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NASB | 1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been healed. |
Subject: How can God let us go through pain? |
Bible Note: Greetings Heisthe1! I want to state right up front that I fully believe that God heals. I have seen it! Perhaps the most dramatic example I ever saw was a little boy who attended a revivial service at our church. He was legally blind, not totally blind. However, he was incapable of crossing a street by himself because he could not see enough to tell if a car was coming or not. I have also seen other dramatic healings. However, (here is the dreaded 'but') there simply isn't any Scripture which promises that every believer will be healed at every time. Healing is God's prerogative. If healing were a guaranteed part of the atonement, then: a) Christians would never be ill. b) Christians would never be in pain. c) Christians would never die. If any of these occured in the life of a Christian, then they must have sinned or not had enough faith. I have actually heard this line of reasoning. Allow me to provide two examples. 1) My son David: We had a son born in 1987 with congential heart defects. He passed away in 1988 at 9 months of age. We prayed for him constantly. We prayed specifically for healing. I even prayed in tongues for him! :-) But, God did not spare his physical life. My wife and I were actually told by people in the church we attended that he was not healed because we did not have enough faith! 2) A godly woman: In that same church was a woman who was born with physical defects. She could barely walk and lived in constant pain. She was one of the most godly people I have ever know. Every week, the pastor would proclaim from the pulpit that God WOULD heal as long as one had enough faith. Every week, she went down to the altar to prayer. Every week, she went away unhealed. Every week, I wept for the emotional anguish that this church was putting this woman through. Does God heal? Yes! Does He promise to heal at all times? No! We still live in a fallen world. We still die. There is no promise of 'no more death and no more pain' until the new Heaven and new Earth (Rev. 21:4). The simple fact is that as believers we have submitted ourselves to His Lordship. There are times when God uses pain and suffering to bring glory to His name. Consider Job! Consider Paul! Real faith isn't a faith which says that if I say the right words I will get what I claim (not that you said this my friend), but real faith is a faith which says to God, 'Do with me as you see fit and I will glorify You no matter what my circumstances.' I can't begin to list the ways in which the death of our son impacted me and the ministry to which God has called me. He used it for His glory. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |