spiritual Gifts. Among these are references to the gifts of healing that are administered by the Holy Ghost (1Corinthians 12). Here we also find diverse gifts distributed among the body of Christ as the result of Christ retuning to the Father after the resurrection. Although we know that satan tries to duplicate, the Bible bears witness that there are those who are anointed by God with the gifts of healing. Notice the Scriptures uses the word "gift" in the plural form, meaning more than one. I also believe it is the Gospel of Mark that records Christ saying" These signs shall follow a believer, In my name, they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. All this, hangs upon the cross. If the Scripture I quoted is not in the Gospel of Mark, a good concordance will tell the interested reader where to find it.

 
At Monday, September 25, 2006, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thank you for this article. I do have a statement and a question to follow. As a child about 7 years old I was in a car accident, and a year later attacked by a dog. I have had back problems ever since. I watched God heal my nephew from a 90 degree club foot miraculously as an infant - he know walks perfectly - and have experienced God heal me in different areas. So why do I continue to have these back problems? I know God can, but hasn't.

 

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