The holy spirit gifts of healings

THE HOLY SPIRIT GIFTS OF HEALINGS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
GOTQUESTIONS.COM
Question: "What is the spiritual gift of healing?"
Answer: The spiritual gift of healing is the supernatural manifestation of the Spirit of God
that miraculously brings healing and deliverance from disease and/or infirmity. It is the
power of God that destroys the work of sin and/or the devil in the human body, such as the
healings that Jesus and the disciples performed (Matthew 4:24; 15:30; Acts 5:15-16; 28:8-
9). The gift of healing given to the church is primarily noted in 1 Corinthians 12, where the
spiritual gifts are listed.
Spiritual gifts are powers, skills, abilities, or knowledge given by God through the Holy
Spirit to Christians. Paul tells the church that the purpose of the spiritual gifts is to edify
other believers and, ultimately, to glorify God. God gives these gifts for His use, but in the
Corinthian church, they were apparently a type of status symbol or being used to indicate
superiority. Interestingly, 1 Corinthians 12:9 refers to “gifts” of healing in the plural,
which may indicate that there are different gifts of healing. The gifts of healing could mean
a very wide range of skills or abilities. This could be from the power to do miraculous or
dramatic healing, like making the lame walk, or the use or understanding of medicine. It
could evenbe the ability to empathize and show love to others to the point of healing an
emotional wound.
There has been much debate about the usage of the spiritual gift of healing among
Christians. Some believe the gift of healing and some other sign gifts are no longer
operative today, while others believe the miraculous gifts are still in use today. Of course,
the power to heal was never in the gifted person himself/herself. The power to heal is from
God and God alone. Although God does still heal today, we believe His healing through the

gift of healing belonged primarily to the apostles of the first-century church to affirm that
their message was from God (Acts 2:22; 14:3).
God still performs miracles. God still heals people. There is nothing preventing God from
healing one person through the ministry of another person. However, the miraculous gift of
healing, as a spiritual gift, does not seemto be functioning today. God can certainly
intervene in whatever manner He sees fit, whether in “normal” fashion or through a
miracle. Our salvation itself is miracle. We were dead in sin, but God entered our lives and
made us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is the greatest healing of all.
Question: "Why doesn't God heal everyone? Why does God only heal certain people and
not everyone who sincerely prays for healing?"
Answer: It is not always God’s will to heal a person physically. A person may sincerely
pray and truly have faith that God can heal, but if it is not God’s will to provide the healing
at that time, then no healing will come (see 1 John 5:14). Sometimes God’s blessings come
in other ways besides physical healing.
If it were always God’s will for people to be healed, then everyone would be healed every
time he or she became ill. If good health were always God’s will, then Christians should
never die. We can’t blame someone’s malady on a lack of faith, for we know, biblically,
that God sometimes uses illness to accomplish His will. Also, it’s not just wayward believers
who get sick. Paul “left Trophimus sick in Miletus” (2 Timothy 4:20), and Paul himself had
a physical ailment that the Lord declined to heal (2 Corinthians 12:7–9).
Often, Christians have an over-simplified idea of healing. They think that, if they are sick,
they have only to ask God to heal them and, because God loves them, He will heal them
straightaway. Healing is seenas proof of a person’s faith and of God’s love. This idea
persists in some circles in spite of the truth that every mother knows: a parent does not give
her child everything he asks for every time, no matter how much she loves him.

Joni Eareckson Tada struggled with this issue for a long time. As she recounts in her book
Joni, she sought physical healing of her quadriplegia. She prayed and fully believed that
God would heal her. In her words, “I certainly believed. I was calling up my girlfriends
saying, ‘Next time you see me I’m going to be running up your sidewalk. God’s going to
heal me’” (quoted in an interview with Marvin Olasky,
www.worldmag.com/2013/01/joni_eareckson_tada_on_faith_healing_and_marriage,
January 17, 2013). Yet Joni is still in a wheelchair today. Forty-five years after the accident
that left her paralyzed, God has still not healed her. Her perspective is one of great faith:
“God may remove your suffering, and that will be great cause for praise. But if not, He will
use it, He will use anything and everything that stands in the way of His fellowship with
you. So let God mold you and make you, transform you from glory to glory. That’s the
deeper healing” (quoted on www.gty.org/resources/sermons/TM13-2/a-deeper-healing-joni-
eareckson-tada, October 16, 2013). Some feel that God will never heal anyone miraculously
today. Others feel that God will always heal a person if he or she has enough faith. But God
will not be put into either box.
We need to understand that healings, evenin the Bible, are very rare indeed. For the first
2,500 years of biblical history, there is no mention of any healings whatsoever. Then during
the life of Abraham we have a possible healing, although it is only implied (Genesis 12:17–
20). Then we have to wait until the life of Moses, who performs a number of signs to
authenticate his authority as God’s leader. However, the only healing associatedwith
Moses is Miriam’s cleansing from leprosy (Numbers 12:13–15).
In the covenant God gave to Israel, there were a number of provisions to regulate their
lives, and there is an emphasis on physicality and material things in the Old Testament. In
Deuteronomy 28, God promises to reward Israel’s faithfulness with freedom from disease.
This is the clue to the meaning of miracles in the Bible. God promised Israel health, long
life, children, flocks, corn, grapes, etc.—and victory over their enemies—if they stayed
faithful to the Lord. At the same time, God threatened them with sickness, barrenness,
disease, drought, famine, the loss of livestock, and enemy occupation if they forsook the
Lord. This is the context of Israel’s relationship with sickness and healing. The promise to
be kept “free from every disease” in Deuteronomy 7:15 was specifically part of the Mosaic
Covenant with Israel under the theocracy; such a promise is not given to the church.

With the coming of Christ, we have the fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant (Matthew 5:17)
and a reversal of the effects of Israel’s spiritual backslidings. Wherever Christ went, He
healed the sick, but this was not just because of kindness on His part; His healings were
always a sign from heaven of Christ’s authority as Messiah(John 7:31). He was giving
Israel a taste of the kingdom of God (Luke 11:20). Those who refused His authority were
often left sick (Matthew 13:58). At the pool of Bethsaida, for example, Jesus healed only
one in a huge multitude (John 5).
The apostles were also given the specific power to heal the sick, and for thirty-seven years
they went everywhere healing those who heard their message. Again, their miracles,
including healing, were confirmation of the truth of the gospel the apostles proclaimed.
The twelve apostles did not heal everyone, either. Often, there were Christians left unwell
in spite of the apostolic power. Paul says to Timothy, “Use a little wine because of your
stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Why didn’t Paul just lay hands on
Timothy and heal him? It wasn’t because Timothy didn’t have enough faith; it was because
it was not God’s will to heal Timothy that way. The healing ministry was not for anyone’s
personal convenience; rather, it was a sign from God—to the Jews of the Old Covenant
primarily—of the validity of the apostles’ message.
We are not living in the apostolic days today. Of course, God can and does heal today when
He wants to. The question we need to ask in any given situation is, what does God want?
Does He desire to heal the individual in this life, or does He have another plan to show His
glory through weakness? Someday, all sickness and death will be eradicated (see
Revelation 21:4). Joni Eareckson Tada will walk again. Until then, there is a greater
healing, the cleansing of sinful hearts, that God performs every day.
Question: "What is divine healing?"

Answer: Divine healing involves a supernatural act which resolves a physical, emotional or
spiritual problem. In a Christian context, the supernatural element is God, many times
through the agency of the Holy Spirit.
Non-Christian Views on Divine Healing
Most of the major world religions believe in some sort of supernatural healing. Islam uses
Ruqya (incantations) to cure disease by countering black magic and casting out Jinn.
Tibetan Buddhists employ Gso-wa Rig-pa, which includes elements of medicine, mantra
and meditation. Those who hold to modern pantheism, such as New Age philosophy or
cosmic humanism, use a wide variety of techniques from ancient religions and the occult.
The constant among all of these views of divine healing is the necessity of ritual. Healing, in
the non-Christian religion’s view, requires a physical ritual to coerce a deity into action or
to manipulate an impersonal healing force.
New Testament Divine Healing
Approximately one fifth of the Gospel narrative is devoted to Jesus’ healing ministry. At
the start of His ministry, Jesus “went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the
people” (Matthew 4:23).
Later, when Jesus sent His twelve disciples out to preach the gospel, He gave them
authority to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2). After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the apostles
continued healing many (Acts 5:12-16). Acts records a number of healings by Peter, John,
and Paul (19:12; 28:8-9).
Christian Divine Healing Today

