Question 36: What are we to expect as to divine healing? M. T. C.
Answer: “As for God His way is perfect” (Psa. 18:30).
God’s power and love and wisdom are perfect. He can make no mistakes.
There is nothing too small or too great to bring to the Lord; there is nothing but what His power can accomplish for us if He sees it is for our good. This ought to work in us full submission to His will, enabling us to trust Him where we do not understand what He is doing with us.
Miracles are called “the powers of the world to come” (Heb. 6:5). When the Lord comes in glory with His saints, then He will use that power to set right His ruined Kingdom. The same power He will use to change our bodies when He comes for His saints (Phil. 3:21).
We often see the Lord’s hand working for the good of His people now, in care and protection and healing, but without any seeming miracle.
If we saw any one working miracles, (Mark 9:38-40) we can leave them to the Lord as His servants; to Him they stand or fall. The Lord can do as He pleases, it is for us to seek the path of obedience. The Scriptures you refer to do not lead us to think that every believer can work miracles; or to think that no believer should be sick. 1 Corinthians 12, refers to spiritual manifestations, but does not say that these gifts were to continue; whereas Ephesians 4:11-13 distinctly tells us what gifts will continue till the body of Christ is completed; no sign gifts are mentioned to continue.
The Corinthians had these sign gifts, but their behavior was such the Apostle had to reprove them; they were “babes” and “carnal,” no marks of spirituality about them, but the opposite. In Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and others, higher teaching is given, showing a better state.
2 Corinthians 12:7; tells of something the Lord sent to Paul to keep him humble. It was needed, so it was not removed, but Paul gloried in the power of Christ resting on him through it.
Philippians 2:25-30. Epaphroditus was sick nigh unto death in the Lord’s service, and was not cured miraculously, but the Lord had mercy on him with no obvious miracle.
2 Timothy 4:20. “Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.” Here again the Apostle did not interfere with the Lord’s discipline over His servant.
1 Timothy 5:23. Timothy is told to “Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and for thine often illnesses” (JND). He does not direct him, to divine healing, so-called, but leaves him as he was, only giving him advice to use what might alleviate his trouble, showing us that we are free to use what we may think good and to count on the Lord blessing it (1 Tim. 4:4).
Hebrews 2:3-4. The object of the sign gifts was to confirm the Word before unbelievers, “God bearing them witness.” Mark 16:17-18 is in the same line, also Mark 16:20, “the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following.” Thus we see what was predicted, was fulfilled.
At the close of this period of grace, signs will again appear; (2 Thess, 2:7-10) powers and signs and lying wonders. We see the mystery of iniquity already working. When people turn from the Lord and His truth, they turn to Satan and to fables (John 5:43; 2 Tim. 4:3). Already we see the signs coming in, and Satan working wonders, but, alas! the truth is given up. On the other hand, in all ages, sick believers have looked to the Lord, and when He saw it fit, they have been healed.
The Epistle of James is addressed to the twelve tribes of Israel, and its subject is practical righteousness, and is therefore of general application: our special relation as children of God, members of the body of Christ, and temples of the Holy Ghost must be borne in mind. James 5:14-16 is specially connected with the Lord’s discipline, and forgiveness of sins committed is here given through confession. It would not therefore apply to every case of sickness.
1 John 5:16-17 is discerning why God’s chastening hand is on a brother, whether his sin is unto death, (the death of the body). It is not some special sin, but what a brother may have fallen into by allowing careless, or gross habits—a warning to us all to be diligent to “watch and pray” (2 Peter 1:9). It has nothing to do with such scriptures as Mark 3:29.
1 Corinthians 11:30-32 is the chastening of the Lord on some who did not discern the Lord’s body in the supper. These were believers, but were not walking right and some were weak and sickly while others died. They were “chastened of the Lord,” but not “condemned with the world.”
When the Lord raised, or healed any one, it was done at once, not gradually; except the instances of the blind man in Mark 8:22-25 and in John 9, which are pictures of the education of the soul in the things of God. Gradually the light of Christianity displaced the darkness of Judaism. It impoverished the soul for believers to get taken up with temporal blessings or mercies. We thank God for them all, but our blessings are spiritual and heavenly and eternal. “Blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
(To be continued)