BIBLE DOCTRINE 12: REDEMPTION, HEALING AND HEALTH
God’s Word teaches:
That Redemption from the curse of the law, Healing of sickness and disease as well as continued Health are provided for all people through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ – Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 7:15; Psalm 103:1-5; Proverbs 4:20-22; Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; 1 Peter 2:24; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 13:16; John 14:12-14; 10:10; Acts 10:38; James 5:14-16; John 3:8; 3 John 22: Galatians 3:13,14.
Redemption is a release or liberation from captivity or death by paying a price called a ransom. It simply connotes buying back unto freedom someone in servitude, slavery, or captivity. The fall of man brought all human race under sin, Satan and condemnation as a result of man’s disobedience to God, and the consequence of the broken law. Man lost his purity and favour with God in the fall. Man cannot, by himself regain it. The whole creation was bought under the curse and all men (in Adam) became sinners and captives to sin, Satan, and sickness (Romans 5:12). Consequently, man being under the sentence of death, could not pay his own death penalty and live again to enjoy freedom from sin and carry out the divine purpose for which he has been created. God then undertook the redemption of man by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to die in man’s place. He being capable of redeeming man met the demands of the law and became the legal substitute by paying the redemptive price for those who are condemned to death for breaking the law. This is absolute protection from eternal punishment through the blood of the perfect and spotless substitute (Exodus 12:13; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24; Revelation 5:9; Romans 8:3; Isaiah 53:4-8; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; Matthew 26:28; 1 Peter 1: 18-21; Genesis 3:16,24). It was Christ who bore the curse of the law and suffered its condemnation of death in our stead. No sinner can be acquitted except he accepts Christ as his Redeemer (Acts 4:12).
Man’s redemption is not limited to removal of guilt; it covers all consequences of the broken law, which are sickness, disease, and satanic oppression. Healing of sickness and disease as well as continued health are provided for all men through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, there was a divine plan by which God heals all those who were in covenant relationship with Him. Not everyone can enjoy this unfailing healing and health plan made by God for all mankind based on the fact that not all men are in covenant relationship with Him. The promise to keep the Israelites from diseases by which the Egyptians were afflicted was made at the instance of the healing covenant Israel had with God. Diverse sickness, pestilences and; plagues came upon them when they disobeyed God and broke His covenant (Deuteronomy 28:28-61; Psalm 107:17-20). But when they repented and prayed, fulfilling the covenant conditions, they were healed (Numbers 21:4-9; 2 Chronicles 7:13,14; Psalm 107:17-20). God is in the business of healing today where the conditions of the covenant are met.
Jesus not only bore our sins, He also bore our sicknesses and diseases. He became our sickness-bearer in exactly the same way He became our sin-bearer. Christ was scourged and striped for our healing; nailed to the cross for our sin (John 3:14;12:22-23; Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16,17; Psalm 103:2,4). The Holy Spirit concluded by saying, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law: sickness- pestilence, fever, cancer, ulcer, boils, as well as nameless sicknesses found in people’s life today and
other infirmities recorded or not recorded in scriptures (Deuteronomy 28:15-29, 58-61; Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 7:12-15). Christ has been made manifest to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8; Acts 10:38; Hebrews 13:8).
Divine healing and health, like salvation, have remained the right of every child of God. It is a vital part of complete salvation once we belong to the commonwealth of Israel and not strangers to the covenant of promise (Matthew 15:26-28; Ephesians 2:12-21; 1 Peter 2:9,10). Sickness in whatever form is of the devil. God calls it captivity (Job 42:10), Jesus calls it bondage (Luke 13:16,12), and the Holy Spirit calls it oppression (Acts 10:38). The victory of Jesus is our victory. He did nothing for Himself. He conquered sin, Satan, disease and sickness on our behalf. He shares His victory with all who will repent and believe on His name. He bore our infirmities, sicknesses, and diseases so that we could claim full release and deliverance. As much as disobedience to God’s word, misuse of tongue and unbelief will make the covenant of no effect, for the people of God, no more can anyone enjoy the blessing of healing without a current relationship with God through Christ, obedience to the Word of God and fulfilling the terms and conditions for healing (Exodus 15:26; 23:25,26; Deuteronomy 7:12-15,6-9; Psalm 91; Isaiah 1:19;
Mark 2:5,9,11; 3 John 2).
