Salvation, Healing, and Deliverance: The Scriptural Proof
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Psalm 103:2-4 NKJV).
By John David Hicks
Elizabeth was a dynamic Christian and a schoolteacher before she got sick. The sickness made her a cripple and put her in a wheel chair. Doctors gave her no hope. But every day for 10 years she prayed, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, please heal me. I don’t want to be a cripple…. Jesus, Jesus, please heal me.”
Her pastor had invited her to the healing service that I was holding. God was demonstrating His power to save, heal, and deliver. Many had come to Christ and found forgiveness of sins earlier in the service. Some drug and pornography addicts had their bondages broken. Sick bodies were being healed and those in pain were set free.
When I came to Elizabeth, she kept saying again and again, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, please heal me. I don’t want to be a cripple….”
I said to her, “You have faith and I have faith. As long as you are talking, you are giving out, you are not receiving. Healing is received the same way as salvation. For anyone to receive salvation they must stop begging God; He has promised salvation and will give it. In faith you ask the Lord to save you and just receive it and God does it!”
As I prayed, God flowed through her and strength came into her legs and she got up. She was weak and wobbly at first. But slowly she walked to the back of the church, then faster to the front. Then she jumped and shouted. The church broke out in applause and praise.
After the service Elizabeth said to me: “I am so glad you told me to quit begging and just receive. I had been begging God for years to heal me. But it was so simple when I trusted His Word and just received.”
Healing is a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God made you a physical and a spiritual being. Both natures have been equally affected by the fall of man into sin. Your body is exposed to disease and your soul is corrupted by sin. So God in salvation included both natures in His redemption plan. God provides for the restoration of the physical as well as the new birth for the spiritual (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 1 John 3:8).
Salvation is called a mystery. Because healing is part of the atonement, healing is a mystery. In our humanity we want healing and salvation to be consistent. But Salvation does not work that way. Not all who accept Christ as Savior continue to walk in salvation. The same is true in healing. Throughout history many have “called on the name of the Lord” and have been healed from near death to full health. In spite of this truth, however, I know that not all are healed; the same Bible that teaches the truth of divine healing also states that death is the appointed experience for every human being (Hebrews 9:27). Though I cannot explain why some are healed while others are not, God knows all and does all things well according to a purpose. The fact that some are not healed does not destroy the fact that God can and does heal.
When Pastor Dennis Bentley’s wife died, he felt he had done all he knew to do. He believed God and the Bible, and Dennis and his church had prayed and fasted for his wife’s healing. “My experience says that there are people who fail to receive healing,” Dennis testified. “But my Bible says God is willing to heal all. So for me to be true to Scripture I must say that I believe it was not God’s will that my wife died.”
Like the men who stood before King Nebuchadnezzar facing the fiery furnace, Dennis Bentley believed God: God is able to deliver us, but if He doesn’t, we will serve Him anyway (Daniel 3:17-18). God has now given Dennis a healing ministry.
As you read this article, some of you need inner healing, deliverance, or physical healing. If you are a Christian, your faith is founded on God’s Word, the Bible. The Bible tells us that it’s God’s will for everyone to be saved. But why is it that all are not saved? You must receive salvation by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 1:12). Peter tells us that we are born again by believing what God has said: “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Peter 1:23).
When you trust God’s Word, He will do what He says He will do—save you (1 John 1:9). The atonement also provides for our healing—on the cross Jesus took care of all sin and sickness (Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; Psalm 103:1-5). The Greek word sozo translated “I save” also means “I heal; I deliver.” John wrote, “I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2 NKJV).
But all people are not healed. Why? Like salvation, healing is received by faith (Galatians 3:3-5; James 5:14), by believing God’s Word. At times God has made exception for non-Christians, but Christians are expected to have faith. If God blessed His people who have no faith, He would be a liar and contradict His word, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). When you are in harmony with God’s Word, God will do what He says He will do and your faith will receive it (Hebrews 11:6). “He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave” (Psalm 107:20). All that you get from God is by faith. After healing various persons Jesus told them, “Your faith has made you well.”
