Subject: Divine Healing? |
Bible Note: Those who are opposed to present-day Christians performing miracles in the name of Jesus often cite Matthew 7:21-23: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Jesus himself said the words in this passage, so we must accept them; however, we must understand what he truly means. Some take this passage to be a reference to New Age practitioners who frequently invoke the name of Christ; yet, their beliefs are mostly hostile to Christianity. In any case, Jesus is referring here to some kind of false prophets, and not Christians at all. This is determined by the context of this passage. The verses previous to Matthew 7:21-23 say, "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:15-20). In addition, note that Jesus says to those who come to him, "I never knew you," meaning that they were never Christians in the first place. Jesus does not say that he will disown those in question because they worked miracles in his name, but that simply by working miracles in his name does not constitute a proof of a relationship with him. It is possible for one who is influenced by Satan to appear as one who is on the side of Christ: "Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved'" (Acts 16:16-17). The Bible warns of false apostles, false prophets, and false miracles: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve" (2 Corinthians 11:13-15); "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9); and "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). However, those who use this passage (Matthew 7:21-23) against the Christians who heal the sick and cast out demons in the name of Jesus creates a subtle deception by doing so, since Jesus does not condemn the act of doing good in his name, but that doing good in his name may not be sufficient proof of relationship. In fact, he says in Mark 9:39 that, "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me," which is an implicit approval of one who legitimately performs miracles in his name. Also, if Jesus is condemning those who work miracles in his name, then he would be speaking against the actions of the apostles, as well as contradicting his own commission to all the believers. Therefore, this passage cannot be used to challenge Christians who, in obedience to Christ’s commands, heal the sick in the name of Jesus. Rather, those who refuse to carry out these basic elements of the Christian mandate should be ashamed of their negligence. Once we have an understanding of our authority in Christ and faith in his name, we may confront sicknesses that attempt to attack our own bodies, and that of other people. We may follow the biblical examples in commanding the bodies of the sick to be healed, and the demons that are oppressing people to leave. We may also claim supernatural protection in the name of Jesus: "In my name they will… pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all" (Mark 16:17-18). All this power belongs to us through Jesus Christ. God bless (Speaking the Truth In Love) awesome sign off! |