In this article I will deal
briefly with the doctrinal position that healing of illnesses, physical
or/and
mental, can as easily by faith be obtained here and now as forgiveness
of sins
and eternal salvation of the soul.
The text 1 Peter 2:24 is often
used as the foundation and also some texts in the Gospel of Matthew.
Much has
already been said and written about divine healing and the doctrine of
‘healing
within the atonement’. David Petts, director of the ‘Assemblies of God
Bible
College’ In England gave in 1993 a paper about healing and
reconciliation at
the conference of the ‘European Pentecostal Theological Association’
which was
held that year in Poland. The lecture was translated in Dutch some
years ago
and published in issues 51 and 52 of 'Parakleet', the official magazine
of the
‘Brotherhood of Pentecostal Churches’ in the Netherlands. In this
article I
gratefully make use of some views, that David Petts put forward in his
lecture;
they throw light on the true meaning of some New Testament's texts.
Exegesis of
and commentary on 1 Peter 2:24
As I said above, 1 Peter 2:24
is often quoted as an argument that healing can be obtained here and
now as
easily by faith as forgiveness and salvation. But even a brief study of
the
text shows already that the author did not at all have the intention to
teach
divine healing by faith to the group he addressed. Many healing
evangelists
however quote this text to give scriptural power to their doctrine of
divine
healing.
Looking at 1 Peter 5:12 we can
establish that the purpose of the letter was to encourage the readers
to keep a
firm grip on the grace of God. It is further clear in this letter that
Christians
could expect suffering in this life, after which they will enter in
glory. We
see the principle 'glory follows after suffering' in chapter 1:6-8. The
purpose
of the letter then seems clearly to encourage Christians, who are
suffering to
keep to their faith.
We read in 1 Peter 2:18 that Peter
wrote to servants. In those days servants suffered often very unjustly.
The
apostle encouraged them not to be rebellious when they were suffering,
for also
Christ had suffered unjustly. He bore our sins, so that we could
receive
forgiveness and live unto righteousness, (verse 24). The servant should
make
the conclusion that also his suffering wasn't without a purpose.
The quotation of Isaiah 'with
his stripes we were healed' was clearly meant as an encouragement for
these
servants, who often were unjustly treated and had to endure pain. The
Greek
word 'molops' (stripes) means a bruise, a scar, or lash. They knew
exactly what
Peter was talking about.
Now the question must be
asked: In which way could these servants be healed? The answer is:
Peter had evidently
the intention to let them know that they should concentrate on
forgiveness of
their sins, reconciliation with God and true salvation obtained through
Christ.
They were accepted as sons of God and He loved and respected them.
Recognising
this as the true meaning of the text it doesn't seem correct that
people use it
as a scriptural support for the doctrine of 'divine healing.' Moreover
in
support of our exegesis: We cannot find any reference to - what we
would call -
divine healing touches or gifts in this letter.
It seems indeed certain that
Peter applied the quotation of Isaiah 'with his stripes we are healed'
to a
spiritual perfection. This spiritual perfection - the healing or the
complete
restoration of our soul - the Greek word ‘sôzô’ that is
used here can also be
translated as ‘salvation’ has become our inheritance through the
reconciliation
of Christ. For this reconciliation He endured much pain and suffering.
Christ
loved us then and now and is therefore the 'Keeper of our souls'. This
view on
the meaning of this verse is held by all well-known commentaries, and
it is
indeed difficult to argue that it should be taken in another sense.
Again I
emphasize that the letter is clearly an encouragement for Christians to
endure
suffering and give them the vision that through suffering they will
come to
final and complete salvation.
Petts said in his lecture that
to always interpret and translate the Greek word ‘sôzo’ as
healing is in fact
the often made semantic mistake of reading the full breadth of meaning
in a
word, while in the particular context it should be given one of its
specific
meanings.
Healing in
the proclamation of the Gospel
When we preach that people can
receive bodily or mental healing here and now as easily by faith as
forgiveness
and reconciliation with God, it follows as a logical conclusion that
believers
need never to be ill and that makes the use of medical provisions
totally
unnecessary. However, we know too well to which terrible consequences
this
faith-teaching can lead people sometimes. Please notice that there
is a
big difference between receiving by faith forgiveness and a physical or
mental
healing. To have faith that sins have been forgiven is - while we are
in this
life - a ‘faith-knowledge’, a conviction in which you as a Christian
may and
should rejoice. That conviction will later, when we stand before God,
be
changed in an eternal reality. Now we see by faith, then we see by
sight and
have the full reality of it. To say that you are healed, either by a
prayer, a
word or a powerful touch, must be more than a conviction, for a healing
has to
become a physical or mental reality in this present life now. If
healing is a
fact it can and must be verified and demonstrated. If not, there is no
healing.