Christianity is a Gospel of healing. God honors His Word by healing as He promised. All instruction on this subject must line up with Scripture. Here are five scriptural proofs that healing is part of the Gospel and God’s will for you:
1. The Scriptures declare that God made a healing covenant with His people. “I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).
In Old Testament times all nations, along with the Hebrew nation, attributed blessing and cursing to some deity, so people worshiped idols because those idols promised the healing, fertility, prosperity, or victory over their enemies that they needed. In His covenant, God said He was superior to all other gods and would do for Israel more than any other god could do. He revealed Himself as Sovereign of the universe who holds everything together; He is the Beginning, the Cause, and the Source of all that exists. God told Israel that He had chosen, called, and anointed them to be His people. If they would keep His covenant to love Him and obey His commandments, they would have the entire promised covenant blessing.
“I am the LORD, who heals you.” This is God’s healing covenant, and it includes you. He has made a contract of healing with you. All the blessings given to Israel come to everyone who receives Christ as Lord and Savior (Ephesians 3:6; 2:11-22; 2 Corinthians 1:20-22). This covenant answers three fundamental questions on healing:
Is God a healer? Yes.
Who will God heal? All who are in covenant. If you are a Christian, you are included.
When will God heal? “I AM the LORD, who heals you.” “I AM” is in present continuous tense—now. God is your Great Physician, now and for all time. If you are kept well, it is God who keeps you well; if you are healed, it is God who restored your health. For God is your life, and the length of your days.
Only God can choose to give us a revelation of Himself. He alone makes promises as He chooses, not as men wish. So if God reveals Himself in a particular way it is because He desires to be known in that way. “I am the LORD, who heals you.”
A covenant-contract is more than a promise; it is binding! God has bonded Himself to keep His Word to heal His people as you keep His covenants (Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28). He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). “Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span” (Exodus 23:25-26).
God promised health when we keep His commandments (Psalm 91; Isaiah 58). “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands…. Trust in the LORD…. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:1-8).
The Holy Spirit uses your mind as a way to employ your beliefs. Your speech reflects what you believe in your heart, says Jesus in Matthew 12:34. Speaking evil and judging and condemning others with your tongue affects your healing. “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18). “He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin” (Proverbs 13:3). “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4). “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts…. From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:8, 20-21). “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:10-11).
2. The Scriptures declare that healing was a part of Christ’s atonement. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus not only took them on the cross as our Substitute, but also keeps taking them, carrying them. Matthew’s Gospel expresses the same truth: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases” (Matthew 8:17). The Hebrew word for “infirmities” is defined as sicknesses, weaknesses, and diseases. Isaiah’s prophecy says Jesus bore our sicknesses, weaknesses, and diseases just as He did our sins. God made a covenant with His people for salvation and healing, and the New Testament confirms it.
Then Isaiah summarizes the atonement: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Peter quotes this verse: “by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). This strong affirmation leaves no room for doubt he is talking about physical healing.
David also knew and proclaimed that God forgives all your sins and heals your diseases. “Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3).
Isaiah adds, “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” The Amplified Bible states: “He has put Him to grief and made Him sick” (verse 10). This explains 2 Corinthians 5:21, which says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.” Christ was made sin and sickness for us so that we might be healed or made totally whole. Jesus’ wounds purchased healing for our bodies, and Jesus’ death purchased forgiveness of sins for us.
Isaiah, Matthew, Peter, and David tell us that healing is in the atonement as much as the forgiveness and removal of sins. This is God’s promise and covenant toward us. He cannot violate His Word. Salvation and healing are now, the moment you will receive it. Only your lack of faith in God’s Word will prevent you from receiving salvation or healing.
3. The Scriptures declare that Jesus healed all who came to Him. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Jesus hasn’t changed. He healed in the Bible and He heals today. Read the Scriptures: “Many followed him, and he healed all their sick” (Matthew12:15). “All who touched him were healed” (Matthew 14:36). “The people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all” (Luke 6:19). “When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick” (Matthew 8:16). “When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them” (Luke 4:40).
