Yet , at the same time , millions of others are not healed . Most Christians who get terminal cancer are not miraculously healed . The vast , vast majority of Christians who are blind or deaf or crippled do not receive miracles .
What , then , is the truth ? How do we sort this out ?
We begin by rejecting the theology that tells you that true believers never get sick . That if you have enough faith , you can just rebuke sickness and pain and , 100 times out of 100 , the sickness and the pain will disappear . That people with the gift of healing will see perfect results . That a good God would never allow His children to suffer pain , let alone die of a debilitating sickness . That , in Jesus , you are even protected from car accidents and natural disasters . All if you have enough faith !
“ He can help us right in the midst of our pain , and that He can use us to touch others even while we ourselves are struggling . ”
This is not the theology of the Bible . Instead , the Bible includes books like Job and Ecclesiastes , books which challenge these neat , safe , “ everything will always be great ” theologies . And the Bible also speaks of people who were not healed , for whatever reason . It even speaks of people close to the apostle Paul who were not healed .
What , then , is a right theology of healing ? One extreme says that God no longer heals and the promises of healing and miracles were for Bible days alone . The Scriptures clearly refute that view , as does Church history , right until this day . The other extreme says that God always heals and if you have enough faith , you will never get sick . Other verses in the Bible refute this , along with the experience of several billion believers over the last two thousand years .
The right theology leaves us with a holy tension . It promises healing and encourages us to ask God for healing , assuring us that miracles do happen . But it also reminds us that we are in a fallen , broken world , that we have not yet arrived in the perfect , world to come , and that in this world , there will be pain and sickness and premature death .
The good news is that God can be near to us right in the middle of our sickness , that He can help us right in the midst of our pain , and that He can use us to touch others even while we ourselves are struggling .
Yet we also recognize that miracles are not the norm . That our bodies wear out . That there is a real devil who attacks and harasses . That calamities and tragedies sometimes befall us . That we sometimes get sick and all eventually die . That is in the Bible too , not just for the wicked but for the righteous as well .
So , God didn ’ t fail you after all . A wrong theology may have let you down , and I ’ m truly sorry you were taught poorly . That only poured salt into your wounds . But the solution is not to
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