In Genesis 3, Satan deceived Adam and Eve with the promise, “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God.” He has repackaged this lie many different ways, but the root of the lie remains the same. The desire of the flesh that wanted the lie has also remained the same. Mankind has always wanted to be like God. In spite of God’s warning that there is no god beside Him, and there will never be a god formed after, people still believe the lie and even believe the Bible condones this attempt to snatch God’s glory for themselves. However, God also said, “My glory will I not share with another.”
You are not like God. You will never be like God. And you will never be identical to Jesus. To say that we are exactly the same as Jesus is to either deny the divinity of Christ, or to claim ourselves to be like God. Both are a denial of the faith. First, let’s look at the divinity of Christ. Look at Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Notice, the child is born, but the Son is given. The flesh of Christ began at His birth, but this is not where Jesus began. Hebrews 13:8 testifies of Jesus’ eternal existence by saying, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Jesus testifies to this also in John 17:4-5
4 "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
God declares, “My glory will I not give to another,” yet Jesus declares that He was sharing that glory before the world began. The truth is that Jesus is God, born in the flesh, who came to fulfill the law and pay the penalty of our sins by offering himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. This is explained in Philippians 2:5-8
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Though Jesus existed in the form of God, He veiled His glory and took on the likeness of human flesh, then overcame sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). The passage in Philippians above goes on to say, “At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, both in heaven, earth, and those under the earth, and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father.”
How can anyone say that we are equal to Christ when the Bible says that every knee will bow before Him? It isn’t only those who are His enemies that will bow. Those in heaven will also bow. We see the elders – those redeemed by Jesus, casting their crowns at his feet and bowing as they declare, “You alone are worthy.”
The Apostle John referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. He considered himself to be the disciple closest to Jesus, yet, when he saw Christ in heaven, he fell on his face and became like a dead man. And this was after John declares, “I was in the spirit.” At his best spiritual state, the Apostle John was unable to stand before Jesus’ glory until Jesus lifted him up. Even then, he did not stand as an equal to Christ, but as a servant of Christ.
Anyone who exalts themselves and thinks they are equal to Christ will be counted as those who rob God’s glory and are the proud whom God resists. Never does Jesus say we are equal to Him. He says, “I no longer call you servants, but friends. You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” He also said, “I am the vine and you are the branches,” and “Without me, you can do nothing.” We are completely dependent on Him and through obedience, we abide in Christ and find grace and power to fulfill our calling and the ability to do the will of God.
You are a branch, wholly dependent on the vine. You are not the vine. You are not equal to the vine. You are a branch that will wither if you don’t remain plugged into the vine of Christ (See John 15). Also look at Romans 11:17-21
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in."
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
In this passage, the Bible uses an olive tree, but presents the same truth as the vine illustration in John 15. Don’t boast, you don’t support the vine, but the vine supports you. And, if you don’t remain in faith, you also can be removed from the vine. Jesus is the vine. If we are equal to Christ, why would it matter if we are separated from the vine, for we would then stand upon our own ‘Christ-like’ strength.
We are not gods. We are not equal to Christ. Some twist scriptures in an attempt to make themselves into gods misusing John 10:34, where Jesus confounded the Pharisees by quoting Psalm 82, which says, “You are gods.” What these people don’t realize is that Psalm 82 condemns those who claim to be gods and says they will die like men. Isaiah 41:23-24 challenges those who think themselves to be gods. Look at God’s conclusion in Isaiah 41:23-24
23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
It’s a direct challenge and condemnation to these so-called gods. You think you are gods, then do as God does. Foretell the future. Show us your power – good or evil. God mockingly says, “That we may be dismayed together.” He ends by saying that they and their works are nothing but an abomination. They are an abomination, and the people who put their trust in these so-called gods are an abomination.
Is that what people want? To be a god, but be rebuked and called an abomination? God will let you claim your godhood on earth, but you better understand the consequences of your challenge to His glory. You will die. You will be nothing, and your works will come to nothing. In the end, you will be condemned as an abomination before God. This is not a good trade off.
Consider this passage from 1 Peter 5:5-7
5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Though Peter is addressing the younger people in the church, this principle applies to all. Three times in the Bible, God declares that he resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. If God exalts you, He is bringing glory to His name through you, and He will honor your humility before and after you are exalted. But He must be the one who exalts. If you exalt yourself, you will not be rewarded, but will be humbled. Some will be humbled as an example to others in this life, but all will be humbled before Him when we stand before His throne.
