Bodily Healing in the Atonement

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It is amazing and sad how some Bible teachers irreverently oppose healing in the atonement. I suppose it is to justify sickness in the Church. The very thought of having to discuss this aspect is heart rending as most of the opposition to healing in the atonement comes from teachers. It seems that some who proclaim the way of salvation would fight for the right to be sick ! (See "Why is bodily healing important?") Let us remember that before sin entered the world, there was no sickness, diseases and death. Surely, there is a connection between sin and sickness? Let us also remember that Jesus as the second or last Adam, came to regain all that the first Adam had lost. There is no more sacrifice for sin and it's deadly consequences. Jesus finished the work of complete and perfect redemption and His victory over sin, and death and hell must be advanced until all things are under His feet. Bodily healing thereby became a provision in the New Testament in His blood. Any sickness was a curse for breaking the Law of God. Read Deuteronomy 28, which is the Blessings and Curses chapter. Many sicknesses are mentioned and all those that are not mentioned are also termed as a curse. Now, Jesus became a curse for us and redeemed us from the curse of the law. Galatians 3:13 - “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” Isaiah 53:4, 5 - “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” The word healed (rapha) in Isaiah 53:5 means cured. It is the same word used to describe God our Healer in Exodus 15:26. 1 Cor 6:13 says that the body is for the Lord and the Lord is for the body ! The Hebrew word for healed in Isaiah 53 : 5 is 'rapha' - this means to mend, cure, heal, repair, make whole. There are more than a dozen Hebrew and Greek words found in scores of passages which plainly teach physical soundness, healing, health, preservation, salvation, and deliverance. Consider the connection between Matthew 8: 16, 17 and Isaiah 53:4 as recorded in Matthew, “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” If you have been battling sickness and come to this crucial point, facing discouragement from those who do not discern the body of the Lord, take courage child of God, for you have come to the last battle field in your quest for healing. You may not be able to study the Scriptures in their original languages, but you can know and hear your Saviour in a powerful way. To those who oppose healing in the atonement and say that it was only a spiritual work – simply tell them that out of the spiritual comes the natural or the physical! Do they want the sick to remain sick? Are they absolutely sure that they are not demeaning the work on Calvary? Can they look Jesus in the eye and say, "You did not suffer for my sickness?" For those who are interested in studying the key words in Hebrew and Greek, we strongly recommend the book mentioned below. If it is not available in your area, please let us know which words or verses interest you and we will send you more information on them. Recommended Reading: Bodily Healing and the Atonement, by T.J. McCrossan, published by RHEMA Bible Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma ............. Antioch House Email : wecare@antiochhouse.org