#17 The Facts On False Teaching In The Church
 

    Almost all the "faith" teachers and "faith" healers claim these verses prove that the atonement of Christ guarantees our physical healing. On the basis of these verses they teach that all we need do is "claim" our healing by "faith." But we disagree. The Bible and these verses do not teach that Jesus died so that all may "claim" divine healing now.
    Let us examine these Scriptures to see if they are properly applied by the faith teachers. In Isaiah 53:4,5 it states, "Surely our grief's (the Hebrew word implies both physical sickness and the emotional and physical consequence of sinful behavior; cross-reference Eccl. 6:2) he himself bore, and our sorrows [or pains] he carried...He was pierced through for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities [sins]...By his scourging we are healed." In response to this verse we may state the following:
    In English or Hebrew the word "heal" (in Hebrew, napha) may refer to either physical or spiritual healing. The context must determine if one or both meanings are meant. For example, in 1 Peter 2:24 Peter refers to spiritual healing (quoting the Greek Septuagint), and in Matthew 8:17 Matthew refers to physical (quoting the Hebrew Masoretic text).
    Peter says of our spiritual healing, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by his wounds you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Peter stresses the spiritual aspect of the atonement of Christ. Nothing is said here about a believer's physical healing. On the other hand, Matthew does refer to physical healing. He says that Jesus physically healed those who were brought to Him, "in order that what was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, 'He himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases' " (Matthew 8:17).
    The question is, "Do these verses teach that perfect physical healing is available to every believer if, by faith, he simply "claims" it? Since it is beyond doubt that Peter stresses the spiritual healing of the atonement, we only need concern ourselves with Isaiah and Matthew. We accept that Matthew applied Isaiah 53 to Christ's earthly ministry of healing. But we cannot accept that this example of Christ's ministry gives anyone permission to teach that all Christians should therefore claim their healing immediately. Why? Because in other scriptural accounts Jesus and the apostles did not teach this (Matthew 25:37-40; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 5:40). We do not believe that the apostle Matthew contradicted Jesus or the other apostles in this matter of the application of Jesus' healing ministry.
    Also, Matthew is only pointing out that when Jesus was healing, this was another sign of fulfilled Messianic prophecy. In healing many people physically, Matthew realized Jesus fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy, thereby proving his rightful claim to be the Jewish Messiah (see Luke 7:19-23).
    It's possible that Matthew's words could lead one to speculate that Jesus now provided healing for everyone, but such speculation can be seen to be false because Matthew himself specifically quotes Jesus against such a view.
    In Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus Himself states He personally "expected" sickness and difficulty among believers, ("those brothers of mine" verse 40). Also the writings of the Apostle Paul reject such speculation as can be seen in 1 Timothy 5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. For those who are following faith teachers and still not convinced, we submit the following additional evidence from Scripture proving this view is wrong. Many biblical persons who had great faith were sick and in spite of their great faith not healed, such as Elisha, Daniel, Lazarus, Dorcas, Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus and Trophimus (2 Kings 13:14; Daniel 8:27; John 11:2; Acts 9:36, 37; Galatians 4:13-15;Philippians 2:25-30; 1 Timothy 5:23; 2 Timothy 4:20).
    When we read the scriptural letters of the Apostle Paul, we find that physical pain and sickness were indications of God's gracious work in his life (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Paul also boasted in his physical weakness, not in his power (2 Corinthians 11:24-30).
    Our Lord Jesus Himself said that even physical blindness and death could be to God's glory (John 9:1-3; John 11:4).
    Job said, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10). These verses and many others indicate that God does not expect every Christian to be healed simply because they "claim" it.
    Faith teachers are wrong on another point. They emphasize healing results are based on the amount of faith a person possesses. They claim everyone who exercises enough faith will be healed. They teach doubt always blocks God's divine power from healing.
    But Mark 9:24 proves that their teaching is wrong. We know that Jesus mercifully healed even the son of a man who admitted to unbelief. In addition, the faith teachers claim that even negative thinking will block God's power. But this is also wrong since the Bible tells us David prayed in a state of acute depression, and yet his prayer was answered (2 Samuel 15:30-32; 2 Samuel 17:1-23).
    There is another reason why the "faith" teachers are wrong about a Christian "claiming" his healing. There is not one Scripture verse that teaches us to "claim our healing. "No Scripture anywhere tells us that Christ's death provides physical healing now merely on the basis of our claiming it.
    For example, concerning salvation, the Bible repeatedly promises "whosoever will may come." But concerning claiming one's healing, there is not a single "whosoever will claim" promise in all of Scripture.
    If we listen closely to the Apostle James, we find he stresses the calling of elders and their "prayer of faith" for healing. He does not mention an individual "claiming" his healing (James 5:1-5).
    Those who say we must "claim our healings" should also examine the biblical use of the word claim. In the New International Version, there are about 45 uses of the word claim. Again, not one of them refers to healing. But many times the word is used in a negative sense where men claim things that are false, things that they have no right to claim.
    For example, the Bible says, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us@ (1 John 1:8). "If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth" (1 John 1:6). "They claim to know God but by their actions they deny Him" (Titus 1:16). "...you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them false" (Revelation 2:2). God tells Job "who has a claim against me that I must pay?@ God says that no one has any claims upon Him (Job 41:11). Yet God does ask us to call to Him; He promises to consider our requests, but tells us to leave the result with His sovereignty. Still, nowhere does God ask believers to automatically claim their healing from Him.
    Contrary to the teaching of faith healers, the Bible states:

1. If a person is sick, he can call for the elders of the church to come and pray for his recovery. James states, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up..." (James 5:14-15). James says two things. First, you should call the church elders for your sickness. Second, you do not claim healing by yourself.
2. According to James, if a sick person is not healed, it would seem to be due to the lack of faith on the part of those who prayed for him, not the lack of faith of the sick person.
3. There can be no doubt that God asks His people to individually bring their needs and requests to Him (Philippians 4:6).
4. Even though we are encouraged to make our requests to God, He does not guarantee to fulfill our requests; He may still decline them. In such cases God says that His grace is sufficient and that even in our weakness God's power can be made manifest. Paul states: "Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it [a thorn in his flesh] away from me but he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
 

    Peter said, "Let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what is right" (1 Peter 4:18). Christ's death will one day perfectly heal every believer both spiritually and physically (Romans 8:30). Until that day, we must accept that each of us will, in some way, suffer from the natural consequences of living in a fallen and imperfect, sin-cursed world.
    However, this does not imply passivity or resignation. David prayed fervently for God to spare his son, for he said, "who knows, God may be gracious to me that the child may live" (2 Samuel 12:21).
    All of these verses should be included in our thinking concerning healing.
 

John Ankerberg & John Weldon