Wkat About Divine Healing? Ha'Je Supernatural Signs Ceased During This Church Age? By ARTHUR T . PIERSON
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,* Him self took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses.” The previous verse which contains an epitome of Christ’s heal ing works, thus connects them with this prediction. If the quotation, has no reference to bodily infirmities and sick ness, what is the pertinence or connec tion? Matthew evidently considered these miracles of bodily healing as a fulfillment of that prophecy, and that He who “bare our sins” somehow'“bare our sicknesses.” 6. Miracles of healing were among signs which should follow those that believe as part of the witness of the gospel’s power and part of the glory of its triumph. Mk. 16:15; Jno. 14:12. 7. Divine healing continued to be wrought through the apostolic age. There is no hint that it was the pur pose of our Lord that these displays of the Divine energy should cease; nay, as the New Testament canon nears com- pleton, James enjoins prayer for the sick as a means of divine healing. Jno. 14:12; Mk. 10:51, 52; 6:13; Ac. 2:43; 3:6, 7; 4:30; 5.:15; 9:40; 14;8-10; 19:12; James 5:14. 8. It cannot be proven that divine healing has ever wholly ceased. It seems to have declined in proportion to the decline of evangelical faith, evan gelical activity, power in prayer, and the increase of worldliness. But heal ing in answer to prayer has to some de gree been found in every age. Espe cially is it affirmed that “signs” similar to those of primitive days have been wrought by missionaries and their con verts where the gospel has been brought into contact with a people rude, unimpressible, ignorant; and
ISEASE is one of the conse quences of sin, one of those '“works of the devil” which Christ came to destroy. Job. 2:7; Luke 13:16; 1 John 3:8. 2.
Disease is often a judi
cial infliction in consequence of sin, and the promise of immunity from it is attached to obedience, while its re moval is conditional upon repentance and reformation. Ex. 15:25, 26; Deu. 7:15; 28:27-35; Ps. 91:5-8; 105:37; Isa. 33:24; 2 Chr. 6:28-30. 3. The healing power is never ascribed to medical agencies, but al ways primarily to God. Remedies may conduce to the result, but are inade quate without His blessing. Asa is dis approved as one whose primary reli ance was on the physicians and not on God. 2 Chr. 16:12, 13; Ex. 15:26; Ps. 103:3; 2 Chr. 36:16 (margin); Jer. 30:17; Deu. 32:39. 4. The power to forgive sins and the power to heal disease are so associated that one is used to confirm and estab lish the other. Ps. 103:2, 3; Mk. 2: 5-10! 5. Miracles of healing were, hext to divine teaching, the most conspicuous feature of our Lord’s earthly life, asso ciated with His atoning work. Isa. 53: 4, 5 is quoted in Matt. 8:17. The mere quotation is not specially significant, but the circumstances are. Ambrose calls Matthew “Scriptura Miraculosa,” from the comprehensive array of mir acles of healing ther^ presented. In the midst of the account of these mir acles, no reference being made to the typical character of disease or the spir itual application of Christ’s atoning work, this significant sentence occurs:
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