Is Physical Healing In the Atonement? Pt.2

One of the teachings set forth time after time, usually by healthy people, is that healing is in the atonement, and that one can “believe” himself healed. Of course if you are on your deathbed you might begin to doubt that teaching and if you die, so will others. But then some “righteous” person will come along and proclaim that you didn’t really have faith to be healed and/or there must be some sinful reason for your condition.

   I have personally been told that I can be healed if I only believe. Every year, for the past ten years, in the spring time, I suffer some kind of arthritic condition in my feet and I mentioned this one day and I was told that since I expect it to happen it happens and that I can control it just by believing that it won’t happen. Sounds good doesn’t it? But, guess what, it still happened.

                                                                    

   Almost always the proponents of this teaching will use a verse from Isaiah which says, “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.” (Isaiah 53:5) So, since Christ took all of our afflictions, they say, upon Himself, we are healed by His stripes. So, I guess the Apostle Paul should have believed for his healing and that “thorn in the flesh” would have just disappeared. And, how about Timothy who seemed to suffer with some kind of stomach ailment which Paul called “thine often infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23) and surely Trophimus (2 Timothy 4:20), whom Paul had to leave behind, could have been well if only they had believed! Or how about Epaphroditus who had been sick near to death, but upon whom God was merciful in restoring (Philippians 2:25-27)? Of course we might ask about every Christian death with which the pages of history are replete?

In my nearly forty years of ministry I have witnessed a great number of sick folk. We pray and ask God for healing but always bow to His will. Sometimes He heals on earth and sometimes He heals in glory. I have seen good, godly servants of God suffer greatly. I can testify of a woman who was given six months to live yet lived another ten years or so and I can tell of folks who died swiftly from disease. I will have to ask, next time one of these "healing" proponents raise this teaching, if he or she wears glasses?

 

   But does the Bible actually teach that we can name it and claim it, that by believing we will always, every time be physically healed through faith? Let’s look at that verse in Isaiah, in fact we’ll look at verses 4 and 5 and see what the Bible says about those verses. Let’s look first at Isaiah 53:4:

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”.

Now let’s see what the New Testament says about that verse:

 “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: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” (Matthew  8:16,17)

 

This Old Testament prophecy is FULLFILLED during Christ’s ministry on earth. It is not just applied, it is not simply related, it is FULLFILLED! Always allow the New Testament to give clarification to the Old! It is authored by the same God! I am only referring to verse 4 of Isaiah 53 as we will look at verse 5 next. This particular verse, though there is always a spiritual element to all human distresses, is saying that Isaiah 53:4 is FULLFILLED in the earthly ministry of Christ. It is a testament to His Person and His mission and the miracles of healing authenticated such. EVERY ACT of God is with PURPOSE and DESIGN.

 

Now let’s look at Isaiah 53:5:

 

“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.”

 

   Here the subjects are transgression (stepping over the line, trespassing) and iniquities (perversity or moral evil) and the text says we are healed by His stripes. So what does the New Testament say about this verse?

                                                                           

“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.” (1 Peter 2:24) Here the New Testament illuminates the text by explaining that by using the phrase “and with His stripes we are healed”, it’s not talking about physical healing; it’s talking about spiritual healing. It deals with sin, transgressions, and iniquities.

 

DOES GOD HEAL?

 

  The answer is, yes, sometimes, but it will always be according to His will! And don’t let anyone tell you “It’s always His will to heal” because history proves it isn’t! We have prayer meeting at our church and we pray for all manner of sickness and disease. Sometimes God heals here on earth and sometimes He doesn’t. We know that ultimately “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) and THAT is included in the atonement!