Concerning divine healing today, there are a couple different schools of thought. Some
Christians believe the gift of healing (1 Corinthians 12:9) ceasedalong with the sign gift of
tongues. This position is called cessationism. Other Christians believe all of the sign gifts
are still in use today.
While we take the cessationist view, we do believe that God is still “the LORD who heals”
(Exodus 15:26). He has not lost His ability to heal, and His love for His people has not
diminished. Divine healing may come through traditional medicine or through direct
intervention by God in response to prayer. Or, if God wills, wholeness may not come until
the ultimate healing in heaven. God is the Great Physician, and all healing, physical,
emotional, and spiritual, belongs to Him.
Question: "What does the Bible say about healing?"
Answer: Isaiah 53:5, which is then quoted in 1 Peter 2:24, is a key verse on healing, but it is
often misunderstood and misapplied. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his
wounds we are healed.” The word translated “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical
healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that it is speaking of
spiritual healing. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to
sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The
verse is talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and disease. Therefore, being
“healed” in both these verses is speaking of being forgiven and saved, not physically healed.
The Bible does not specifically link physical healing with spiritual healing. Sometimes
people are physically healed when they place their faith in Christ, but this is not always the
case. Sometimes it is God’s will to heal, but sometimes it is not. The apostle John gives us
the proper perspective: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever
we ask—we know that we have what we askedof Him” (1 John 5:14-15). God still performs
miracles. God still heals people. Sickness, disease, pain, and death are still realities in this
world. Unless the Lord returns, everyone who is alive today will die, and the vast majority

of them (Christians included) will die as the result of a physical problem (disease, sickness,
injury). It is not always God’s will to heal us physically.
Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in heaven. In heaven, there will be no more
pain, sickness, disease, suffering, or death (Revelation 21). We all need to be less
preoccupied with our physical condition in this world and a lot more concerned with our
spiritual condition (Romans 12:1-2). Then we can focus our hearts on heaven where we will
no longer have to deal with physical problems. Revelation 21:4 describes the true healing
we should all be longing for: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Gifts of Healings and Workings of Miracles
Resource by John Piper
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 Topic: Kingdom of God
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know
that when you were heathen, you were led astray to dumb idols, however you may have
been moved. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God
eversays "Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but
the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires
them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of
knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts
of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to
another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to
another the interpretation of tongues. All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit,
who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
Let me begin by summarizing some of the reasons why I think the "gifts of healings" and
"workings of miracles" referred to in 1 Corinthians 12:9–10 are gifts still available to the

church today. It may seemobvious to a simple reading. But there are many who say they
are not. So basically what I have to do is respond to their arguments.
Against the Present Availability of These Gifts
Let me quote directly from a very popular teacher: "The four temporary sign gifts [his
designation, not the Bible's] were miracles, healings, tongues, and interpretations of
tongues. These four sign gifts had a unique purpose—to give the apostles credentials, to let
the people know that these men all spoke the truth of God. But once the Word of God was
inscripturated, the sign gifts were no longer needed and they ceased." The assumption in
this argument is that the "gifts of healings" and "workings of miracles" mentioned in 1
Corinthians 12:9–10 refer only to what Jesus and the apostles could do (including Stephen,
Barnabas, and Philip). These were not gifts given to ordinary Christians, but only to the
authoritative leaders of the first generation. Then they disappeared.
The same teacher says, "We never see the gift [of healing] being used at random in the
churches. It is a gift always associatedwith Christ, the Twelve (plus Paul), the seventy, and
the close associates of the Twelve. The gift of healing was a limited one in terms of the
people who possessedit, as was the gift of miracles. And like miracles, the gift of healing
was used to authenticate and confirm the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom."
So you see how the argument works:
first, you equate the "gifts of healings" in 1 Corinthians 12 with the unique authority of
Jesus and the apostles (that's the linchpin of the argument!);
second, you show that the role of miracles for the apostles was to authenticate their
teaching; and,
third, it follows automatically that these gifts cease with the disappearance of the founding
apostles who wrote our New Testament.
The Basic Assumption Doesn't Stand
The problem with this view is that the basic assumption won't stand up under scrutiny.
The "gifts of healings" and "workings of miracles" in 1 Corinthians 12:9–10 are not
limited to Jesus and the apostles. In fact the New Testament never describes the ability of
Jesus and the apostles to work miracles as "the gift of healing" or "the gift of miracles."
When you read 1 Corinthians 12:7–10, you get the simple impression that these gifts are
given according to God's will to various people in the church: "To each is given the
manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the

utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same
Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the one Spirit, to
another the workings of miracles . . . " It does not seemto be a natural reading of these
verses to say that what they mean is that NO ONE at Corinth gets the "gifts of healings" or
the "workings of miracles," but only Jesus and the apostles.
This looks evenmore unlikely when you read verse 28 where the gift of apostle seems
clearly distinct from the "gifts of healings" and "miracles": "God has appointed in the
church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings."
This looks like gifts of healings and miracles are different from and additional to the gift of
apostle and prophet and teacher.
This is what we saw in Galatians 3:5 last week also. Paul writes to the Galatians and says,
"Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of
the law, or by hearing with faith?" The most natural meaning of that verse is that God is
working miracles in their midst by the Holy Spirit. He is doing this through the ordinary
believers not through the apostles. This is just what we would expect in view of 1
Corinthians 12—the Spirit gives to some in the churches "gifts of healings" and "workings
of miracles."
Apostleship Authenticated by More than Miracles
I still stand by what I said last week, namely, that I want to honor the uniqueness of the
apostles—that they are once for all eyewitnesses and authoritative revelatory spokesmen of
the living Christ. We have their final revelation in the New Testament and that remains
now and always will remain our measuring rod for all doctrine and experience. But now
the question is: Do we need to keepthe gifts of healings and miracles away from ordinary
church members because that was the only way the apostles could authenticate themselves?
No. The miracle working power of the apostles was only PART of what authenticated their
authority. If the only thing that set the apostles apart as authoritative and true was their
signs and wonders, then false prophets could claim the same authority and truth, because
Jesus and Paul both tell us that false prophets will do signs and wonders to lead people
astray (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; cf. Revelation 13:14; 16:14; 19:20).
Alongside miracles Paul said that his apostleship was confirmed by at least a dozen other
things. For example, in 1 Corinthians 9:1–2 he says, "Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen
Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an
apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord." Here there
is no mention of miracles as Paul defends his apostleship. He had seenJesus in person and
God had blessedhis ministry with life changing power in bringing the Corinthian church

into being. That was his argument. In other words miracle working was only part of his
credentials.
What that means is that the apostles' uniqueness is not at all jeopardized when we say that
gifts of healing and miracles were given to other Christians in the church at Corinth and in
the churches of Galatia. And if that was true then, it is also true today. Gifts of healings
today do not compromise or call into question the unique place of Jesus and the apostles or
the unparalleled role that miracles had in their ministries. So as far as I can see the
argument against the gifts of healings today is not compelling.
Three Comments About These Gifts
So I believe that "gifts of healings" and "workings of miracles" are for the church today—
for Bethlehem today and for the mission of Christ in the world today. Let me say just three
brief things about these gifts and then we can pick it up on Wednesday evening and say
more and deal with questions.
1. Not for Self-Exaltation but for the Sake of Love
Gifts of healings and workings of miracles are not for self-exaltation but for the benefit of
others. They could easily become the basis of pride just like teaching or preaching or mercy
or hospitality or prophecy or any of the gifts. But they are meant to be expressions of love.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:2, "Though I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing." Gifts are not the main thing. Love is the main thing. Using
gifts is one way to love.
This is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:7, "To each is given the manifestation of the
Spirit for the common good." It is a great danger to want signs and wonders because they
sound neat or merely because you think they would make your faith stronger. That is
almost a sure way to spiritual self-centeredness. What we should really want is that Christ
be honored through our self-sacrificing love for others. The greatest need we have is not for
gifts of healings. The greatest need is to care that people are sick—sick with soul-destroying
sin, sick with emotional disorders, sick with physical disease, and often a tangled mixture of
all three. The greatest miracle is that our hearts begin to care more about the lostness and
pain of others than about our own personal comforts and leisure plans. When that miracle
happens, we might be in a position to experience the lessergifts of healings.
That's the first thing to say: the gifts are all for the sake of love. So let's let the love of Jesus
for us break us down and build us up to love others.
2. Not the Ability to Heal at Will

