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Author
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Topic: A Christian should Never be sick? Or at least Always experience healing?
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Caretaker
Advanced Member
Member # 36
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posted
Amen Sis!!!
I hope when those who have been so deceived by WOF teachers, become elderly, become stricken with disease, are crippled in accidents, have their spouses or children die of disease, that their eyes may be opened and hearts become receptive to God's Truth, and can say with Brother Paul:
7: And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8: For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
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.
10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Cor.:12)
35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8)
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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SoftTouch
Advanced Member
Member # 2316
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posted
The following snippets are taken from a couple different articles:
What About Sickness? Are All Christians To Be Healed By God?
A common Word Faith teaching is that it is your own fault for being sick. They teach that it is because of your lack of faith and/or knowledge if you are sick or poor. They teach a christian should not be sick and that we can claim our healing by faith and God will always heal us. This cruel and unbiblical teaching does nothing but heap guilt upon those that are ill and infirmed.
Can you imagine the gall to tell a person to their face that the reason they are sick with cancer is because of their lack of faith? Can you imagine the cruelty in telling a person bound to a wheelchair that if they had enough "faith" they would "Rise and be healed?"
Are there any instances of believers in the Bible that asked God for a healing and were refused? Are there any instances of believers in the Bible that remained sick or died from a sickness?
The Apostle Paul:
The Apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh that was particularly troublesome. He asked the Lord three times to take it away but God said, "no." Despite God's refusal to heal him, Paul rejoiced because of his infirmities:
"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 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. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong," 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
"Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first. And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus," Galatians 4:13-14.
From this passage of Scritpure it is crystal clear that a sickness can lead us to a deeper love of God. It can lead to spiritual growth and our better serving and honoring Him. To say that God wants everybody healed contradicts the clear teachings of His Word.
Charles Spurgeon said this about his battle with gout: "I am certain that I never did grow in grace one-half so much anywhere as I have upon the bed of pain."
In the 14th chapter of the Book of Acts the Christians are exhorted to continue in the faith despite their many tribulations:
"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God," Acts 14:22.
Jesus Himself told us that we will have tribulation in this life:
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world," John 16:33.
The Great Prophet Elisha:
Elisha had a double portion of the annointing of Elijah. He raised people from the dead and God did many other miracles through him as well. Despite this double annointing Elisha himself died from sickness and was not healed by God. Here is the scripture: "Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died," 2 Kings 13:14.
Timothy:
Timothy's spiritual father was the greatest of all the apostles, Paul. He spent alot of time learning from Paul's life and doctrine. Surely, if it is God's will for every sick christian to be healed Paul would have healed Timothy's stomach condition. Instead of a miraculous healing, Paul advised him to take that days solution for that particular ailment: "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities," 1 Timothy 5:23.
Trophimus:
Again we have a friend and companion of the great Apostle Paul that he could not or would not heal. Do you honestly think that if Paul could have healed his friend that he would have refused to do so? At the very least Paul could have left an apron or handkerchief to heal his friend (Acs 19:11-12).
God himself refused to heal Paul of his thorn in the flesh. Here is the scripture where Paul speaks of his friends sickness: "Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick," 2 Timothy 4:20.
Sin and sickness entered the world through Adam (Romans 5:12) and his disobedience to God. God warned Adam the day that he did eat of the tree you will die (spiritually and physically). "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," Genesis 2:16-17.
So please do not blame God for sickness and death, our disobedience through Adam brought death into the world. Our bodies are prone to decay and sickness through the natural aging process. It could be the result of a bad diet, lack of exercise or a variety of other reasons that happen over time to each and every one of us. Whatever the case God will give you the strength you need to see you through your valley.
Our faith in God is not dependant upon our circumstances. We are pilgrims and seek a kingdom that is not of this world. We seek a heavenly habitation, where there will be no more tears, death, or pain. God describes what heaven will be like, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away," Revelation 21:4.
If we experience sickness and death we must say with Job no matter how hard and difficult it may be at the time:
"And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD...Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (Calamity)? In all this did not Job sin with his lips...Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him," Job 1:21, 2:9-10, 13:15.
ISAIAH 53:4–5—Does this passage indicate that physical healing during mortal life is guaranteed in the atonement, as Word-Faith teachers often argue?
MISINTERPRETATION:
Isaiah 53:4–5 states, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed” (nasb). Word-Faith teachers believe this passage means that physical healing during mortal life is guaranteed in the atonement. Hence, a true believer should never be sick. It is up to the believer to appropriate the guaranteed healing that has been made available in the atonement. If the believer has unbelief or sin, then this available healing is thereby prevented (Hagin, Word of Faith, August 1977, 9).
