Why I Believe in Healing

Introduction

Years ago while battling a case of bronchitis, I asked myself a simple question – why am
I sick if I believe in healing? As a born again, Spirit filled, bible quoting, faith believing
Christian, I should be walking in health.

I believed in healing and had all the right books, listened to countless hours of teaching
tapes, been to conventions and crusades, yet I was fighting sickness. For me, the
problem of receiving healing usually goes back to having the right beliefs. I knew I had
to search my heart for what I really believed.

The answer is always found in the word of God – so I knew I had to go back to the word
and dig for myself and come to my own conclusions about why I believed in healing. As
good as the books are by F.F. Bosworth and T.L. Osborn, I couldn’t rely on what they
believed. I had to come to my own conclusions based on my own study of the word.

I encourage you to do the same. Let this book be a launching pad for your own study of
healing. The process of thinking these things out for yourself will build your faith.

The name of God

One of the major reasons I believe in healing is that it is one of the names of God. God
has revealed Himself through His covenant names: Jehovah Rapha being “I am the Lord
that heals.”

Exo 15:26 ESV

(26) saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that
which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his
statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am
the LORD, your healer."

In Hebrew – the last sentence of the verse above is two words. Our Lord’s personal
name – YHVH – which means “I am” and the word Rapha – or healer. It is who God is –
being one of His names.

Mal 3:6 ESV

(6) "For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not
consumed.

If God was a healer then He is a healer – He doesn’t change. Man’s goofy doctrines
about healing may change – but God is still God – He never changes. His Word
remains the same throughout all eternity. He is a rock of steadiness in the midst of the
storms. Don’t let anyone lead you astray – God is the Great Physician – and He never
changes.

God’s Nature

1Ch 16:34 ESV

(34) Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

God is a good God – not a bad god. You need to get this straight in your thinking once
and for all:

God is good
The devil is bad.

Joh 10:10 ESV

(10) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life
and have it abundantly.

If it involves stealing, killing or destroying – it’s the devil. If it involves abundant life – it’s
Jesus. I know this sounds real simple and easy – because it is!! Understanding John
10:10 changed my walk with the Lord. If you can understand this little simple concept –
the rest of doctrine and theology just falls into place.

Deu 1:25 ESV

(25) And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us,
and brought us word again and said, 'It is a good land that the LORD our God is
giving us.'

Jam 1:17 ESV

(17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father
of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

When God gives – it is a good gift. God doesn’t hand out chunks of coal for Christmas -
He gives good gifts. We really need to get it out of our minds that God is against us and
that He hates us – it’s simply not true. God is a good God and He has the best plans for
you – the biggest gifts – the best gifts. Your part is to believe and obey. All throughout
the Torah – God says – Obey me and prosper in this new land I’m giving you.

2Ch 20:20 ESV

(20) And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And
when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, Judah and inhabitants
of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his
prophets, and you will succeed."

Can you really trust someone who hurts you one day and then is kind the next? Isn’t
that an abuser? The mixed signals will drive you nuts. God isn’t like that – Hallelujah!!
He is good all the time!!!

Mat 6:10 ESV

(10) Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

God doesn’t have bad things to give and the devil doesn’t have good things to give. If
you think about heaven, where God’s will is always done – is there sickness? Of course
not. Jesus told us to pray that God’s will, which is being done in heaven, would be done
on earth. That means that most of the time, God’s will isn’t being done. I know that’s
shocking to some who cling to the teaching of the sovereignty of God as an excuse for
lack of faith. God – in His sovereignty – has given man authority on earth to pray for
God’s will to be done. Yes, God is sovereign but that doesn’t mean everything that
happens is God’s will.

You’ve heard people say “well, if it’s God’s will He will heal and if not, oh well.” What this
is - is a pathetic lack of faith. Why don’t you find out if it is God’s will and then pray?
God gave us His wonderful word to instruct us on what His will is. It would behoove you
to read the Scriptures and find out what God’s will is!

