I want to take a look at the Word of God and see if there is any insight as to what can hinder someone in receiving healing. If you look in the scriptures you will see all throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament that healing (spiritual and physical) is part of God’s will. Lets touch on just one verse to show the truth!
1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
The apostle Peter quoted Isaiah 53:5 which says, “…By whose stripes ye were healed.” The word “healed” is the Greek word "iaomai", a word that clearly refers to physical healing, as it is a word borrowed from the medical term to describe the physical healing or curing of the human body. For those who think this promise refers to spiritual healing only, the Greek word emphatically speaks of the healing of a physical condition. This is a true promise of bodily healing that belongs to all who have been washed in the blood of Jesus Christ!
Now that we can see that physical healing is for Christians today, what could hinder a healing from coming to pass? One simple word, and that is sin! Yes, sin! By no means are followers of Christ to continue in a life of habitual sin after being born again. Scripture is clear that Jesus has removed the sinful nature.
Colossians 2:11-12 (NKJV)
“In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
Romans 6:14 (NKJV)
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
How is a Christian able to walk out a life of not practicing sin?
Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that anyone can overcome the temptations of the flesh that lead to sin. Does this mean that Christians will never sin? No, it means they will not purposely sin, and if they do they will feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit and be quick to repent, confess, and receive forgiveness! However anyone who does not choose to live a consecrated life to the Lord, spend time in His presence, and in His Word are far more susceptible to falling to the temptations of the flesh.
The Father definitely gives grace and mercy towards our shortcomings. We must remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit's conviction and if we continue in whatever sin it may be there will come a time when we openly walk out from under the grace and mercy and judgment will come.
You mean Christians are susceptible to judgment? Yes, however it's discipline and not judgment to condemnation!
Hebrews 10:26-27 (NKJV)
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
Hebrews 12:6-7 (NKJV)
“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?”
1 Peter 4:17 (NKJV)
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to a higher standard than those in the world, and separating from the world and its lust are commanded in the scriptures.
2 Corinthians 6:17 (NKJV)
“Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
2 Timothy 2:22 (NKJV)
“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
1 John 3:4-9 (NKJV)
“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.”
So can sickness in a Christian be a sign of judgment/discipline?
Psalms 32:3-5 (NKJV)
“When I kept silent, my bones grew old. Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”
Psalms 107:17 (NKJV)
“Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted”
In the Rabbis notes in the Tehillim on Ps, 107:17, it says that the Psalmist here is describing the third group of endangered people, the sick. They are described as fools, because the Rabbis and early scholars taught that a person only sins when they are overcome by a spirit of foolishness. The sickness is a form of judgment/discipline, and is described as a messenger from God warning the person to repent. Sickness is typically progressive and the symptoms increase. At the very first sign of illness we should go before the Lord and seek Him to see if there is any sin we need to turn from, confess and be forgiven for. Is all sickness a sign of sin? No, we have an enemy that roams around seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). However in today’s church culture many Christians have been encouraged to run to the medicine cabinet, urgent care or the doctor before running to Jehovah Rapha (the God who heals).
I can hear some saying “now brother these are Old Testament and we don’t have to deal with this since Jesus came and was crucified” So what does the New Testament say about sickness related to sin?
1 Corinthians 11:27-32 (NKJV)
“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.”
In the above scripture the apostle Paul is stating the judgment/discipline when partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. Notice he says “For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep (died).” Prior to this Paul brought correction to the Church of Corinth and how they were personally sinning as well as against one another and not recognizing the Body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (NKJV)
“Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.”
Now let's see if there is any connection in the Word of God with forgiveness of sins and healing.
Luke 5:17-26 (NKJV)
“Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them. Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!”
The friends came so Jesus could heal their friend, yet what was the first thing Jesus did? He forgave him of his sins!
Can we see this elsewhere in the Word of God?
John 5:12-14 (NKJV)
Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”
So what does the Word say about dealing with sickness?
James 5:14-16 (NKJV)
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
But brother Jesus does not put sickness on anyone…
Revelation 2:20-23 (NKJV)
“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.”
Repentance is not a one time thing we do and then never do again. Christian’s are called to live a life of repentance, and we should be quick in doing so. This is clearly seen in the above verses. This is a letter from Jesus to one of the seven churches!
Peter talks about it below as well.
2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”
This verse is cherry picked many times about God toward unbelievers, however Peter is not talking to the lost. He is talking to the church!
Clearly it can be seen in scripture that sin is an open door to sickness and physical affliction. We must get back to the truth of God’s Word and stop running and looking to man for a quick fix!
John G Lake says this in his teaching on Divine Healing, “If there is something wrong with a man’s spirit, he goes directly to God, but the next day he has a pain in his back, and he goes down the road to the doctor’s. Where do you get your right to do such a thing? There is a wretched looseness about consecration to God. Christians do not seem to know what consecration to God means. What would you think of Jesus Christ, if you saw Him going down the road and into a doctor’s office for some dope? Why, you would feel like apologizing for the Lord, wouldn’t you? Well, He has just as much reason to apologize for you. When you became a Christian with a consecrated body, soul, and spirit, your privilege of running to the doctor was cut off forevermore.”
At the first symptom of sickness get before the Lord!!!