BY GREG CRUM
“When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:16-17
Did Jesus bear our sin on a cross close to two thousand years ago in the city of Jerusalem? Absolutely. Did that sacrifice bring about healing to the otherwise incurable wound of our soul that now enables us to have a right relationship with God and a future with Him for eternity? No doubt. Is that the sum of the work of the cross? Not a chance. Sure, it would have been enough. More than enough. None of us would have any reason to complain if all that Jesus did on the cross was to secure our forgiveness and eternal life, but the torture that he endured worked for us a complete healing for the whole of man— spirit, soul, and body.
The last few weeks we have thought about how our salvation is so much more than we realize. Too many of us have grown up thinking that what Jesus did for us on that cross was just fire insurance. It is that in a very real sense, but when you begin to look into the Scriptures you see that our escape from an eternal lake of fire is just one of the many blessings Jesus won for us through his death and resurrection. When we got “saved,” we received more than just a future trip to Heaven. We received all that the word “saved,” or “sozo” in the Greek, conveys. We were given all the provision we would ever need to live well, and that includes the health and healing that we need to function effectively on this Earth.
Of course, this promised provision for spirit, soul, and especially body, won’t be enjoyed without contention. You’re going to have to put up a fight of faith from time to time, because the devil sure is not going to roll over and play dead. Sadly, he has some human help in his goal of dissuading others from receiving the victories of Christ as well. The last couple of weeks we wrote of a few dubious objections to the part of our salvation that works healing for these natural bodies. The bottom line is this: Scripture, interpreted in context, trumps personal experience, and God is still in the body-healing business because He still loves us now as much as He ever has.
Now, you might be thinking, “Okay, if that’s the case, then why are so many Christians today struggling to receive what God has provided for these physical bodies?” The blunt answer is faith.
As we mentioned last week, the key to enjoying “sozo” in the form of physical health is the same as the key to receiving the forgiveness of our sin. It is the same process in God’s perspective: the process of faith. Our brains tell us it is different; our bodies tell us it is harder to receive, but we do not have to listen to our brains and our bodies. We can choose to allow God’s Word to be the ultimate authority instead.
How do we do this though? When symptoms of sickness and disease are screaming at us, how can we devalue them long enough to see God’s health in our bodies? Well, think back to early in your walk with Christ. Do you remember ever having “symptoms” of your former sin life tempting you to doubt your eternal salvation? Most people have a few moments like this.
How did you deal with those doubts? If you dealt with them successfully, you remembered the Word, right? You thought back to what the Bible said, and what good ministers of the Word had preached to you. You talked to the Lord, you rehearsed what you had done at that altar, and what he had done in response, and then you moved on from that moment of doubt without figuring out a plan “B.” Plan “B”? Yeah, you did not think, “I don’t feel saved today, so maybe I’m not. Maybe I need to check out this Islam thing.” No. You trusted in God’s Word and your response to it, and kept walking until those “symptoms” passed.
As simple as it sounds, it works the same way in overcoming our doubts about our health and receiving that part of our salvation from God.
Friends, believe God to do what Jesus has already provided for you. Combat doubts with the truth of the Word. God is faithful. He will not fail to respond to your faith.
Greg Crum is the pastor at Calvary Temple Church in Lovely.