Healing is basically a spiritual thing. The power that heals the sick comes from God down through your spirit, out through your hands into that man or woman. (John Lake, The New John G. Lake Sermons at 41)
In the last two essays on the “Spiritual Origins of Disease,” I demonstrated how the Word shows us that the root of disease is spiritual and not physical. Also, Acts 10:38 not only confirms the spiritual origins of disease, but also that it is a form of Satanic oppression, whether it be direct or indirect. Before getting into the believer’s rights and privileges regarding healing in redemption, I thought a quick look at two healing accounts in Jesus’s ministry would be helpful.
And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. And, behold, a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years; and she was bowed together, and could in no wise lift herself up. And when Jesus saw her, and said to her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands upon her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God… . And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound, lo, these eighteen years, to have been loosed from this bond on the day of the sabbath? (Luke 13:10-13, 16, RV)
And one of the multitude answered him, Master, I brought unto thee my son which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever it taketh him, it dasheth him down: and he foameth and grindeth his teeth, and pineth away … And when Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. (Mark 9:17, 18, 25, RV)
There are two points I’d like to make. First, with regard to the woman, Jesus calls her a daughter of Abraham which means that she was a child of covenant. Deuteronomy makes clear that the children of Israel would be disease-free if they continued in God’s promises. This woman, however, had this arthritic-type of disease for over eighteen years and the Word infers that she was a regular attendee of the synagogue. These facts present real problems to those healing critics who argue that if healing were provided in the atonement (redemption) then Christians would never suffer sickness. This woman shows us that healing is not automatic, even in the face of a God-ordained covenant. (cf. Eph. 4:27 - “neither give place to the devil” implies that the Christian can give place to him).
The second point to make is that evil spirits were directly involved in both of these cases, but the Word only speaks of manifestation in the physical realm. There was no “channeling” by the spirits (use of the person’s voice) or any other extraordinary supernatural manifestation noted. (compare - Madman of Gadera) To the human eye, both of these people had what appeared to be ordinary symptoms of physical maladies, a bent-over back and what appears to be epilepsy for the boy. While some kind of medication might have alleviated some of their physical symptoms, medication can’t cast spirits out. And that presents a real issue for the modern preacher who denies healing and the casting out of demons, doesn’t it?
{ 0 comments… add one now }