Healing is part of the promise

Deu 28:1-15 ESV

These are the blessings
(1) "And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his
commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high
above all the nations of the earth.
(2) And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice
of the LORD your God.
(3) Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.
(4) Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of
your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.
(5) Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
(6) Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
(7) "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you.
They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
(8) The LORD will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you
undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
(9) The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if
you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
(10) And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the
LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
(11) And the LORD will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in
the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the
LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
(12) The LORD will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your
land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many
nations, but you shall not borrow.
(13) And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up
and not down, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I
command you today, being careful to do them,
(14) and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the
right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

These are the curses

(15) "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his
commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses
shall come upon you and overtake you.
(21) The LORD will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the
land that you are entering to take possession of it.
(22) The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and
fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you
until you perish.

Gal 3:13-14
(13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us--for it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"--
(14) so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that
we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Heb 7:22 ESV

(22) This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

Did you get that? Better covenant? What could be better than Deut 28:1-14?? They
were blessed coming in and going out – they had a covenant of healing with Jehovah!
Because we are in Christ – we are heirs of the promise (Gal 3:29).What we have as
Christians is not worse than the Jews had under the Mosaic law – no, my friend, it is
better!!

Sickness is under the curse of the law and Christ has redeemed us from the curse. That
means that Jesus has redeemed us from sickness.

Healing is in the Atonement

Isa 53:4-5 ESV

(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 crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Mat 8:16-17 ESV

(16) That evening 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.
(17) This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses
and bore our diseases."

1Pe 2:24 ESV

(24) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to
righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

The answer to the question of “is healing in the atonement?” is found in Matt 8:17. Many
have taught that Isa 53 only applies to “spiritual healing”. Really? The cure for spiritual
healing is the blood of the Lamb. Look at Isaiah again – He was wounded for
transgressions - that is the remedy for transgressions. He was bruised for iniquities –
that is the cure of iniquities. Chastisement was the remedy for peace and His stripes are
the answer for sickness and pain. There is remedy for transgressions, iniquities, peace
and healing available in the atonement.

Surely He has borne (or carried) our pain and sicknesses – did you know that is what the
Hebrew words translated for griefs and sorrows really means. That is why Matthew
quoted this passage the way he did – because that is the way it reads in the Hebrew.
So here is Matthew, following after Jesus, learning and writing things down to be
included later in his gospel. He sees Jesus healing a bunch of sick people and it brings
to mind a Scripture that he learned as a young Jewish boy. Do you see that Matthew
was certain that verse applied to physical healing? What was the fulfillment of Isaiah
53:4-5? Was it Jesus’ death on the cross or His healing the sick? Do you think perhaps
the Holy Spirit made a mistake and let Matthew put that in when it wasn’t really correct?

But what if you favorite commentary says it’s only spiritual healing? Then that
commentary – on this issue – disagrees with God, Isaiah and Matthew. The bible will
explain itself if you will let it. For me, the matter of whether or not healing is in the
atonement was settled when I read Matt 8:16-17. Read those two verses again and
again and again until it sinks so far down in your spirit man that you never get confused
again about this issue.

If you will examine the three most prominent verses in the bible on the atonement: Is
53:4-5, Matt 8:16-17 and 1 Peter 2:24 – all three mention healing.

Healing is in the Atonement!!!

Healing is a Good Thing!

The Example of Jesus

Joh 6:38 NKJV

(38) For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who
sent Me.

Jesus was the perfect manifestation and expression of God when He walked the earth.
We can learn who God is by looking at Jesus. Jesus did nothing outside of the will of
God. In the matter of healing, let’s look at how Jesus dealt with sickness and oppression
whenever He found it.

Mat 4:23-24 NKJV

(23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease
among the people.
(24) Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people
who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-
possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

Jesus saw people with needs – whether demon-possessed, afflicted or sick and He did
the will of the Father – He healed them! Pay attention here because this may seem so
simplistic that it goes right by you!! Jesus healed them and He always did the will of the
Father!