You may believe you are healed, but if you are not, you have only got
your
faith.
Most pastors and evangelists
do know very well that the preaching that everyone, who believes will
receive
healing here and now, meets with great difficulties. For those, who are
not
healed – and, please let’s be honest about it, there are many who do
not
receive healing – are tempted to doubt the authenticity of their faith,
the
truth of the Bible as God's Word and sometimes even their eternal
salvation.
Often a feeling of guilt develops in such people and they can even
totally lose
their faith. Sometimes medicines were (and still are) refused because
of
'faith' in healing, saying: "I am healed - by faith." This way of
believing that healing had taken place was (and is) sometimes followed
by the tragic
consequence of amputation or even a premature death.
The Holy Spirit and healing
Petts argued that, when
healing results from the reconciliation through Christ, because it is
totally
included in it, it follows that it is also included in an indirect
manner,
(Romans 8:23). Believers have received the Spirit of the new life as an
advance-payment of their future inheritance. The apostle Paul taught us
in 1
Corinthians 12:9that the gift of the Spirit has been given to us on the
ground
of the reconciliation and that the Spirit gives 'gifts of healings.
This text
can be interrelated in two ways:
First, I mention the mostly
used interpretation. The Spirit gives some believers the gift to heal
people by
a word or act of authoritative faith, with or without laying on of
hands or
anointing with oil.
The second interpretation
suggests especially in view of the Greek plural 'gifts' and 'healings'
in the
text that every healing obtained by prayer and faith, is a gift of the
Spirit
Himself. And seeing that the Spirit gives the gifts to whom He wills,
He also
gives the healings to whom He will. This explanation makes immediately
clear
why some people not to say so many people are not healed, though they
seem to
believe so earnestly for it and seek it with great effort. If we accept
this
meaning we can now state - in harmony with the Gospel that every
healing, given
by the Spirit is an 'advance-payment' upon and sign of our ultimate,
definite healing, which will take place when we will receive our
a
glorious, incorruptible body.
This second interpretation of
1 Corinthians 12:9 does not however necessarily exclude the first one,
because
we do recognise that the Spirit does channel healing power through
believers
with special gifts of faith, knowledge, working of miracles and
discerning of
spirits.
Let me be clear about my
understanding: Every healing, received by prayer and faith in Christ,
whether
it is experienced and recognised as a miracle or understood in the form
of a
more or less normal process, may be thankfully received as a result of
the
atoning work of Christ, and be viewed upon as administered through the
Holy
Spirit.
A doctrine about
reconciliation and healing
Petts suggested to make a
change in the doctrine of reconciliation and healing. I follow him in
this
statement:
Illness is, as all suffering
and also as death, the end of this physical life, a consequence of the
Fall.
The death of Christ has redeemed us of our sins and therefore Christ's
death
has taken away the deep spiritual cause of illness. Believers may, by
faith,
already receive foretastes of the full redemption through the power of
the
Spirit. The ultimate and total success of Christ's victory will be
realized at
his second coming. Then believers will be healed in the fullest sense
of the word,
for the corruptible in which decay has been ruling, shall put on
incorrupt ion,
(1 Corinthians 15:54).
Conclusions
When we look in this way at
the blessings resulting from the atonement of Christ, we bring the
doctrine of
divine healing in harmony with the work of the Holy Spirit, who will
complete
the redemption of the believers. We acknowledge at the same time that
healing
is given on account- and on ground of the reconciliation of Christ, but
that
the Spirit ministers it in each instance to believers. He distributes
the gifts
of healings to whom He wants, (1 Corinthians 12:11). Each healing He
gives is
not only a gift to the individual, but to the body of believers, of
whom he is
a member, (1 Corinthians 12:26,27).
This view is in our opinion
not only scriptural but also in harmony with the experience of many
dear
children of God. If the Spirit gives a healing, He can do it by laying
on of
hands, the anointing with oil, or through an authoritative word or give
it as a
completely unexpected present. This view on divine healing may also
explain why
evangelists and other believers in international ministries see often
more
people being healed in countries where people are poor en often without
any
medical care than in rich, civilised countries. They have the same
ministry,
exercise their faith and pray the same prayers everywhere, but it is
the Spirit
that ministers the healings as He wills.
In Closing
In closing, I express the hope
that some will allow themselves to be corrected in their preaching and
teaching
so that needless damage to the faith and wellbeing of believers will be
prevented and as a positive result Christ be more glorified by the
Spirit’s
administration of true healings.
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Contact? E-mail... Pastor
T. J. de Ruiter