Divine Healing? | What the scriptures REALLY Teach – (Galatians 4:12-15)

Topic: Divine Healing? | What the scriptures REALLY Teach

Reading: Galatians 4:12-15

12 Brethren, I beseech you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong; 13 you know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first; 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What has become of the satisfaction you felt? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

Introduction and Overview

There is a doctrine in the modern church claiming divine healing. It comes out of the same group of teachings that form the divine health and prosperity gospel ministries. They claim under the divine healing and divine health doctrines that if you are walking correctly and your faith is strong, you should not get ill. The converse of that position is that if you happen to get ill, then your faith isn’t strong enough.

There is another line of reasoning to this divine health doctrine that suggests Christians should ignore medical authorities and doctors. They hold fast to the idea that God will protect them from disease. We saw this philosophy in action during the early COVID years when some churches refused to listen to medical advice and government directions to cease congregating for a while and to be vaccinated when they became available. The disease spread rapidly in those congregations, and quite a number of people died.

The reality is that God has established all authority on the earth, including the medical authorities (See Romans 13:1-2). Jesus Himself recommended that we should see a doctor if we are unwell when He said, “But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12)

And as for a lack of faith causing people to be ill, as suggested by the divine healing and divine health philosophies, did Paul lack faith when he was ill? Paul speaks about his illness in these scriptures today, and there is no question regarding his faith. His faith was so strong that the Lord used Paul to write and explain the processes of the New Covenant; what it is and how it works.

The point is, the philosophy of divine healing is a lie. So too are the associated doctrines of divine health and prosperity gospel. Here is the truth of the matter. Our bodies are subject to the frailties and weaknesses present in the flesh. We get sick. We age and have physical weaknesses. And we eventually die. But as these next verses tells us, it’s not about the flesh. The key to Christianity and living with Christ is all about the Spirit.

But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

I tell you this, brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50)

And Jesus also made the point that;

It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63)

So, let us consider these verses from Galatians from the right perspective. Understanding this, we see the follow of the divine healing and divine health positions. Reject them and find the truth, that it is your spirit with which God and Jesus Christ are concerned. The flesh is unimportant.

Key points from reading:

• The flesh of man is not important in the total scheme of Christianity and the plan of God
• Divine healing and divine health are false doctrines that should be ignored and rejected.
• Find and follow the truth and do not be led astray by teachings and doctrines that do not align with the truth.

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Paul’s frustration – Galatians 4:12

• Paul shows a measure of frustration over the direction the Galatians church was going. They had received some itinerant preachers who were teaching that they needed to be circumcised and put back under law. It is possible that these preachers were the same ones introducing this ministry in other places in the early church. The issue was so critical that Paul and Barnabas took the matter to the Apostles and Elders of the church to discuss and decide the appropriate course of action. This is covered in Acts chapter 15.
• Paul implores the Galatians to “become as I am.” Basically he is saying that they should stand fast in the freedom they have in Jesus Christ. Paul taught them the truth, but these other teachers and preachers were mutilating and adulterating the truth of the freedom in Jesus Christ. They sought to have the new Gentile believers follow the ways of Judaism and the law. They sought to bind the people in rules, regulations, ordinances and fleshly forms of worship.
• Paul taught freedom in Christ and the worship of Christ in spirit and truth. These two, Christian truth and worship under the law, cannot coexist. You cannot be fully in Christ and under the law at the same time. This is an either/or situation.
• Why? Because the law preaches bondage and condemnation, but Christianity preaches freedom and release from condemnation. The law defines sin and those who break the law are rightfully called sinners. But the truth of Christianity is that Jesus came to take away the sins of the world (See John 1:29) and in Him there is no sin (see 1 John 3:5). Where there is no sin there is no condemnation. And where there is no condemnation there is true freedom, which comes through Jesus Christ, not by the law.

2. Scripture: There was no divine healing (Galatians 4:13)

• Here we gain an insight into the life of Paul as he went about preaching. When Paul came to Galatia, he was suffering a physical complaint with his eyes. It seems clear that this bodily ailment he was suffering was quite debilitating. And yet in spite of the condition, Paul still fully laid out the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ so that the Galatians could and would come to Christ.
• Nowhere in these words is there any mention of a divine healing. Paul was suffering and it was something that lingered for some time. There was certainly no lack of faith on his part. Despite the physical ailment, he fully preached the gospel so that the Galatians would be saved.
• In fact it may be that the Lord had inflicted Paul at this time to keep him at Galatia to teach and preach the fullness of the gospel. We know that it says in Romans 8:28, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” So, it was for the good of Paul and the church in Galatia that he remain there, and even Paul’s eye condition worked the salvation of the Lord in this case.

