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Some of MY thoughts......
Is sickness God’s desire, His will?
It’s not easy an easy question. His PRIMARY (unconditional) will is clearly that we have life – physical and spiritual. We can see that from the Garden where Adam and Eve had no sickness, no aging, no death. We can see that from the many Scriptures that speak of God desiring health for us and the great lengths He went to secure eternal life for us, we can see that from the many miracles of healing in the Bible (at least 33 specific cases recorded in the four Gospels by Jesus). His SECONDARY (conditional) will is …. complex. Clearly sickness and death happen so at least God permits it. As we’ll see, He may even use it for His purposes in this fallen world.
Don’t take it personally!
Decay, sickness, death (indeed, all suffering) are aspects of “the Fall” and impact all Creation (even plants and animals). Sickness, decay, death are the result of sin (in the sense that they are a part of the Fallenness of Creation), but not necessarily the result of any specific sin by any specific person.
John 9:2-3 ____________________________________________________________________
Jeremiah 14:1-3 _______________________________________________________________
Romans 8:38-39 _______________________________________________________________
Romans 8:20-22 _______________________________________________________________
God cares for the sick and dying….
Deuteronomy 31:6 _________________________________________________________________
Psalm 23:4-6 _____________________________________________________________________.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ________________________________________________________________
Philippians 4:6-7 __________________________________________________________________
1 Peter 5:7 _______________________________________________________________________
Romans 8:38-39 __________________________________________________________________
1 Peter 1:3 ______________________________________________________________________
God heals
Psalm 34:19 _____________________________________________________________________
Psalm 43:3 ______________________________________________________________________
Psalm 104:2-4 ___________________________________________________________________
Matthew 8:5-7 ___________________________________________________________________
Matthew 12:15 ___________________________________________________________________
Matthew 14:14 ___________________________________________________________________
Luke 8:49-56 ____________________________________________________________________
The role of faith and prayer
Mark 5:34 ______________________________________________________________________
Luke 8:48 ______________________________________________________________________
James 5:15 _____________________________________________________________________
Matthew 7:7-11 __________________________________________________________________
God may heal unbelievers, too
Any M.D. or hospital can confirm that non-Christians are often healed, too – so experience confirms that God’s healing mercy is not limited to His believing children.
Matthew 5:43-47 ________________________________________________________________
God instructs us to love our enemies and do well to them, can He do less than He demands of us? God’s love is unconditional…..
Mark 6:5-6 _____________________________________________________________________
Acts 10:38 _____________________________________________________________________
God may heal us indirectly/mediately - through means or through others
John 9:1-7 ______________________________________________________________________
Might He also use medication, surgery, etc.? Is it still His miracle?
Acts 28:8 _______________________________________________________________________
God does not always heal (even great believers; at least not this side of heaven)
Indeed, ultimately everyone dies (sorry; it’s just true)
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ____________________________________________________________
God may not heal but USE our sickness for good (of us and/or others)
He may heal us and use THAT for our good, too!
2 Corinthians 12:6-10 ____________________________________________________________
Romans 5:1-5 _________________________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 1:8-11 ____________________________________________________________
Romans 8:28 __________________________________________________________________
Why does God sometimes heal and sometimes not?
Of course, God EVENTUALLY heals us in heaven; healing DOES come….in His time.
Scripture does not answer this question. “Answers” fall into 3 categories:
1. God's Soverignty. Our Reformed brothers and sisters quickly go to this. God is God, His ways are not our ways and often are beyond our knowledge and need to know. God is true and faithful - but He does this according to His will. God is gloried by our healing but also by our sickness and death. It's about God's glory.
2. Our Unworthiness. Our "Evangelical" and Catholic brothers and sisters often go to this. OUR unworthiness sadly "trumps" God's Gospel. There is a lack of faith on our part that renders God impotent (or simply unwilling or simply means we can't apprehend the healing). And/or there is some unrepentant (and perhaps persistent) sin that renders God impotent or simply means we are lack the required level of merit for the healing. It's our fault.
3. Mystery of the Cross. Lutheran and Orthodox brothers and sisters often go here. We simply do not know. God is always faithful.... and our unworthiness or sinfulness doesn't render Him impotent (since ALL are unworthy, ALL are sinful), God's mercy is unconditional. His heart is working here – but in ways we cannot always “see.” We simply cannot answer the question.... there likely are aspects to all this unknown to us but fully known to God. It's mystery. #3 is very similar to #1 but while the first stresses God’s sovereignty and glory, # 3 stresses God’s heart.
My half cent (My Bible Study for my youth class this Sunday)
Pax Christi
- Josiah