Results 1 - 5 of 5
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Jesified | 67567 | ||
I struggled with these questions too, until I went to Bible School. Read Isaiah 53:4-5. The same blood that was poured out for our sins was poured out for our healing also. Peter references this verse in 1 Peter 2:24. Also, read in the gospels where Jesus was healing people. He healed all manner of sickness see Matthew 4:23-24, 8:14-17, 9:32-35, 10:1, 12:15, 14:14, 14:35-36, 15:30, 19:2, Luke 4:40, 5:15, 6:17, 9:11. That's probably almost too may references, but you get the point. Jesus healed everyone and God doesn't change, so He is still Jehova Raffa , the Lord that healeth thee. Also, in James 5:14 it tells us to pray for the sick. Why would we pray for the sick if it was going to be in vain? Even if we did pray saying "Heal them if it be you will..." then that's not the prayer of faith that we're supposed to pray. There is no if in faith. Faith is sure. Faith does not say "well maybe God will do it, but maybe He won't." Faith says, "I know God will because he told me so in His word." The only places where Jesus couldn't heal people was where the people did not have the faith to receive it and did not expect to be healed. There are at least 4 separate references in the Bible where Jesus told people, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Matthew 9:22, Mark 9:34, 10:52, and Luke 17:19. So you see, the question is not, "Is God willing and able to heal us?" The question is, "Are we willing and able to be healed?" Now on prosperity, read Jeremiah 29:11, 3 John 1:2, Isaiah 1:19, and Philippians 4:19. God desires to prosper us. He desires for us to eat the good of the land. Is the good of the land sickness, poverty, and disease? No, of course not. God gives good things to His children, Luke 11:13. Besides, how would a poor man or woman be able to fulfill the great commission, Mark 16:15, and preach the gospel through out all the world. A plane ticket from New York City, New York to Cairo, Egypt costs between 800 and 2000 dollars on average. If you live in poverty, you can't afford to fly to Africa should the Lord call you to the African mission field. Jesus was prosperous. He had one man whose only job was to handle His finances, Judas. Now, I don't remember where it is in the Bible, but Judas regularly embezzled money from Jesus' ministry. Let’s say you were to steal a dollar from your work place every day. Would it be easier for you to steal from a place that only had 5 or 10 dollars or a place that had 1000 dollars? Also, remember that out of the money that Judas was in charge of came the funds to feed and clothe 13 men, Jesus and the apostles, for the 3 and 1/2 years of Jesus' ministry. Now, as my final point, read in the last supper when Jesus dismisses Judas, John 13:21-30. In verse 29 it says that no one knew for sure why Jesus sent Judas out. They assumed that he was sent to get more provisions for the feast, or to give to the poor. If they assumed he may be giving to the poor then that would lead us to believe that it was a regular thing for them to do. Not only does that show that Jesus had enough money to support Himself and 12 other men, but that He could afford to give some away on top of that. Also, you see that in this verse, Jesus is distinguished from the poor because if you were giving to the poor then chances are you're not poor. So if Jesus wasn't poor, why should we be? I hope I have answered your questions. If you would like further information on healing I recommend F.F. Bosworth's "Christ the Healer" and for prosperity, Kenneth E. Hagin's "The Midas Touch." Jesified |
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2 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | BradK | 67576 | ||
Dear Jesified, Let me address a few of your points: Isaiah 53:4-5 by any worthy or serious scholar is dealing with spiritual healing, not physical!(cf. Ps.41:4, Je.8:22) You say that "Jesus healed everyone and God doesn't change, so He is still Jehova Raffa, the Lord that healeth thee." God is immutable, but His methods of dealing with man have most definitely changed. By your reasoning, "an eye for an eye" of Ex. 21:24 would still apply! I think the question to consider is: Does God always and at all times heal? I do not believe that healing is NORMATIVE today though God is sovereign and can do as He pleases (Ps. 115:3). Again, what of Paul in 2 Cor.12:7-9? Are we to believe he lacked faith? I think not! Notice Phillipians 4:19: "And my God will supply all your NEEDS according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." It reads "needs" not wants! I may want to be wealthy, but do I need to? No. God can use me where I'm at. You say Jesus was Prosperous"??? Spiritually without a doubt, materially highly questionable. While I might like to think He was ( and I don't) there is absolutely no sound scriptural basis to support that contention. You are entering into EISEGESIS-the reading into of scripture! To say such amounts to gross speculation! You are correct to use the word "assume" in reference to John 13:21-30. The context simply does not warrant the "leap" to reach your conclusion. Speaking the Truth In Love, BradK |
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3 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Jesified | 67594 | ||
I agree that Isaiah 53 is in reference to spiritual healing. However, in verse 4 when it refers to our infirmites I think of physical ailment, which leads me to believe that it is also about physical healing. The same blood that was poured out for our sins was also for our physical healing. In reguards to Ex 21:24, that was part of the Law that was set up for government before the Messiah came. When Jesus died, He redemed us from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13). The Law is not just the 10 Commandments, it is the whole system that the Jews used to reconsile themselves to God. God has never changed how He deals with humanity, but He has clarified the basic element of how we are to deal with anything. The Law was put into effect so that we would have a model of how to deal with each other when situations arose because before Christ the Holy Spirit was not inside the Jews guiding them, so they needed a standard to refer to. Unfortunately, many Jews couldn't see that the central focus of the entire system was to walk in love, but that's a different subject. As for 