Subject: If we ask for healing does God answer no |
Bible Note: Dear Mitch, Nothing you've said offends me, buddy. I've probably read as much Ellen White as you have... Maybe even more! :-) Please calm yourself, son. No one is attacking you -- I promise! No one has once accused you of being unloving. We're a Bible study forum. We seek to base our beliefs on Scripture alone. Simply feel challenged to do just that! Now, first of all, I never once said that it is not God's will to heal. That would be false if we only had one single instance of God healing someone. Instead, we have a huge number of examples where He healed. You have stated, on the other hand that it is God's will to heal everyone. It is that statement that I question. You have admitted that God does not, however, heal everyone, although you do not know why. Even your own observations contradict your dogmatic assertion of universal healing. You cited Romans 11, and the grafting of the wild olive branches. This is a spiritual grafting under a new covenant. We do not physically change when we become Christians. We become the seed of Abraham through adoption by the Work of Christ. The passage in Deuteronomy you cited is one of promise to those in the old covenant. I am genetically a son of Abraham -- many of my fellow believers are not -- nevertheless, none of us are bound to the terms of the old covenant. Instead, we are heirs through a superior covenant! (Please read Hebrews 8:6-11.) You ask me for examples of Scripture where God did not heal believers. The onus of responsibility is on you, Mitch, to substantiate your statement from Scripture. However, if you would like a few New Testament examples (we only really need one) here are three: 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 -- Paul 1 Timothy 5:23 -- Timothy 2 Timothy 4:20 -- Trophimus The false dichotomy that I mentioned in a previous post is your statement that either God heals everyone or He heals no one. I believe that all healing is of the Lord, both miraculous and otherwise. However, He does not heal everyone, nor does He always heal all believers. (If He did, the apostles would still be alive today!) Do you wear glasses, have dentures or fillings, etc.? Did the need for those things vanish after becoming a believer? In Him, Doc |