The second thing to say is that if God gives you gifts of healing, it does not mean that you
can heal at will or that everyone you pray for will be healed. Isn't it interesting that the
literal phrase in verse 9 is not "gift of healing" but "gifts of healings"—two plurals? I
think this probably means that different kinds of gifts for different kinds of healings are
given to various people according to God's sovereign will. This alone would suggest that
one person will not have a monopoly on every sort of healing that is necessary. And it
suggests that there will be many times when a person with some gifts to heal will not be
able to heal.
This was Paul's experience. God gave him the grace to heal the crippled man in Lystra
(Acts 14:10) and many people in Ephesus (Acts 19:12) and the demonized girl in Philippi
(Acts 16:18) and Eutychus when he was taken up dead after falling out of a window (Acts
20:9–10). But Paul could not heal himself from the thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:8–9)
or from the ailment that he had when he preached in Galatia (Galatians 4:13–14). And
evidently he could not heal Timothy from his stomach ailments (1 Timothy 5:23) or
Epaphroditus from his life threatening sickness (Philippians 2:26–27) or Trophimus whom
he "left ill at Miletus" (2 Timothy 4:20). Sometimes Paul was given gifts of healings and
sometimes he wasn't. God is sovereign in this affair. Nothing is mechanical or automatic.
So the wording of 1 Corinthians 12:9 as well as Paul's own experience teach us that there
are varied gifts of healings that can be given to us at different times for different illnesses
but no guarantees that because we have received a gift to heal in the past, we will receive
one in any specific case in the future. Verse 11 says it is the Spirit who "apportions the gifts
to each one individually as he pleases." He is sovereign and can give or withhold a gift of
healing whenever he deems best.
3. Rightly to Be Sought
Finally, this implies that we may rightly seek forgifts of healings. This is implied in the
pursuit of love and compassion. Praying for healing is only one way to show love to
someone. But it is one way. And once we realize this, we may be led to seek the gifts. I base
the rightness of this also on 1 Corinthians 14:1. "Make love your aim, and earnestly desire
the spiritual gifts . . . " Once you set your heart to pursue love, you will be in a position to
be zealous for spiritual gifts. Among those spiritual gifts are "gifts of healings." Therefore I
think 1 Corinthians 14:1 urges us to seek this gift. It is subordinate to love. And it is not
among the greater gifts like prophecy. But it is one of the humble lessergifts of God. We
would do well not to reject it or despise it or to exaggerate it. We should simply seek with
all our hearts to do good to each other, and pray humbly that, if God wills, some of you
would be granted gifts of healings for the blessing of the church and the glory of God's
name in the world.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of
Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist
Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring
God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Why I Love the Apostle Paul:
30 Reasons.
The manifestation of gifts of healings is your exercising your God-given spiritual ability to
heal by the power of God, according to what God or the Lord Jesus has revealed to you by
a message of knowledge or a message of wisdom.
Gifts of healings is a manifestation of holy spirit (1 Cor. 12:9), and it occurs when a
Christian, acting on revelation, and by faith, brings the power of God to bear on another
person’s physical, mental, or emotional need and heals him. God does multiple healings,
and each of them is a gift, done out of His grace or mercy, but not every healing is the
manifestation of gifts of healings. Many people are healed on their own with just a band-
aid or some medication, or they may be healed by the grace of God without another person
involved, but that is not “the manifestation” of gifts of healings because the gift of holy
spirit inside another Christian was not employed.
To do a healing or miracle, several manifestations come into action. First, the person needs
a message of knowledge and/or a message of wisdom to know what the situation is and
what to do about it. Second, he needs the manifestation of faith to bring to pass the healing.
Third, he must represent Christ on earth and, via the power of God, bring the healing to
pass as God supplies the energy for it. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said that the holy spirit in a person
would give him power. We must be bold and aggressive in using the power that we have to
help people, and it is not proud or arrogant to do so, especially when the Lord directs us to.
It is important that Christians see the difference between praying for someone and
commanding a healing by revelation. Prayer is very important, and many verses tell us to
pray. However, when it comes to helping God’s people via the manifestation of healing, it is
vital to understand that does not mean praying for someone to be healed. Notice how Jesus
healed:
Matthew 8:2 and 3
(2) A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you
can make me clean.”

(3) Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
Jesus did not pray for God to heal the leper. He knew he had the power of God and he used
it. Listen to what he said: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me…to
proclaim freedom for the prisoners…recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed” (Luke 4:18). The spirit of God upon Jesus was what gave him power. He also
had great faith, and a humble and righteous walk before God. Every Christian has the
spirit of the Lord, and according to what Jesus said in Acts 1:8, each has power.
Peter learned from Jesus. When he was going into the Temple, saw the lame man, and
received revelation that the man had faith to be healed, he said, “…what I have I give you.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). Peter knew he had power, and
he freely gave it, just as he had seenJesus do on so many occasions. Notice that Peter did
not pray. Once he knew the will of God by revelation, he commanded the healing. He did
the same thing to Tabitha, who had died. He prayed for guidance, then turned to the dead
body and commanded, “Tabitha, get up” (Acts 9:40).
Paul is another great example to us, because even though he had not been with Jesus, he
understood the power that he had via the holy spirit within him. When face to face with
Elymas the sorcerer, he commanded, “‘…You are going to be blind, and for a time you will
be unable to see the light of the sun.’ Immediately mist and darkness came over him
[Elymas]…” (Acts 13:11). In Lystra, Paul healed a lame man, saying, “…Stand up on your
feet…” (Acts 14:10), and immediately the man stood up and began walking.
The Word of God was given to us to show us how to live, and when it comes to helping
others and using the power of God, the lessons are clear. We need to increase our faith and
step forth boldly to do what the Lord directs us to do. We realize that although the
presence of holy spirit gives each Christian the spiritual power to do healings and miracles,
there are those who will excel in operating this manifestation. There is a difference between
inherent spiritual ability and how that ability will actually be evidenced in the life of an
individual Christian. Nevertheless, we assert that many more Christians would be doing
healings and miracles if they knew they had the ability and were confident to act on it."
Divine Healing: Another Perspective, Page 1 ~

THE AMC STATEMENT ON DIVINE HEALING
We believe that God heals in accordance with His will. This may occur miraculously,
medically, or naturally. Supernatural healing may occur in response to prayer and in
accordance with God's sovereign will. However, physical healing cannot be claimed solely
on the basis of the atonement. (1 Corinthians 12:28-30)
I. Introduction
This is a study on the divine healing of physical ailments.
There is much perplexity in the body of Messiahon the matter of divine healing as well as
abuse and just plain error. I have therefore chosen to address the subject fairly extensively
in an attempt to throw out the bathwater while saving the baby. It is not the purpose of this
study to cover all aspects of divine healing, but to substantiate the claims in our Statement,
to set divine healing in a biblical perspective, to address some key contemporary issues, and
to deal with many claims and passages of Scripture used erroneously or deceitfully.
This study follows on the heels of a series on the spiritual gifts, which include gifts of
healings - double plural explained below - and will pull together many of the principles and
facts in those studies, mostly in a summary manner, and then some. A thoughtful reading
of those studies, particularly the sections on gifts of healings and apostleship, would be a
good, and in some cases, necessary, foundation for this study. One important point that I've
established and wish to emphasize is that Scripture neither says nor implies that God may
not choose to heal today (Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Page 1, II.J.4), and this will be presumed
throughout this study. The studies on "The Gifts of the Holy Spirit" may be accessedvia
the Study page.
Please note that throughout this study, such words as "sickness" and "illness" are meant to
convey every form of physical malady. Also, it is important to establish a foundation of
understanding the causes and divine purposes for physical malady before we study divine
healing proper; and this we will do.

II. Origin of All Physical Ailments
Without exception, the root cause of all physical malady is the sin of Adam (Genesis 3:16-
19). The judgment for his sin included:
1. physical conditions that cause injury and illness, and
2. death, the doorway to which is injury, illness, or senescence (the aging process, the
gradual deterioration of the body).
III. Immediate Causes of Physical Ailments
A. In All Humanity
1. Genetic or Hormonal
Some maladies are genetic in total, such as, Down syndrome, or genetically based, such as a
propensity for diabetes. Some are hormonally based, such as, hypoglycemia and
hyperthyroidism.
2. Accidents Apart from Sin
Some accidents are simply part of life on a cursed earth: toddlers bump their heads, autos
collide on slippery roads, etc.
3. Attacks by People or Animals
These include assaults, wars, dog bites, and the like.
4. Personal Sins
It is probable that all sins lead to some form of physical degeneration to one degree or
another. This degeneration may begin with an afflicted conscience, which causes the body
to turn against itself in different ways. Some sins have a more obvious effect on the body.
Some well known examples are: sexual promiscuity leading to venereal disease,
intemperate use of alcoholic beverages leading to cirrhosis of the liver, daredevil activities
leading to injuries, or holding a grudge (unforgiveness), which may lead to abdominal
ulcers or high blood pressure.

5. Attacks by Satan
Satan afflicted Job with boils (Job 2:7); caused a woman to be doubled over for eighteen
years (Luke 13:11-16); began the destruction of the Corinthian sinner's body (flesh, 1
Corinthians 5:5); caused the blindness and deafness in the man in Matthew 12:22 and Luke
11:14; and the blindness, deafness and apparent epilepsy in the boy in Mark 9:17-27. It is
important to recognize that all attacks by Satan on believers and unbelievers are permitted
by God for some divine purpose, as with Job (Job 2:7), and as with the armies of the world,
which Satan will gather for bloody battle for the outworking of God's purposes in the
Great Tribulation (Revelation 16:14).
6. Direct Divine Judgment
God may judge by means of illness or an immediate death stroke apart from the agency of
Satan or man as with the plague in the days of David (2 Samuel 24:15).
B. In Believers in Particular
God may afflict His own believing children with physical maladies for the sake of testing,
sanctification, discipline or the securing of their salvation.
1 Corinthians 11:30-32: 30. For this cause [partaking of the Lord's supper unworthily]
many are weak and sickly among you, and many have died.... 32. We are [all] disciplined
by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
At times, God will use Satan in these matters, as in allowing him to afflict Job with boils for
the sake of sanctification (Job 2:2-7, 42:1-6); to afflict Paul with a thorn in the flesh, a
messengerof Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! (2 Corinthians 12:7);
to discipline the Corinthian man (I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the
destruction of his flesh [body], so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus
[1 Corinthians 5:5]), and the same for Hymenaeus and Alexander, that they may learn not
to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20).
IV. Types of Healing

A. Natural
Natural healing refers to the healing of physical maladies by the body's built-in healing
mechanisms, and may include the assistance of medical applications such things as herbs,
medicines, poultices, body casts, therapies and surgeries. For our purposes, the purely
natural and the medical may all be thought of as natural as they are both physical in
nature.
B. Supernatural
A supernatural or miraculous healing is one which involves supernatural intervention in
addition to whatever natural healing processes may be operating.
C. Faked or Imagined
Of course, faked or imagined healings are not healings, at all. Sadly, it has been discovered
that many of the healings of some prominent "healers" have been staged. In addition,
many who come forward for healing imagine that they are healed when they are not, either
because of wishful thinking, or to call attention to themselves, or because they have been
instructed to "confess" their healing when none was in progress (this will be discussed
later), or some other reason. If a healing is claimed but not obvious, it behooves the
observer to require medical verification before believing it.
V. Do Supernatural Healings Occur Today?
Miracles of healing have been reported and attestedto throughout history right up to the
present day. It seems irrational to believe that none are of genuine healing miracles. In my
early years as a believer, I personally observed numerous immediate and undoubted
healings, such as the lengthening of short legs up to three or four inches so that both in the
pair were even. (One fellow had worn a lift in one shoe to eventhe length of his legs. After
prayer, his short leg lengthened, he got rid of the lift in his shoe, and had not worn it again
evenwhen we inquired several weeks later.) At times, I observed such healings from a
distance of mere inches, and many have observed them right along with me. In addition,
others whom I trust have testified that they have seenor performed healings, as well, some
quite dramatic.
VI. Sources of Supernatural Healing

