The Bible is full of promises that
show God loves to heal.
Exodus 15:26—And he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee.
Psalms 103:3—Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.
Exodus 23:25—And ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
1 Corinthians 6:13—The body is…for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
Jesus died to bring us healing.
Isaiah 53:5¾But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
1 Peter 2:24—Who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.
A major part of His ministry while on earth was healing those who were sick or suffering, and even raising the dead.
Matthew 4:23—And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people.
Matthew 14:14—He had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
Acts 10:38—Even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Mark 6:56—And wheresoever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.
Matthew 9:21-22—For she said within herself, If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
Luke 8:50—But Jesus hearing it, answered him, Fear not: only believe, and she shall be made whole.
Matthew 9:2—And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven.
Matthew 8:13—And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour.
Luke 17:12-16—There met him ten men that were lepers, who stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, with a loud voice glorifying God; and he fell upon his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
John 7:23—If a man receiveth circumcision on the sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are ye wroth with me, because I made a man every whit whole on the sabbath?
When He sent out His disciples to minister, He instructed them to heal the sick.
Matthew 10:1¾And he called unto him his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease and all manner of sickness.
Matthew 10:8—Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely ye received, freely give.
Luke 9:2—And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. |
He taught that believers would heal the sick.
Mark 16:18—And these signs shall accompany them that believe…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
All through the New Testament, the early Christians were involved in healing physical sicknesses. They were led to use the following:
1. Faith in the name of Jesus
Acts 9:34—And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ healeth thee: arise and make thy bed. And straightway he arose.
Acts 3:6—But Peter said…In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.
Acts 4:10—Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Acts 14:9—The same heard Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes upon him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole…
2. Laying on hands
Luke 4:40¾All they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
Acts 28:8-9¾The father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery: unto whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laying his hands on him healed him.
See Mark 5:23; 6:5; 7:32; Luke 13:13; Acts 9:17-18.
3. Anointing with oil
James 5:14-15—Is any 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 shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up…
Mark 6:13¾And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
The oil is symbolic of the work of the Holy Spirit: see Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18; 1 Samuel 16:13.
Romans 8:11¾He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
4. Confession of sins
John 5:14—Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee.
James 5:15-16—And if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.
Some things that tend toward good health
Proverbs 14:30¾A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh.
Proverbs 15:4¾A gentle tongue is a tree of life.
Proverbs 17:22¾A cheerful heart is a good medicine.
Psalm 127:2¾It is vain for you to rise up early, To take rest late, To eat the bread of toil;
For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep.
Proverbs 4:20-22¾My son, attend to my words; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.
For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh.
God’s greater plan
At times God has a purpose in allowing a sickness or weakness. We do well to stay close to Jesus and let Him do His good work in us and through us. In Job’s case, God used the sickness that came to a man He loved, to lead him closer to God and to bring him forth as gold. (Job 2:7; 23:10; 42:12) Elisha was sick when it was time for him to finish his earthly ministry. (2 Kings 13:20) Paul was given a ‘thorn in the flesh,’ and the Lord said unto him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) When we pray for divine healing it is important to discern God’s will and intelligently cooperate in faith with Him for His purposes.
John 11:4—But when Jesus heard it, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby. |
