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Once again it is time to visit with you again and we appreciate you allowing us into your life. We thank God for your interest in His Word and our efforts in making it plain for you. "So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading" (Nehemiah 8:8).
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News of the ministry
For the past 2.1/2 weeks I have been amending the over 300 pages of articles on our site, getting them ready for transfer to our new site. I've been amazed myself at the range and depth of the articles. For this issue I have chosen the subject of divine healing. At the close of the teaching are links to books and articles on our site and elsewhere that will give your more Bible teaching on this subject. Enjoy! -- Peter Wade.
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Miracles of Healing
Among the varied ways in which miracles are manifested, we must include the many records of miracles involving the healing of the physical body. Like other miracles, healing originates from within. "If [since] the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11).
Romans chapter 8 is one of the highlight passages of the New Testament. It has much to say about victorious Christian living -- the triumph of the Spirit within over the apparent limitations of everyday life. The future resurrection of the believer is not in view in verse 11, and the careful reader will recognize God's choice of words that make it evident that the present is under discussion. John Calvin, an early Protestant Greek scholar, wrote, "The quickening of the mortal body here cannot refer to the resurrection of the saints, but must mean a giving of life to their bodies, while here upon earth, through the Spirit."
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Let us pause just long enough to give some background on the two key words, "give life" and "mortal." The Greek word for "give life" ("quicken" KJV) is a combination of the words for "life" and "I make" and is therefore handled by recent translators as "make alive," "endow with life," and so forth. The same word is employed in II Corinthians 3:6, where again the
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context is obviously in the present,"...for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." It is the work of the Spirit within to give life, and in Romans 8:11 it is to fill the physical body with the vibrant life of God -- real vim, vigor, and vitality.
The word "mortal" never means "dead" but rather something that is "subject to death." There is a Greek word for a dead human body, but it is not employed in Romans 8:11. The word "mortal" appeared earlier in Romans 6:12, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies..." Dead bodies cannot sin, but bodies subject to death do sin. Another usage of "mortal" is given by Paul in II Corinthians 4:11, and significantly it is in association with the same Greek word for "life." "For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." While we live there is every opportunity for His life to be revealed in bodies which are subject to death.
The Spirit of God that is resident within the believer gives life to that believer's body, and this includes when disease is present. Healing is not something to be sought from an outside source; it is a power that you bring into action from within. God's plan for His children is divine health -- perfect, continuous health. When a believer sees evidence of sickness or disease, it is a signal from the body that somehow the flow of health has been frustrated and is at dis-ease. Now a miracle is required to replace the dis-ease with the perfect flow of health. The Bible teaches that healing for the whole man was provided for us on the cross of Calvary, and in a very real sense we look back on it now as a past-tense action, "By his wounds you have been healed" (I Peter 2:24.)
The records of healing of the physical body are spread throughout both Old and New Testaments. When God brought three million people out of the land of Egypt, it is recorded that "He brought [Israel] forth also with silver and gold, and there was not one feeble person among their tribes" (Psalm 105:37 AMP). Even with the advances in medical science, no nation on earth today can match that record. The ministry of Jesus is summarized in Acts 10:38 in these words, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." Since that same power is resident within, we can have the same results. Again we need to develop a miracle consciousness and bring into action the power that God has already given us.
Remember, according to I Corinthians 12:7 miracles are a manifestation of God's Spirit within. As we change our emphasis from expecting a miracle from "out there somewhere" to seeing them as an outworking of that which is within, we will see a string of miracles in our lives. Let's boldly walk forth and take our position as sons and daughters of God.
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More on Divine Healing
The Ministry of Healing by A.J. Gordon gives the Biblical teaching on divine healing and its history done the centuries. Written by a respected Baptist minister in 1882, a friend of D.L. Moody and other well-known preachers. The complete book is on our site. Also available in paperback from Amazon.
The Gospel of Healing by A.B. Simpson was also written by another friend of D.L. Moody in 1885. Simpson later found the Alliance denomination. A good overview of the teaching of the day. The complete book is available in paperback from Amazon.
When Prosperity and Health Seem Hard, an article by Peter Wade. What to do when divine healing doesn't seem to be working.
Quiet Talks About the Healing Christ by S.D. Gordon, a writer of some 23 books. This complete book on our site is a devotional look at divine healing with excellent encouragement and counsel. The complete book is online at our site and available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon.
Healing the Sick by T.L. Osborn has sold over a million copies since it was published in the 1950s and was a popular book from the healing revivals of the 1940s-1960s. Highly recommended. In paperback from Amazon.
Christ the Healer by F.F. Bosworth -- a classic by one of the founders of the Assemblies of God, later Alliance, and healing evanglist of the 1920s-50s. Paperback available from Amazon.
Link errors: If the article links above produce an error, it is because the new updated site is running and the new links are as follows:
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