Divine Healing
Editor’s Note: You can also listen to a podcast interview with Josh McFarland released in conjunction with this article.
Josh McFarland
Of all the classic Alliance distinctives, physical healing in the atonement may be the most neglected. This is understandable. After all, who wants to over-emphasize physical healing to the detriment of gospel preaching? In addition, our reticence may reflect our own experience. We often pray for healing without any tangible results. In those instances, we may be left to assume God wants us to suffer in patience and silence. It’s a fact that, in this life, sickness and old age simply lead to death, and nothing will change that. Perhaps we’re afraid to pray with boldness, and we wonder if we have sufficient faith. When we hear testimonies of divine healing, we may note that these represent a tiny proportion of all such prayers. All of these factors might convince us that Jesus’ healing ministry was never intended to have any relevance for our day. Instead, we may choose to rely on the resurrection to supply the ultimate answer to the problem of pain, and to accept that, for now, healing is rare, temporary, and elusive.
For me, this doctrine carries a personal challenge: I have a daughter who has lived physically unwell every day for twenty-five years. Like many others, she’s been at the center of hundreds of unanswered prayers. Do we not have enough faith? Should we try fasting, or anointing her with oil again? How many times should we ask others to intercede for her? Many people can relate to these questions.
Perhaps our conundrum can be illustrated by the story of the paralytic in Matthew 9:1–7. First, Jesus was asked for healing, but instead of immediately healing the man, he began by declaring the man’s sins forgiven. Most evangelicals would agree that the condition of our souls is more important than that of our bodies. A handicapped man, forgiven and reconciled to God, is infinitely better off than a man in perfect health, separated from God, and on his way to hell. Jesus explained that it was easy to talk of sins being forgiven; after all, anybody can speak of invisible spiritual things. “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” (v. 5, ESV). The physical healing he performed for that man amounted to a visible demonstration of his authority to forgive. This tangible, supernatural miracle was proof of his spiritual authority. The crowd understood immediately: “…they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men” (v. 7).
In the spirit of this story, it’s easy to pray for forgiveness, but hard to pray for healing. We default quickly to spiritual concerns, while we’re pleasantly shocked when physical miracles take place. They stand out to us precisely because they are infrequent.
The difference is that forgiveness from sin is promised without exception to all who ask for it (John 1:12; 3:15, 18; Rom 10:13). Physical healing, on the other hand, seems to have conditions attached that require us to examine ourselves before we can expect a response from God. It may even be that God intends to produce something of spiritual importance in our lives through our suffering which far outweighs our desire for immediate physical wholeness. With all these factors to consider, how can we pray for miraculous healing with confidence and strong faith?
I propose here to do two things. First, to review the scriptural evidence for physical healing in Christ’s atonement, and secondly—on this basis—to restore the doctrine of healing to a place of appropriate honor in our lives and ministries. In short, if it’s true that physical healing is provided for in the atonement, then it deserves a place at the table.
The BASIS of Divine Healing
We understand that until Christ puts an end to death, all people must physically die (1 Cor 15:20–26). No reasonable Christian would dispute this. Even so, Scripture exhorts us to request healing in the belief that God will act frequently and faithfully (Jas 5:14–15). In Jesus’ ministry, while he sometimes healed people as a sign (e.g. the paralytic of Matt 9), he often healed people simply for compassion’s sake (Matt 14:14). There should never be any question that Jesus Christ feels compassionate toward the sick. This can serve as our starting point: Christ cares. He is moved by our pain, and he looks upon us with mercy.
I have friends in the medical field who’ve shared with me that they can’t labor under the burden of fear and sadness so often felt by their patients. In order to perform their jobs, they need to dissociate somewhat. In a doctor, this is natural and understandable, but we come to the Great Physician whose relationship to us is marked by relatable compassion and mercy (Heb 2:14–18) [1]. We should never doubt that Christ wants us to be whole. Our confidence is not rooted in knowing what he will do, but rather in knowing who he is.
And yet, even in Scripture we see instances in which prayers for healing were not answered. Christ’s compassion is undeniable, but it is only part of the big picture. We also have to look at the original spiritual cause of disease as well as its ultimate solution: sin and the atonement. Only this can serve as a basis for our faith, whether we’re praying for salvation or healing.
The process of death—anticipated by physical disease—was introduced into the present creation by the same rebellion which also broke our relational unity with God (Gen 3:17, 19) [2]. Furthermore, the elimination of sickness in toto will, according to Scripture, become a reality for us at the moment of the restoration of creation to an incorruptible state (Rev 21:4; 1 Cor 15:42–49). In short, the existence of sickness is a result of sin, therefore the penultimate cure for both sin and sickness is the same.
Although the atonement is one of the central doctrines of Scripture, the word is largely found in the Old Testament, with the temple sacrifices anticipating and finding ultimate fulfillment in the death of Jesus Christ. The direct correlation between Christ’s death and the sacrificial system is spelled out, for instance, in Hebrews 9:11–14 and 10:1–18 (esp. v. 10). Arguably, the highest expression of the atonement can be found in Isaiah 53:4–6.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all. [3]
The focus of this passage is most often its application to forgiveness. But even within this passage we see the broad powers of the atonement; not only does it eradicate the guilt of sin (transgressions, iniquities), but it also overpowers sin’s myriad consequences: griefs, sorrows, and, according to the New Testament, sickness.
