BIBLE DOCTRINE 12
REDEMPTION, HEALING AND HEALTH
God’s Word
teaches:
That Redemption
from the curse of the law, healing of sickness and disease as well as continued
health are provided for all people through the sacrificial death of Jesus
Christ - Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 7:15; Psalm 103:1-5; Proverbs 4:20-22;
Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; I Peter 2:24; Mark 16;15-18; Luke 13:16; John
14:12-14; 10:10; Acts 10:38; James 5:14-16; 3 John 2 Galatians 3:13,14.
Redemption
is a release or liberation from captivity or death by paying a price called a
ransom. It simply connotes buying back unto freedom someone in servitude,
slavery or captivity. The fall of man brought all human race under sin, Satan
and condemnation. This was the result of man's disobedience to God, and the
consequence of the broken law. Man lost his purity and favor with God in the
fall. Man cannot, by himself, regain it. The whole creation was brought under
the curse and all men (in Adam) became sinners and captives to sin, Satan and
sickness (Romans 5:12). Consequently, man being under the sentence of death,
could not pay his own death penalty and live again to enjoy freedom from sin and
carry out the divine purpose for which he has been created. God then undertook
the redemption of man by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die in
man's place. He, being capable, of redeeming man, met the demands of the law
and became the legal substitute by paying the redemptive price for those who
are condemned to death for breaking the law. This is absolute protection from
eternal punishment through the blood of the perfect and spotless substitute
(Exodus 12:13; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24; Revelation 5:9; Romans
8:3; Isaiah 53:4-8; I Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; Matthew 26:28; I Peter
1:18-21). It is Christ who bore the
curse of the law and suffered its condemnation of death in our stead. No sinner
can be acquitted except he accepts Christ as his Redeemer (Acts. 4:12).
Man's
redemption is not limited to removal of guilt; it covers all consequences of
the broken law which are sickness, disease and satanic oppression. Healing of
sickness and disease as well as continued health are provided for all men
through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, there was
a divine plan by which God heals all those who were in covenant relationship
with Him. It is not everyone that can enjoy this unfailing healing and health
plan made by God for all mankind based on the fact that not all men are in
covenant relationship with Him. The
promise to keep the Israelites from diseases by which the Egyptians were
afflicted was made at the instance of the healing covenant Israel made with
God. Diverse sickness, pestilences and plagues came upon them when they
disobeyed God and broke His covenant (Deuteronomy 28:28-61; Psalm 107:17-20).
But when they repented and prayed, fulfilling the covenant conditions, they
were healed (Numbers 21:4-9; 2
Chronicles 7:13, 14; Psalm 107:17-20). God is in the business of healing today
where the conditions of the covenant are met.
Jesus
not only bore our sins, He also bore our sickness and diseases. He became our
sickness-Bearer in exactly the same way He became our sin-Bearer. Christ was
scourged and striped for our healing; nailed to the cross for our sin (John
3:14; 12:22-23; Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; Psalm 103:2,4). The Holy Spirit
concluded by saying, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law (sickness - pestilence, fever, cancer, ulcer,
boils, as well as nameless sicknesses found in people's life today and other
infirmities recorded or not recorded in scriptures)" (Deuteronomy 28:15-29,58-61; Galatians 3:13;
Deuteronomy 7:12-15). Christ has been made manifest to destroy the works of the
devil (I John 3:8; Acts 10:38; Hebrews 13:8).
Divine
healing and health, like salvation has remained the right of every child of
God. It is a vital part of complete salvation once we belong to the
commonwealth of Israel and not strangers to the covenant of promise (Matthew
15:26-28; Ephesians 2:12-21; I Peter 2:9,10). Sickness in whatever form is of
the devil. God calls it captivity (Job 42:10), Jesus calls it bondage (Luke
13:16,12) and the Holy Spirit calls it oppression (Acts 10:38). The victory of
Jesus is our victory. He did nothing for Himself. He conquered sin, Satan,
disease and sickness on our behalf. He shares His victory with all who will
repent and believe on His name. He bore our infirmities, sicknesses and
diseases so that we could claim full release and deliverance. But disobedience
to God's word, misuse of tongue and unbelief will make the covenant of no
effect. For the people of God, no more can anyone enjoy the blessing of healing
without a current relationship with God through Christ, obedience to the Word
of God and fulfilling the terms and conditions for healing (Exodus 15:26;
23:25,26; Deuteronomy 7:12-15,6-9; Psalm 91; Isaiah 1:19; Mark 2:5,9,11; 3 John
2).
