Jesus paid full price for the renewal of all things. Sometimes, God's healing is instantaneous; quite often, it's a process of our bodies, souls, societies, and planet being recreated under his good government. The world is still fallen and reeling from the consequences of sin; we still inhabit a body contaminated by disease, death, and a sinful nature. Accidents and tragedies happen more than we’d like. Relationships fracture over trauma and trivialities. There are dimensions of healing we won’t fully experience until the renewal of all things in the age to come. Still, we are taught to seek the fullness of God’s Kingdom right here and right now.
God is a gracious God, and he is patiently healing bruised and broken people. The Apostle James encouraged those suffering from physical infirmities to seek prayer and healing, "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14).
Physical Healing
God cares about your physical body. The gospel of Matthew reports that “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (4:23). If you’ve suffered chronic pain or lost a loved one to cancer, you know that the physical body is God’s first gift to you and plays a significant role in your quality of life. Notice how the Psalmist describes redemption both in spiritual and physical terms: “he forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion” (Psalm 103:3). Our physical and spiritual wellbeing are absolutely integrated, and the health of both are important to God.
Relational Healing
Jesus also taught people to pursue relational and social healing: “first go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). Unity within your relationships is more pressing than your act of spiritual worship. Disunity can disrupt your connection to God and generate a life out-of-order.
Throughout Jesus’s ministry, he restored isolated members of the community, elevated the status of the lowly, and included those on the “outside." Ephesians 2 says he made one new human out of two hostile groups. Our relationships are an intense part of our healing journey. "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us" may be some of the hardest words to act out. Forgiveness and laying down judgments have real spiritual and physical consequences for our emotional well-being, our family's well-being, our spiritual well-being, and even our physical well-being.
Spiritual Healing
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that we were enslaved to the spirit of deception (Ephesians 2:1-2) and that our moral perception has been tarnished, “(Sinful humans) are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18). Part of God’s campaign of salvation is to rid the world of lies, bondage, and cruel spirits of oppression. Living under demonic oppression is no picnic. Jesus came with power and authority for believers to have their temples swept clean of torment and darkness. “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Coming into union with the Truth is medicine for our mind, soul, and spirit. Trauma, depression, self-harm, bondage to poverty, inferiority, pride, sexual temptation, avarice—Jesus’ sacrificial death paid the price for you to experience freedom from the tyranny of all of these.
Healing Our Planet
Even the planet is out of sorts. Sin didn't just taint humanity; it tainted everything under our custodianship. “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21). The scriptures teach that there are real spiritual curses on the land.
Technology can also enhance our capacity to bless or mismanage and dominate. We are still God’s image-bearers commissioned to “fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28). We can invite God’s Spirit into our stewardship and ask him to build his good kingdom through us. Farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, veterinaries, and so many others play a role in using their inventory of talents to heal our planet and move our human stewardship under the Lordship of King Jesus.
Run to the Physician
It is wise to recognize God’s role in your total health care. Speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said, “I will bring health and healing to (this city); I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security” (33:6). We should seek his diagnosis and his prescriptions for restoring us to wellness. He desires that we live in Unity with him, Unity with our environment, Unity with our bodies, Unity with our neighbors, and Unity with his moral order. All these things are necessary.
Healing can be complicated and holistic. Sometimes, our brokenness is relational, but it manifests in mental anxiety or depression. Sometimes, we may experience demonic affliction as a result of a family curse or a choice we made, and it manifests through pain in our physical body. And sometimes, sickness results simply from the food we’re eating and manifests in a state of lethargy or an issue with digestion.
Like a good physician, God works through many different means to "heal all your diseases." Sometimes, he may choose to use medicine to kick your brain chemistry back into balance if it is jilted and out of kilter. Maybe, at times, he wants to heal through diet choices or a few holistic lifestyle changes. Sometimes, he will heal through spiritual habits and truths that dislodge a lie you've been acting out. And sometimes, he will heal through the miraculous power of the Spirit, delivering you from oppression.
We should look to our Great Physician to provide wisdom and counsel to guide us to his diagnosis and prescription. What exactly is the core problem? And how does God want to heal it?
In John 9:1-3, Jesus's disciples were looking for spiritual causes to physical issues. They asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” He replied, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Two things are inciteful: first, not all physical conditions are spiritually induced. And second, they recognized that some of our physical conditions do have a spiritual root.
Again, remember how the Psalmist describes redemption both in spiritual and physical terms: “he forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases." Jesus fully paid for your healing on his terrible cross to redeem your life: step-by-step, belief-by-belief, habit-by-habit, piece-by-piece.
Our lives are connected and bound to scientific and spiritual realities, the foods we eat, and the spirits we entertain. We are as healthy or as unhealthy as the environment around us. Our physical and spiritual well-being are absolutely integrated, and your total well-being is absolutely important to God. He is our healer and our Great Physician.
Tags: truth, sin, freedom, salvation, healing, death, relationships, unity, curse, quality of life, process, fallen, torment, wellness, disease, planet, disruption
