In a previous teaching, we tackled the question “Does God ever grant Satan permission to take us into bondage? We showed through scripture that the answer to that question was a resounding NO. In this teaching we are going to deal with the question “Does God Ever Cause or Allow Sickness”? Again, the answer is a resounding NO!!!
Okay, that’s the answer. Now lets prove it with scripture and truth. Lets start out with these.
Matt 8:2-3
2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
We see in this example that not only was Jesus willing, but He was able. Then there’s this one also in Matthew 8.
16 That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. 17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”
Did you notice it says this was done to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by the prophet Isaiah? What was that word? That He bring sickness upon us? That he allow sickness to inhabit us? NO. It’s that He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases. Well if He took them and removed them, then why would He give them back? You see how silly this gets?
Now comes the statement out of the mouths of those who are very weak in faith. It goes something like this. Someone gets cancer and you hear them saying – “God gave me this cancer to teach me something”. Really? Where do you find that in scripture? That is just so wrong on so many levels. First of all, God cannot give you what He does not have. God does not have cancer, and God does not cause sickness because He’s never sick.
If I believe that God allows sickness in order to build character in me or to show me something, then I have two questions. The first is, why are you even praying for healing? The second is, if you do pray for healing then where is your confidence in that prayer? When you have the incorrect belief that God allows or causes sickness, then that misconception will only serve to restrict your faith.
I like to call this scripture “God’s 7-11, shopping spree – all is free”. Did you see the “much more”? Much more what? Good gifts, not sickness. Hearing that Jesus said that, let me ask you how many times you HURT your children (not Godly discipline now) by burning them, beating them, cutting them, to teach them a lesson. Ludicrous question, right? Let me just say that if you did to your children what people accuse God of doing concerning sickness and punishment, you would be put in prison for child abuse.
How, then, if you love your children so much to NOT hurt them, could you possibly think we serve a God Who takes pleasure in causing you to suffer to teach you a lesson? Love wouldn’t even permit Him to do such a VILE thing, and I frankly would not serve a god like that!
Jesus said in John 5:19 – “So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does”.
John 5:20 through verse 26 contain a powerful set of truths regarding God and Jesus. Just study those verses and see that it says the Father loves the Son, and all the attributes of God are in the Son. Things like raising the dead, having life in Himself, and honor.
John 17:23 says God loves us as much as He loves Jesus. Did God send sickness on Jesus. NO, in fact just the opposite. He sent Jesus with healing in His wings (Mal 4:2).
I know, that’s old testament. Okay. How about this? 1 John 3:8 says Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil, not enhance them. Still not satisfied. Well then, here’s another. Luke 4:18 – ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come”. Now that doesn’t sound anything like God causing me to be sick or putting sickness on me.
Finally, for now, John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. I CAME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY. Why did He come? How did He come? Give me a pentecostal break here with this wrong teaching that God causes sickness.
So, if Jesus came with healing in His wings, He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, His duties included destroying the works of the devil, and the devils mission was to steal, kill and destroy, how can you even jump to the premise that God causes sickness? Besides, if He did there would be division in heaven.
What do you mean division in heaven. Well if it is true that God put sickness on us or caused us to be ill, He would be in charge of a divided kingdom. Mark 3:24,25 says 24 “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand”.
Again, the only thing I can find that Jesus did was heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Matt 10:8 says that, but then it adds for us “freely you have received, freely give”. Don’t forget what John 5:19 said. Jesus only did what He saw the Father do. Also, Luke 9:2 it says He sent them forward to preach the kingdom and to heal the sick, not to cause them to get sick.
Not to belabor this discussion, but Jesus said in John 14:12 – “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father”. So let me ask you. How many people have you given cancer, heart disease, the flu, or broke their arms and legs. I mean caused this to happen on purpose.
Again, Jesus cannot give you something He does not have. Also, God’s perfect will is “on earth as it is in heaven”, and there is no sickness in heaven. Is anybody getting the truth here?
Finally, Acts 10:38. Look it up. It says Jesus was anointed by God with the Holy Ghost and power. Jesus then went about doing good, and healing ALL that were oppressed…by whom? The Devil, not God. Then it says He did this for God was with Him. Come on people. Give me a break and a brain. 3 John 2 says “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers”. What did He pray?
Jesus said in John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”. So in this passage, Jesus says He gives us His peace. Then he says don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful. Well, if He was giving you sickness, you’d be troubled and fearful and would not have peace.
But then look at this in that same chapter of John 14 verse 16 and 17. He says “16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you”. It’s right there. The Father will give us another helper or comforter that will be with us always. Why? Because God knew we’d need comforting.
The point is it says “another” helper, which by pure logic means that Jesus/God was a helper/comforter, not a hinderer that gave us sickness. Staying with John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you”.
Did you see that part that says He will teach you ALL things? Well then, show me where the Holy Spirit taught us that God caused us to be sick in this dispensation of grace.
Okay, so I believe we’ve shown the truth, without fear of contradiction, that God does not cause sickness to come upon anyone. Yet here comes the religious community with their “Ya but” ministry and saying, “but GOD DOES CHOOSE NOT TO HEAL”?
We will take that up in part 2 and much more. Stay tuned. Grace and Peace.
Comments