Faith and Healing

Faith is knowledge of, agreement with, and trust in God’s promises. The key to this definition of faith is the connection with God’s promises. Faith is not some action on the part of a Christian, but a reaction to something that God has done. God promises and the believer trusts that these promises will be fulfilled; so much so that promises are often stated in the Bible in the present or past tense even if they have not yet come to fruition. When Jesus says that a believer can move a mountain, if he should have enough faith (Mark 11:22-23), the implication is that if God has promised that the mountain will be moved the faithful believer assumes it will be moved. The definition of faith as believing God’s promises is clearly in view in Hebrews chapter 11 and Acts 27:25.

This is how the Old Testament saints and the Jews who observed Jesus’ ministry understood faith; even the Pharisees. The word, faith, is defined simply as “belief” or “conviction”. There is no magical meaning to the word that implies some special attribute or power. In fact in Hebrew terms to speak of faith as some sort of power would be nonsense. The Hebrews viewed faith as something that you become, just as love is something that you become as stated in 1 John 4:8.

Further evidence of this position is given from the seven-fold understanding of “hearing”. To the Hebrew mind there are seven progressive stages to hearing.
1. To hear it (audible recognition)
2. To understand it
3. To choose to accept or reject it
4. To give mental accent to it (head knowledge)
5. To believe it (heart knowledge)
6. To act upon it
7. To become it

This should give clearer understanding to the verse “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

Faith was never meant to be considered a tool, and there is no verse in the bible that, when carefully analyzed, can be made to support it as being so. Faith always has been a process; a road to be traveled until finally achieving the destination of meeting Christ face to face in the air. Faith is comprehended by example through the actions of God’s faithful servants and in the character of God.

I recently listened to Jack Hafford of the Four Square Church discuss on the radio the meaning of faith. He was commenting on the story of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46) where Jesus said that Bartimaeus’ faith had restored his sight. Hafford said that faith is not something that someone puts on or aspires to but is low and simple as exemplified by Bartimaeus. He went on to say that the faith of Bartimaeus was in God’s authority. Bartimaeus was calling out to “Jesus, Son of David” which to every Jew present would have meant the Messiah, the Son of God, Emanuel (Mat 22:41-42). So Bartimaeus’ faith was not faith in Faith but faith in God.

Once comprehending that the meaning of faith is trust in God’s promises, we come to knowledge of God’s promises in the Bible.

To come to agreement with God’s promises we must be convinced of the truth of the Bible. A defense of the Bible can be based on the manuscript record, the laws of probability, the archeological record, and other lines of reasoning. If one does not accept the Bible as the express Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) then there is no reason to trust in what the Bible says of God’s promises.

We trust in the promises of God because of our understanding of God’s character as revealed in the Bible. The chief characteristic of God concerning his promises is His unchangableness. Since God does not change then His promises are certain (1 Kings 8:56; Ps 111:7; Eze 12:25; Habakkuk 2.3; Mathew 5:18; Luke 21:33; Rom 4:21; James 1:17).

A second characteristic of God important to the definition of faith is His sovereignty (Daniel 4: 35). Because God is sovereign, we must react to God rather than the reverse. We, as God’s created creatures and as undeserving sinners (1 K 8:46; Ps 14:3; Ps 53:3; Ec 7:20; Is 64:6; Ro 3:23; 1 Jn 1: 8), have no claim on God (Is 45:5-12; Rom 5:15; Eph 1:11). By Grace do we sit at the Master’s table and receive His gifts (Titus 3:7).

A third characteristic of God that affects our concept of faith is His omnipotence. His promises will be performed in spite of anything we may or may not do. We certainly can’t tell God what to do. (Jb 42:2-6; Ps 115:3; Ps 135:6; Is 43:13; Hab 3:6; Mt 19:26; Mk 14:36; Lu 1:37; Re 19:6)

Since God is in control He has his own timetable for the fulfillment of His promises (Gen 49:18; Ps 33:20; 37:7; 40:1; 130:6; Is 25:9; 26:8; 33:2; Acts 1:4). Delayed blessings that test faith can be found in these references:
Birth of a son Gen 15:2-5;
(many years waiting) Gen 21:2;
Sacrifice, Provided Gen 22:8-14;
Victory (seven days marching) Joshua 6:12-20;
Messiah Gen 3:15; Luke 2:25-30;
Healing Mathew 15:22-28;
Relief and resurrection John 11:6; 11:32; 11:43-44;
Gift of the Spirit Luke 24:49;
Deliverance Acts 12:5-7;
Escape Acts 27:20-44.
Divine Delays try men’s courage and patience:
Ps 33:20; 40;1; 130:6; Is 25:9; 26:8; 33:2

We are told to wait for the Lord in Ps 27:14; 37:7-9; 62:5; 69:6; Is 8:17; 40:31; Hos 12:6; Hab 2:3. It is clear from these passages that the Lord’s blessings come to those who wait for God’s time to act.