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul's thorn in the flesh is probably the most commonly misinterpreted subject in the Bible. When Paul says, "a thorn in the flesh," it is probably better translated to modern english as a "pain in the neck." There was a really good, in depth explanation of this on here the other day. If you can find it i suggest reading it, it's right on. Anyway, i'm not saying that Paul lacked faith. Paul's thorn, I believe, was the devil working so hard against him because Paul was doing the will of God. The devil won't persecute a spiritually lathargic Christian, he's got better things to do (such as causing dissention among those who ARE doing God's will). Finally, we need to define Biblical prosperity. Biblical prosperity is all of your needs being met with enough left over to put some extra in the offering with your tithe. Many times we confuse prosperity and wealth. Driving a Mercedes Benz, living in a big house, and wearing the finest clothes but not doing all you can for your brother or sister in Christ is not Biblical prosperity. Not to say that nice clothes, cars, and houses are wrong, but we must get our priorities straight. I don't believe that Jesus was wealthy, but I do believe that He was prosperous. Look at Matthew 9:13. If Jesus was not prosperous enough to feed Himself and the men who travled with him then how could the Pharasees say that the disciples never fasted. If He didn't have the money, then they would occasionally go without, which is not the case. Also, Jesus distinguishes Himself from the poor in Mark 14:7. Although I do agree that my reference in John 13 is an assumption, it is a logical course of reason. The Bible says to love thy neighbor, but does that mean that we stop with the house next to us? Of course not, you have to read into the intent of what the Holy Spirit is saying in these scriptures. I apologize if I have offended you, or come off as dogmatic, but I am simply trying to convey what I know to be the truth as best I can. Jesified |
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4 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Reformer Joe | 67606 | ||
"I agree that Isaiah 53 is in reference to spiritual healing. However, in verse 4 when it refers to our infirmites I think of physical ailment, which leads me to believe that it is also about physical healing." Well, you thinking of it as something doesn't make it so. Peter in his reference to Isaiah 53 in his own epistle directly ties the healing to our sinful conditions, not to any diseases. You wrote: "In reguards to Ex 21:24, that was part of the Law that was set up for government before the Messiah came." Both Paul and James use the moral law as normative commandments for Christians, quoting the Decalogue verbatim (Ephesians 6 and James 2). You are correct that Jesus redeems us from the law's CURSE, but that does not liberate us from God's commandments to follow His moral will, which is summed up in the Ten Commandments, and even more succinctly in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. You wrote: "Finally, we need to define Biblical prosperity. Biblical prosperity is all of your needs being met with enough left over to put some extra in the offering with your tithe." If this is your view of what prosperity is, then we are closer than what I thought on our definitions. You must admit, however, that many of the more well-known, so-called "prosperity doctrine" preachers are not preaching having one's needs met, but rather having one's lusts fulfilled. "Look at Matthew 9:13. If Jesus was not prosperous enough to feed Himself and the men who travled with him then how could the Pharasees say that the disciples never fasted." Fasting is not simply going hungry. It is a spiritual activity of willful abstinence. This passage is in no way a commentary on Jesus' level of financial means. Jesus and the 12 were PROVIDED FOR. There is a difference between being the recipient of God's providence (often through the generosity of others) and having a huge bank account to finance Kingdom work. The epistle of James acknowledges that the church is made up of both rich and poor. Nowhere are the poor chastised for any supposed "lack of faith." The poor among us are an opportunity for God to be glorified by the generosity of His saints. One can very easily look at it this way: how can brotherly generosity on the part of the church of Jesus Christ be demonstrated if no one among God's people has a need? In the Bible, God reveals that ones needs are met through a variety of means other than "claiming a promise": WORK "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must LABOR, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." --Ephesians 4:28 THE GENEROSITY OF OTHER CHRISTIANS "and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so."--2 Corinthians 11:9 "for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs." --Philippians 4:16 I believe Paul nails the coffin of prosperity doctrine shut with one of the most famous passages in Scripture, demonstrating clearly that our material needs are not always what we think them to be: "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." --Philippians 4:11-13 Where is Paul's reliance upon being prosperous? He says that he has learned, as a CHRISTIAN, to be content without it, in suffering from NEED and being in HUMBLE MEANS. The Christian life is NOT a ticket to material Easy Street, or Paul just didn't get it like you do. --Joe! |
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5 | Is God's will prosperity/healing always? | Rom 8:28 | Jesified | 67615 | ||
I think that you're exactly right when you say that us as Christians glorify God through giving to the poor. I'd love to see the world without poverty though. I don't think God wants anyone to suffer lack, the problem is that so often, our theology is so far of to one extremity or the other that we miss the basic point. God does not want His children to suffer a lack, the fact that there are poor among us just shows how we as Christians get too concerned with other things and forget to preach the gospel and love our neighbor. For example, in the Dark Ages, the Church of the was so concerned with protecting it's doctrine that not one missionary was sent out. It's sad to think of the number of souls that were lost due to the Church's preoccupation with technicalities and lack of love. Jesified |
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