In Mark 2, before Jesus healed a paralytic, he said to His skeptics, “Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?” Jesus then made it clear it is as easy for Him to heal as it is for Him to forgive sin.
“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38).
Jesus began His ministry by announcing the arrival of the “kingdom of God,” which means “the rule and reign of God.” The kingdom of God has come to you in power (Luke 10:18-24). This kingdom has broken into history (Luke 4:21). “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). Jesus modeled for us the will of God and told us to do what He did (John 14:12). He is in our hearts and we are to be Jesus to our world (1 John 4:4).
4. The Scriptures declare that Jesus commissioned His disciples to take His message of salvation, healing, and deliverance to all people. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
Mark’s account of Jesus’ commission reads, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name…they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.’ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it” (Mark 16:15-20).
Jesus made no exceptions. He didn’t qualify His command by saying, “They’ll get well…unless it is my will that they suffer gracefully.” Or, “They’ll get well…unless I put this sickness on them to teach them something.” No! He promised, “They will get well.”
There is a difference between a miracle and a healing. Healing is the restoration of diseased tissue; a miracle is a creative act of God. Paul makes this distinction in 1 Corinthians 12:9-10. This misunderstanding has robbed many people of the blessings of God’s healing touch. A miracle may take place right away, while healing may take place over time. Jesus said, “They will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:18 NRSV). “Recover” implies future action. The healing may have begun and will be completed later.
Without grasping the difference between a miracle and a healing, many Christians have struggled in their faith when their healing is not immediate. Faith is tested when there is a delay between the promise and its fulfillment.
Healing is part of the Gospel message, and we are commanded to preach it to every creature in the world. God would not tell you to do this if it were not His will. With His commission Christ promised the power: “Whoever believes…will be saved.” That applies to all sinners who believe. Similarly, “they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” This applies to all who suffer physical sickness. Jesus makes no exceptions in either case. Forgiveness and healing are for whoever believes.
In Matthew 10, Jesus told His disciples to heal the sick. “He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Included in His instructions as He sent them out: “As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
“The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you….’ At that time, Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father’” (Luke 10:17-22).
God keeps His word and heals. “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5). “He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave” (Psalm 107:20).
5. The Scriptures declare that the Early Church proclaimed a Gospel of healing. “Crowds gathered…bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed” (Acts 5:16).
The Early Church expected healings and miracles, and prayed for them. The disciples modeled Jesus. Jesus did not turn anyone away, nor did they. “All of them were healed.”
The disciples had faith in God’s Word! Faith basically believes in the reliability of God to keep His Word: to save, heal, and deliver. God is your source and supply. You are confident that He will keep His Word. “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
“Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people” (Acts 6:8). “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:6-8).
Paul the apostle preached a Gospel of healing. “I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you” (Acts 20:20). Healing is certainly helpful if you are sick. On the Island of Malta, all the sick were healed under Paul’s ministry, starting with the chief official’s father who “was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured (Acts 28:8-9).
Paul declared that Christ has redeemed us (believers) from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). What curse?
Deuteronomy 28 lists the diseases that come upon people who disobey God. It covers all disease known to mankind. “He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed” (verses 60-61). Paul taught that Christ took our place and suffered in our stead; He redeems us from the curses of the law by taking it upon Himself for everyone. The Gospel includes healing for all.
John taught a Gospel of healing. He quotes Jesus, who said His disciples will do greater works including healing (John 14:12). In Acts, Peter and John traveled as a healing team. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
“Anything according to his will” means according to His Word, or His promise. Healing is according to His promise. John knew it was Christ’s will to heal the sick.
Faith begins where the will of God is known. The will of God is the Word of God. A covenant prayer knows from the Word of God that it is His will, because it is written. Faith cannot be exercised when there is a question regarding the will of God. If you don’t know God’s will, you can’t claim His promises.
If the Word of God is not your authority, you are your own authority and have no hope—you are a law unto yourself and must repent (change your mind). “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?” (Galatians 3:3-5).
