Ive been writing about healing, how it is always Gods will for us to be healed and that he does not want us to suffer with sickness and disease. I want to take that a step further and through scripture show that healing was part of the atonement that Christ purchased for all of us.
Psalm 103:1-5 says, Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.
Did you see that? The forgiveness of sins and the healing of all our diseases were used together in the very same verse and are some of the benefits that we have through Christ. It tells us to forget not about those benefits. Many of us havent forgotten the benefit of healing because we never knew we had that benefit in the first place. Jesus didnt just die for our sins but for our sickness as well as the word so clearly tells us here.
1 Peter 2:24 says, Who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.
The forgiveness of sins and physical healing were used together again in this verse. Many people tend to shy away from that verse or reason it away as spiritual healing, but it is referring to physical healing, which is one of the benefits we are not to forget about.
Isaiah 53:4-5 says, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed.
Jesus didnt just come for us to receive healing for our spirits but for our souls and physical bodies as well. He wants us healed on the inside and outside, a complete healing for our entire being.
Matthew 8:17, in referring to Isaiah 53:4, says, He himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. If we can let the Bible interpret itself, we can see that this verse in Isaiah is definitely referring to physical healing. Jesus bore our sicknesses and carried our infirmities on his own body so that we wouldnt have to.
Have you ever loved someone who was sick and wished you could carry their sickness on your own body so that they wouldnt have to be sick? That is exactly what Jesus did for us. Just like he took all our sins on his own body so we could be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21), he also carried our sicknesses so that we could be healed. He did it as our substitute so that we wouldnt have to carry them anymore. Isnt that glorious news? It is a wonderful benefit of the atonement of Christ that we all need to know about.
Jesus provided everything we will ever need through his death and resurrection. We shouldnt just draw from Jesus in the area of forgiveness but in every area of our lives including healing. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9.
Saved here is the Greek word sozo, which means to heal, preserve, save, protect and make whole. Jesus not only provided for us to be saved from hell, but also to be healed and made whole in every area of our lives. He willingly made provision for any need we would ever have through his grace, and he wants us to partake of all that he made available to us.
If you are sick, I want you to see Jesus hanging on that cross, bearing whatever sickness you may have on his own body so that you dont have to endure it. He bore your sickness (Matthew 8:17) and by his stripes you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).
Why would he do such a thing? Because he loves you and doesnt want you to be sick. He wishes above all things that you may prosper and be in health (3 John 1:2) and takes pleasure in seeing you prosper (Psalm 35:27). Start seeing physical healing as part of the sacrifice your loving Savior made for you. Meditate on these verses and ask the Holy Spirit to make these truths come alive to you. I can promise you God is a loving daddy who wants you well, so much so that he gave his own son to make that possible.
Amber can be reached at amberdeemiller32@gmail.com or through her AmberRiceMiller Facebook page.
