REALITY OF OUR HEALING IN CHRIST
(week 17/01)
Olubi Johnson
What is healing?
It is a state of physical well-being. Healing is fundamental to the gospel of Jesus Christ. When Jesus died for our sins so that we could be righteous, he also suffered so that we could be healed. So just as I have a legal right to righteousness I also have a legal right to healing.
Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV): 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.
1 Peter 2:24 (KJV): 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.
Most serious minded Christians will resist sin, but will not treat sickness in the same way: we should resist sickness the same way we resist sin.
Legal and Vital Healing
Now when a thing is legally yours it does not mean that it is vitally yours.
For instance, if a man is being held in custody for a crime he is suspected to have committed, and after the trial the judge pronounces him innocent, then from that moment the man is legally free. In spite of this, however, at that time he may still be in hand cuffs and in prison until the paper work is complete. He is legally free but not vitally free. When he is released from custody and gets home he will be vitally free. Many of the children of God are in the same position as far as healing is concerned.
If the man’s lawyers did not do the right paper work etc, then he could be in jail for a long time without experiencing his legal freedom. If, as a Christian you do not know and or do the right thing, then you also could live your entire life time without ever experiencing your healing vitally.
Sickness and God’s chastening
It is wrong to think that God is using sickness to teach you something so that you sit down and accept the sickness passively. No! Rather God allows sicknesses to afflict us, to chasten us, to call our attention to loopholes Satan is exploiting in our lives, so that we can identify and shut them. When we do this we are judging ourselves and then we can successfully resist the devil and overcome the sickness and affliction.
1 Corinthians 11:30-32 (KJV): For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Hebrews 12:11-13 (KJV): Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
ORIGIN OF SICKNESS
The root of sickness is sin. Sin came into the human system through Adam’s fall (Gen.2: 17). God said in the day in which you eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you will surely die. Adam however did not die that day physically (though he died spiritually). However, he did die physically 900 years later.
This implies that the death process, which is really what sickness, is, started in his body the day he disobeyed God, because of the presence of the sin substance in the body. Therefore the more of the sin nature that you get out of your body the more you will find it easier to remain healed. This is one reason why God wants us to get into perfection and to remain there.
Acts 10:38 says sickness is satanic oppression.
Acts 10:38 (KJV): How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
Why are we afflicted with sickness?
Lack of knowledge. Hos. 4:6
Because of sin. John 5:14, Eph 4:27
The devil is the god of this world and he attacks and afflicts us with sickness to keep us from doing the Word of God 2 Cor. 4:4; Mk. 4:17
So we see that the devil can afflict us with sickness when we don’t know that we have a right to be healed because Jesus bore our sicknesses; when we sin and also just to attack us even when we know our rights and have not even sinned.
Immediate causes of sickness are:
Violation of natural laws e.g. laws of hygiene, diet and rest or what might also be called the spirit of the Levitical laws: Many times what we call the devil is simply just plain disobedience to natural laws.
Violation of spiritual law: negligence and laziness in prayer.
In our next article, we will see why and how we should resist sickness and live in divine health.