Every knee will bow to Jesus. Some will bow in victory, and enter into His kingdom in honor. Some will bow in defeat and be appointed their portion with the unbelievers and hypocrites. Today you must decide which you will live by. Will you humble yourself under His mighty hand and trust Him to lift you as He sees fit, or will you exalt yourself and stand upon the lie that brings you to condemnation.
This is a point of confusion for many. There is no doubt that God heals, for there are examples of amazing healings that have baffled doctors, and the Bible tells us that healings is a gift of the Spirit. We’ll examine the scriptures that teach this a bit later, but for now, let’s examine the question of guaranteed healing. Let’s start by looking at the passage that is often cited as proof of guaranteed healing. Look now at 1 Peter 2:21-25
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 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.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
I quoted this passage in its full context so we don’t miss what is being said. Peter is quoting from Isaiah 53 and explaining how Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in Christ. Is it proper to take one phrase, ‘by his stripes you were healed’, and make it a doctrine separate from the topic being discussed in this passage? There are two main topics in these verses. First, Jesus suffered to give you an example of how to respond to suffering. Whether it is our trials, or suffering by the hands of others, Jesus committed himself to the Father.
It is not for you to escape suffering, nor is it for you to avenge those who cause you to suffer. Your role in suffering is to commit yourself to God. It is His righteous and perfect plan that is to be worked in our lives. Suffering is not to be feared or resisted. Jesus promised his disciples, “In this world you will have troubles.” The Bible says that we suffer that we may be glorified with Christ. Look at Romans 8:16-18
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
It is unfortunate that many are taught to look at suffering as a lack of faith, or a sign that God is displeased with us. Quite the opposite is true. The Apostle Peter said that we should not think it’s strange when we find ourselves in the midst of a trial by fire. It’s not something strange happening to us, but we are partakers with Christ’s suffering, so we can have exceeding joy when the glory of Christ is revealed (1 Peter 4:12). Yet, in most Christian circles, we are taught that joy is found in possessions and suffering is somehow a failure on our part. This misconception is not new to our day. The Apostle Paul dealt with this in many of his letters, and he knew that misunderstanding this truth was a threat to the believer’s faith. Look at 1 Thessalonians 3:4-5
4 For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.
5 For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.
When at the church of Thessalonica, Paul taught them that tribulation would come. Paul knew they were in conflict and that everyone wants to have peace, prosperity and health. But when those things are absent from our lives, only faith endures. Anything built upon the shifting sands of human emotions and desire will not endure. Only the things built on the rock of our salvation can withstand the storms of tribulation. False doctrine always sounds good, and sometimes followers of error will have a certain amount of success. Truth is proven through suffering. Anyone can be faithful when getting what they want, but let us suffer, and we’ll discover what our foundation is built upon.
In Matthew 13:22, Jesus compared these types of people to the seed on stony ground. They receive the word with joy, and their lives spring up like a flourishing plant. They even endure for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arises, they wither because they have no depth in the truth. They are looking at the gospel as a benefit in this world, rather than an eternal perspective which gives understanding to our purpose of glorifying God, not to pleasing ourselves. It’s the Lord’s job to please us and be our satisfaction. After we have endured, then we will see the promises of God in our lives – in this life, the life to come, or both.
Paul understood the challenge Christians have in understanding this – especially when there are so many voices contradicting this truth. Knowing the contradicting doctrines and the trials all Christians endure – especially in the hostile culture the first century church was in, Paul worried about the people turning from the truth. He felt compelled to send someone to find out if they were still walking in faith. The tempter comes in many forms, including well meaning and well sounding teachers who turn our focus toward a self-centered gospel.
It should be clear that suffering is not something that contradicts a life of faith, but rather something that proves our faith and strengthens our trust in the Lord. We’ll talk about a few biblical examples of this shortly, but first let’s look again at 1 Peter 2. Let’s focus on these verses:
24 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.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Consider what this passage is saying. We have a condition that Jesus came to die for. He bore our sins in His own body that we might live for righteousness, and then the Bible emphasizes, by whose stripes you were healed. Healed of what? Healed of the sins that separated us from His righteousness. Let’s examine the passage Peter is quoting from Isaiah 53:4-6
4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Look at the progression of thought:
He bore our griefs.
Carried our sorrows.
He was wounded for our transgressions.
He was bruised for our iniquities.
Chastised for our peace.
By His stripes we are healed.
We have gone astray.
The Lord laid our iniquity on Him.
Is there any way to misinterpret this passage? The only way is to take that one phrase, ‘by his stripes we are healed’, out of the context of the scriptures that surround it. The condition we need healing from is sin. For our sins he was bruised, chastised, wounded, and bore stripes in His body. And then we are told, by His stripes we are healed. Then to make sure we understand, the Lord again emphasizes that we have gone astray, followed our own way, but the Lord laid our iniquity (or sins) upon Christ.
