The Word of God clearly tells us that diseases are not God’s idea or His intention for man.

In the garden of Eden there were neither disease nor sin. God’s adversary, Satan, did not have legal access to the man. Disease came to the first people after the fall, as a consequence of disobedience to God. It is the result of sin and the curse associated with it. The man gave Satan an access to himself (see Deut. 28: 58-61).

Healed by the wounds of Christ

The very good news, that the Scriptures gives us, is this: Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8b). The aim of Jesus was to free us from the dominion of Satan, as well as overcoming disease. Moreover, Jesus had finished the work! He said that, by dying on the cross, when he cried it is finished! The Word of God says that Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2, NIV). God foretold this through the prophet Isaiah and confirmed in the New Testament – it is by Jesus’ wounds and bruises that we are healed (Isa. 53:4-5; 1 Peter 2:24). Worthy of note is the fact that all these statements are given in God’s Word in the past – defining something that has already taken place. Thus, the cry of Jesus “it is finished” means for us today that “Everything has been done”, “accomplished”, “the goal has been achieved”. This goal was achieved at the price of suffering, wounds and bruises of Jesus Christ (the healing) and the price of his death on the cross (redemption of sins). This truth has been given to believers in Jesus as the legacy of his blood and cross.

The legacy we have in Jesus

It is worth noting that the mere fact of what the Lord Jesus has done for us, does not automatically save or heal us. To be parttakers in what Jesus has won for us, we have to receive it by faith; we have to accept it. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, sins of all people, but this does not mean that all people will be saved. We have to believe and accept salvation, so that we may be saved. It is not any different with healing. Both our salvation and healing is the legacy deposited in Christ. It remains at our disposal by adopting the person of the Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. As believers, we are predestined to salvation and healing and we have a legal access to it. If you do not reach for them with faith and if we do not accept them by faith, they will not be manifested in our lives.

We know that God wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), and yet not all are saved, and not all come to the knowledge of the truth, which is Jesus Christ. The same is true of healing. It has already been accomplished by Christ, but not all are healed.

The disease does not come from God

In God’s Word, there are no grounds to conclude that the disease has its source in God nor is it a manifestation of His will for men. If that was the case, Jesus would have been a disobedient son, acting against God the Father, because He healed every infirmity, disease and oppression. The Word of God says bluntly that Christ frustrated the devil and was destroying his work, by bringing healing and salvation people. So if God’s will for us was to get sick, every effort to heal would be an act of disobedience and opposition towards God’s will.

In God’s Word, there are no grounds to conclude that the disease has its source in God nor is it a manifestation of His will for men. If that was the case, Jesus would have been a disobedient son, acting against God the Father, because He healed every infirmity, disease and oppression.

God is the source of all healing: both miraculous and natural (self-healing), as well as healing as a result of a medical procedure. God is the source of all good. Scripture emphasizes that God is always good, and in Him there is no change or shadow of turning (James 1:17). God loves each of us. He proved this by offering Christ to rescue us from the dominion of sin, death and Satan. For with God nothing is impossible. Jesus Christ gives us an invitation, by saying that everything is possible for him who believes (see Mark 9:23). The sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary is complete and sufficient. Nothing more needs to be done. We can only accept it by faith or reject it, with all its consequences. This applies to both salvation and healing.

Jesus healed all

In the Bible we do not find even a single example, that among the people who came to Jesus, there was a single person who was not healed. Many passages in the Gospels and in the book of Acts emphasize that Jesus healed all who turn to Him (see Matt. 4:24; 8:16; 12:15; Luke. 6:19; Acts. Ap. 10:38). No one walked away without healing. God’s Word also says that the Lord Jesus has not changed. He is the same: yesterday, today, and forever. (See Hebr. 13:8). And the words with which the evangelist Matthew describes the mission of Jesus, are still valid: That evening several demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus; and when he spoke a single word, all the demons fled; and all the sick were healed.. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, “He took our sicknesses and bore our diseases.” (Matt. 8:16-17 TLB)

Jesus still heals

The Lord Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith, and by His presence in his disciples, followers – He still wants to do what He called showing of the works of the Father. In place of Christ, His followers are to continue this work. Jesus said this to his disciples: The words I say are not my own but are from my Father who lives in me. And he does his work through me. Just believe it—that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or else believe it because of the mighty miracles you have seen me do (…) anyone believing in me shall do the same miracles I have done, and even greater ones, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask him for anything, using my name, and I will do it, for this will bring praise to the Father because of what I, the Son, will do for you (…). I will ask the Father and he will give you another Comforter, and he will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who leads into all truth (John 14: 10b-17a, TLB).

Focusing on what God has already done, is the key in shaping an attitude of assured expectations.

In Christ’s place

From these words it is clear that Jesus had a specific strategy and plan. After his resurrection and return to the Father, He’s continuing to do the works of the Father – through being in us by His Holy Spirit. He stressed that that’s why He has sent to us the Comforter. He wants to do whatever we ask of the Father in His name. Then the Father will be glorified! And since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we have biblical grounds to expect and believe that it will do what he promised. God keeps His Word.

The Lord Jesus is the Savior and Healer. He is the same today as when He walked the earth. He continues to carry out the Father’s work. He has chosen us, believers, as His temples so that through us He can continue to do the works of the Father. Jesus in us and through us wants to do the same things he did while on earth. Our calling is to live in such a way so that Jesus can perform the works of God the Father and continues to glorify Him – in us and through us.

Growing number of healings

So why do we see so little of miraculous cures? Perhaps for the same reason that we are witnessing so few conversions. Many years ago I had the opportunity to talk to Paul Yonggi Cho and John Wimber – the prominent evangelists, who brought thousands of people to Jesus, and saw thousands healings while they ministered through prayer. I asked them what percentage of people that they pray for gets healed. Both of them without thinking, almost simultaneously responded that 30%. So I asked, why only so little? They said that the more we engage in the service of healing and rely on Christ, the more people will experience healing.

God in His mercy allows us to watch the spectacular clinically documented healings. I have myself witnessed how God has completely healed (I would even say replaced) a heart of a patient who was qualified and was waiting for a transplant. Similarly, a non-functional liver was miraculously healed, simply exchanged by God for a healthy one. That person was also in need of a transplant. I have seen how God heal a person with a multiple sclerosis, cure people suffering from glaucoma, psoriasis, allergies and many other diseases. Testimonies from people whom God has healed strengthen the faith of others. It is written that the testimony of Christ is the spirit of prophecy, which empowers the faith of those waiting for their miracle – waiting for the touch of Jesus.

Testimonies from people whom God has healed strengthen the faith of others. It is written that the testimony of Christ is the spirit of prophecy, which empowers the faith of those waiting for their miracle – waiting for the touch of Jesus.
Celebrating God’s miraculous work in the lives of others and focusing on what God has already done – Instead of what He has not done – Is the key in shaping an attitude of confident expectations. This kind of expectation that is rooted in faith that is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). All that is ahead of us!

The sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary is complete and sufficient. This applies to both salvation and healing. Prophet Isaiah says that by His stripes we are healed.