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By Denver Cheddie
Most Christians would readily agree that in some way or another, physical healing is included as part of Jesus’ atonement. If it is not received in this life, definitely it will be in the next one. But the real question that causes division is, “Does the atonement of Jesus guarantee physical healing in this life?” When put this way, even the most diehard Pentecostal would admit to the contrary.
It must be noted that it is not necessarily a Pentecostal belief that physical healing is provided in the atonement. Renowned Pentecostal Bible scholar Gordon Fee does not hold to this view yet is very convinced that the gifts of the Spirit are still for the church today*. There is the possibility of remaining Pentecostal without believing in faith healing. God may and can still heal through the gifts of healing or through prayer, but he did not provide healing through the atonement. Thus physical healing is possible, but not guaranteed in this life.
There are basically 2 verses of scripture that are used to propagate the belief that healing is provided in the atonement – Isa. 53:4 & 5.
4. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows: Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by his stripes we are healed.
It is true that parts of Isa. 53 refer to the atonement. However verse 4 was quoted in Matt. 8:17 where it was applied to Jesus’ earthly ministry. That scripture was fulfilled when Jesus was on earth healing the sick, not when he was on the cross dying. Verse 5 definitely refers to the atonement. But does it refer to physical healing or otherwise? In 1 Peter 2:24 it was quoted in the context of spiritual healing. Peter was discussing the subject of retaliation. Jesus was reviled yet did not retaliate, and he is our example to follow. He then quoted Isa. 53:5 to support his position. He certainly was not referring to physical healing, but rather deliverance from the tendency to retaliate. Thus in Isa. 53:5, spiritual healing (healing from our sinful propensities) is most likely what is being referred to.
It is also claimed that the word salvation (Gr. soso) carries the idea of total deliverance from sin and sickness. Perhaps the Greek word could mean all these things, however to claim that every single meaning of the word is intended whenever the word is used is contrary to common practice. This is called word loading – applying every possible meaning of a word every time it is used. The context is supposed to determine the meaning. The statement “I have my groceries in my trunk” does not mean that I have my groceries in my elephant, in my tree, or in my small suitcase. Clearly a car trunk is the correct meaning as is clear from the context. Similarly when the Bible speaks of our salvation, it most often speaks of our deliverance from sin and the curse of the law, not from all sickness and disease and poverty.
Although I do not believe physical healing is provided in the atonement in the same way salvation is provided, all who are saved will achieve perfect health in the next life. Healing is available through the gifts of the Spirit and the prayers of righteous men and women, but not guaranteed. Salvation is guaranteed for all who (genuinely) believe and thus it works every time without fail. People who believe are not always healed. Some are, some are not. 1 Cor. 15:42, 43 tell us that our natural body was sown in corruption and dishonor, but will be raised up incorruptible and in power. Right now it is subject to weakness and sickness, but after the resurrection, it will experience perfect health. But this is not guaranteed until then.
In the event that believers get sick, it is perfectly in order to pray for healing and to call for the elders. However faith does not imply that one should dispense with medical help. If the Bible says that a merry heart does good like medicine (Proverbs 17:22), doesn't it imply that medicine is good? I believe that the majority of sicknesses today are caused by natural means - poor diet or unhealthy lifestyle choices. Christians would be well advised to take care of themselves physically. This would involve getting sufficient rest, eating well rounded diets, and physical exercise. Prevention is always better than cure.
* See Gordon D. Fee, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels (Beverly, MA: Frontline Publishing, 1985).
READER COMMENTS
Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, do you think God would let his Holy Spirit dwell in a sick body?
It is amazing how many people quote this scripture apparently without ever having read it. 1 Cor. 6:19 rightly tells us that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but the verse before that states that fornication is the only sin that we can commit against our bodies, not sneezing or coughing. We only violate the Holy Spirit's temple by committing fornication, not by being sick. How do people overlook verse 18, I will never know. There is no way this scripture can be used to support the idea that we fail to glorify God when we are sick.
Would God let his Holy Spirit dwell in a sick body? First of all, God does not own the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit IS God. God the Son had no problem dwelling with sinful humans, why would God the Spirit have a problem living in sick humans? Doesn't the bible say something about a heavenly treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor. 4:7)? In fact that verse tells us that this is how God gets glory - by the fact that He is able to do great things despite our frailty. Did you think the way to glorify God was by saying "I give you the glory"? Secondly, if you believe that the Holy Spirit won't live in a sick body, then you must logically conclude that we are in danger of losing our salvation when we get sick. There is no way to escape that absurd conclusion if you hold to this ridiculous belief.
Jesus died to deliver us from the curse of sin. Sin is the ultimate cause of sickness. Therefore Jesus died for our healing.
I totally agree that sin is the ultimate cause of sickness. I also agree that Jesus died to deliver us from the curse of sin. Our conclusion is a little different though. The person who made this comment believes that we have been delivered from ALL aspects of sin here and now. I believe that we only received part of the deliverance. The bible teaches that the Holy Spirit in us is a down payment of our redemption (Eph. 1:14). This necessarily implies that we have not as yet received the full benefit of our redemption. There is still more to come. We have been forgiven of our sins, cleansed of our unrighteousness. That much we have definitely received when we came to Christ. However our physical bodies are still under the curse of sin. 1 Cor. 15:42,43 tell us that our bodies were sown in corruption and dishonor, but only at the resurrection (future event) will they be raised up incorruptible. This means that our bodies have not yet been redeemed. This aspect of our redemption is still future (Romans 8:23; 1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:21). Right now our bodies are still subject to sickness, weakness and eventually death.
It all depends on what you choose to call sickness. I know someone who claims that ever since she got saved, she has never been sick. It just so happens that every single tooth in her mouth is fake. She conveniently doesn't see tooth decay as a sickness. Our bodies get old, they wrinkle, they become more prone to injury, we get bald, our metabolism goes down, even our immunity system weakens. These are all the results of living in a corruptible body. Perfect health is something we can only achieve when we get to heaven.