In both Peter and Isaiah, the same message is being preached. Our soul is corrupted by sin, but we were healed by the stripes, wounding, and suffering of Christ on our behalf. It is not physical healing, but the healing of our corrupt soul. This does not deny the fact that God heals, but it is clear that physical healing is not what God is speaking of in these two passages.
Let’s let the scriptures answer this question. Look at 1 Corinthians 12:7-11
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
The gifts of healings is not someone with the power to heal, but the person being healed. Healings is a spiritual gift – just as all the other spiritual gifts. Why do we acknowledge that not all have the same gifts in other areas, but not in this one gift? If we continue in this chapter, the Bible states that all Christians do not have the same gifts and healings is specifically mentioned. Look at 1 Corinthians 12:30-31
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.
Verse 30 asks redundant questions intended to make the church see that we do not receive every gift of the Spirit. Not all Christians receive all gifts. The Bible teaches that God gives specific gifts to individuals in the church as He wills, so that the entire church is edified, or built up. Even in Paul’s day, people desired what they thought were the best gifts, but there was a better – or more excellent way. That excellent way is walking and serving in love, as explained in the following chapter in 1 Corinthians.
When it comes to spiritual gifts, God grants them to each believer as He wills, not as we desire. Consider the account of the cripple Paul healed in Acts 14:7-10
7 And they were preaching the gospel there.
8 And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked.
9 This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed,
10 said with a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked.
This man wasn’t the only person with ailments in Paul’s presence, yet something alerted the Apostle to heal this man. God granted this cripple the gift of healing, revealed this to the Apostle Paul, and the man was raised. While preaching, Paul perceived this man’s faith. He heard the word, God touched his heart, and the Lord granted the gift of healing through faith. All of God’s promises and gifts come through faith. When God gives a spiritual gift, it is through the word and by faith. God gave this cripple the gift of healing, and faith – both are by the Spirit, and both work together to accomplish God’s will and bring Him glory.
If you read the entire account of this healing, the people were amazed at this power. They were a pagan city and credited the miracle as evidence that mythological gods, Zeus and Hermes, had come down from the heavens. The priest of the temple of Zeus prepared to make sacrifices, but the apostles restrained them and used the healing and the attempted pagan sacrifice as an opportunity to turn the people from idolatry.
Now compare this healing to Paul’s thorn in the flesh. We don’t know what his problem was, but he sought the Lord three times for healing, but the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” He explained that this physical problem was necessary, for it kept Paul humble, weak, and dependent upon the Lord. God new that man’s heart is quickly lifted up, and since so much had been revealed to Paul and the Lord had used him so mightily, it was necessary to give him a physical problem that was troubling enough so that Paul begged God for healing. Each time, the answer was, ‘no’. Consider how Paul described this in Galatians 4:14
And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Clearly, the physical thorn in Paul’s flesh was something that was visible, and caused him problems when meeting people. He was encouraged by the church of Galatia, for they didn’t allow his thorn in the flesh to make Paul repulsive to them, but instead received him and the gospel message he brought.
Healing is a gift of the Spirit. Not everyone is given every gift. The Bible even says, “Do all receive the gifts of healings?” The question was asked when the church was challenged to understand how God distributes different gifts within the church for the purpose of building up the church as a whole. Not everyone is given healing, just like not everyone is given the other gifts. God distributes as He will –according to His own purposes. Just as the first century church was rebuked for coveting what they thought were the best gifts, we too must cease demanding the gifts we want, and start focusing on the love of God. Loving God and giving God’s love to each other shifts the focus of the church to where it ought to be, and puts every gift into its proper place.
It’s always God’s will to heal.
I heard a teacher once say, “It’s never God’s will for you to be sick. Sickness and health problems are of the devil, but health and blessings are of God. If you are ever sick, it is the devil’s doing and you are not in the will of God.”
This simply is not a true statement. Look up the words, “the Lord struck,” and see how many times the Lord Himself sent sickness to His people and their enemies. The truth is that the Bible teaches that there are three reasons the Lord sends sickness to His people:
The Lord uses physical infirmities to keep our hearts from pride.
The Lord uses it to chastise and correct His children.
The Lord uses infirmities to tests the faith of His people.
