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| alt.bible | General bible-thumping discussions | 96,161 messages |
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| Message 94,196 of 96,161 |
| Christ Rose to All |
| "An evil and adulterous generation seeks |
| 26 Sep 25 16:56:51 |
[continued from previous message] spirits and discern believers based on character, doctrine, and love, not on outward wonders. Signs and wonders had fulfilled their purpose; now, it was the enduring fruit of the Spirit that proved who belonged to God. 8) James was talking about healing for those who repent of sin. James 5:14–16 is not a blanket promise of miraculous healing for every illness. The context makes it clear that James is addressing sickness brought on by sin—chastening from God meant to lead a believer to repentance. The Greek word for “sick” in verse 14 is *asthene *, which can mean physical illness but is frequently used to describe spiritual weakness. For example, in Romans 14:1, Paul says, “As for the one who is *weak* in faith, welcome him,” and in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For when I am *weak*, then I am strong.” Likewise, in 1 Corinthians 8:11–12, the *weaker brother* is spiritually vulnerable, not physically ill. These uses show the flexibility of *asthene *, and that its meaning depends on context. In verse 15, James uses the even rarer word *kamn *, which also points to spiritual weariness. It appears only one other time in the New Testament, in Hebrews 12:3, where believers are exhorted to consider Christ “so that you may not grow weary (*kamn *) or fainthearted.” It describes spiritual exhaustion, not physical disease. But the clearest evidence comes in verse 16, which begins with “Therefore”—“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16, ESV). That *therefore* ties the healing directly to *confession of sin*. The entire section builds toward this conclusion. The sick person is not simply physically unwell; he is spiritually compromised, likely under divine discipline. He calls the elders, not for a healing show, but for spiritual help. The elders pray, he confesses, and God forgives and heals. This is a spiritual restoration process, not a display of sign gifts. So James 5 is not about modern faith healers or miracle crusades. It’s about a straying believer who is restored through humble confession, elder-led prayer, and the mercy of God. The healing comes because the sin is addressed, and God’s hand of chastening is lifted. It’s a passage about repentance and restoration—not miracles on demand. 9) Real healers in the Bible were being thronged by the masses. In Scripture, whenever God truly empowered someone with the gift of healing, the result was immediate, public, and overwhelming. People *thronged* them—pressing in from every side, desperate to be healed. This was not a controlled environment with dim lighting and soft music. It was chaotic, urgent, and public. When Jesus healed, crowds flooded to Him. “And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them” (Matthew 15:30, ESV). Mark records, “So that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and *people were coming to him from every quarter*” (Mark 1:45, ESV). The demand was so intense that people tore through roofs (Mark 2:4), pressed through crowds (Mark 5:27), and followed Him for miles, sometimes without food (Mark 8:2). The apostles experienced the same. “They even carried out the sick into the streets… that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed” (Acts 5:15–16, ESV). Note that: *all* were healed. Today, modern so-called healers don’t experience anything like this. They set up scheduled services, carefully stage environments, and limit what can be seen or verified. People are not bringing their terminally ill family members from every direction. City hospitals remain full. Paralyzed children do not leap from wheelchairs en masse. There are no accounts of entire neighborhoods being emptied of the sick because someone’s shadow passed by. This alone speaks volumes. The biblical healers had *real*, public, and undeniable power. That power drew the desperate in droves. The absence of such crowds around modern “healers” is not an accident—it is evidence that the sign gift of healing, as described in the New Testament, has ceased. 10) Real Bible healers cured people immediately and completely. In Scripture, when God granted the gift of healing, the results were immediate and complete—never partial, never delayed. There are no examples of someone being told, “Go home and recover over the next few weeks.” Healing happened on the spot, in full view of others, and with undeniable effect. In Matthew 8:3, Jesus touched a leper and “immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” In Matthew 9:6–7, Jesus told the paralyzed man, “Rise, pick up your bed and go home. And he rose and went home.” When Peter healed the lame man at the temple gate, Acts 3:7–8 says, “And immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk.” Not only did he walk—he *leapt*. There was no therapy, no slow improvement, no uncertainty. In Acts 9:34, Peter told Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years, “Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed.” He got up *at once*. The results were total and instantaneous. This is categorically different from what is claimed today. Modern “healings” are often described as gradual, emotional, or internal—things that cannot be verified on the spot. But biblical healing required no process, and no interpretation. The blind could see, the deaf could hear, the lame could walk, and it happened instantly. Anything less does not match the pattern God set through Christ and His apostles. Some point to the healing in Mark 8—not John—where Jesus first restores a man’s sight partially, then fully, as evidence that healing in the Bible was sometimes gradual. But a closer look shows this was a unique, purposeful exception—not the norm—and even then, the healing was complete within moments. Mark 8:23–25 says that Jesus spit on the man’s eyes and laid His hands on him. The man said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid His hands on his eyes again, and “he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.” This was not a healing that took place over hours or days. It [continued in next message] --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2) |
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