There are only two possible sources: God and the Devil.
A. Divine Healings
Many passages of Scripture show that God has healed, such as:
6. The LORD furthermore said to him, "Now put your hand into your bosom." So he put
his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7.
Then He said, "Put your hand into your bosom again." So he put his hand into his bosom
again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
~ Exodus 4:6-7 ~
Mark 1:34: And He healed many who were ill...
B. Satanic Healings
Scripture shows that Satan is able perform true and astounding miracles, including
healings.
Pharaoh's sorcerers turned wooden staffs into serpents (Exodus 7:10-12), water into blood
(7:20-22), and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt (8:5-7).
The False Prophet of Revelation will give life to the lifeless image of the Antichrist.
(Revelation 13:11-15)
Revelation 13:3 tells us that Satan will resurrect the Antichrist: 3. I saw one of his heads as
if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and
followed after the beast....
Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes, [A]s if it had been slain "does not simply mean apparent death,
for it is also used of Messiahin Revelation 5:6. This is simply an idiom for a resurrected
individual and real death is involved"1.
The results of Antichrist's resurrection show that its source will be Satan: 4. they
worshiped the dragon [Satan] because he gave his authority to the beast; and they
worshiped the beast....
Satan will give life to a lifeless image and raise a dead man back to life. There should be no
doubt that he can heal any physical ailment.

VII. Human Agents of Supernatural Healing
Just as God and Satan can perform healings, evenso both believers and unbelievers can be
agents of supernatural healing.
A. Believers
The Book of Acts is replete with examples of healings performed by believers. Some
examples are: mass healings by the apostles (Acts 5:16; 8:7), and the prophet Ananias'
healing of Saul of Tarsus' blindness (Acts 9:17-18). Also, gifts of healings is differentiated
from the gifts of apostleship and prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:28), indicating that the Lord
intended for some who are not apostles or prophets to be given gifts of healings.
B. Unbelievers
22. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and
in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23. And then I
will declare to them, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE
LAWLESSNESS."
~ Matthew 7:22-23 ~
Note:
a. Did they perform genuine miracles? It is inconceivable that anyone will be able to feign
incredulity before the Lord at the white throne judgment from whose presence earth and
heaven fled away (Revelation 20:11). The incredulity of the "many" must be predicated on
the genuineness of the miracles they will declare.
b. The Lord never knew them; they are unsaved.
c. Yet, their miracles are done in the Name of the Lord.
Luke 11:19: And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?
Some unsaved Pharisees were capable of exorcisms, and some exorcisms result in physical
healings, as those of the blind mute and the boy with epilepsy (Matthew 12:22; Mark 9:17-
27).

Though healings of the body are not specifically mentioned of the many and the Pharisees,
it is almost certain that they are included.
VIII. May Satan Heal Through a Believer?
Three questions are involved: 1. Does he have the means? 2. Does he have a reason? 3.
Would the Lord allow him?
A. Does He Have the Means?
Does Satan have the means to heal through a believer?
1. Satan can enter into a believer, evenfill (control) him. In Ephesians 4:27, Paul exhorts
individual believers, neither give place to the devil. Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes, "The Greek
word for give place means 'give a beachhead.' It is a military term for gaining an area of
control from which a full-scale military attack can be launched"2; and "a beachhead [is]
an area of control, which is in enemy territory"3. In Acts 5:3, we see that Satan filled the
heart of Ananias, a believer.
2. Is Satan able to launch "a full scale military attack" through true believers? Martin
Luther printed pamphlets to incite murderous attacks against Jewish communities; and
indeed, such attacks ensued. It is also a fact of history that Luther's anti-Semitism was an
inspiration for Hitler's "final solution."
The false prophet will give life to a lifeless image, Satan will raise a dead man, he can fill a
believer and launch "a full-scale military attack" through him. Satan's attacks through
Luther, were frontal, but often his attacks are more of an inside job, being internally
subversive, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
There should be no doubt that Satan has the means to heal through a believer.

B. Does He Have a Reason?
In Matthew 4:9, Satan offered to "bless" the Lord with rulership over the kingdoms of the
world if He would but worship him; but he was after a prize: getting the Lord to sin so as
to disqualify Him as the sinless Lamb of God.
Satan's design is to mislead, if possible, eventhe elect (Matthew 24:24). He will "bless" the
believer if permitted to in order to mislead him further or to entrap or cripple him in an
area of greater consequence than the state of his health (See also 1 Corinthians 11:3-15). He
would heal through a believer if it serves his ends.
C. Would the Lord Allow Him?
I have not turned up a passage that is specific to that question. Nevertheless, inasmuch as
the Lord permits him to move through believers in other ways, it is safe to assume that He
would allow him to heal through believers, as well. The believer must therefore do his best
to determine the spirit working through a healer.
IX. Is the Healing Satanic or Divine?
A. Introduction
It stands to reason that the more imbalances that Satan has established in a healer's
personality, such as perverse sexual tendencies, a hunger for power or control or
recognition, or a covetousness for donations; or in a group, such as a spirit of pride in
relation to non-healing groups; or, be it in the healer or the group, serious aberrations in
doctrine or practice, the more likely it is that healings carried out by that healer or group
are energized by demons.
When such problems exist, and yet the true Gospel is upheld and healings are done in the
Name of Jesus, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to determine the source of the healings.
However, Scripture does provide us with tests that will determine, or help us determine, if
a healing is energized by God or Satan.
B. Biblical Tests

If there is one with a gift of discerning spirits and he is free to function in an unbiased
manner, let him declare the source.
If the appeal for healing is to Satan or a demon or is carried out by means of occult
practices, the source is the Devil.
If the healer or group does not hold to the full divinity and humanity of Jesus (1
Corinthians 12:3; 1 John 4:1-3), or does not believe the Gospel as spelled out in 1
Corinthians 15:1-4, it can be presumed that the healing is of the Devil.
It may similarly be presumed that the healings are of God if all of the following tests are
passed:
The leader or healer truly loves the Lord.
He is of a placid personality, not in undue need of recognition or control, is balanced
sexually, and is free of other serious imbalances.
His appeals for donations are not showcased in his meetings, are not intimidating, unduly
eloquent or drawn out or filled with promises of reward that the Bible does not
substantiate.
The doctrines that he and his group represent are reasonably sound. (The Devil is the
father of lies [John 8:44]; and what better lie for him to support than a perversion of
Scripture?)
One more test: Jesus said, If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then
will his kingdom stand? (Matthew 24:26). This indicates that Satan will not cast out a
demon. Therefore, if a true exorcism is carried out, it is by the Spirit of God; and if that's
the case, it is a good sign that other works of power carried out by that group are also by
the Spirit of God.
I came to Messiahfrom a background of intense occult practices, pantheistic and
polytheistic religions and hallucinogenic drugs. If you have never been there I cannot
convey how far out I got. I can only assure you that for several years after my salvation I
still had intense psychological problems that I can only classify as demonic. During those
years I underwent perhaps three successful exorcisms, and clearly remember that after
each one I experienced two things: first, for several days I felt that something was missing;
and second, I experienced significant and permanent relief. I can only conclude that the
something that I felt was missing was a demon, and that the expulsion of the demon is what
brought the relief.

I have said repeatedly throughout my studies that testimony must never be used to
determine doctrine, and I am not using it for that purpose. I have already established two
relevant doctrines by Scripture: first, that no Scripture indicates that God will not or may
not choose to perform exorcisms or healing miracles in this day and age; and second, that
Satan will not cast out Satan. My testimony is that demons were cast out of me. I must
therefore conclude that it was God who cast the demons out and that He does operate in
the realm of true exorcism today; and if He moves in the realm of true exorcism through a
person or group, then there is no reason to doubt that if that individual or group also
moves in the realm of physical healings, it is God who is energizing those healings.
If one applies the above tests in any given healing situation and is still not sure of the
source, it would behoove him to do three things:
1. be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19) lest he attribute the work of the Lord to
the Devil;
2. exercise personal caution as regards that healer and group (Ephesians 6:11); and
3. no matter how severe his physical condition, he must be very cautious about submitting
to a healing ministry if Satan may be the moving power.
Finally, let every group and believer recognize that divine healing is a wonderful gift that
the Lord may desire to impart at any time and in any place, and that vigilance should be
exercisedin recognizing opportunities for inviting the Lord to do His wonderful work.
X. Other Perspectives in Divine Healing
There are a number of other perspectives which, if understood, will help to provide a
balanced approach to various aspects of divine healing.
A. Three Major Periods of Healing
"Miracles did not happen at random throughout Scripture
but occurred in three major periods: in the days of Moses
and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, and Christ and the
apostles. There were select miracles outside that scope
of time, but not many. Miracles were given to

authenticate a message, and in each of the above
mentioned periods, God enabled His messengers to
perform unusual miracles to substantiate the new
message they were giving"4.
Each of the three periods that Enns mentioned contained healing miracles that
authenticated the messages of God's select leaders. A fourth such period of miracles will be
the Great Tribulation in which the resurrection of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:11) will
authenticate their message; but only two miracles of divine healing are recorded of that
period: the resurrection of the two witnesses.
God has ordained that the unfurling of His story in history have its mountaintops and
valleys. We are somewhere between the apostolic age and the Great Tribulation (which the
church will not experience). We should not fret, therefore, if we are not among those who
see divine healings, or see them as often as we'd like.
B. Healings by Jesus
Two issues needto be addressed here: the frequency and magnitude of Jesus' healings, and
the matter of faith in regard to His healings.
1. The Frequency and Magnitude of Jesus' Healings
2. Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his
disciples 3. and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone
else?" 4. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see:
5. the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them. 6. "And blessedis
he who does not take offense at Me."
~ Matthew 11:2-6 ~

John, languishing in prison, began to wonder whether Jesus was really the prophesied
Messiah. Jesus assuredhim by summarizing His miracles and the preaching of the Gospel
to the poor.
Plainly, astounding and frequent healings were part of Yeshua's prophesied messianic
credentials (Cf. Psalm 146:8; Isaiah 29:18; 35:5-6; 61:1), the signs of His messiahship (John
2:11, 23; 3:2, etc.). Let us also remember that His Father gave Him the Spirit without
measure (John 3:34). It is unreasonable to expect, on the basis of Messiah's ministry, that
healings of the same magnitude and frequency should be commonplace today.
But what about John 14:12? Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me,
the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to
the Father.
One common explanation of what the greater works will be are healing miracles (and
perhaps other good works) that will be greater in number, but not in power, for it is
impossible to perform works of greater power than resurrections. The body of Messiah,
then, taken as a whole from Pentecost to the Rapture, will do the greater works.
As I see it, there may be one catch to that explanation: He did use the pronoun he, which
refers to the individual believer, and that needs to be dealt with.
Jesus presented the reason for the greater works that he, the individual believer, will do:
because I go to the Father. What is it that His departure to the Father rendered possible?
The permanent indwelling of the Spirit into the heart of every believer; and He spoke
extensively of the coming of the Spirit after His departure in that very discourse (John
14:7-29). It may very well be that the greater works that Jesus said that the individual
believer will do because I go to the Father will be the leading of others to Messiahthat the
Spirit may abide permanently in their hearts, as well.
However, let us suppose that the first explanation is the correct one. We're still left with the
fact that it is impossible for anyone to perform healings of greater magnitude than Jesus,

and that it is unreasonable to expect, on the basis of Messiah's ministry, that healings of the
same magnitude and frequency should be commonplace today.
2. Jesus' Healings and Faith
At times, Jesus required faith of those who came for healings, and at times, He did not.
This fact has given rise to conflicting teachings. Let's examine the matter.
As forerunner of Yeshua, John the Immerser cried out, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand (Matthew 3:2), and Yeshua Himself: Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand (Matthew 4:7).
Jesus came with the offer of establishing the prophesied Messianic Kingdom in that
generation (which we now look forward to as the Millennium) on the condition that Israel
as a nation would receive Him as their Messiah(Matthew 23:37-39; Hosea 5:15). As it
turned out, their leaders rejected His messianic claims by concluding that His power was
not of God, but only of the Devil: This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of
the demons (Matthew 12:24). Jesus consequently rescinded the offer of the kingdom to that
generation, and the purpose of His ministry radically changed. No longer did He minister
to demonstrate His messiahship, but to prepare His apostles for ministry in the now
necessary Church Age. Before His rejection, faith was not required of those coming to be
healed as healings were an essential element in His messianic credentials (e.g., Matthew
8:14-17; 12:9-13). After His rejection, faith was required (e.g., Matthew 9:27-30; John 9:1-
7). Even corpses did not get away cold. (Very punny!) Jesus required belief of Martha for
the resurrection of her brother Lazarus (John 11:21-27, 39-44). (For more on the Kingdom
and the ramifications of Jesus' rejection, the author recommends Dr. Fruchtenbaum's mbs
003: The Basis of the Second Coming of Messiah, and Israelology: The Missing Link in
Systematic Theology and The Footsteps of the Messiah, all available at www.ariel.org.)
Two points:
1. To summarize, Jesus did not require faith before His rejection, but did after His
rejection.
2. One should not assume that faith is required in post-Pentecost healings because Jesus
required it after His rejection. Different age, different ball game. Faith requirements in this
day and age will be examined.

C. Healings by the Apostles
Yeshua had His signs and the apostles had theirs. 2 Corinthians 12:12: The signs of a true
apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and
miracles. Also, Matthew 16:16, 20.
Acts 2:43: Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking
place through the apostles.
The age of the apostles is long gone (The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Page 3, J.1.), and no one
should expect the frequency or magnitude of the great miracles and mass healings that
were given to the apostles as signs (e.g., Acts 9:36-43; 19:11-12; 20:9-12).
D. Healing Via Gifts of Healings
All apostles had gifts of healings. Some other believers are given gifts of healings, as well.
1. Not All Have Gifts of Healings
Each one has received a gift (1 Peter 4:10), and that statement necessarily includes brand
new believers, showing that gifts are given at the moment of salvation; and no passage
shows that gifts are given to individuals subsequent to that moment. Also no one has all the
gifts, nor is any single gift given to everyone (1 Corinthians 12:12-25).
When Paul exhorted, But earnestly desire the greater gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31), he was
exhorting the local body as a unit, not the individuals in it (1 Corinthians 1:1-2). Paul's
statement was in the context of 1 Corinthians 12:28, which speaks of greater and lesser
gifts. If the Corinthian church was lacking in the ministry of the greater gifts, they were to
draw out such ministry from those so gifted among them, or invite such ministry from
elsewhere in the body.

The point is that no one should strive for gifts of healings if he or she does not have it, nor
should they be taught that they can acquire it.
2. Not Always Operative in the Gift Holder
"The word healings is plural because there are various classes of sicknesses," and"gifts is
also plural.... In the Greek, plural often emphasizes repeated action. The statement gifts of
healings shows that whereas with the other gifts, once one had them, it stayed with him and
could be used at any time, in the case of the gifts of healings.... it is a gift that comes and
goes"5. Not eventhe apostle Paul could always heal, whether it be himself or others (2
Corinthians 12:7-9; 1 Timothy 5:32; 2 Timothy 4:20).
Since the gift comes and goes in those endowed with it, one should expect gaps, perhaps
evenlarge gaps, in the healing ability of those so gifted.
3. Not Necessarily Meant to Operate in Every Congregation
Ephesians 4 states that the spiritual gifts are given to the building up of the body of Christ
(Ephesians 4:12), referring to the entire body as a unit from Pentecost to the Rapture. This
means that it may not be God's will for every congregation to have all of the gifts, and all
other passages on the gifts are consistent with this. It is therefore not necessarily true, as is
so often taught in healing circles, that those congregations that do not operate in the power
gifts are missing out, or are less spiritual than "we are;" nor is it true, as is also taught, that
we should turn away from them because they have a form of godliness, but are denying the
power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). To teach a turning away from such congregations of true
believers is to teach division: God has simply not chosen to embed the power gifts among
them. Furthermore, 2 Timothy 3:5 is not even talking about true believers, but counterfeit
believers - unbelievers - evenas Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses... men of
depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith (verse 8).
E. Healings in the Hierarchy of Spiritual Gifts
In 1 Corinthians 12:28, Paul lists eight gifts in descending order of importance: And God
has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles,
then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.

Of the gifts that God may give today, prophecy and teaching are of greater importance
than miracles and healings. True prophecy is a rarity at best, and teaching and study of the
Word are greatly emphasized in the New Testament (e.g., 1 Timothy 1:3, 5; 4:11; 6:2, 17).
Good, solid teaching is to be sought out more than healings.
XI. Other Means of Divine Healing
Some of the following may be applied in combination or in sequence.
A. The Sick Person's Own Prayers
In Isaiah 38:1-5, Hezekiah became mortally ill; but he prayed, and the LORD added fifteen
years to his life.
B. The Prayers of Believers in General
Even those without gifts of healings may pray successfully for healings, either for
themselves or for others, and they need not even be in the presence of the sick person.
1 John 5:14: This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us.
Note the condition: if we ask anything according to His will.
C. Fasting and Prayer
According to Matthew 17:21 (NASB), Jesus said of the demon that caused epilepsy in the
boy, But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Mark 9:29 (NASB) reads,
This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.