Let’s start with the third reason first, since we have already examined this in part. Paul testified that the Lord gave him a thorn in his flesh and a messenger of Satan to harass him. Look at 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
What Paul embraced, the church is now taught to despise. The reason God sent this infirmity in Paul’s flesh was to keep him from becoming self-righteous and self-dependent. Paul suffered and was tormented over this physical problem, yet the Lord declared that this was God’s will for Paul. Human nature turns our hearts against God – even when we don’t realize it. When God’s revelation to us is strong, our natural tendency is to be lifted up with pride. We become strong in our own eyes and fall under the condemnation of God’s warning, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” When our hearts are lifted up in pride, we are outside of God’s will and exclude ourselves from God’s grace.
Grace is unmerited favor, yet this favor is only found when we are walking in His will. God shows us favor by calling us near Him where we can experience the benefits of His presence. Pride causes our hearts to exalt itself against God, drawing us out of His will. Therefore, when we become boastful in our hearts, we lose the favor of God. We cannot walk with Him and walk in pride at the same time.
When God showed this to Paul, he realized the value of the thing he once hated. The apostle then took pleasure in his infirmity because the strength of Christ was immensely more valuable than the healing he originally longed for. To trade an infirmity of the flesh for the strength of Christ is a no-brainer. To be weak in the body in order to experience the power of Christ upon him was a trade-off he gladly accepted.
The Lord will do this in the life of His people. In fact, the Bible tells us that the Lord takes pleasure in chastising His children and that we should not despise these things. The Lord takes pleasure because He is looking at us from the eternal perspective. Those who despise infirmities are only looking at the temporal.
You will hear statements like, “If it was your child, would you put sickness upon him? No father would harm his children and neither would God.”
Not so. As the Bible says, a father who does not discipline his children despises them, but a loving father will punish. Punishment causes pain. Why do I punish my children? I don’t enjoy punishing them. When they cry, it breaks my heart, yet I don’t give in. Why? Pain is the only way to correct. If the consequences cause less pain than the pleasure of disobedience, children will not obey. Why should they? I punish them to teach them that sin has consequences. If I don’t teach them, they will learn the hard way in life. Prison is filled with people who did not take seriously the consequences of their actions.
To cause pain in order to avoid a deeper pain or severe consequences is an act of love, not hate. In the same way, to say that God would never cause us pain is to say that God cares nothing for our spiritual health. Pain causes us to reconsider. Jesus even stated that those disciples who bear fruit will still be pruned that they may bear more fruit. Pruning involves pain. Things we invest our lives in will be taken away, that our lives may grow in better ways. What is unfruitful or less productive is taken away, that we might discover what it means to be more fruitful.
By nature, we will take the way of least resistance. I am more than content going merrily through life. I naturally invest myself in what I can see and feel. If I’m at peace, I see no need to change, no need to look deeper, no need to re-evaluate my focus. But when turmoil arises, what happens? I begin to look to the Lord for deliverance and guidance.
Herein is the danger of the prosperity doctrine. If we teach people that God only wants to bless us in ways we enjoy, we teach them to despise discipline. As Paul discovered, chastisement is a greater blessing than prosperity and health. People who think God only wants to give peace and prosperity will become doubtful and bitter when hardship comes. Instead of seeking to understand what God is doing to shape their lives, they will only look for an escape from suffering. The truth is, we become pure and more precious by going through the furnace, not by escaping the refining process.
Teaching people to stomp to the throne and demand deliverance is not of God. Boldly approaching the throne of grace is not demanding from God. As a parent, I have to make decisions my kids don’t understand. They want to know ‘why’, but the truth is that they often do not have the life experiences to understand why. Even if I tried to explain, they would still not understand, and they would still plead, cry, and even promise things they cannot control. If I made a decision for their good, and my child stomped into the room, demanded I do as they wanted, would I be impressed and issue a blessing? Absolutely not. I would look at them as a selfish, spoiled child, in need of further discipline.
Why would we think God would look favorably upon us if we look at the throne of grace as a place where we make demands for God to change? I’ve seen it taught that we have the right to boldly come before God and claim what we want, healing, wealth, or other things. Is this what the Bible is teaching? Let’s examine the Bible’s instruction in Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
This scripture is not teaching that we march up to God and tell Him what we demand. The word translated into ‘boldly’ in the Greek literally means, confidence, openness, or a joyful sense of freedom. It is not an insolent child stomping boldly up to his or her father and issuing their demands. It is a picture of God’s children having the freedom to come before Christ – our High Priest – who identifies with our needs. It is a picture of a wounded child coming confidently to their father, climbing in his lap, and finding comfort and help during their time of need. It is a child who casts their life upon their father, looking for help, being confident their father will not turn away, but will sympathize with their hurt, give tender mercies, and become a source of strength in their time of suffering.
