Physical Healing - Any promises in Bible?

[Guest]

But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5.

Hi Steve,

I have learnt from you (and agree with your explanation) that the healing in Isaiah 53:5 represents a spiritual restoration rather than physical healing.

Are there any verses (or promises) that talk about physical healing which can be used to encourage the sick, either believers or non-believers? Or is there no way to assure them that God will heal them physically except for the fact that they will one day get new bodies?

[Guest]

If you have heard me teach on this subject, you are aware that I do believe in divine healing of physical ailments, but that I do not consider that the Bible guarantees such healing anywhere. I do not agree that such healing is included in the atonement, nor that we can claim or promise such healing from God on some kind of contractual basis.

I believe that a miraculous healing is like any other miracle, or like any other answer to prayer: God will grant such when it is His will to do so, in response to the faith of His people who request it.

Many verses have been presented by those who disagree with my position, including 3 John 2; Psalm 103:3; Exodus 15:26; etc. But these are all mere statements of present fact, not containing any blanket promise of universal future healing.

There is an ostensibly stronger case for "healing on demand" in the appeal to James 5:14-16, but I think the wording was left intentionally ambiguous by James to allow for more than one possible outcome. He did not write (as he could have, had he wished), "The prayer of faith will heal the sick..." but rather, "The prayer of faith will SAVE the sick, and the Lord will raise him up." The verb in this last phrase (to raise up) is used commonly in scripture for the raising of the dead in the resurrection. As you suggested, the resurrection IS the ultimate healing of all sickness.

James does go on to say, "Confess your faults...that you may be healed" (v.16), which indicates that such confession may be a prerequisite for physical healing (or it may refer to spiritual restoration). Even if it is referring to physical healing, it is not necessary to interpret it as a guarantee that healing will follow confession: "that you MAY be healed" simply suggests the removal of an obstacle.

Obviously, I would like to believe in a general promise of healing as much as would anyone else. The problem comes with harmonizing such a universal guarantee with the data of scripture.

God does not claim only to be Israel's "healer" (Ex.15:26), but He also claims to be the one "who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing and the blind" (Ex.4:11). He "tears" and "strikes" but also "heals" and "binds up" (Hos.6:1). He struck Miriam, Gehazi and Uzziah with leprosy (Num.12:10; 2 Kings 5:27; 2 Chron.26:19-20)—all of whom were covenant Israelites.

Paul experienced protracted sickness (Gal.4:13-14/ 2 Cor.12:9-10), as did many of his companions, whom he seemed incapable of curing by miraculous means (Phil.2:27; 1 Tim.5:23; 2 Tim.4:20). In discussing these things, Paul did not make an reference to his awareness of a general promise of divine healing.

There are mysteries associated with the question of why God heals when He does, and why He does not do so at other times. I think it good to comfort the sick with the assurance that God is capable of healing any condition, if He sees fit to do so. When He does not see fit to heal, it is because He sees far more than we do, and is a better judge than we are of what will benefit the most people and His kingdom in the long run.

In the final analysis, the resurrection will "heal" every infirmity experienced by the people who have trusted Him (1 Cor.15:42-43; Rev.21:4).