HEALING SERIES PART 1: IS IT GOD’S WILL TO HEAL? — With Spanish Translation
This video is long due to the translation and the group setting, so if you just want the information, you can simply read the blog version below.
May God bless your spirit and guide you into all truth!
Hey y’all! So, I want to talk about physical healing in the Christian faith. There are a lot of opinions out there, and I personally am not a fan of opinions. I want truth, and I know you do too. Throughout my Christian walk, I have seen legitimately 100-200 healings before my very eyes and through my own hands. These healings ranged from a headache or allergies going away to stroke victims being healed to tendons and bones being mended on the spot. I have seen surgeries cancelled thanks to the glory of Jesus Christ! I have received tons of questions on the topic of healing. I have seen tons of debates over the topic of healing. And frankly, I’m ready for debates to end and unity of faith to be restored. I want us to get back to the Bible — not my opinion or yours, but the Bible. So, I’m starting a series on healing where I’m going to address all facets of healing, all questions on healing, and all practical application on healing ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. I want to bring clarity to this topic so that we can all be encouraged to believe God for the physical healing of our friends, loved ones, neighbors, strangers, and even our enemies. I pray that this series will encourage and build your faith IN GOD and in HIS GOODNESS. I love y’all! Enjoy! If you have a question you would like me to address according to the Scriptures, send me your question and I’d be happy to search the Scriptures and do my best to find the answer! And know that there is an answer!
The first question/topic I will address:
What is God’s will on healing? Is it yes every time? Is it no every time? Is it sometimes yes and sometimes no? Is it always yes, but in his timing?
The following is a search for what God’s will pertaining to healing is according to the Bible.
This is a highly debated topic among the church. Unfortunately, this topic has led to division in the body of Christ instead of unity of faith. I believe this is a result of us often basing our beliefs on experience rather than God’s word. With this in mind, my goal here is to take an honest look at what the Bible says in hopes of restoring the unity of faith around something that is far greater than us — God’s word. If you do not believe the Bible is God’s infallible word, then this article is not for you and we can have another discussion sometime on the validity of God’s word. At the end of the day, it’s God’s word that will stand forever as truth — not my opinion or your opinion, God’s word. So without further ado, let’s take a look at what God’s word says as pertains to His will to heal.
Note: In this blog and vlog, I will be proposing that it is God’s will to heal 100% of the time based on my study of God’s word. My proposition will be entirely supported by Scripture and the life of Jesus. You have every right to disagree; however, I ask that you be like a Berean (Acts 17) and search the Scriptures to see if what I say is true or not. Let’s all be very careful to not bring our opinions or experiences against God’s word, but instead bring God’s word against our opinions and our experiences.
Let’s begin.
The first main point I will make is this:
Jesus is God’s will revealed.
Sometimes we say that it is impossible to know God’s will. This is not true, and it is detrimental to us fulfilling our purpose. The Bible says this about responsibility to know God’s will: We are called to KNOW and be able to PROVE the will of God.
“redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Ephesians 5:16-17 NKJV
Other versions read, “Know” the will of the Lord.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2 NKJV
So, how can we KNOW and PROVE the will of God? Through His word and through the life of Jesus.
I will use the Scriptures to make KNOWN and PROVE that Jesus is in fact THE REVEALED WILL OF GOD.
The Bible teaches us that in times past, God spoke to the fathers through the prophets, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son (Jesus), who is the exact representation of His person.
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Hebrews 1:1-3 NKJV
The Bible also teaches us that no one has ever seen God at any time, but the Son of God has declared Him (made Him known).
“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
John 1:18 NKJV
Another Scripture to show that if we want to know God’s will and what He is exactly like, we must look at Jesus:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Colossians 1:15 NKJV
And yet another:
“Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ””
Hebrews 10:5-7 NKJV
And here are some more Scriptures showing that Jesus ONLY did and said the EXACT will of the Father, further clarifying that if we want to know the will of the Father, we MUST look to Jesus.
“Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”
John 5:19 NKJV
“Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.””
John 8:28-29 NKJV
“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.”
John 12:49 NKJV
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
John 6:38 NKJV
“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.”
John 4:34 NKJV
Here are some verses of the type of life Jesus lived as pertains to sickness, disease, pain, and death. Since we know that He is the revealed will of God through the Scriptures, lets see how He responds to sickness, disease, pain, and death.
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Acts 10:38 NKJV
Note here that it says ALL who were oppressed by the devil. YES. Everyone was healed when they came to Jesus. And yes, all oppression in the form of demons or sickness is a result of Satan. This is not me giving my opinion, this is simply what the Scripture says.
“And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
Matthew 8:2-3 NKJV
Note that Jesus says, “I am willing.” Was He only willing in this particular instance? The previous verse would say otherwise. Additionally, other verses would say otherwise.
““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—”
Acts 2:22 NKJV
Note that God did the miracles through Jesus; therefore, it must have been the Father’s will to heal.
“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.””
Matthew 8:5-7 NKJV
“Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.”
Matthew 8:14-15 NKJV
“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.””
Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV
Note the world ALL again.
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.”