3. Scripture: Paul’s condition was trying – Galatians 4:14)

• Whatever this problem was with Paul’s eyes, it was a trial for the people in Galatia. Perhaps he could not see and needed to be led by the hand from place to place. Without his eyesight he would have been heavily reliant on those around him to feed him, provide for hem, and move him from place to place. It would have been quite a burden on the people as one would expect they needed to do this as well as their normal work.
• But the people did not complain. They did not scorn or deride him because of this condition. Rather, they took the time to help him and provide for his needs because they saw the value and the power in the words he had to offer. There was no divine healing, but his words were compelling. The teachings he offered with freedom from sin, freedom from law, freedom from condemnation, entry into the kingdom of God, and the inheritance of that king into eternity were compelling teachings. This was all new to the people and they soaked it up like a sponge takes in water.
• Paul’s condition may have been a trial, but they found faith. And they did not expect a divine healing to rectify the issue with Paul’s eyes. They accepted him as he was and were obviously in awe of the things Paul taught. The fact that his eyes were a problem was irrelevant. They simply rolled with it so that they could receive the words of life and glory that would lead to salvation.
• And it should be the same today. It doesn’t matter if a person is physically unwell or has some condition that afflicts them bodily. It is the spirit that matters, not the wellness of the flesh.
• Others in the scriptures suffered from various sicknesses and physical ailments. Never was their faith called into question. They did not receive divine healing or instant miracles to rectify their physical conditions. Instead they waited on the Lord or took medical advice to deal with their situations.
• For example, consider the disciple Epaphrodi’tus who worked with Paul. It is clear that he was extremely ill and near to death. But God allowed him to recover to continue the work he was to do. (See Philippians 2:25-27)
• Then there was the case of Timothy who suffered chronic issues with his stomach. It was recognised that Timothy had “frequent ailments” with his stomach. Again there was no divine healing but he was instructed to use the medication of wine to deal with the issue. Paul instructed Timothy to drink a little wine, which was a common remedy at that time, to help settle his stomach issues. (See 1 Timothy 5:23). And there was no question in the writings of Paul that the cause of these ailments or the lack of healing had anything to do with Timothy’s faith.

4. Scripture: What changed? – Galatians 4:15

• In these final words we see the frustration of Paul once again. At one time the Galatians would have given Paul their own eyes if it were possible to help Paul overcome his condition. They were so desirous of hearing the truth of the gospel.
• But after the preaching of those false teachers who wanted to bring the people under the bondage of the law in circumcision, something changed. Their original feelings towards Paul seemed to have cooled, and it was because of the false teachers and teachings that this occurred.
• Understand this, the law is not evil. It is very, very good because they are the words of God.
• But they are a trap for Christians because they take away the freedoms that we have in Jesus Christ.
• The law is also very enticing because it has the appearance of devotion and worship. It is based upon works and humans like to work. They feel better when they have to work for something and they struggle to see how a person can be rewarded without work. The concept of receiving righteousness, salvation, and all of the blessings of God by faith, without having to do anything but believe in Him, is foreign to human understanding and human ways. It just FEELS better to be doing something, like fasting, tithing, abstaining from things rejected under the law, having a place of worship, establishing priests, pastors, and ministers as intermediaries, and all of the other things we see in much of the modern church. For people, these things feel right because they are evidence of doing something to receive the gifts of God.
• But that’s not what God wants. What He wants is for us to believe in Him and by faith to receive all of His gifts. This is why it says in Romans 9:31-33, “Israel who pursued the righteousness which is based on law did not succeed in fulfilling that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall; and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.”
• Today, much of the church has stumbled over the stumbling stone of Jesus Christ because they are still trying to come to Him through works, and especially works of the law. But the law makes no-one righteous. It just condemns people as sinners when they fail to keep the law. Righteousness can only be attained by faith in Jesus Christ.
• And divine healing, divine health, prosperity gospel and the like are all false doctrines and extensions of ministries of works. These have no basis in scripture and there is no truth in them. In fact COVID proved the foolishness of the divine healing and the other false gospels when the things people were being taught did not happen. They were not healed. Some died. They did not receive the wealth they sought when needed during lock-downs. The doctrines were false, and like a house of cards, when tested by exterior conditions, they all fall down.

Prayer Points:

• Pray and ask the Lord to help you find the truth of the Gospel of freedom in Jesus Christ. Pray that He will help you understand it so that you are not caught in the trap of works of law.
• Pray also and ask the Lord to open up the fullness of the truth so that you do not fall victim under the false teachings of divine health, divine healing, or any of the other associated false teachings.