We shouldn’t leap to that interpretation without solid exegetical reasons. Fortunately, we have Matthew 8. There, the healing ministry of Christ is directly tied into the atonement through Isaiah 53.
…they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases” (Matt 8:16–17, quoting Isa 53:4).
The plainest, most straightforward interpretation of this passage is simply that when Jesus Christ performed miracles of healing, he was actively fulfilling the prophecy that his death would secure our salvation. In other words, the atonement of Jesus Christ provides for the forgiveness of sin and also for healing from sin’s consequences, in this case, sickness.
The MINISTRY of Divine Healing
Still, physical healing and spiritual restoration are distinct. They preach differently. There are conditions and caveats to the application of the atonement to our physical illnesses.
First, our ministry to the sick ought to be no more confident than Scripture allows, but also no less confident. The passages that encourage us to pray for healing are every bit as inspired as those that encourage us to seek forgiveness, and when we meditate on them, we may find that we’ve been tempted to expect too little from God. I frequently remind people that we must not presume that God should heal our physical illnesses, but we may assume that he wants to, until he specifically indicates otherwise. In Christ’s ministry, the lack of healing was exceptional and required an explanation.
According to James, prayer for healing should be a regular part of our corporate life. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up” (Jas 5:14–15). Understood rightly, this passage gives us every reason to pray with confidence and to increase our faith. Perhaps the example of Elijah (vv. 17–18) is intimidating, but if we find it difficult to pray fervently, as he did, let us at least acknowledge that the problem is with us, not with Christ. Any church that doesn’t make anointing and prayer available for its members needs to contend with this passage.
Second, we ought to take seriously the potential of human causes for unanswered prayers. God has told us everything we need to know in order to pray powerfully and effectively. Our brothers and sisters need to know about those human causes that hinder prayer, including but not limited to:
Asking with impure or inappropriate motives (Jas 4:3)
A lack of faith (Jas 1:6; Matt 13:58; 21:22)
Unconfessed sins (Jas 5:16; 1 John 3:21–22)
Impurity, disrespect, or presumptuousness in our worship (1 Cor 11:30)
Failure to respect our marriage partner (specifically our wives) in love and honor (1 Pet 3:7)
A lack of healing may not be our fault, but it certainly could be. It’s unacceptable for us as pastors to fail to teach people what they need to know in order to root out their own spiritual shortcomings and grow in their relationship to Christ. God may allow sickness in someone’s life for the very reason that he wants them to deepen their faith, or examine their hearts, or confess an unrepented sin, or work on their marriage.
Thirdly, we need to encourage people to confidently approach Jesus often with their needs, to see him as the source of their whole life, and so consistently exalt him as the sovereign Lord of all. The exhortation to request anointing and prayer is an exhortation to approach Christ. Neither the elders nor oil bring healing, but Christ himself. Do our members know they have the right to ask for intercession according to Scripture? Are we faithfully teaching them to run to him?
Fourthly, it should be standard that we persist in prayer until God answers us one way or another. Paul learned he needed to rely on God’s grace despite his “thorn” only after a season of repeated supplication where he persevered in prayer (2 Cor 12:8). Often, we pray over someone once, then let it go. In actuality, we should wrestle together in prayer consistently until our prayer is answered, or until we learn the lessons he wants us to learn, or until we receive the grace to simply endure it with faith.
Such a resolution can be found, for example, in Romans 5:3–5, which explains how God uses suffering as he develops and molds our character. This corresponds with Paul’s journey of faith and grace in 2 Corinthians 12 (see also Jas 1:2–4). Our spiritual health is more important than our physical health, and God prioritizes our relationship with him above our comfort. When we suspect God wants a particular individual to endure, we ought to commit ourselves to persevering prayer in order to help them discern that answer. As already noted, Paul prayed repeatedly before he understood God’s will.
Conclusion
Our call is to preach the whole counsel of God, and that must include the ministry of healing. Although it’s understandable to want to avoid elevating physical healing above salvation, we’re not being more faithful to Scripture if we neglect the ministry of healing altogether. Physical healing may not be the primary provision within Christ’s atonement, but it is a reality in Christ’s ministry, in his atoning death, and in his future return. What a blessing it is when we embrace it in our ministries today.
Josh McFarland - Bethel Church - Boone, Iowa
[1] This verse speaks to the way Christ can relate to us as having suffered temptation. However, the fact that he can relate to us “in every respect” (v. 17) as a result of sharing our “flesh and blood” (v. 14) certainly at least partly explains his tears at the grave of Lazarus (John 11:35), which preceded his greatest miracle of healing. The point is that Christ’s current ministry to us is infused with compassion fueled by familiarity. Nothing we suffer is beyond his ability to understand with the intimacy of close compatibility.
[2] Verse 17 promises pain as part of the curse of sin, and verse 19 describes physical death as a direct consequence of Adam’s sin.
[3] English versions differ as to the translation of Isaiah 53:4. ESV and KJV both say “griefs” and “sorrows” while the NASB and Holman Standard both say “sicknesses” and “pains.”