Various translations, including the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible and Young's
Literal Translation contain and fasting at the end of Mark 9:29. However, various
commentators say that and fasting is not found in the two best manuscripts. Furthermore,
many commentators say that Matthew 17:21 is not found in the two best manuscripts, and
at least one says that it was added because of Mark 9:29.
What are we to make of this? Though and fasting is, at best, questionable, no one doubts
that the best manuscripts contain, This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer. So,
according to our Lord, prayer is required for the casting out of at least the demon that
causes epilepsy. In addition, although and fasting may not have been spoken by the Lord in
this instance, fasting may still be employed for effective prayer for healing as fasting
focuses the mind on praying. Psalm 35:13: But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing
was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my
bosom.
D. Repentance
If an illness is caused by a sin, such as an ulcer caused by unforgiveness, then repentance
may bring healing. In some cases, it won't, as when a daredevil activity (prompted by pride
or abandon) causes a paraplegic condition.
If a sin brings about the indwelling of a demon and the demon causes an illness, then the
demon must be expelled in order for healing to take place. Whether repentance alone will
suffice for the expulsion or whether exorcism is necessitated, repentance must precede the
expulsion.
E. "The Prayer of Faith"
The nature of the prayer offered in faith is often misunderstood. Before examining the
passage, let us remember that believers may become sick evenunto death by taking the
Lord's supper in an unworthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:30-32), and that Paul committed
the sinning and impenitent Corinthian man and Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan for
the destruction of their bodies (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:20).

15. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are
to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 16. and the prayer
offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he
has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 17. Therefore, confess your sins to one
another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a
righteous man can accomplish much.
~ James 5:14-17 ~
The passage says that when the prayer of faith for healing is prayed over a person his sins
will be forgiven. Forgiveness of sin on the basis of coming for prayer for healing? Good
deal! What syphilitic adulterer wouldn't come for healing and forgiveness so he can
commit adultery again all fresh as a daisy? No, the passage is not teaching forgiveness on
the basis of coming for prayer for healing. Scripture plainly teaches that the condition for
forgiveness is always and only true repentance, which is necessarily preceded by confession
(agreeing with God in contrition of heart), whether inward or oral: 1 John 1:9: If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness.
Now, verse 17 says, Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another
so that you may be healed, indicating that confession of sin must precede the prayer of
faith. Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes, "The word sins is used to show repeated action."6 The
prayer of faith, then, is prayer by the elders for the healing of an ailment brought about by
repeated sin. Albert Barnes writes, "The case supposed all along here (see Jam. 5:15) is,
that the sickness referred to had been brought upon the patient for his sins, apparently as a
punishment for some particular transgressions"7; and John Gill: "... the sense is, if he has
been guilty of any sins, which God in particular has taken notice of, and on account of
which he has laid his chastising hand upon him...."8 Without a doubt the prayer of faith
includes the healing of one that the eldership had committed to Satan (he must call for the
elders of the church, showing humility before the ones who committed him), and may also
include the healing of others whose sickness had been brought on by sin.
So the necessary progression in the prayer of faith is this: repeated sins, sickness,
confession, forgiveness, prayer of faith, healing. The prayer of faith applied under the right
circumstances will always bring healing. Verse 16: the prayer offered in faith will restore
the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.

F. Apart From Human Intervention
It is implied in Job 42:10,12 that God healed Job of his boils (2:7) apart from prayers for
healing from anyone, including Job himself. Also, Matthew 27:52-53.
Divine Healing is continued on Page 2
Divine Healing: Another Perspective, Page 2 ~
XII. Why God May Withhold a Healing
There are various reasons why God may withhold a healing from evenHis most dedicated
and devoted of children no matter how fervent their prayers and mature their walk.
A. Lack of Repentance
We have seentwo situations in which God authorizes the judgment of illness for sin:
1. partaking of the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:30-32); and
2. the delivery of impenitent and seriously sinning believers unto Satan for the destruction
of their bodies (1 Corinthians 5:3-5; 1 Timothy 1:20).
Inasmuch as illness is the judgment of God in these cases, He will certainly not effect divine
healing before repentance; and no amount of praying for, commanding, claiming or
confessing a healing will suffice. Where physical malady is the direct, natural result of sin
apart from the intervention of God, such as venereal disease contracted during fornication,
or injury sustained as a result of picking a fight, it is unlikely that God will effect divine
healing before repentance in such cases, as well.
B. Sanctification Apart From Known Sin

In Job 1:8 and 2:3, God declared Job to be a righteous and upright man: Have you
considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and
upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. And Job demanded of God: Have I
sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? (7:20). From Job's perspective, if he
was taken in any sin, he did not know it. Nevertheless, despite God's and Job's assessments,
God allowed Satan to afflict him with boils (2:7), and left him in that condition until he
learned to trust Him (Job 38-42, esp. 42:1-6).
God deals with all of His children in a similar manner whether it be for sin known or
unknown to them: 6. For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every
son whom He receives.... 10. but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His
holiness. 11. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to
those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
When God chastens for sanctification, whether it be by means of illness or otherwise, He
will not relent until the job is done.
C. Prevention of Sin
Paul prayed three times for the Lord to remove his thorn in the flesh; yet God refused to
heal him in order to keephim humble - lest he be exalted above measure due to the
abundance of the revelations - for the rest of his life (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
D. Wrong Motive in Seeking Healing
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.... (James 4:3).
One may seek a healing in order to be in the limelight, or to write a book about it and get
rich and famous, or some other impure motive. One may request a healing to make a fool
of the healer or to prove that God does not heal. God will not prove Himself with a healing
in the face of such attitudes (Mark 8:11-12; Luke 11:16), just as Jesus did not yield to the
temptation to prove His power as the Son of God when Satan tempted Him (Matthew
4:3,6), for God cannot be tempted by evil (James 1:13). Whether the wrong motive is
carried by the sick person or one praying for the healing of the sick person, God will not
honor impure motives. If a healing does come, it will not be from God.

E. To Promote Character and Witness
At times, God chooses not to heal so that he may forge character in the fire of adversity.
3. but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about
perseverance; 4. and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5. and
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
~ Romans 5:3-5 ~
In 1967, Joni Eareckson-Tada broke her neck in a diving accident and became a
quadriplegic. She pled for God to heal her, but He did not. Once she accepted her
condition, God began to use her mightily to testify of His ability to bring great, overcoming
spiritual victory irregardless of one's handicap or other debilitating situation. At the time
of this writing, Joni has a many-faceted worldwide ministry to both saved and unsaved, to
the glory of God.
F. God's Future Glorification Through Healing
In John 9:1-11, we read of a man who was born blind and remained blind until manhood
so that the works of God might be displayed in him in the Lord's good and perfect time -
and the Lord's good and perfect time was not until the man attained adulthood. Similarly,
in John 11:4, Jesus said of Lazarus' sickness unto death, This sickness is not to end in
death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it; and He
allowed Lazarus to remain dead four days (verse 39) before He resurrected him (vv. 43-44).
In each case, the Lord allowed sickness to remain until the preordained perfect moment for
His glorification through healing had arrived. In the first case, the healing of the man born
blind fulfilled a rabbinic sign of messiahship. In the second, it was to again demonstrate His
messiahship through the stunning resurrection of Lazarus one day later than the rabbis
thought it possible: They believed that the spirit of a deceasedperson hovers over his
corpse for three days, and then departs; and after the departure, resurrection was no
longer possible. In both instances, Jesus delayed healing until the perfect moment had
arrived to demonstrate His messiahship.

In view of these things, if the Lord has chosen a future moment for healing unto His
glorification, it is unthinkable that He would answer prayers for healing until that moment.
G. Time to Die
Barring instant death from a severe blow to the body from within or without, there is
always a transitional stage of declining health before death. If the Lord chooses for
someone to die by means of declining health, who can guarantee that He will stay His hand
by means of divine healing? God added fifteen years to Hezekiah's life as a result of his
prayer (Isaiah 38:1-5), but who can deny that this was an exceptional case? Furthermore,
Hezekiah ended up dying after all. Who can claim that we have a right to be healed because
we are God's children or for any other reason when God has ordained, it is appointed for
men to die (Hebrew 9:27)? And who can claim healing because of some presumed right to
longevity? God evenchooses when babies die. 2 Samuel 12:15,18: Then the LORD struck
the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was very sick.... 18. Then it happened
on the seventh day that the child died.
It has been taught that by healthy living, prayer and faith we can live as long as Moses and
maintain the level of health that he had right up to his death: Although Moses was one
hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated
(Deuteronomy 34:7). In the same vein it has been taught that if our health and longevity do
not match that of Moses', we are being "ripped off." Well, that touches home, as I typed it
with my glasses on, and I'm fifty-five years shy of one hundred and twenty!
What did Moses have to say about all of this - before he died, of course! As for the days of
our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years (Psalm 90:10). Who
wrote Psalm 90? Moses!
So how did he remain so healthy until he died? It's possible that God actively sustained
Moses' vitality to uphold His chosen senior citizen as he confronted Pharaoh, schlepped
through deserts, dealt with rebellions, battled enemy nations and put up with millions of
stiff-necked Israelites from age 80 to 120. Whatever the case, Moses saidseventy years was
the norm, and that's what we need to go with - though this Norm hopes to live well beyond
seventy for maximum service to the Lord!