It
then goes without saying that "curse causeless shall not come ....” Most
often, infirmities come as a consequence of disobeying God (Genesis 20:1-18; I
Chronicles 10:13), through Satan, the very source of sickness and affliction
(Job 2:6,7; Matthew 4:23,24; John 10:10; 8:44; 5:14; Acts 10:38), backsliding
(2 Chronicles 16:12-14; Matthew 12:43-45), misuse of the tongue (Numbers
21:4-6; 11:1-3; 12:1-10), sin, covetousness or merchandising God's gift (2
Kings 5:20-27); rebellion (Psalm 107:17-20; Deuteronomy 32:39-41) or even
breaking God's law of nature. The Scripture reveals that evil spirits, devils
and demons also assist Satan in its destructive work on human bodies. They
possess, oppress, afflict, torment, obsess people and cause dumbness and
deafness (Matthew 9:32, 33; Mark 9:25-27), blindness (Matthew 12:22), grievous
vexation and torments (Matthew 15:22), lunacy (Matthew 4:24; Luke 9:38-42) and
suicide (Matthew 17:15). Satan and his cohorts gain entrance into men when men
sin, consult with familiar spirits, practice
palm reading, magic, witchcraft, fortune telling, not guarding the mind
or refusal to resist the devil. As long as you have any of the devil’s
property, he will stay around you. Renounce and destroy the works of the devil
for total emancipation from his claws (1 Peter 1:1, 13; 5:8, 9; Acts 19:18, 19).
The
Bible sets forth the conditional precedence to enjoying the benefits and
blessings of our relationship with God, which are our redemptive rights:
genuine conversion (Psalm 103:2-5; Matthew 13:15; Mark 9:23; Matthew 21:21,22;
Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12; James 1:6-8), obedience to God and His Word (Exodus
15:26; 23:25,26; Proverbs 4:20-22); abiding in Him (Psalm 91:1-7; John 15:1-7);
making peace with fellow men (Mark 11:22-26; James 5:14-16; Genesis 20:14),
serving God in holiness (Exodus 23:25,26; Colossians 2:6,7; John 5:14; I John
3:21-22), and appropriating the benefits of Calvary through prayer of faith (2
Peter 1:3,4; Hebrews 6:18; I Peter 2:24; James 1:16,17; Hebrews 13:8; Matthew
8:17). From the foregoing, God heals those who are under His healing covenant
(Psalm 105:37; 2 Chronicles 30:18-20) by His Word (Psalm 107:20; Hebrews 4:12;
Matthew 8:8), through His Mercy (Matthew 20:30-34), by His Power (Matthew
28:18; Colossians 1:16,17; Luke 5:17), by His Spirit (Acts 10:38; Isaiah
61:1,2; Luke 10:18,19; Romans 8:2,11; Matthew 12:28), in His Name (Acts 3:6;
Luke 10:17,18; Mark 16:17,18; Proverbs 18:10; Philippians 2:9-11), by His Will
(I John 5:14,15; John 5:30; 3 John 2). What a sure word of prophecy! No need
therefore for private interpretation; according to your faith it shall be done
unto you.
It is then left with every believer to
fulfill the terms of the divine conditions in order to live in the reality of
this marvelous provision. Healing and health is for us today. We can lay claim
boldly to this redemptive grace: not with uncertainty, but with confidence of
faith and prayer to get healed and remain healthy all the days of our lives.
Now we are redeemed, purchased, bought back again to be God's peculiar
possession (Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; Obadiah 17). We shall live to
possess our possession.
No comments:
Post a Comment