We now see that God’s promises, in which we have faith, will come to pass and we have no control over the time or manner of their fulfillment. The question now becomes, does God promise health and long life to the believer thus enjoining the believer to expect health and long life by faith in God’s promise? We gain knowledge of God’s promises from the Bible. I could give my own testimony concerning healing, but I don’t consider that to be evidence that we must be healed if we should have sufficient faith (Ps 19:7-9; 2 Peter 1:21). This would be subjective, my feelings and experience, rather than objective, evidence from scripture of God’s explicit promises.

The first promises I will deal with are those for healing ministries. Christ’s and the Apostles’ healing ministries were necessary to identify them as the fulfillment of prophesy ( Joel 2:28; Acts 2:16-18; 4:33). To claim a healing ministry in the post apostolic age is to place oneself on the same level with the Apostles. An Apostle is further defined as one who has seen Christ as a personal and physical presence ( 1 Cor 9:1). That is a difficult claim to make today. Christ personally commissioned His Disciples and delegated authority to them to heal and cast out demons (Mt 10:5-12; Mk 3:13-15; 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6). Other references to the empowerment of the disciples are in Luke 10:19; 12:12; and Acts 6:10. I can find no reason to believe that anyone other than those present during the Lord’s earthly ministry were given independent authority to heal illness and cast out demons.

It is interesting to note that many of the cases of healing by Jesus, His Disciples, and the Apostles were for non believers. One would hope that some of those later became believers, but “faith” at the time of healing was not in view. In Jesus’ earthly ministry, when the multitude of followers realized that he was not about to set up an earthly kingdom with guaranteed supplies of food, healing, etc. many fell away (John 6:66). People who come to the King for safety and security in this life are very likely to become bitter and fall away when they don’t get it.

There are promises for health and wealth for believers but are they for this life or are they for eternity and not necessarily for this world? The promises of God are sure but in this life there will be suffering. This is a result of sin (Ro 5:12) or in other words the fallen nature of this world. It is not the result of the sins committed by any one person. These too are the result of living in a fallen world. There are many references and promises of suffering in this life. These are also God’s promises in which we must have persevering faith. Remember, we will be resurrected with imperishable bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-57) in fulfillment of God’s promises.

All believers have the right to come boldly to the throne of grace to pray for healing (Heb 4:16) but we must pray in the will of God (Mt 6:7-8; Ro 8:27-28; James 4:3) and as has been noted we are to wait for God’s timing. Prayer is not a means for pressing our desires on God. The Atonement gives us the right to have a relationship with God, prayer is the method for developing fellowship with God (Ps 25). We bring our troubles, our hopes, our desires to God through prayer asking him fervently for redress of grievance, help with pain, forgiveness of sins, and even speaking to him about our material needs and desires in this life. We wait upon God to answer in His own time and manner. The answer can be no and it can be very different from what we might have expected or wished, but it is God’s choice and not ours.

There is also the promise of chastisement of the believer that he might be conformed to God’s way of thinking. Hebrews 12:6-8 (KJV) “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (see also Lamentations 3:1-6,22-26; Rom 5:3-5; 8:29; 12:2; James 1:2-4; 1 Pe 1:6-7)

We have seen then that God has his own plans that we can not control, that claims of special healing powers are suspect, and that there is a purpose in delay and suffering. Do not be mistaken, God does heal his children physically as well as spiritually, but it is for his sovereign purposes and not because we exercise some control over God through “faith”. He has said that not one of his sheep will be lost. This means preserving individuals through His providence in the process of bringing them to repentance. How many people have been healed by God through miracles that not even they are aware of? How many people have been healed due to the God given skills of a physician?

God does use oppression, sickness, discomfort, etc. for his purposes as shown in the following examples. Job’s oppression and Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Co 12:7; Ga 4:13) are hardly the only examples from the Bible.

God broke Jacob’s leg to get his attention (Genesis 32:25). Jacob was a man of faith (Hebrews 11: 21). He learned patience and humility in Uncle Laban’s school of hard knocks after this episode.