To declare otherwise denies ourselves of that power of Christ which strengthens us, and deprives us of experiencing the love of God on a deeper level. If we are self-focused and selfish in the faith, we will be asking, “Why God, are you doing this – or letting this happen?” We’ll demand God change and take us away from the pain. Those maturing in the faith will climb into the lap of the Lord, ask for grace and His strength, and then seek to discover what God is teaching. Consider Ecclesiastes 7:3-4
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
You can promise God how you won’t get sidetracked from the pleasures of life, but the fact is that God knows our heart wanders. As the Bible says, our weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Sorrow and suffering removes the shallowness of our faith, and then we experience true joy. The wise will embrace God’s chastisement and times when he prunes away the things we think are good, but are actually hindering fruitfulness. But fools will demand to be amused by faith, and will look at the throne – not as a place to obtain mercy in time of need, but as a place to put our demands upon God.
Read the 23rd Psalm. It shows the life of the Christian life. The Lord is our shepherd, he takes us to the pastures where we grow, leads us to quiet waters where we are refreshed, and then takes us into the valley of the shadow of death. It is there, where we learn to trust in Him. In His own time, He will again lead us to the pastures of peace and the waters of refreshing before taking us into the valley again. To refuse the valley is to refuse his right to lead us and be our shepherd.
Finally, the Lord uses physical suffering to prove the faith of His people or to show the glory of God. In Job’s life, the Lord challenged Satan to prove Job. It was not Satan that initiated the challenge, and Job never knew why he suffered the way he did. God began by saying, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”
As we can see, nothing in Job’s life caused his suffering. God Himself testifies that Job is upright and blameless, yet he allowed Satan to strip him of all wealth, health, friends, and everything we as people consider precious. We must keep that in mind when suffering arises. Each of us should examine ourselves to see if sin is in our lives. Job did this. We see he testified to his friends that he found nothing in his life warranting judgment. His friends rebuked him by saying that God would never allow these things to come upon someone unless there was secret sin in their life. In the end, God rebuked Job’s friends and said Job testified to what was right and his friends spoke evil.
Another example of innocence in the midst of suffering is found in John 9:2-3
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
Like most people, the disciples believed personal sin was the cause of suffering. At times, this is the case, but many times it is not. Personal sin didn’t cause this man’s blindness. It was given for the purpose of revealing the glory of God. A similar declaration was given in Exodus 4:11
So the LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD?
When people say that God will never create the things we consider to be unwell, we can see that God declares the opposite. The Lord God says, “I have made the deaf, mute, and blind.” In Job, we see that God sent the trials that tested Job. Job’s friends came and gave their theological reasonings as to why God would never do such a thing. One even said that the Lord spoke these things to him. In the end, God was angry at Job’s friends and refused to forgive their sins until Job gave a sin offering on their behalf (Job 42:7-8).
Example after example is given throughout scripture, indicating physical suffering and even sickness are part of God’s plan, and something He uses in our lives for a purpose greater than our mere comfort. Yet because we desire heaven on earth, many refuse to believe the word of God.
If healing was a guarantee, 1 Corinthians wouldn’t have rebuked the church who thought all received healings. Paul would not have said that Epaphroditus had a lengthy sickness and was near to death, but God had mercy on him and on Paul. Paul said that if Epaphroditus had died, he would have had sorrow upon sorrow. There is no indication of a healing, but rather that his life was spared and he recovered.
Another fellow worker of Paul’s fell sick and wasn’t healed. Paul said, “I left Trophimus in Miletus sick.” He didn’t heal him, he had to leave the ill man behind as he left for the next leg of his missionary journey. The Apostle Paul even acknowledges physical ailments in Timothy’s life. Paul calls Timothy his beloved and faithful son in the Lord (1 Corinthians 4:17). In Philippians 4:19-22, he says that Timothy has a proven character. Other’s seek their own, but only Timothy seeks the things of Christ, and no one else is like-minded. Yet, in 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul instructs Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach’s sake and for his often infirmities. He is acknowledging Timothy’s ailments. If the guaranteed healing doctrine was correct, why didn’t Paul tell Timothy to be healed and to have more faith?
The truth is that our physical state indeed fits within God’s plan, but that plan is not focused on our physical comfort, but our eternal benefit. We have no right to demand anything of God, nor can we put our physical bodies off limits to His hand. If personal comfort is the measurement of faith, then the guaranteed healing doctrine would have merit, but the Lord is looking to our eternal benefit. The sufferings of this life are not even worthy to be compared to the joy that awaits those who faithfully endure.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Discipleship
Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eddiesnipes
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