No matter how we have formed our opinions about how God answers prayers, including if we believe He still heals and performs miracles today or not, most of us still do not know the whole biblical truth. Only by knowing, believing, and standing upon the solid truth of God’s Word, can we have the faith that receives the desired answers from our heavenly Father. Let us consider some of the most common false ideas about healing.
 
1. FALSE: That Isaiah 53:5 is only about spiritual healing and not about all healing including physical sickness.
 
TRUTH: It is about all healing. The original Hebrew word translated “healed” is “rapha,” meaning “healed or made whole” (according to “Strong's Concordance”). This means that Isaiah also prophesied about the healing we would receive through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross, not only about the salvation of the soul. In Exodus 15:26, the Lord told the children of Israel that: “I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you (Jehovah Rapha).”

• Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

 
The following is how the Apostle Matthew quoted the verse from Isaiah:

• Matthew 8:16-17 When evening had come, 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.”

 
In Matthew 8:16 it is clearly written that Jesus freed those possessed and tormented by evil spirits and healed all the sick, fulfilling Isaiah 53:4. The original Greek word translated “heal” is “therapeuó” which we already know means “to heal, reversing a physical condition to restore a person who has a disease, condition or infirmity” (according to “HELP Word-studies”). So through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have received the healing of all health issues, including of our physical body and of all pains and suffering.
 
2. FALSE: God wants to teach me something through this illness and be glorified by how I go through it.
 
TRUTH: God does not need a sickness to teach us anything under the New Covenant. He does not choose sickness, which He considers a curse (Deuteronomy 27:21-22), to bring out something good. It is true that when one is sick from various causes, God can use their suffering for important lessons, but He does not make His children sick to teach them something. The Lord is truly glorified when we are healthy and give Him all the glory for all that is good in us and our lives. Jesus only did His Father’s will, healed every disease, and had mercy on those who suffered.

• Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

 

• Matthew 14:14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

 
God has the best ways to teach us. The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Lord teaches us through His Word what we need to know, rebukes us when we need to be corrected, directs us, shows us how to correct what we are doing wrong and gives us all the wisdom we need so that we may be complete and prepared for every good work.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 
What does Jesus actually say about Lazarus' sickness?

• John 11:4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

 
Because Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and healed him, it was indeed for the glory of God so that Jesus was glorified. After Jesus brought Lazarus back to life, he was not sick, but completely restored. So God is glorified when He heals us, not when we are sick.
 
3. FALSE: Salvation is for all who believe and ask, but healing is not.
 
TRUTH: Jesus paid for our sins and healed all our diseases. His blood washed and removed all our sins and iniquities, but only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, benefit from this forgiveness. Also, even though Jesus bore in His body all the diseases and sufferings of mankind, only those who pray and believe that Jesus healed them can receive healing. The will of God is for everyone to be saved and healed, but we must choose to believe and receive what Jesus has done for us.
 
David wrote in Psalms 103:3, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases,” showing that there is a connection between sin and sickness. We see the same truth in Isaiah 53:4-5, when Isaiah prophesied about Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, by which He paid the penalty for our sins and healed us by the wounds in His body.
 
4. FALSE: I don't want to bother God with my problem when others are suffering from more serious sickness than me.
 
TRUTH: There are not any verses in the Bible that say healing is only for serious sicknesses. We also do not find any verses that show that the Almighty and All-Knowing God, full of goodness, compassion and mercy is bothered by our requests. On the contrary, there are many verses where we are told to give God all our worries (large and small) and He will help us. And sickness is one of our concerns, whether it's serious or just a headache. The truth is that when we have pain, at that moment it is a problem for us, and the Lord wants to help us if we ask Him to do it. The sufferings of each of us matter to God and should not be compared to each other. We all have different circumstances, past experiences, and abilities to endure at given times, but it all matters to the Lord and He wants to do what is good for us. Let's not believe the enemy's lie that we don't matter, but ask the heavenly Father to heal us and take away our pain, no matter how minor it may seem.

• 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

 

• Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

 
5. FALSE: The Lord put a thorn in my flesh through this illness, just like Paul had. He wants to humble me and make His power perfect in me, that's why He doesn't heal me.
 
TRUTH: If we study carefully, we see that Paul's thorn was not given by God, but by the devil. Paul said that it was a messenger of Satan. It is not found in the Bible anywhere that it was a disease in his physical body. God revealed many of His mysteries to Paul, so that he was able to write almost half of the books of the New Testament, and his ministry had a very great impact and success. All this could make Paul proud, but God allowed the devil to persecute him in the cities where he preached the Gospel, to keep him humble.

• 2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

 
The article “Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh,” discusses this very topic, based on all the verses involved. The better we understand the biblical truth about healing and the many counter-arguments used as excuses, the easier it is for us to overcome doubt and be healed.

Copyright ©  2024 Carmen Pușcaș. May be used for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.


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