When answering the question of whether or not God is healing the sick today, we must first clarify and qualify just what the real issue is.
The question is not whether God can heal the sick today—because the record of scripture is clear on the truth that with God all things are possible, and with God nothing shall be impossible.
The real question is whether or not God has promised, in his written word to us today; that is, to heal us supernaturally or not.
Is supernatural healing his will or plan for us today?
Is God operating a supernatural healing program for believers today—those who have put their faith and trust in the shed blood of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and him alone, for full payment of their sins?
Any student of the bible can, with only a small glance at the earthly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, see that a major part of his preaching to Israel about their "gospel of the kingdom" was supernatural healing!
Matthew 4:23-24
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
As the Lord begins his earthly ministry, he goes about preaching and supernaturally "healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people" of Israel. And, he continues to heal even more Israelites, as many as sought healing from him, turning none away. Even when he commissions his 12 apostles later in the book of Matthew, he gives them his power to not only supernaturally heal the people of Israel, but even the power to "raise the dead" (See note at bottom of page about this practice today).
No doubt, part of our Lord's (and his earthly apostles') commission from God the Father was to preach the coming Davidic kingdom to Israel, and to supernaturally heal "all" manner of sickness and disease, up to, and including, death! So why this particular healing ministry?
Israel was created by God to be his literal, physical, visible, people in the earth to manifest his glory! As that nation manifested perfect physical health, and many other blessings of God to the other gentile nations, the gentiles would then seek the God of Israel. It is our Apostle Paul who tells us about our Lord’s earthly ministry…
Romans 15:8
Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision [Israel, through God's covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12-18] for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:
Isaiah 35:4-6
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. 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.
So we see that God had promised the Nation of Israel in his written word to them, that He would heal them supernaturally.
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But what about the people of God today in the dispensation of grace—the church, the body of Christ? Has God promised, in his written Word to us through Paul (Romans thru Philemon), to heal us supernaturally like He did with Israel?
Well, first of all it is clear from all scripture that the human body is fearfully and wonderfully made. We can praise our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, for all the healing properties He put in our bodies at creation, with the forming of our first father Adam. But unfortunately, with Adam's sin came death, and the corruption of this masterpiece of the human body. Our Apostle Paul says it is a body of death, it perishes and it is vile.
Romans 7:24
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
2 Corinthians 4:16
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Philippians 3:21
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
In Philippians 2, and 2 Timothy 4, God allowed two faithful brethren in the Lord to remain sick...one even almost died. Even Timothy himself had to be prescribed some medicine from Paul. It is no doubt to me that this prescription was also endorsed by Luke the beloved physician, who was also our apostle's personal attending physician during his own sufferings of physical infirmities.
Paul makes it clear that today, we believers in the church, the body of Christ, just like the whole creation, "groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." He says that because of the current "bondage of corruption," everything on earth, including our bodies, are subject to the pain and sting of sin and death.
Romans 8:18-25
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
We as believers are not immune from the effects of sin on our mortal bodies! It is part of the "gift" of suffering that the Lord gives us as His saints today.
Philippians 1:29
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Unlike Israel, who when they suffered in their physical bodies, it was a sign from God of his disapproval of them (Deuteronomy 28:58-60), we as his saints today, can, like our Apostle Paul, glory in our infirmities, that the power of Christ can rest upon us.
2 Corinthians 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Even though our apostle prayed diligently to the Lord thrice to remove his infirmity, the Lord did not! But, said unto him (and is, therefore, saying to us), "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
God's grace message today is found in the 13 letters of our Apostle Paul! So although Christ did not remove Paul's infirmity, He did give him his grace to bear and endure.
1 Corinthians 10:13
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
So my friend, you too can learn to say with Paul, "most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me!" And although God has not promised to supernaturally heal us of all our sicknesses and diseases today like he did with the nation of Israel, he does have a "far more exceeding and eternal" healing program for us called the resurrection, or the "rapture," or "catching away" of his church (1 Corinthians 15:51-54, 1 Thess 4:13-18, Philippians 3:20-21, Titus 2:13].
One day the Lord, himself, will come back and deliver us from this sin cursed world and take us home to the heavenly places with him. We will, at that time, get our new glorified bodies, just like he now has, and then function, operate, serve and fellowship with him for all eternity in the heavenly places, in his heavenly kingdom. Even so, come Lord Jesus, praise ye the Lord, Amen!
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Physician, heal thyself!
Notice that no one today ever raises the dead, which is the bible's ultimate proof of a "healer"! In fact, have you ever seen anyone even "healed" of an amputated arm or leg, in which it grew back (Matthew 12:10-13). I am sure all the wounded war veterans who come back home, all torn up, could use their help. That would be a very convincing way to share Christ with them wouldn't it?
Why are all the so-called "healings" today inward things (cancer, etc.) that cannot be seen, nor confirmed like in the Lord's earthly ministry Or why, when you do not get your healing, do the so-called "healers" claim that you don't have enough faith (or money), or that there is some sort of "sin in your life"...what person on earth today does not sin—even them!? The Lord Jesus Christ could heal you based on someone else’s faith, not yours (Matthew 9:2)!
Why do some of the "healers" today wear eyeglasses? Can they not heal their own sight (Luke 4:23)? I even heard a "healer" on the radio preaching about the Lord's supernaturally healing through him, and yet he himself was sick at the time he was speaking and had a cold in his own throat, coughing up a storm right there on the air!
When believers claim that God "healed" them, what do they say to all their brothers and sisters in Christ who pray to God and yet are not healed?
No my friend, no matter all the claims of believers and non-believers alike of some "miraculous" or supernatural healing from God, the death rate is still one apiece...we all die!
God's real healing program and promise for us believers today is when he gives us our new bodies at the rapture. Until then, his grace is sufficient. Until then, we will all get old, get sick, hurt, and (if the Lord tarries) we will all die. And if you are honest, you know deep down in your heart that this fact is true, even in your own life. Why not seek comfort in the word of his grace through your Apostle Paul's 13 letters Romans through Philemon?!
Hopefully this helps!
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