Matthew 4:23-24 NKJV
I could give plenty more examples showing that Jesus healed EVERYONE who came to Him. If you would like more, let me know.
However, this should suffice to KNOW and PROVE that Jesus, being the revealed will of God, healed everyone who came to Him.
SUMMARY: Based on the Scriptures, it is safe to conclude that Jesus ONLY did the will of the Father and only spoke what the Father was speaking. Furthermore, it is also safe to conclude, based on the Scriptures, that if Jesus healed ALL who came to Him, then it is the Father’s will that ALL who come to Him be healed.
With that being said, here is the next point:
If what we are saying or believing about healing cannot be found in the mouth or the life of Jesus according to the Bible, then we need to adjust our theology.
Here are some of the things I have heard said over the years for why someone is not healed. These ALL need to be challenged by the words and life of Jesus:
“Maybe God is trying to teach you a lesson through this and that is why you were not healed when we prayed.” Jesus NEVER said that when someone came to Him.
“Well, it may not be God’s time brother,” or “it’s all in God’s perfect timing.” Jesus NEVER said these things when people came to Him.
“Well, the reason I can’t heal you is because of your unbelief.” Jesus NEVER said that. Yes, I know that there was a time that He went to His home town and He could only do a few miracles and heal a few people. This is because their unbelief prevented them from even coming to Him. In all the other towns, the people came to Him. However, His hometown judged him a mere man, the son of Joseph and Mary, and did not come to Him as a result. Had they come to Him, it was game over, He would have touched them or spoke and they would have been healed.
“Sorry, but your sin got you into this, and your sin is the reason that you can’t be healed.” Jesus NEVER said that. Nobody who Jesus healed had been redeemed through the blood yet as He had not yet died and rose again; thus, they were all still in their sin. Sin in someone’s life does not stop Jesus from healing.
“Sorry, but your unforgiveness is getting in the way of Me healing you.” Jesus NEVER said that.
“You were born this way, so it must be God’s will that you remain sick.” Jesus NEVER said that. In fact, the one person He ran into who had been sick since birth, He healed showing that it was NOT God’s will that they were sick.
“There is too much unbelief in the room for Me to be able to heal.” Jesus NEVER said that. In fact, when the Pharisees and scribes tested Jesus by calling out a man with a withered hand to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, the Pharisees and scribes were in unbelief. He healed the guy anyways.
“Well, I believed and God didn’t heal, so it must not have been His will.” Jesus NEVER said that. In fact, the one time a disciple (who had the authority to heal) prayed and did not see healing, Jesus came up right after and healed the boy, showing that it was in fact God’s will that the boy was healed (Matt. 17) since He only did what He saw the Father doing.
“God is more interested in the spiritual healing than the physical healing anyways…” Jesus NEVER said that. In fact, you will see below that the preaching of the kingdom of God was always paired with physical healing.
We SAY a lot of things that JESUS DID NOT SAY. Why? Because our experience says otherwise. So, instead of pressing in, continuing to grow in faith, and pursuing truth, we blame shift toward God and come up with a reason why not, and we bring the Bible down to meet our experience rather than bringing our experience up to the Bible.
Let me clarify something real quick… I am not unempathetic to people’s suffering with sickness and disease. I am not unempathetic towards the times that we have prayed and seen loved ones pass or haven’t seen anything happen. In fact, it is exactly the opposite. I HATE sickness and disease. I HATE when we pray and don’t see things happen. I am putting this blog/vlog together to get us back to the basics, the Bible. If we are not careful, we will start to let our experience rise higher than truth and compromise our faith and authority to see a situation changed for the better and for God’s glory. I want EVERYONE healed. And I want EVERYONE encouraged that GOD WANTS THAT TOO.
This brings me to my next point:
Jesus led His disciples to believe that it was God’s will to heal.
When Jesus commissioned the disciples to go preach the gospel of the kingdom, this ALWAYS involved healing.
Jesus modeled what He wanted the disciples to do and then He instructed them to do the same.
His model:
“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
Matthew 9:35 NKJV
This verse is right before He commissions the disciples in Matthew chapter 10.
His instruction:
“And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.”
Matthew 10:1 NKJV
Note that it says ALL kinds of sickness and ALL kinds of disease.
“These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
Matthew 10:5-8 NKJV
Note that it says that Jesus COMMANDED them. This was NOT a suggestion. Also, note that He did not give them a list of reasons as to why it wouldn’t happen or why people were not eligible to receive healing.
Here is a similar commissioning from the book of Luke:
“Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”
Luke 9:1-2, 6 NKJV
Note that the kingdom of God being preached and the healing of the sick are paired together yet again. This was God’s idea, not man’s, since Jesus always did and spoke the will of God.
“Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
Luke 10:8-9 NKJV
Note here that in this instance healing the sick came before preaching the kingdom of God. Also note that it says, heal the sick there — no conditions. If they are sick, heal them. Additionally, in this passage, He is commissioning 70 people (according to vs. 1), so clearly this was not just for the 12 disciples.
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.””