Peter taught a Gospel of healing. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Peter is quoting from Isaiah’s prophecy that Jesus would be “smitten” and “stricken,” which mean “give wounds” and “give stripes.” The words in both Greek and Hebrew tell us Peter is not talking about “death” for forgiveness of sin, but “wounds” for healing. “By his wounds you have been healed.” You includes all believers, doesn’t it?
James the pastor in Jerusalem taught a Gospel of healing and gives instructions on effective prayer and how to receive divine healing. “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:13-18).
In summary James says if you are sick you should call for the elders and let them anoint you and pray over you. The prayer offered in faith will make you well and the Lord will raise you up. The Greek word sozo translated “will make well” means salvation, healing, or deliverance—again proving that forgiveness and healing are inseparable in Scripture. Any includes all believers.
James is so sure that healing is for all believers that he gives the church instructions for praying for the sick:
•Be convinced that it’s God’s will to heal you now. If you are seeking healing, you must be sure from God’s Word that it’s God’s will to heal you. Otherwise you are trying to reap a harvest where no seed has been planted. If a farmer does not plant the seed, it’s impossible for him to have faith for a harvest. Jesus said that the seed of the Word produces good fruit (Luke 8:15). Go over the scriptures on healing. They will encourage you and build up your faith.
Over a fourth of the Gospels are concerned with healing. “A man with leprosy came and knelt before [Jesus] and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy” (Matthew 8:2-3). To faith, the Word of God is the voice of God. As a result faith is activated when the will of God is known. God is willing to heal you.
•Get all hindrances and sin out of the way. “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray” (James 5:13). If you are afflicted with trials or persecutions or hurts and wounds from the past, let others help you pray.
A sense of hopelessness causes you to accept as unchangeable something you know is contrary to the will of God. Most people who come to the Lord have been wounded in a relationship—with a parent, spouse, relative, or friend. It is not what has happened to us but our responses to what has happened that become sin. Failure to forgive results in an emotional state of fear and mistrust in relationships. These wounds will fuel a self-fulfilling prophesy of rejection.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Guilt can hinder faith. Holding resentment, grudges, feelings of rejection, or lack of forgiveness often leads to physical ailments. Sin can cause sickness (Mark 2:1-12; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 11:27-30), but this is not always the case (John 9:2-3). Also, ignorance, arrogance, and shame keep you from praying in time of need: ignorance in that you fail to call on God in the time of trouble; arrogance because you are trusting your own resources; shame because you are in trouble. James encourages those who are ignorant to pray, the arrogant to submit to God’s grace, and the shame-filled to come for compassion and mercy.
•Praise the Lord because you get to see Him work. This passage of Scripture is directed to the Church. One group may be in trouble. Another group may be sick; they should be anointed with oil and prayed for. And the others who are happy in the Lord should encourage the sick and afflicted with testimonies and hymns of praise. “Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise” (James 5:13).
Singing in the Psalms is another form of prayer and adds rhythm and music to our expressions of worship. “Consider it pure joy (jump for joy), my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (Why jump for joy? You get to see God work.) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). “Continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name” (Hebrews 13:15). God is bigger than your problems or sickness. It’s essential that you offer Him praise for who He is and what He has done before you get the blessing He has promised.
•Call on the elders to pray for your healing as you draw near to God by surrendering yourself to Him. “He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14). The sick person is to ask for prayer. This is a humbling act and one of dependence on the body of Christ. It’s not God’s plan that His children be alone. We really do need one another’s prayers and support.
In the Old Testament, the act of anointing with oil was a symbol of bestowing divine favor and is associated with the outpouring of the Spirit for special attention and entitlement by God. In the New Testament, anointing for the sick is a symbol of the Holy Spirit as Life-giver, applying the atonement of Jesus Christ for our sin and sickness.