It then goes without saying that “curse causeless shall not come ….” Most often infirmities come as a consequence of disobeying God (Genesis 20: 1-18; 1 Chronicles 10:13), through Satan, the very source of sickness and affliction (Job 2:6,7; Matthew 4:23,24; John 10:10; 8:44; 5:14; Acts 10:38), backsliding (Exodus 10:10; 2 Chronicles 16:12-14; Matthew 12:43-45), misuse of tongue (Numbers 21:4-6; 11:1-3; 12:1-10), sin, covetousness or merchandising God’s gift (2 Kings 5:20-27); rebellion (Psalm 107:17-20; Deuteronomy 32: 39-41) or even breaking God’s law of nature. The Scripture reveals that evil spirits, devils, and demons also assist Satan in his destructive work on human bodies. They possess, oppress, afflict, torment, obsess people and cause dumbness and deafness (Matthew 9:32,33; Mark 9:25-27), blindness (Matthew 12:22), grievous vexation and torments (Matthew 15:22), lunacy (Matthew 4:24; Luke 9: 38-42) and suicide (Matthew 17:15). Satan and his cohorts gain entrance into men when men sin, consult with familiar spirits, palm reading, magic, witchcraft, fortune telling, not guarding the mind or refusal to resist the devil. As long as you have any of the devil’s property, he will stay around you. Renounce and destroy the works of the devil for total emancipation from his claws ( 1 Peter 1:1,13; 5:8,9; Acts 19:18,19).
The bible sets forth the conditional precedence to enjoying the benefits and blessings of our relationship with God, which are our redemptive rights: genuine conversion (Psalm 103: 2-5; Matthew 13:15; mark 9:23; Matthew 21:21,22; Mark 11 22-24; John 14: 12; James 1:6-8), obedience to God and His Word (Exodus 15:26; 23:25,26; Proverbs 4:20-22); abiding in Him (Psalm 91:1-7; John 15:1-7); making peace with fellow men (Mark 11:22-26; James 5:14-16; Genesis 20:14), serving God in holiness
(Exodus 23:25,26; Colossians 2:6,7; John 5:14; 1 John 3:21-22), appropriating the benefits of Calvary through prayer of faith (2 Peter 1:3,4; Hebrews 6:18; 1 Peter 2:24; James 1:16,.17; Hebrews 13:8; Matthew 8:17). From the foregoing, God heals those who are under His healing covenant (Psalm 105:37; 2 Chronicles 30:18-20) by His Word (Psalm 1077:20; Hebrews 4:20; Matthew 8:8), through His Mercy (Matthew 20:30-34), by His Power (Matthew 28:18; Colossians 1:16,17; Luke 5:17), by His Spirit (Acts 10:38; Isaiah 61: 1,2; Luke 10:18,19; Romans 8:2,11; Matthew 12:280, in His Name (Acts 3:6; Luke 10:17,18; Mark 16:17,18; Proverbs 18:10; Philippians 2:9-11), by His Will (1 John 5:14,15; John 5:30; 3 John 2). What a sure word of prophecy! No need therefore for private interpretation; according to your faith it shall be done unto to you. It is then left with every believer to fulfill the terms of the divine conditions in order to live in the reality of this marvellous provision. Healing and health is for us today. We can lay claim boldly to this redemptive grace: not with uncertainty, but with confidence of faith and prayer to get healed and remain healthy all the days of our lives. Now we are redeemed, purchased, bought back again to be God’s peculiar possession (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; Obadiah 17). We shall live to possess our possession.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