God lead Israel out of Egypt across the Red Sea and into the desert. For three days they had no water. On the third day they reached water, Mara (bitter) was the name of the place and the water was undrinkable. The people complained and wished to be back in bondage where they were secure with water and food. These people were saved but God was teaching the people to trust him. God commanded that a tree be cut down and dipped into the pool to make the water sweet. God promised healing in return for obedience ( Ex 15:22-27). He did not promise healing in return for “faith.” As has been shown, no one is obedient. These people wanted to go back into bondage in return for the security (health and wealth) of Egypt rather than trust God to meet their needs in His own time and manner.

Elimilech, Naomi (pleasant) and sons left Israel for Moab to escape a famine (Book of Ruth). The famine was probably a judgment for Israel’s sinning. Naomi’s husband and sons died in Moab. They should not have gone to Moab, they were trusting in their own strength and not God’s. Naomi returned as Mara but with a wonderful daughter-in-law. Elimilech and Naomi were covenant members who had been out of God’s will and had suffered for it, but God used the sin of Elimilech and Naomi to bring Ruth to Boaz and through this to bless all mankind. Again, here is an example of man’s fallen nature leading him into bondage and away from God in search of security rather than trusting in God’s provision. Bitterness (Mara) is the result.

Examples of the righteous being sick are in 2 K 20:1; Jb 2:7; Dan 8:27; Jn 11:1; Acts 9:36-37; Ph 2: 27; 2 Ti 4:20.

Jesus did not heal everyone who was sick. John 5:1-15 clearly states that although there were a great number of disabled people there, Jesus only healed one. There were many times when He healed “all who were brought to Him,” but this shows that there were also times when He healed one of many.

Many of the passages in the Bible use metaphorical language to indicate spiritual healing rather than physical healing. Isaiah 35:5-6 (KJV) “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” Psalm 146:8 “The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind:” Also, Isaiah 29:18, 42:7. The context of these passages makes clear that spiritual healing is indicated. Isaiah 42:18-25 explains that the readers and hearers of God’s Word were blind and deaf to its meaning.

The gift that the Lord promises His children in Mathew 7:7-11 is the Holy Spirit and not necessarily health and wealth as shown in the parallel passage in Luke 11:9-13. The Bible speaks of reconciliation with God (Dan 9:24; 2 Co 5:18; Ep 2:16; Col 1:20; He 2:17) and redemption from the consequences of sin (Ro 3:24; 1 Co 1:30; Ga 3:13; Col 1:14; Tit 2:14; Heb 9:12; 1 Pe 1:18; Re 5:9) and again not necessarily health and wealth for believers.

My empirical observation is that the death rate is still one per person and that everyone dies of their last illness. This is the result of sin in this world (Rom 5:12; Ps 51:5; Eph 2:1). We are saved from the eternal consequences of sin but not the temporal consequences by Christ’s atonement on the cross. God has promised eternal life in resurrected bodies (Job 19:26; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2; Rom 8:11; 1 Thes 4:16-17; 1 Cor 15:51-57) with which we will have eternal (Heb 9:12) health and riches as co-inheritors with Christ (1 Peter 1:4; 1 John 2:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Rev 21:4). This is the promise of God in which I have faith. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) makes God’s purpose clear, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

It is very likely that some today are making the same sort of mistake that the pre advent saints made. The Old Testament is filled with prophesies of the Messiah, but they break down into two groups: one of a suffering Messiah (Ps 69:21; 22:18; Is 50:6; 52:14; 53:1-10; Dan 9:26; Zech 11:12; 12:10; 13:7) and another group of a kingly Messiah (Ps 2:6-8; 68:18; 118:22; Is 9:6-7; 32:1-3; 42: 1-4; Jer 23:5; Dan 2:44; 7:13-14; Micah 5:2; Zech 6:12-13; 9:9-10; Malachi 3:1). This was, for those without our 20-20 hindsight, quite confusing. It was easy to misinterpret the Scripture in the light of the national desires of the nation of Israel at that time and not recognize the Messiah in front of them. Perhaps many today are looking for the future promises to be fulfilled today out of the very human desires for health and security? People like to hear what satisfies their immediate desires (Jer 5:31; 2 Pet 2:2; 2 Tim 4:3-4) and, like the Hebrews who had just escaped from Egypt, would rather be in bondage to this world than trust in God’s provision.

C. Everett Koop, Faith Healing & The Sovereignty of God