•Have faith in God (Mark 11:22; Galatians 3:6-7). “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven” (James 5:15). It is the sick person who must have the faith of expectancy to call. But it is the faith of the elders, the ones who pray, that is vital. Jesus pictured strong faith as no bigger than a “mustard seed” and “nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
This simple faith is so convinced of a Bible truth that you act on it. Our faith rests in the character of God. When God’s Word alone is the reason for your believing—before you see or feel anything—faith and prayer is answered (Mark 11:24). Jesus declared, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh (your seeing or feeling) counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). Because healing is by faith, and faith without works is dead (James 2:20).
When you begin to receive, God begins to heal. Faith is what you have before you are healed. Faith is trust. Just as you are trusting Jesus as your Savior, trust Him now as your Healer.
•Be fervent in prayer; ask, seek, and knock (Matthew 7:7). “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops” (James 5:16-18).
Elijah did not let his weakness undermine his faith. His weakness forced him to rely all the more on God.
A righteous person wants what God wants, and God does not withhold anything good. Both the elders and the one prayed for must believe God’s promise for healing. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36).
The objective of faith is not to get well first and then believe that God has heard prayer. Faith is a steadfast confidence that God is at work and He will do what He’s promised. The same God who answered Elijah’s prayers in his weakness will answer yours.
The Bible teaches a Gospel of healing. The growth of the Early Church is attributed to God’s miraculous intervention in the lives of hurting people who were suffering from emotional, spiritual, and physical pain. The Early Church simply obeyed Jesus’ great commission and practiced miracles. They testified that what was “said and done,” Paul wrote, was “by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:18-19). “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4).
Throughout church history there have been healings and people who pray for the sick. Martin Luther said, “How often has it happened and still does that devils have been driven out in the name of Christ; also by calling on His name and prayer, the sick have been healed.”
John Wesley said, “I believe that God can open the eyes of the blind, cause the lame to walk, and the deaf to hear; if men will have faith in God, stand on the Word of God, and pray according to the faith that God hath given them, God will do the things He said He would because He is a never-changing God.” Wesley clearly believed that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are relevant in any age. He defined them. He described them. He experienced them. He defended them. He himself was healed on several occasions and saw others healed in answer to prayer.
A. B. Simpson declared, “If ever there was an age when the world needed the witness of God’s supernatural working, it is in this day of unbelief and Satan’s power. Therefore, we may expect…the Holy Ghost will work in the healing of sickness, the casting out of demons, in remarkable answers to prayer.”
Andrew Murray was healed by the prayer of faith after two years of serious illness. He wrote Divine Healing as a testimony. “This healing, granted to faith, has been the source of rich spiritual blessing to me. The Church possesses in Jesus, our divine healer, an inestimable treasure, which she does not yet know how to appreciate. I have been convinced anew of that which the Word of God teaches on this matter and what the Lord expects of us. I can therefore no longer keep silent.”
Phineas F. Bresee charged the Nazarenes to pray for the sick. Every one of the founding fathers of the Church of the Nazarene believed that healing was in the atonement. That is why our Manual states, “We believe in the Biblical Doctrine of Divine Healing and we urge our people to seek to offer the prayer of faith for the healing of the sick.” Almost every revival in the first 30 years of our church closed with a healing service.
But throughout history when a doctrine is not practiced for a few generations the church that taught it will resist it. This is what is happening to the doctrine of sanctification and healing. Both are supernatural and only God can make them happen. When they are not preached and experienced, men will doubt their reality.
I have discovered with Paul that a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with facts. Paul said, “Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). It’s not an argument about doctrine of who’s right, but of power—can it happen?
I have experienced the power of the Word of God to heal the sick. It does not matter what you think, but it does matter what God says. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16)—to save, heal, and deliver. It is not a sin to be sick or to die. It is, however, a sin for sickness and death to go unchallenged because there is no one to pray. Jesus said the world’s sin is unbelief in Him (John 16:9). Let’s pray for the sick.
A PRAYER FOR HEALING (pray aloud): “Lord, as Your child, have mercy on me and heal me. You have made provision for my healing at the cross and declared that it is Your will to heal me. Thank You for the confidence and conviction from Your Word that I have what I ask of You. I praise You that You have heard my prayer and are working now in my life. Thank You for Your peace and the certainty of Your provision. In Jesus’ name, amen.