CORRECTING THE MISINTERPRETATION:
While ultimate physical healing is in the atonement (a healing we will enjoy in our resurrection bodies), healing of our bodies while in the mortal state (prior to our death and resurrection) is not guaranteed in the atonement.
Moreover, it is important to note that the Hebrew word for “healing” (napha) can refer not just to physical healing but to spiritual healing. The context of Isaiah 53:4 indicates that spiritual healing is in view. In verse 5 we are clearly told, “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed” (v. 5, emphasis added). Because “transgressions” and “iniquities” set the context, spiritual healing from the misery of sin is in view.
Numerous verses in Scripture substantiate the view that physical healing in mortal life is not guaranteed in the atonement and that it is not always God’s will to heal. The apostle Paul couldn’t heal Timothy’s stomach problem (1 Tim. 5:23) nor could he heal Trophimus at Miletus (2 Tim. 4:20) or Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25–27). Paul spoke of “a bodily illness” he had (Gal. 4:13–15). He also suffered a “thorn in the flesh” which God allowed him to retain (2 Cor. 12:7–9). God certainly allowed Job to go through a time of physical suffering (Job 1–2). In none of these cases is it stated that the sickness was caused by sin or unbelief. Nor did Paul or any of the others act as if they thought their healing was guaranteed in the atonement. They accepted their situations and trusted in God’s grace for sustenance. It is noteworthy that on two occasions Jesus said that sickness could be for the glory of God (John 9:3; 11:4).
Other Scripture reveals that our physical bodies are continuously running down and suffering various ailments. Our present bodies are said to be perishable and weak (1 Cor. 15:42–44). Paul said “our outer man is decaying” (2 Cor. 4:16). Death and disease will be a part of the human condition until that time when we receive resurrection bodies that are immune to such frailties (1 Cor. 15:51–55).
Let’s consider what has happened in the lives of some of the Prominent WOF Teachers who preach that Christians should never be sick, or that the Lord will Always heal them:
Dr. Hobart Freeman, Word of Faith teacher & pastor of Faith Assembly - over 90 people died in his church following his teaching and then Hobart died due to a medically treatable disease.
I personally respect Hobart & his misguided followers. They actually took the teachings of the WOF movement to their logical conclusion. They stood on the "promises" alone and believed in their doctrine enough to face painful deaths instead of refusing to deny what they believed. Hobart Freeman is the most chilling testimony of the complete bankruptcy of the WOF errors. If WOF teachings were true they would have certainly worked for Hobart and the 90+ people who died in "faith believing."
John Osteen himself passed away a little over a year ago due to several medical conditions. His church "confessed" his healing and he himself had stated that God told him he would be preaching in the pulpit in his 90's. Osteen died in his 70's.
T. L. Osborn's wife, Daisy Osborn, died of cancer a few years back. Yet T. L is supposed to have a miracle ministry overseas, yet there was no supernatural healing for his wife.
Charles Capps, Word of Faith teacher, teaches power of our words to create reality - his wife got cancer and was medically treated. I guess Chuck’s wife must have not spoken the right magic words to keep the cancer from her body.
John Wimber, Signs & Wonders Movement, author of "Power Healing," - just died from cancer. He too, was medically treated - no "power" healing for him, only chemo-therapy.
Prophet Keith Grayton, Prophetic Movement - died of the complications of AIDS. He declared he was totally healed. He died a year or so later.
Kenneth Hagin, "father" of the Word of Faith Movement - sister died of cancer, Hagin’s great faith and special anointing could not keep her on the planet.
Buddy Harrison, Kenneth E. Hagin's son-in-law, died of cancer Dec. 1999. Dad Hagin's "special healing anointing" (read I Believe In Visions by Hagin) could not help his own family member.
These people teach that it is God’s will to heal His children every time they come to Him in "faith." They also teach that we can "have what we say." Yet when they get sick what do they do? They go to the doctor just like the rest of us. None of the above received a "divine healing" or a "miracle" by the Biblical standard. In fact, several of these fine "Christians" berate other people who get sick and say it is due to their "lack of faith." However, when they or their family members get sick it is always an "attack of the devil," trying to stop their important Kingdom work.
The point is simple - what they preach does not work. Why not? Because their teaching is not Biblical and thus God does not back up their doctrine.
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Psalm 119:104Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. 105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Posts: 3465 | Registered: Nov 2003
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