Healing: Gods will all the time??

[votivesoul]

Hi, Chad

I do not believe healing is God's will all the time. Healing comes by His discretion, according to His will and purpose for each person on the planet.

Some injuries or illnesses are not unto death that the glory of God may be revealed. Others however, do lead to death, and therefore display the kind of death God chose for them whereby they, through their death, would glorify God.

So, Jesus cures a man of blindness, and it's so the glory of God can be revealed. But Jesus strikes a man blind because he is a child of the devil (that is, Elymas), whereby a man comes to faith in the Gospel Paul and Barnabas preached.

Jesus raises Lazarus to life to show the glory of God, proving Jesus is the resurrection and the life, but then tells Simon Peter how he is going to die, with no forthcoming promise of being raised physically from the dead, apart from the Resurrection.

However, if anyone is sick, let him call for the elders that they may anoint him or her in the name of the Lord, praying the prayer of faith, and if they have committed sin, it will be forgiven him or her.

James didn't write that the prayer of faith and the anointing in the name of the Lord by the elders would automatically heal the sick person. He wrote it would save them from their sin, by absolving them of it by a gracious act of God's forgiveness. He wrote that healing comes when we make confession and pray for one another.

When a person is sick, injured, permanently ill or disabled in some way, or even dying of a disease, it's very easy to get moody, grumpy, selfish, or snippy, to start complaining, get a chip on your shoulder, deal harshly with people around you, and even get mad at God about the whole thing.

So, when this happens, a person has clearly crossed a line into sin. But they have the option of going before the elders, receive anointing and prayer, and by humbly submitting to this divinely prescribed process, the Lord sees faith, and imputes righteousness to them on account of it. He then forgives, being tender-hearted and merciful, knowing what it's like, having been scourged and crucified. Truly a High Priest touched by our afflictions and infirmities.

This is why James writes about the end of the Lord being pitiful, and of confessing our faults one to another as book-ends to the parts about praying for healing.

James 5:11-16,

11. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
12. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
13. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
14. Is any sick among you? 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:
15. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

[Amanah]

I've seen miraculous hearings such as tumors falling off in the name of Jesus

[Amanah]

Originally Posted by TGBTG

1 Thess 4 (NCV)
16 The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel,[b] and with the trumpet call of God. And those who have died believing in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive will be gathered up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Cor 15 (NCV)
51 But look! I tell you this secret: We will not all sleep in death, but we will all be changed.
52 It will take only a second—as quickly as an eye blinks—when the last trumpet sounds. The trumpet will sound, and those who have died will be raised to live forever, and we will all be changed

::

[Esther]

I asked Brother T W Barnes about this once and he said 95 percent of the time it is the will of God to heal.

I do know one person said God told them not to pray for someone to be healed because it was keeping them humble before God.

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

Hi, Chad

I do not believe healing is God's will all the time. Healing comes by His discretion, according to His will and purpose for each person on the planet.

Some injuries or illnesses are not unto death that the glory of God may be revealed. Others however, do lead to death, and therefore display the kind of death God chose for them whereby they, through their death, would glorify God.

So, Jesus cures a man of blindness, and it's so the glory of God can be revealed. But Jesus strikes a man blind because he is a child of the devil (that is, Elymas), whereby a man comes to faith in the Gospel Paul and Barnabas preached.

Jesus raises Lazarus to life to show the glory of God, proving Jesus is the resurrection and the life, but then tells Simon Peter how he is going to die, with no forthcoming promise of being raised physically from the dead, apart from the Resurrection.

However, if anyone is sick, let him call for the elders that they may anoint him or her in the name of the Lord, praying the prayer of faith, and if they have committed sin, it will be forgiven him or her.

James didn't write that the prayer of faith and the anointing in the name of the Lord by the elders would automatically heal the sick person. He wrote it would save them from their sin, by absolving them of it by a gracious act of God's forgiveness. He wrote that healing comes when we make confession and pray for one another.

When a person is sick, injured, permanently ill or disabled in some way, or even dying of a disease, it's very easy to get moody, grumpy, selfish, or snippy, to start complaining, get a chip on your shoulder, deal harshly with people around you, and even get mad at God about the whole thing.

So, when this happens, a person has clearly crossed a line into sin. But they have the option of going before the elders, receive anointing and prayer, and by humbly submitting to this divinely prescribed process, the Lord sees faith, and imputes righteousness to them on account of it. He then forgives, being tender-hearted and merciful, knowing what it's like, having been scourged and crucified. Truly a High Priest touched by our afflictions and infirmities.

This is why James writes about the end of the Lord being pitiful, and of confessing our faults one to another as book-ends to the parts about praying for healing.

James 5:11-16,

Amen. Excellent post.

I have one question. I've heard different opinions on this. I just wanted to know your thoughts. It is in reference to this one thing you had written:

However, if anyone is sick, let him call for the elders that they may anoint him or her in the name of the Lord, praying the prayer of faith, and if they have committed sin, it will be forgiven him or her.

James didn't write that the prayer of faith and the anointing in the name of the Lord by the elders would automatically heal the sick person. He wrote it would save them from their sin, by absolving them of it by a gracious act of God's forgiveness. He wrote that healing comes when we make confession and pray for one another.

Here's my question...

In circumstances wherein the unsaved (for example a family member of a saint of God) is deathly ill, and calls for a minister, if an Apostolic minister goes to their bedside, and anoints them with oil, praying the prayer of faith with the sick individual, will their sins be forgiven also?

I ask this because I know of an Apostolic minister who believes that this ordinance is just as powerful as water baptism. He sees it as an accommodation for not only the sick believer to receive forgiveness of sins, but also for the unsaved sick who cannot be water baptized to receive the forgiveness of sins.

What are your thoughts on that idea?