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By Patricia Backora
Today there is much controversy as the whether physical healing is
even included in the Atonement Jesus won for us at the Cross. More
often than not, a person who prays for salvation of the soul will
immediately feel evidence of being saved, in that he feels the heavy
weight of guilt lifted from his heart and feels sparkling clean inside and
at peace with God. But many times, a person in a wheelchair who
receives prayer for healing will leave in that wheelchair wondering
why. Only God knows. I read that even Kathryn Kuhlman had to finally
admit that not all who came to her meetings seeking healing were
healed. That was no reflection on her faith or on the faith of those
who earnestly sought this blessing.
Time and again I've heard that people in third-world countries find it
much easier to receive miracles from the Lord than those living in
modern Western societies. The "modern brain", as I've heard it called,
always finds it much easier to believe in invisible blessings like
salvation of the soul than medically verifiable miracles . People say if
you cant get physically healed, thats OK because healing of the soul
is a far greater miracle. Thats just a religious copout to put a positive
spin on whats obvious: Remarkable, visible, publicly recognized
miracles are NOT as prevalent as they were in the days of the apostles
(Acts 4:16; 5:15-16). Peter healed sickness and disablities with his
shadow, while todays money-hungry carnival celebrity preachers
cant even heal a hangnail with all their hollering, jumping, and
dancing. Scripture says people lined up in the streets and the apostles
healed every single one of them. Do you see that happening today, or
do you hear excuses about how the so-called healing might manifest
later if you keep on sowing into the preachers ministry?
True, you can get to heaven if you only get healed spiritually, but
where does God say we have to choose one and do without the other
because one is allegedly much more important?
To grow in faith we must get past the analytical objections of our
brainwashed brain to cultivate genuine faith deep down in our spirit,
the central part of our being where God the Holy Spirit takes up
residence in the believer. That is the seat of true faith, not the brain.
And contrary to one popular modern heresy, faith is not a force to be
used independently of God like Luke Skywalker's light saber. True faith
is a living, vital confidence that what God has promised, He is well able
to perform (Hebrews 11:11).
It is oh, so easy to just "spiritualize
away" the supernatural side of God's promises so there will be no
conflict between what you're praying for and the evidence your eyes
are seeing (or not seeing). But regardless of hearsay or people's
skepticism regarding the supernatural, ultimately we must base our
beliefs on what the Word of God clearly teaches. Is there any
evidence whatsoever that healing of the body is included in the
Atonement? And is healing part of the Great Commission Jesus gave
the disciples before He ascended to heaven?
In Matthew 10: 7-8 Jesus gave the twelve disciples their marching
orders: And as ye go, preach, saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Luke 9:1-2 says: Then he
called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and
authority over all devils, and to cure diseases (not just vague spiritual
maladies). And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to
heal the sick. Now, if some assert, our corruptible human body isn't
all that important because it's going to die someday anyway, why did
Jesus bother to include healing in His Great Commission to the
disciples?
HAS HALF OF CHRISTS GREAT COMMISSION BECOME OBSOLETE?
Some insist that the commission of healing the sick was given ONLY to
the original Twelve. IF THATS TRUE, THEN WHY WOULDNT ALL THE
REST OF THE GREAT COMMISSION BE ONLY FOR THEM? If Christians
arent commanded to heal the sick, why are they still obligated to
preach about the historical Jesus Who performed miracles? Turn over
to Mark 16:17-18, to some of the last words Jesus spoke before His
Ascension to heaven. He said: And these signs shall follow THEM THAT
BELIEVE (that includes every believer): 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. Sometimes
recovery is gradual, instead of an instantaneous miracle.
Nowhere does Jesus say that we are to go on preaching repentance
from sin to people but cut out the part of the Great Commission which
obviously involves the miraculous and the supernatural. Outward signs
and wonders of the early Church came through the preaching of the
the Guarantor of this New and better Covenant (Hebrews 7:22). And in
every way this New Covenant IS superior to the Old. At what point
during this 2000-year Church Age did God ever say that while He
would continue to save our souls and feed our bodies, He no longer
wanted to HEAL those same bodies?