Friday, August 24, 2012

Is physical healing guaranteed in the gospel?

Many claim that physical healing is a guarantee for every christian in accepting the gospel.
benny hinn ministries
•Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:16-17).

Kenneth Copeland ministries
•We believe in divine healing, through faith in the Name of Jesus Christ, and that healing is included in the Redemption.

Kenneth hagin ministries
We Believe....
DIVINE HEALING - Healing is for the physical ills of the human body and is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith, and by the laying on of hands. It is provided for in the atonement of Christ, and is the privilege of every member of the Church today (James 5:14,15; Mark 16:18; Isa. 53:4,5; Matt. 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24




53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of 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 with his stripes we are healed.6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
So the question is is the word healing in 4 refer to physical healing? Certainly when we use the word healing more often than not we are talking about physical healing. But many times we use it figuratively of healing, as in healing relationships and the heart. Does the Bible ever use the word figuratively?
Jeremiah 3:22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.
Backsliding here is a term for falling in sin. When we are healed of it, nothing physically changes. And yes healing is the same hebrew word "rapha"
Also looking back isa. 53:5 his chastisement or beatings lead to our peace. peace is a spiritual reality. the same can be said about bruises dealing with iniqutities, and wounds with transgressions.
The focus of this is dealing with the spiritual realities of sin. Jesus would be a sacrifical lamb.
In the Old Testament, lambs did not offer physical healing to the jews, they were used as temple sacrifices for sin. (vrs.7)
But if physical healing is guaranteed in the atonement through this verse. Wouldn't it explain how the process works? here we know it was made. This verse is repeated, was it explained then?


Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
18 Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.
Here we do find that this passage is quoted is fulfillment of healing. Which would make many people think there is a point to universal healing. But it says prophesy was fulfilled and it was completed back 2,000yrs ago. Still even more telling is that this was a spiritual healings (vrs.17)from demons. so the universal gospel promise of healing is not offered.

1Peter 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Here we see living unto righteousness instead of physical healing vrs. 24.

Never do we find any explanation of how we attain the physical healing of the gospel.
Word of faith preachers teach that we recieve it with our atonement and therefore by faith. But there references don't guarantee this.
also let's look at hagins....
James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
the problem is that this work does not match the universal offer of the gospel. first it is concerning believers that are sick. Even though the healing would have been past tense so they should not be theoretically. Secondly the prayer of faith is not even personal and the gospels is very personal.
Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

also....
mark 16:18 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.
this is a promise for the apostles and not believers. If you do believe this you may want to start drinking poison and carrying snakes though! ;)

There is only one gospel and it is not to be altered.
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

We are not to change the gospel. It is the perfect instrument of salvation.

In Christ,

Matt


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