Christian Living

Endless Healing?

by paul hoffmaster
09/27/25
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We pray as if our bodies are meant to live forever.  When there is an infirmity or physical malfunction, we claim Scriptural relief through the exercising of our faith.  What role, if any, does age play in our quest for physical relief?  Does our faith require Biblical agreement when our bodies begin to deteriorate due to the aging process?  What about a couple trying to have a baby and suddenly realizing the female body is losing its ability to produce life?  How about someone in their late 80s who had been informed that any surgeries would carry too much risk?  Is Biblical healing limited in the aging process?

What does the Bible say about physical healing?  Are there certain qualifications for the miracle of healing to be applied?  What was the purpose of Jesus’ healing ministry?  Was it simply to restore the body to a position of wholeness, or was it a way to open the door to spiritual restoration?  Careful study of the Scriptures will show that the generation in Jesus’ time was more concerned with seeing and experiencing miracles than with hearing how to restore a spiritual standing with God.  

Jesus can still heal people through their faith, but acts of healing should be a conduit to hearing the Gospel of transformation.  After the fall of Eve and Adam, man’s physical body had time limitations.  Man could hope to extend his body’s longevity through learning to take care of his “temple” and, when necessary, the assistance of the medical profession.  If we spent as much time concerned about our spiritual condition as we do with our bodily restoration, we would better understand Jesus’ ministry.

When Jesus issued the Great Commission, He commanded His disciples to preach and teach the Gospel, making disciples of those who were converted. (Matthew 28:19, 20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47)  To equip them for this ministry, they would be endowed with certain supernatural abilities, from casting out demons, speaking in unlearned languages, to immunity from poisons such as snake bites and liquids.  They would lay hands on the sick, and people would recover. (Mark 16:17, 18)  Notice that the primary emphasis was on presenting the Gospel, not on healing.  Just as in Jesus’ day, healing was to draw people into hearing the redemptive message.  Today, healing ministries seem to draw people away from spiritual healing.  Signs and wonders are still drawing people into arenas of faith.  Equally many Christians ignore healing venues to stress only the spiritual aspect.  Divine physical healing is still for today, but only by the initiative of the Holy Spirit.

Comparing the Gospels to the book of Acts and the epistles, one notices that the majority of the writings move from physical miracles to spiritual restoration.  In Acts, there were miracles, but not to the degree that is stated in the Gospels.  The explanation is clear; the spiritual status of the individual overshadows physical restoration.  Healing brings openness to the Gospel message.

For those of us who are approaching the horizon, we need to pray that our faith and trust in the Lord be strengthened.  We need to pray with one hand lifted to the outstretched welcoming hand of our Lord, while the other hand is guided to reach out to our peers with love and understanding.