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Salvation & Healing [message #5693]

Fri, 08 May 2009 22:06

william
Messages: 1474
Registered: January 2006

Senior Member
Administrator

James posted this in the Bulletin Board area:

Quote:

I AM THE LORD THAT HEALETH THEE...

Ps. 107 verses 17-19 speak of fools who because of their transgressions
and iniquities, are afflicted. But verse 20 reveals the LOVE of God,

because He sent Jesus(who is The Word...~John 1:1-2)and healed them.

" He sent His WORD, and healed them, and delivered them from their
destructions." ~Ps.107:20

"...Who HEALETH all thy diseases." ~Ps. 103:3b

It is hard for any Christian to deny the importance of healing in the
Bible. That said, one can't help but notice that in our day there doesn't
seem to be any difference in the way the world seeks healing & health, and
the way Christians deal with these same issues.

Could it be that we are in doubt as to whether or not Jesus' compassion
extends to us in our time of need?

The Leper that Jesus healed seems to fall into this category. He doesn't
doubt Jesus' ability to heal, but he seems to question Jesus' willingness
to heal his disease, specifically.

Luk 5:12-14 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a
man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him,
saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

There is a odd (to my mind) passage in the OT that says that if the
leprosy breaks out over all of the body the priest can pronounce the
person cleansed:

Lev 13:12-13 And if a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the
leprosy cover all the skin of him that hath the plague from his head even
to his foot, wheresoever the priest looketh; Then the priest shall
consider: and, behold, if the leprosy have covered all his flesh, he shall
pronounce him clean that hath the plague: it is all turned white: he is
clean.

Anyway, I only mention the OT passage because it was an interesting
passage given that leprosy is oftentimes seen as a judgment from God and
that healing/cleansing could only come from God... it was incurable. I
think it still is incurable but there does seem to be a bit of confusion
over the disease.

Jesus goes on to give the leper instructions:

And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean.
And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And he charged him to tell
no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy
cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

The last phrase "for a testimony unto them" (the priests), indicates that
the prevalent attitude toward God's willingness to heal might have been
similar to our modern day attitude that acknowledges God's ability, but
questions whether or not He is willing. Was this "testimony" to be an
indication to those who bore His Name, that God was still in the business
of maintaining His people and that His kingdom was again near?

Jesus leaves no doubt as to both His ability, and willingness to heal
those who were/are His.

Israel knew of God's covenant Name and that healing was promised to them
if they would obey & serve Him, but they focused upon the other promises,
namely His promise that they would one day be restored as His people on
this earth. We also embrace His promise of salvation, and the promise of
His kingdom, but tend to disassociate salvation (entrance into His
kingdom) from the other promises, namely His promise of healing.

Surely it would have been a great sign to them to witness Jesus going
about healing the sick, that God's kingdom was nigh at hand as well!

Later in the same chapter, Luke shows this relationship between healing
and forgiveness (for the promised kingdom) even more clearly lest those
who were watching Jesus heal multitudes of people miss the crucial point
that as God's children they were entitled to both, as long as they walked
in a forgiven state.

Luk 5:18-24 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with
a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because
of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through
the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw
their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the
scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which
speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus
perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in
your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to
say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power
upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say
unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.

Blessings,
William
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