Just a quick observation before I head out of town.

I recently wrote about Jesus and healing and as I was reading through Scriptures on the subject matter I thought the below was worth mentioning.

Do you think there is a link between sickness and demon possession? The Scripture seems to suggest it. Below are a few verses to look at.

Matthew 9:32-33 ISV As they were going out, a man who couldn’t talk because he was demon-possessed was brought to him. (33) As soon as the demon had been driven out, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!”
Matthew 12:22 ISV Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to talk was brought to him. Jesus healed him so that the man could speak and see.
Matthew 15:22-28 ISV Suddenly a Canaanite woman from that territory came near and began to shout, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!” … (28) Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you want.” That very hour her daughter was healed.
Matthew 17:15-18 ISV and said, “Sir, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers terribly. Often he falls into fire and often into water. … (18) Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed that very hour.

The Scripture has all sorts of verses like this (the above is just very brief sample). Obviously, there is much more to look at on the subject matter, however, I find it interesting that demon possession is rarely, if ever, considered a factor and I find it very interesting that the Scripture shows a strong link with demon possession and all sorts of “illnesses”.

Ephesians 6:12 ISV For our struggle is not against a human opponent, but against rulers, against authorities, against cosmic powers in the darkness around us, against evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.

As always, I look forward to any comments my Christian brothers and sisters may have on the subject.

P.S.
I wanted to mention that I will be out of town for a while so if there are comments that don’t get a returned response for a while, that is why.

AMDG

I just wanted to vent a little. I ordered a leather bound Greek New Testament from Amazon.com today and the order shows that it won’t ship until October! That is just ridiculous. Online ordering is really my only option and all the other places I looked seemed to have similar shipping times. Perhaps it is because of the specific version I ordered, but that is what I wanted. At any rate, I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Greek New Testament-FL-Nestle-Aland-Wide Margin (Leather Bound)
ISBN: 343805101X

The subject of healing has been coming up quite a bit in my discussions with people. I wanted to comment a bit about it and ask questions (as always).

First off, let me ask the question. Is Jesus the same today as he was when He was walking the earth? Do Christians somehow think He is less powerful or operates differently than He did on the earth? I say no of course. The reason I ask this is because many “reformed” friends I have (I am “reformed” myself) seem to think that Jesus did not take upon himself our sickness and disease on the cross. Ultimately, they are saying that He no longer operates as He did on earth in regards to healing.

First off, I ask that everyone read the New Testament and find one instance of Jesus not healing someone because it was “God’s will” for them to be sick. I am afraid you are not going to find one. Jesus always healed those who asked or came to Him for healing. So that leaves us with a question. Why do we still get sick? Why do some Christians die of disease? I won’t address the answer in this post but I will say that resorting to your “experience” and your perception is not the answer. Just because, in your experience, Christians get sick and die, does not mean your experiences override the Scripture and its teaching on healing. If Jesus healed everyone that came to Him or asked for healing why would it be any different for us today? In addition, why would the Scripture tell us to pray for healing if God wants us to be sick? Shouldn’t we strive and want what God wants for us? If you believe it is God’s will for you to be sick then you should never pray to be healed (which is a contrary to what the Scripture teaches).

Disclaimer: I am speaking in temporal terms here, just as most of the Scripture speaks in temporal terms. I believe God is completely sovereign over everything and nothing thwarts His will.

In addition, I would like to address interpretation of Scripture in relation to this subject. I find it hard to believe that Christians today seem to think that they can somehow interpret the Scripture better than Scripture itself (than the Apostles).

Isaiah 53:4 NET. But he lifted up our illnesses, he carried our pain; even though we thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done.

Now I have heard many try to say that the above passage has nothing to do with healing, sickness, or disease. However, that is just outright wrong and such a statement is nothing more than “man” trying to make the Scripture fit into his understanding (according to his experience and perception) instead of letting Scripture conform his mind. Not to mention the pompousness of believing their interpretation of a verse can supersede Matthew’s (God breathed). I will let the Scripture (the Apostle Matthew) interpret the passage for me.

Matthew 8:16-17 ISV When evening came, people brought to him many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all those who were sick. (17) This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “It was he who took our illnesses away and removed our diseases.”

Christians should stop trying to “get around” what the Scripture teaches just because they don’t “see” it or agree with it. You cannot change the Scripture (or interpret it differently) just because you don’t see the evidence to support it in your own life or in the world around you. God’s Word is pure truth…man’s experience, perception, and logic are not. I have no interest in interpreting Scripture based on experiences and feelings. In addition, those experiences and feelings are not a valid argument in relation to Scriptural teaching. The bottom line is that your (my) experiences and feelings are wrong when they are contrary to the Scripture (even if that offends your logic and reason).

AMDG