Mark 16:15-18 NKJV
Some would argue this was just for this disciples…This cannot be the case because right here in the great commission in Mark, healing is included. Additionally, in the great commission in Matthew, the disciples were commanded to teach other believers to observe ALL THINGS that Jesus commanded them. Remember earlier that Jesus COMMANDED them to heal the sick in congruence with preaching the kingdom? Healing is part of the message of the kingdom for all believers.
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV
The fact that Jesus included physical healing in His message of the kingdom of God to His disciples is further evidence that it is in fact God’s will to heal people physically.
Now, here is perhaps the greatest point so take heed to these statements and Scriptures:
Physical healing is something that was paid for by the redemptive work of Christ dying on the cross and raising from the dead, in the EXACT same way that sin was paid for.
Let’s take a look at Isaiah 53 where Isaiah describes ‘The Suffering Servant’ who we as Christians believe to be Jesus. This passage is prophesying to the atoning work of Christ on the cross.
“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 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.”
Isaiah 53:2-5 NKJV
Pay special attention to verses 4 and 5. Verse 4 starts at the word ‘Surely’. The passage says that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. The Hebrew word for griefs is choliy (pronounced khol-ee’) which translates to disease, grief, and/or sickness according to the Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary. The Hebrew word for sorrows is mak’ob (pronounced mak-obe) which translates to affliction, grief, pain, and/or sorrow according to the Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary. With this knowledge, one could safely conclude that God is talking about physical healing in verse 4, while He is addressing spiritual healing in verse 5 with the words transgressions and iniquities. However, I have been in the game long enough to know that some people will buck back and still say that this passage is strictly referring to spiritual healing. That is fine. Don’t take my word for it. Instead, take Matthew’s (the writer of the gospel of Matthew) word for it. Look how He translates verse 4 of the passage from Isaiah.
“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.””
Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV
In the quotations in the text, He is quoting Isaiah 53:4 and saying that in Jesus healing the sick and driving out demons, He is fulfilling this passage. Note that he translates the words griefs and sorrows as infirmities and sicknesses. Matthew has a target audience of Jews in his gospel, giving much reason to be careful on how He interprets the fulfillment of passages in the Old Testament. With this in mind, he translates Isaiah 53:4 to be referring to Jesus PHYSICALLY healing ALL who were sick. Matthew was under the impression that Isaiah was referencing physical healing with these words.
Also take note of the words ‘bore’ and ‘took’, or as Isaiah said ‘bore’ and ‘carried’. The majority of theologians would agree that Isaiah is using the word ‘bore’ and carried’ to discuss the redemptive work of Christ ‘bearing’ our sins on the cross or ‘carrying’ our sins to the cross. These words are redemptive words specifically pertaining to the cross and what Jesus accomplished there through His sacrifice.
What can we conclude from these passages in Isaiah and Matthew while doing justice to the Hebrew and the Greek, as well as staying in the context of the Scriptures: Jesus carried our pains, infirmities, sicknesses, transgressions, and iniquities to the cross, redemptively providing physical healing as well as spiritual healing through His death and resurrection. Of course, this also includes mental and emotional healing, that is just not the topic of conversation today which is why I am not addressing it. Mental and emotional illnesses ARE INCLUDED.
SO, what can we say about God’s will to heal? Is it always yes? Is it always no? Is it sometimes yes and sometimes no? Does God pick and choose who gets healing when they come to Him? Does it depend on God’s timing? Is God trying to teach us a lesson by not healing us? Can something get in the way of God’s ability to touch and heal us?
CONCLUSION:
Based on the Scriptures, it is safe to conclude and believe that God’s will on healing is ‘Yes and amen’ EVERY time, no exceptions.
I know the obvious questions then are: “Why don’t people get healed every time we pray?” Or “why do so many people die of sickness if it’s God’s will to heal?” And so many others…. No worries, I will address these questions with the Scriptures in a later blog.
If you come to a different conclusion and can give me Scriptures supporting your view point, I would be ecstatic to hear you out. I am more than willing to be rebuked by the word of God. All I want is truth.
Now let me say this. DO NOT go and use all of these Scriptures to pointlessly debate with people about the topic of healing. The Scriptures were given to each of us individually to correct, rebuke, and train US in right living with God. Allow the Scriptures to speak to you PERSONALLY, and YOU go live them out. The Scriptures were not given for us to debate over, they were given to us so that we can LIVE a life worthy of the call we have received as followers of Christ, not TALK a life worthy of the call.
So, I implore you: get alone with the Holy Spirit and ask Him for truth. Diligently search the Scriptures and see if what I am saying to you is true. DO NOT take my word for it. You cannot have faith in something that I say. We have one teacher, the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. So,YOU get alone with Him and hear Him. You go and discern truth through His word and through His Spirit.
The next topic on healing I will discuss is what OUR role in the sick being healed is and what GOD’S role in the sick being healed is.
Sneak preview: GOD is the One, and the only One, that heals, NOT you or I. However, we do have a role. And we will talk about it.
I love y’all! I hope this helps you grow in your walk with Christ and give you confidence to believe God for healing for yourself and for others! Trust His word! He has exalted His word above His name — you can trust it; you can live by it; and you can die by it.
God bless!
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