There is no justification for taking what God did for one person, whether it be Hezekiah or
Moses orany other person, and then claim it as a standard for all - unless Scripture
declares it as a standard; and in the cases of Hezekiah and Moses, it does not.
H. It's a Secret
Deuteronomy 29:29: The secret things belong to the LORD our God...
If, after pondering God's word on divine healing, we are still puzzled as to why He will not
bless us or another with a healing, we must simply be content to know that there are some
things that God has chosen to not reveal to us.
I. Summary
God may choose to withhold a healing:
to bring about repentance unto sanctification from sin that is known or unknown to us;
for the prevention of sin;
because of wrong motivation;
to promote character and witness;
for His future glorification through healing;
because it is time for the sick person to die;
for reasons known only to Him.
It is important to remember that, with God, spiritual concerns always trump physical
concerns. Indeed, as we have seen, God may evencause ill health for the accomplishment of
spiritual purposes, and no amount of praying for divine healing will suffice until God has
completed His work.
XIII. "We Believe That God Heals in Accordance With His Will"

Having established the facts that God does heal today and that He also withholds healings
for various reasons, we need not belabor the point. God does heal, but only if it's according
to His will, which will always be in accordance with the outworking of His divine purposes.
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us (1 John 5:14).
Note again the condition: according to His will. If we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us.
XIV. "However, Physical Healing Cannot Be Claimed Solely on the Basis of the
Atonement"
In the Hebrew Scriptures, 'atonement' refers to the covering of the sins of Old Testament
saints pending removal by the vicarious sacrifice of the coming Messiah. Relative to the
work of the cross, 'atonement' may be defined as the totality of what Jesus accomplished by
means of His sacrifice.
The sacrificial work of Messiahon the cross laid the foundation for every redemptive
objective: the reconciliation of the world to God, the forgiveness of sins, the glorification of
the bodies of the saints in Christ at the Rapture, the salvation of all Israel (every living
Israelite at a given point in the future, per Romans 11:26, etc.), the establishment of the
Messianic (Millennial) Kingdom, the creation of the new heavens and earth, and more.
Three things should be noticed about such events:
1. Though the foundation for all of them was laid at Calvary, it is plain that not all of them
are "facts on the ground" eventoday, two thousand years later. Some are clearly First
Coming events, and the others, Second.
2. None of these events took place before the cross.

3. Each event takes place either instantly or in a very short period of time. The
reconciliation of the world to God occurred when Jesus' sufferings were completed (2
Corinthians 5:19); the forgiveness of sins for the believing individual takes place in an
instant (Ephesians 1:7); the salvation of all Israel will take place within a day (Zechariah
13:1); the establishment of the Kingdom will occur very shortly after the Lord returns; and
so on.
The question at hand is: Did the atonement provide for the perfect healing of all physical
ailments of God's children in this day and age between the two Comings, or must such
healing await Second Coming fulfillment? Let us examine the matter according to the
above three points.
1. Perfect health is not a "facts on the ground" condition of all of God's children today; and
in light of all that can bring malady to one degree or another - from genetics to accident to
infection to sanctification to judgment to senescence (the ageing process) - it is a virtual
impossibility that evenone individual can ever attain, much less sustain, perfect health in
these mortal bodies. Even righteous, dedicated, filled-with-the-Spirit, filled-with-faith Paul
needed to endure his thorn in the flesh until he died. And is it possible for anyone to avoid
or pray his way out of the disease of senescence? Does not senescence bear all the symptoms
of an incurable and progressively degenerative, debilitating and universally fatal disease?
2. Unlike the redemptive events for which the atonement laid the foundation, divine
healings took place before the cross, even before Yeshua was born (Judges 13:2-4; 1 Kings
13:4-6; 1 Kings 17:17-24, etc.). Therefore, divine healings that occur today provide no
proof that all are entitled to divine healing today on the basis of the atonement.
3. Scripture does not promise perfect health for those in Christ (saints from Pentecost to
the Rapture) before their resurrection or Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:42-58; 1 Thessalonians
4:16-18); and for all other saints, before their resurrections, each in his own order (1
Corinthians 15:23); and the Rapture and all of these resurrections are yet future.
At our resurrection or Rapture, our healing will take place in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52). In the 1 Corinthians 15 passage, Paul considers it a given that

our bodies are now perishable (subject to decay, destructable by bacterial infection), in a
state of weakness (Strong's: feebleness [of body or mind]; by implication malady; moral
frailty: - disease, infirmity, sickness, weakness) and mortal (subject to death). In the same
passage, he tells us that, at the Rapture, that which is now perishable, weak and mortal will
be transformed into that which is imperishable, powerful and immortal - and not before.
To sum up, we can neither attain perfect health in these mortal bodies nor pray down
divine healing for every fly bite, nail fungus, broken bone, cold and cancer. Divine healing
is simply not a First Coming "facts on the ground" Bible promise or atonement event. God
heals according to His will, and only He knows all the factors involved in any given case.
XV. Faith and Divine Healing
God may choose to heal at any time on His own initiative (e.g., Job 2:7 with 42:10,12;
Matthew 27:52-53); yet, in Scripture, faith is often mentioned as a factor in divine healing.
To review a key matter:
1. Jesus did not require faith as He healed to display His messianic credentials,
2. He did require faith after Israel rejected Him as Messiah, and
3. His policies regarding faith have no bearing on faith requirements today because a new
age or dispensation was born with the advent of the Church Age on the day of Pentecost,
and the new dispensation ushered in a new package of requirements and privileges.
We will first examine the nature of faith, and then bring out the key points of what
Scripture has to say in the matter of faith in relation to healing in our Church Age.
A. The Nature of Faith
1. True Faith
Hebrews 11:1 declares, Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things not seen. Faith is an assurance, a conviction, not of things that are seen, but that are
hoped for, not seen.

Verse 3 implies what faith must be based on: By faith we understand that the worlds were
prepared by the word of God.
How were they to understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God? Well,
those Hebrews had the Bible, which informed them. Genesis 1:3. Then God said, "Let there
be light".... 6. Then God said, "Let there be an expanse.... 9. Then God said, "Let the
waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear". The
faith by which they understood that the worlds were prepared by the word of God was
based on the written Word of God.
Let's consider a different case.
8. At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother's
womb, who had never walked. 9. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he
had fixed his gaze on him and had seenthat he had faith to be made well, 10. said with a
loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he leaped up and began to walk.
~ Acts 14:8-10 ~
In this case there was no written word, and we don't evenknow if Paul mentioned divine
healing; but we do know that the man almost certainly heard Paul preaching the Gospel
(verses 6,7) and, as a result, had faith to be made well, and he was.
Here's the point: So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Romans
10:17). True faith is based on a word from God, whether written or heard or implanted in
the heart some other way.
2. True Faith vs. Imagined Faith
True faith is never conjured faith. It is never a personal hope that is not based on a word
from God. Nor is it ever faith in faith itself. Faith in faith is dream stuff. Faith in faith is
not faith that is based on a word from God, but on faith itself, and is not true faith at all.

Faith in faith is an exercise in circular reasoning that circumvents the necessity of a word
from God. It is imagined faith; and imagined faith for divine healing has no more power to
move God to heal than an imagined automobile has power to transport. Faith in God's
ability to heal is always valid, but that is no guarantee that He will heal at any given
moment. Faith in God's written promise to heal the one who, under the right circumstances
and in the right spirit, is the subject of the prayer of faith, is valid faith because God
promised the healing (James 5:16). Faith that God will heal where He has not promised it
in His written Word or in the heart is invalid faith. If one has faith that God will heal, and
He does not heal, then that faith was not faith at all, but imagined faith.
This writer vividly remembers a godly pastor whose body was riddled with cancer publicly,
vigorously and repeatedly shaking his afflicted leg at the instruction of a visiting "healer"
to exercise his faith to bring about his healing. He walked out of the room on crutches as
painfully afflicted as when he entered, and died of cancer shortly after that. Sadly, the
pastor did not possess true faith for the healing, nor did the healer have a gift of healing for
the pastor.
3. Confessing or Claiming a Healing
Akin to faith in faith or the drumming up of imagined faith is the matter of confessing or
claiming one's healing. Often at healing meetings the one prayed for is told to confess or
claim his healing eventhough none is apparent. There is no passage of Scripture that
promotes this. If true faith is present, then any positive statement concerning the hoped for
healing will be an overflow of what's already in the heart, for out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:24). If true faith is not present, then confessing or
claiming one's healing is empty human effort, and will produce no result. Furthermore,
claiming anything of God in a demanding way, as is often done, is the epitome of
arrogance.
Confessing or claiming one's healing is often promoted on the basis of Romans 4:17: God...
calls into being that which does not exist. Well, if we were God it would work; but for us
mere mortals, our confession needs to be based on a truth or promise or assurance from
God, just as Abraham's faith to be a father of many nations was based on a promise from
God, as shown in the same passage. Here's the full verse: as it is written, "A FATHER OF
MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU" in the presence of Him whom he believed, even
God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

God made a promise to Abraham, and Abraham believed God who gives life to the dead
and calls into being that which does not exist. It was not Abraham who was to call into
being that which does not exist, but God. Scriptures need to be read carefully and taught
faithfully!
I am compelled to repeat: There is no promise or formula in the Scriptures that guarantees
divine healing for church saints except in the case of the prayer of faith properly carried
out under the right circumstances.
B. True Faith and Divine Healing
Two classes of cases will be examined here, and deductions will be made.
1. Acts 28:8: the father of Publius lay sick of fever and dysentery: unto whom Paul entered
in, and prayed, and laying his hands on him healed him.
There is no indication that Publius' father exercised faith. What is recorded is that Paul
simply walked in and healed him. Similar examples may be found in Peter and John's
healing of the lame man at the gate Beautiful (Acts 3:1-7); Peter's healing of bed-ridden
Aeneas (Acts 9:32-34); Peter's resurrection of Tabitha (9:36-40); and Paul's resurrection of
Eutychus (Acts 20:9-12). From these examples we see that if one with gifts of healings has a
healing gift for someone at a particular time, then faith is not required of the sick person:
the healer can heal at will.
2. In the case of the man at Lystra (Acts 14:8-10), Paul saw that he had faith to be made
well, so he prayed for him, and he was healed. From this we can deduce that, if one has the
faith to be healed, we should pray for him, but always deferring to one with the gift of
healing if such a one is present.
XVI. Other Key Misuses of Scripture
There are passages of Scripture that are used erroneously or deceptively in the realm of
divine healing whose claims we have not addressed. We will examine three of the most
common.

