Quote:
Originally Posted by LifeUncommon
Love hearing opinions, but scriptural backing is what I'm most interested in, if anyone can provide it, as I have been unsuccessful reconciling this on my own.
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Nothing "extra-biblical" required. Let me see if I can briefly outline the basics of the teaching as I understand (limited as it is!).
Exodus 15:26
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for
I am the Lord that healeth thee.
Here the Lord introduces Himself to Israel as Jehovah-Rapha, Lit: The Lord our healer.
Exodus 23:25
25 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and
I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
This was under the Old Covenant. We have a New Covenant, based on better promises. (
Heb 8:6).
Psalm 103:1-3
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and
forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Note the connection made between forgiveness of sins and healing of ALL diseases. (This is important).
Isaiah 53:4-5
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But
he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed.
(Again, note the connection between forgiveness of sins and healing).
This was a prophecy give under the Old Covenant and is sometimes referred to as a description of the "
suffering servant." We encounter it again in the New Covenant.
1 Peter 2:24
24 Who his own self
bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness:
by whose stripes ye were healed.
This is a direct reference to
Isaiah 53. Note once more the distinction between forgiveness and healing and their link. Also, notice that Isaiah looking forward to the Cross said we "are healed." Peter looking back at the Cross says we "were healed." One a prophetic future tense, the other a fulfilled past tense.
(Those much better at Hebrew than I will demonstrate that the very language of the entire passage of
Isaiah 53:4 is referencing bodily healing).
These two verses prove that healing is "in the atonement," on exactly the same basis as forgiveness of sins. Many contend that Peter is speaking of "spiritual healing." But look closely at another Scripture; this one from the life of Jesus. After the healing of Peter's mother-in-law, we find a most significant passage:
Matthew 8:16-17
16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
The physical (not spiritual) healing was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy of
Isaiah 53.
This is a brief introduction to the Scriptural foundation for the teaching that healing is part of the finished work of Christ at Calvary. There is much, much more!
The scriptures clearly link forgiveness and healing. Why are we so willing to accept the one, yet so quick to reject the other? It is because we have been taught wrong for centuries. The legacy of the Pentecostal Movement as a whole is one of the restoration of healing as well as the many other contributions.
Most people, including me, are guilty of a tragic error concerning Scripture. When our experience doesn't match the Word of God, instead of bringing our experience in line with the Word, we explain away the Scriptures to accomodate our experience.
Our contention is that there are really only two things we need to resolve in our minds concerning healing:
1. Is healing the will of God?
2. Did God command believers to heal the sick?
If we could remove past experiences and teaching that negates the Scriptures, there would be no more hesitation or "doubt" about healing and deliverance than there is about "salvation."
(More information can be found at:
http://www.jglm.org/index.php?option...=60&Itemid=161).