| Gifts healing | by A. Wood | |
|---|---|---|
|
This month we shall take a look at the gift of healing mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12v30
The gift in action (Acts 3v1-10, 5v15-16, 9v32-35, 14v8-11, 28v7-10)Here we see the gift of healing in action. We need to ask four questions.First who had the gift of healing? The only two are Paul and Peter, this is not to say others didn't but these are the only two in the New Testament who have this gift, excluding our Lord Jesus Christ obviously. Secondly who was healed? Unbelievers, nowhere does it mention that a single believer was healed. Thirdly why? In each case it was used in the spread of the Gospel, so that people might turn to the Lord. Fourth where? In each case it was as the Gospel was spread in a new place. These 4 points suggest that it was given as a "sign gift" to jump-start the spreading of the Gospel. Just as tongues were needed to speak to many people when there were only a few believers, so the gift of healing was needed to spread the Gospel to many people.
What about today (2 Corinthians 12v5-10, 1 Timothy 5v23, James 5v14-15)Does this gift still exist today? Well there is no clear indication from Scripture on this, it is interesting to note that we only read of apostles exercising this gift. And apart from its mention in 1 Corinthians 12, it is not mentioned elsewhere in the epistles. I also believe the three references above give us a pattern for healing today.The first reference is that sometimes a physical ailment is sent to perfect us. That is, Christ gives us the grace to get through life, despite this ailment. His strength is made perfect in our weakness, as we have to depend on Him more. If Paul didnt have this ailment, perhaps he would have been lifted up in his pride, so this ailment reminded him of his need for God's sustaining power. However, we need to remember that not all sin is sent for our perfecting, just as people in the world get sick for no apparent reason, so will we. see John 9. In the second reference, Timothy is told to take a little wine for his stomach's sake. One way God heals is through medicine. After all it is He who created the base elements that when combined together would create the medicine needed to cure diseases. In the third reference, we have the prayer meeting. Here it is not one gifted believer but the elders plural that are gathered together. They are to pray in the name of the Lord. We are told that if we pray in the name of the Lord then He will answer, but only if it is according to His Divine Will. Just as praying for a new car won't get you one, unless it is God's Will, then praying for someone to be healed won't heal that person, unless God acts in His Divine Will.
ConclusionWe have seen that it was only the apostles that exercised this gift in the New Testament. While this does not exclude other believers, the fact that it is not listed elsewhere, e.g. in Romans 12, suggests that this gift wasn't given liberally, but perhaps only as part of the gift of apostleship. Each time it was used it was for the spreading of the Gospel in a new place. These days many missionaries go out and use normal medicine to heal people, I have yet to hear of a missionary in modern times that miraculously healed people. We have also seen that God can and does heal today using other methods. These are through, general medicine, and the prayers of the elders. Finally we have seen that sometimes God calls us to go through an illness so that His strength may be made perfect in our weakness, but that not all sickness is for this reason.
| ||