Mat 8:2-3 NKJV

(2) And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You
can make me clean."
(3) Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."
Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Jesus could not say “I am not willing”. Why? Because He always did the will of His
Father and the Father’s will is freedom, healing and liberty!

Mat 8:6-7 NKJV

(6) saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
(7) And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."

Jesus didn’t need to think about, pray about it, fast about it or consult with theological
experts about it. There was a need – He said “I’ll go and take care of it.”

Mat 8:14-15 NKJV

(14) Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick
with a fever.
(15) So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.

Jesus had plenty of opportunities to teach us about the will of God. If at any time – the
will of God was to leave people sick, depressed, oppressed, beaten up and discouraged
– then Jesus would have demonstrated that.

Mat 8:16-17 NKJV

(16) When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.
And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
(17) that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
"He Himself took our infirmities
And bore our sicknesses."

If you ever memorize a scripture – memorize this one! Jesus healed all who were sick!
Why? It was His purpose to come to earth and demonstrate the Father’s will to us.

Act 10:38 ESV

(38) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went
about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with
him.

Jesus did what was good not what was evil. He went about doing good and healing –
because healing is a good thing. He healed all those oppressed by the devil – the
implication being that the devil is behind most sickness.

1Jo 3:8 ESV

(8) Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning
from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works
of the devil.

Jesus had a mission while on this earth – to destroy the works of the devil. He went
about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. He always did the
will of His Father.
Healing is a good thing

Luk 6:6-11 ESV

(6) On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was
there whose right hand was withered.
(7) And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on
the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.
(8) But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come
and stand here." And he rose and stood there.
(9) And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do
harm, to save life or to destroy it?"
(10) And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he
did so, and his hand was restored.
(11) But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to
Jesus.

Jesus wanted to heal the man’s hand (to do good) while the Pharisees didn’t (evil).
Which side of the fence are you on? In Western society we esteem those who choose
to go into the medical and emergency services professions. We think of firemen who
rush into a burning building to save a life as heroes. Doctors, nurses, medics and
countless others lay down their lives each day to bring healing and hope to those who
are afflicted.

The only place you will find people who think you should be sick and stay that way are in
the church! Why would people in the church want you sick? Good question! Somebody
didn’t just wake up one morning with this goofy doctrine – it developed over years of
trying to explain the lack of power and faith in most Christians’ lives. It goes something
like this: we prayed, someone didn’t get healed (right away or as soon as we thought
they should) so God must want them sick. Now we can beautify this a bit by adding – “in
His eternal wisdom and sovereignty He does whatever He thinks is best”.

The sad truth is – we don’t really believe that. If we did, there would be no need for
doctors, nurses, medics or firemen. Either God would heal us or we would accept that
we are supposed to be sick. Instead of building hospitals and training medical
professionals, we would be stepping over the sick as they lay on the floor and
admonishing them to “start learning your lesson quick!” The pain reliever business
would go under because “if God doesn’t heal them, He wants them sick!”

Can you see how ludicrous this is? There is a psychiatric disorder called Munchausen’s
by proxy. Basically a dysfunctional mother makes her children sick in order to get
sympathy from doctors and neighbors. It’s hard to diagnose because no one wants to
believe that a mother (usually it’s the mom) would do such things. Why would we
accuse God of being that abusive?

Can you see how foolish this line of thinking really is? If we put men and women behind
bars in this country for child abuse, why would we think God is an abuser? Is He not
just? Is He not love? If someone injects another person with AIDS tainted blood – we
charge them with murder. If God gave someone AIDS, that would make God a
murderer.
We have come back full circle again to the nature of God. It all boils down to this one
thing – who do you think God is? Is He the God that healeth thee or the God that
maketh you sick? What is God’s will? Is it God making you sick or the curse of sin on
this earth? Is His will always done in heaven? Is it done on earth or should we pray for
it to be done on earth?

When you settle this question for yourself – your faith will be established on the matter of
healing.