Asking for healing

inquiry

Thank you for being so helpful to me in the past. I have a question
for you today. Do you believe in divine healing as part of the
salvation package and all what we need to do is to ask for it? In
other words, do you think that Jesus wants to heal our bodies in all
circumstances as long as we are believers, no matter how hard our
physical situation is? What does the bible teach about healing in
James 5:13-16 and in Matt 8:14-17? What if Jesus choses not to heal as
He sometimes does?

Thank you.

response

We see many in the Bible that suffer health problems.  David
apparently had circulatory problems in his old age (1 Ki 1:1).  Paul
and Timothy had problems as well (see 2 Cor 12:7 & 1 Tim 5:23).  And
let us not forget Job, who suffered from boils (Job 2:7).  Don't be
swayed by any suggestion that the saints of the Old Testament times
did not have Christ's healing promise yet.  Christ's healing and
salvation affected all of time (see Heb 9:25-28).

Thus we see healing in the OT with Elijah and Elisha as well as
healing in the NT with Jesus, Paul, and Peter. These things provide
glimpses into the full restoration that will occur to the whole world
when Christ returns (see Isa 35, particularly v6).  Consider also the
aspect of God's judgement.  We do not see every hypocrite judged as
Ananias and Sapphira were in Acts 5:1-11.  Yet we know that the
judgement of God hangs over all like Ananias and Sapphira.  Right now
the way things are in the world nothing looks fair. Fools are raised
high and the wise are despised.  The good are oppressed.  People work
hard only to die in the end and leave the fruit of labor to fools who
squander it.  See the book of Ecclesiastes.  The world seems
topsy-turvy and it doesn't look like God is topsy.  But the story of
Job paints a more complicated picture of what is happening in the
world.  The righteous suffer in all sorts of ways.  This is true in
Job's day as well as ours.  Being on other side of the cross does not
change this.

Barnes' Notes states concerning James 5:15:
"This must be understood, as such promises are everywhere, with this
restriction, that they will be restored to health if it shall be the
will of God; if he shall deem it for the best. It cannot be taken in
the absolute and unconditional sense, for then, if these means were
used, the sick person would always recover, no matter how often he
might be sick, and he need never die. The design is to encourage them
to the use of these means with a strong hope that it would be
effectual. It may fairly be inferred from this statement:

(1) that there would be cases in large numbers where these means would
be attended with this happy result; and,
(2) that there was so much encouragement to do it that it would be
proper in any case of sickness so make use of these means."

Consequently, we must listen to James, who says:
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a 
city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet 
you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor 
that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought 
to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.'  But as 
it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil." (James 
4:13-16).

We must submit to the sovereignty of God and realize that we are not
our own any longer, but have been bought with a price, so that we say,
with Job,  "Why should I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in
my hands? Though He slay me, I will hope in Him." (Job 13:14-15)

Your servant in Christ,