1. Isaiah 53:5: But 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.
It is commonly said that we can claim our healing now on the basis of the phrase, with his
stripes we are healed.
Without a doubt, the word for healed, rapha, is used of physical healing in Exodus 15:26,
21:19, Leviticus 13:18, and other places. Yet, as regards its use in Isaiah 53:5: In
consideration of immediate and broad contexts, the use of parallelism in Hebrew poetry
(the immediate repetition of a brief declaration in different ways), the fact that the
overwhelming emphasis in Scripture in regards to the atonement is on spiritual healing,
and the fact that rapha is used elsewhere metaphorically of spiritual healing (e.g., Ezekiel
34:4 and Zechariah 11:16), a powerful case stands for the metaphorical use of rapha in
Isaiah 53:5 for spiritual healing. Yet, evenif one holds that it is physical healing that it
refers to, it still cannot be used to claim divine healing in this day and age for reasons
already discussed.
2. Galatians 3:13: Messiahredeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse
for us--for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE."
Though the verse plainly speaks of the curse of the Law of Moses, which the Galatians were
being wooed to come under, the curse in the passage is often taken to refer to every form of
affliction from the time of the Fall, which includes illness. Well, if we are to use this verse
for healing on demand, we may as well stand in our yards and command the weeds to
leave, throw away our deodorants for we will sweat no longer, and make no preparation or
adjustmentin our lives for death for we shall not die, for weeds, sweat and death are all
part of the Adamic curse!
The fact is, the physical aspects of the curse are still in effect evenfor God's people, and
there will still be elements of the curse in the Millennium, including the death of those
believers who are in their natural bodies (Isaiah 65:20). It is only in the New Jerusalem in
the Heavenly Ages that Scripture says there shall be no more curse (Revelation 22:3). But
for now, in regards to perfect health or healing on demand, Paul describes the situation as
it plainly is:

22. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together
until now. 23. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit,
evenwe ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the
redemption of our body.
~ Romans 8:22-23 ~
(The redemption of our body refers to the glorification of our bodies at the Rapture, for
which we now groan.)
3. Mark 16:17-18. 17. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name
they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18. they will pick up serpents,
and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick,
and they will recover.
The passage is often taken to mean that all believers should have the ability to lay hands on
the sick, and they will recover.
Let us note two things:
1. It is commonly agreed that the authenticity of verses 9-20 is in question as they are not
found in the oldest and best manuscripts. What Dr. Charles Ryrie says is representative:
"These verses do not appear in two of the most trustworthy manuscripts of the N.T. ... The
doubtful genuineness of verses 9-20 makes it unwise to build a doctrine or base an
experience on them (especially vv. 16-18)."9
2. No single spiritual gift is given to everyone (1 Corinthians 12:11-25), But one and the
same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills
(verse 11). Therefore, evenif the passage does belong in Mark, it cannot mean that all will
be given the ability to lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. It must mean that within
the body there will be some who will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
XVII. Parade of Errors and Deceptions
Length restrictions limit the types and numbers of scriptures that can be answered here,
and there are many. Suffice it to say that, if they do not line up with clear teachings on

divine healing in this day and age, they are misunderstood or misused in some way. They
are used out of context, or misunderstood due to lack of understanding of the culture, or
because of a logical fallacy, or for some other reason.
The passage may apply to an individual, and to no one else, as does the passage on Moses'
health and longevity, yet is upheld as a standard for all. It may be addressed to Israel, and
apply to no individual or other group, yet is applied to the church or everyone in the
church. It may be used out of time and/or people context, or understood literally when it
should be understood figuratively, all of which have been done with Jeremiah 30:17: I will
restore health to you, which is in reference to Israel's national health on the basis of her
future national salvation, and has absolutely no bearing on physical health for Christians.
(The chapter speaks of restoring Israel to the Land, freedom from attack and captivity, and
the rebuilding of the Land. If such a passage can be quoted for healing on demand, then
one can with equal validity quote, Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters
of Zion with scabs, And the LORD will lay bare their secret parts [Isaiah 3:17] to prove
that God wants Christian women to have scabs on their heads and their private parts
exposed.) It may be reading healing on demand into a statement when it is simply not
there, as has been done with James 1:17: Every good thing given and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or
shifting shadow, and with Hebrews 13:8: Jesus the Messiahis the same yesterday and
today and forever. It may be the salutation of a letter, as 3 John 1:2: Beloved, I pray that in
all respects you [Gaius] may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers, or a
letter's complimentary closing, as 1 Thessalonians 5:23: may your spirit and soul and body
be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus the Christ, which do
not indicate God's will for the present, but are prayers for the readers' or hearers' well
being cordially expressedin a letter.
I have seenthese and dozens of misused scriptures like them listed online and in books
thrown out at readers en masse. No doubt, some compilers of such lists are well-
intentioned, but are novices in biblical understanding; but in other cases, I cannot help but
believe that passages are chosen despite knowledge of their limited meanings, the
philosophy being, "Anything that may give the impression of saying what I want it to say
will do." This is willful deception, pulling the wool over the readers' eyes, intentionally
handling the word of God deceitfully (2 Corinthians 4:2). Let the reader beware and be
discerning: But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good (1
Thessalonians 5:21).

There are more ways to misunderstand or deceive than have been noted; but just as one
studies a genuine dollar bill in order to recognize the counterfeit, so let the reader learn
what Scripture says on divine healing in order to recognize error. A good course in
hermeneutics, the science of interpreting the Scriptures, would come in mighty handy in
the matter of divine healing and in many other areas of biblical study. A free-of-charge
online course by Dr. David Cooper is recommended below.
XVIII. A Nice Clean Baby
I introduced this study as an attempt to save the 'baby' of divine healing while throwing
out the 'bathwater' of error and misuse that often accompanies it. The latter half of this
study was necessarily weighted toward the latter, and I do not want to leave the reader
with a dirty bathwater taste in his mouth. I must therefore conclude with two notes of
encouragement:
1. God does bring miraculous healing today, and many churches need to be far more
aggressive in pursuing it than they are, especially since there may be some in their midst
with gifts of healings; and
2. God, in His wisdom, heals, but only where and when He knows that it's best. That
knowledge ought to bless us with the security of being in the arms of One much wiser than
we: The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms
(Deuteronomy 33:27). Therefore, whether the Lord responds to our supplications for
healing or not, let us 16. Rejoice always; 17. pray without ceasing; 18. in everything give
thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Shalom.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit (The Spiritual Gifts): Page 1

Divine Healing: Page 1
The Filling of the Holy Spirit
Footnotes and Recommended Reading
Footnotes
1. Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, pdf, p. 275.
2. Fruchtenbaum, mbs 019: The Darkness of Demonism, pdf, p. 21.
3. Fruchtenbaum, mbs 077: Satanology: The Doctrine of Satan, pdf, p. 31.
4. Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), p. 271-272.
5. Fruchtenbaum, mbs 071: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, pdf, p. 20.
6. Fruchtenbaum, mbs 128: The Book of James, pdf, p. 43.
7. Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (download from www.e-sword.net).
8. John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (download from www.e-sword.net).
9. Dr. Charles Ryrie, Ryrie Study Bible (Moody Press, Chicago, 1978).
THE GIFTS OF HEALINGS
HIS GLORY REIGNS
B. Childress
May 25 2007 08:00AM

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant...Now there are
diversities of gifts, but the same
Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, And there are
diversities of operations, but it is
the same God which worketh all in all. 1Corinthians 12:1-6
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given
by the Spirit the word of
wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the
same Spirit; to another the gifts
of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles: 1Corinthians 12:7-10
And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
after that miracles, then
gifts of healings...1 Corinthians 12:28
The gifts of the Holy Spirit (or manifestations as identified by Paul) are manifested through
individual believers as the
Spirit of God wills. Spiritual gifts are not given to the individual for personal benefit, but
to 'profit' a whole assembly or
body of believers. When the gifts of the Spirit are in manifestation, they will always exalt
the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
TRY THE SPIRITS: Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseththat
Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is of God: And Every spirit that confessethnot that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that
spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that should come... 1 John 4:2-3

First Corinthians 12:3 states, Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by
the Spirit of God calleth
Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost
(when the Spirit is in
manifestation).
The Gifts of Healings
The gifts of healings are manifested for the supernatural healing of sickness and disease
without any natural
source or means: it is a gift of the Spirit to minister healing to another.
Through the ministry of gifts of healings, the Lord endows His servants with special gifts to
pray for specific
diseases and ailments. (LS p. 104)
Gifts of healings is the only gift out of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that is in plural form
(except tongues), but it
is also the only gift that is actually limited because of the "anointing." Jesus, "..healed all
manner of sickness
and all manner of disease." Mathew 4:23, in his earthly ministry. He also healed people
with unclean spirits.
Why? Because Jesus had the fullness of the Holy Spirit without measure (his physical body
was immortal and
could accommodate the fullness of God's power) so that all gifts of healings were manifest
in his earthly ministry.
The Body of Christ has the same measure of the (Holy) Spirit collectively as Jesus had
individually (John 3:34).

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