Is healing in the atonement.
Hi, welcome to today's little lesson.
Thank you so much for joining me.
This is a very special edition of our little lessons because I'm not in my normal office
studio.
I'm in central Africa, in the nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Huge nation of about 78 million people and Heaven's Family, the ministry that I'm so
blessed to direct has been working here for a number of years, although I'm in a new city
that we've never worked in before, but it seems like the Lord's opening a good door
of service here, and that's why I'm here in Lubumbashi in southern DRC.
Okay, so that's the background.
So let's get to our little lesson: is healing in the atonement.
First of all, what does that question even mean?
Is healing in the atonement?
Well, we're talking about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his death on the cross that
was an atonement, and we often hear the biblical idea that Jesus's death is the atonement for
our sins.
That is, it's the payment for our sins.
It made possible the forgiveness of our sins.
And that's universally believed by all true Christians, that Jesus is the sacrifice that
atoned for our sins.
But I'm posing the question today, does Jesus's atoning sacrifice do more for us, provide
more for us potentially, at least anyways then the forgiveness of our sins?
And specifically does that atoning sacrifice, Jesus's amazing, incredible loving, compassionate
death on the cross for us, does that make provision for physical healing in our bodies?
Now, before we try to answer that question, let's think of the ramifications of that.
If Jesus's sacrifice does somehow make provision for healing in our bodies, well that would
mean that if we're sick, there's a potential that we could be healthy and made well.
Right?
Sure.
And it's interesting to me that a lot of folks will vehemently object to the idea or even
the suggestion of the idea that Jesus's atonement and his sacrifice makes provision for healing
in our bodies when in fact everybody, every Christian universally agrees that Jesus's
atonement, provides not only forgiveness of sins, but everything.
Everything that any Christian enjoys or ever will enjoy, including eternal life.
Including heaven.
Right, right.
Including new bodies.
Right, right.
So it's so interesting that we'll stand strong theologically that Jesus's sacrifice is what
makes everything possible.
Every blessing that's possible is made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
It's not because of our works, it's because of God's goodness, his grace and Jesus's work
on the cross.
Everything except it doesn't include healing for our bodies.
Even though those same people would have to admit that the Bible is full of the healing
benefit.
Can I have an amen out there?
Just think for a second about your Bible and ask yourself the general question.
Is the Bible have more to say that is kind of pro-healing or does the Bible have more
to say about what is kind of anti-healing?
Well you don't have to know your Bible very well to know that the Bible is chock full,
stuffed full of stories and promises and miracles of healing that just from cover to cover.
God revealed himself to the Israelites.
He said, I'm Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals you.
And the Psalmist wrote "Bless the Lord O my soul, let me not forget any of your benefits
who forgives all your inequities."
And yikes, what did he say in the next sentence?
"Who heals all your diseases?"
God told Israel, "If you obey me, I'll take sickness out of your midst and fulfill the
number of your days."
So they had a covenant that included healing contingent upon obedience.
Then the son of God shows up on the scene.
The God Of the old covenant shows up in the new Testament.
And what is he doing?
Oh my goodness.
He's healing people, baskets full of people as it were.
His ministry is characterized according to Matthew by three major things: preaching,
teaching, and healing.
And again, if you've ever read the four gospels, I think I actually counted the versus one
time myself, all the verses in the four gospels.
And then I counted all those that had something to do with healing or the healing ministry
of Jesus.
And are you ready for this shocker?
One out of every 10 verses in the four gospels has something to do with the healing ministry
of Jesus Christ.
This is not like something that some obscure subject like some people would make it seem
to be, right?
Right.
Then you work your way through the New Testament.
All the promises.
"Is any among you sick?"
James asks the whole church.
Well what should he do?
Let him call for the elders of the church and let them anoint him with oil and so forth.
And the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick.
And if he's committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
So anyways, I'm just trying to lay down a little introduction, a little foundation here,
because obviously we're going to have to go into the next little lesson to answer the
overriding question, but, oh my goodness, if you're a Christian, you ought to have some
biblical knowledge of healing because your Bible has a lot to say about healing.
Your Jesus, your savior, one-tenth of everything is revealed about him in the four gospels
concerns his healing ministry.
The Jesus that the scripture says is the same yesterday, today and forever.
If our Christianity doesn't have some component, for goodness sakes, of healing, well, something's
wrong.
Okay.
All right.
I'm going to stop here because I'm out of time, but we'll do part two in our next little
lesson.
And we're going to try to answer that question, is healing in the atonement?
See what the Bible says and not what some preacher says.
Thanks for joining me.
Hope to see you next time.