We have a wonderful and loving God who takes no joy in seeing human suffering. As we think about the world God created, we remember that it was completely void of pain, suffering and death. But due to humanity's own choice, sadly these things are now part of our life. Therefore we must preface this section with the mind frame that all sickness is a consequence of humanity's own depravity, not something God created or wished for us. However, having said that we must also be careful of swinging too far in the opposite direction. Some religions and traditions teach that those who suffer illness do so because they are receiving punishment for their own personal sins or those of their direct ancestors. However, this extreme view is not supported by scripture. For example, in John 9:1-3 we find Jesus specifically rejecting this teaching… "As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life". Although sickness originally entered the world through sin, we must be careful in assuming that a person's illness can always be directly attributed to their personal sin, rather than due to the general fallen state of humanity.
I believe that in some cases God directly intervenes and chooses to heal people from their illness. The best example of this can be seen in the earthly ministry of Jesus. This healing testifies to God's power and fits in with His own specific will.
While it is wonderful when God chooses to heal someone, we have no right to demand healing, or expect that all will be healed. Some Christians believe that, as Christians, we have power over sickness and that if our faith is strong enough, we will always be healed. This idea cannot be supported from Scripture. In fact, even the Apostle Paul, whose faith is an inspiration to all, had his own sickness that would not be healed. Paul writes, "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor 12:7-9) Not only do we see that God does not choose to heal all sickness, He can also use our infirmities to glorify His own perfect will.
As Christians we should earnestly pray for those who are ill, with the understanding that God may or may not heal them, but always does what is in His good and perfect will. We must not presume that God will heal someone, nor should we presume that a person who has not been healed remains unhealed because of sin or lack of faith. We must simply trust that all that God does is within His perfect and Holy nature.
This article was taken from "Statement of Belief - by Cameron Stefferson". You can view the complete document by clicking on 'Statement of Belief' in the top menu.
