Salvation means total healing.
Healing is part of His plan for The Church which is His Body.
And healing is one of His Spiritual gifts to the church.
Of Spiritual Gifts the apostle Paul writes this in 1st Corinthians Chapter 12:
1 Now Concerning Spiritual Gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.
No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by The Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but The Same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but The Same Lord!
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is The Same Lord who works all in all.
7 The manifestation of The Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.
8 For to one is given The Word of Wisdom through the Spirit, to another The Word of Knowledge through the same Spirit, to another Faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another The Working of Miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
12 For as The Body is ONE and has Many Members, so also, is Christ.
But All The Members of that One Body, being many, are One Body,
13 For by One Spirit we were All baptized into One Body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and have all been made to drink into One Spirit.
14 For in fact The Body is not one member but many.
27 Now you are The Body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And The Lord has appointed these in The Church which is His Body!
First apostles,
Second prophets,
Third teachers,
after that miracles,
then gifts of healings,
Helps,
Administrations,
Varieties of tongues.
In a list of eight ministries miracles and gifts of healings are fourth and fifth.
Notice, it is The Lord who has appointed these in The Church.
Paul then asks, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? And the inference is “No, we are not all the same. But the Body needs them.”
31 “Earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”
And that more excellent Way is the way of love. Whatever gift is bestowed on you as a member of His Body, it is for the benefit of all and must be done in love.
When I was first converted in 1980, I was quite new to the Scriptures and decided I would read it all first to see what He says, and what He thinks. It took two years, but it was a good move. No where in the Old Testament or the New does it say, “If you are sick, call a doctor or physician.” No where!
In the Old Testament if you were sick, you went to the priests. They would discern if the sickness were clean and curable, or unclean and needed isolation. If it needed isolation the sick would be put outside the camp and reassessed in seven days’ time. (That’s not unlike our recent Covid-19 pandemic.) If the sick was then retested as clean, he would make an offering as a testimony that he was healed and would be free to return home.
It was the same Law for the stranger who was following the Lord.
Jesus said the same to the leper that was cleansed.
“Go and make an offering as a testimony to the priests.”
In the New Testament writings James 5 puts it this way:
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.
Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call the Elders of The Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in The Name of The LORD. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and The LORD will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain! Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
I treat this as a simple obedience. And it works.
One time I was in great pain with two nasty hernias. My wife said, “Roy, it’s time to call a doctor.”
“Okay” I said, “But first call the elders.” It was late at night, but they came. I thanked them and said, “Thank you. I’ll be alright in the morning.”
They got me into hospital and sure enough two hernias showed on the Xray. It was a painful night, but in the morning, I was completely healed and no more pain.
I have found that it does not have to be your own regular church. Just ask them if they have elders that can pray for the sick according to James chapter 5. We are One Body, and the gifts of healing and procedures for healing are for the benefit of all.
I have also known pain inflicted by witchcraft. There is a lot of it about. We have a Gia Coven that meets near Meriden, in The Heart of England. Check it out, they have a website. Whilst working in Butler’s Leap I was afflicted with a sudden and unexplained backache. A colleague saw it happen and described it as, “A stab in the back.” From previous experience I immediately knew that someone, somewhere had made a cloth doll of me and stuck a pin in it. That’s the kind of thing they can do. It was a labouring job, and I would not be able to function properly with a backache. So, I remembered that the Lord had said previously, “Don’t forget to use the angels.” So I did. “Angels” I said, “Someone, somewhere has made a cloth doll of me and stuck a pin in it. Go, please, find the doll, remove the pin, and destroy both. But release love and forgiveness down the lines of attack, that they too might know this great salvation and forgiveness of sins.”
I had only gone a few steps and the pain was gone!
Witchcraft can also damage a marriage. It was the angels that taught mankind the casting of spells and curses in the days preceding Noah’s Global Flood. But they also taught the undoing of spells, so there is a remedy. It can be done with simple words, and sometimes actions that the Lord will give you. This has been known to operate in apparently genuine church fellowships. So be aware. There are shops in this country that sell witchcraft paraphernalia, broom sticks, Harry Potter Magic Wands, books, and the ingredients for spells. “The Shop That Must Not Be Named” is one example in The Shambles of York.
This applies to mental illness too.
Confusion, depression, anxiety and many others are known be the results of witchcraft and negative words spoken over someone. Adam and Eve hid themselves from the Lord and were put out of Paradise when they disobeyed a simple instruction concerning good and evil. King Nebuchadnezzar was put out to grass like an ox for seven years, until he came to his proper senses. The Gadarene man of the tombs, whom no man could tame or chain, was seen to be sitting clothed, and in his right mind after being delivered of a legion of unclean spirits. Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons, had a similar testimony of our saviour’s healing power.
Healing, in whatever form it may come, sets us free from all the damages of sin, all manner of sickness and disease, and separation from God’s loving care.
Even though death reigned from Adam to Moses, He that visibly ascended into Heaven first descended into Hades and preached liberty to the captives, those who had never heard the way of salvation. The Law was given through Moses and was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Even in the wilderness for 40 years they followed Christ and drank of His Spirit. Yet, with many who refused to believe, He was not well pleased and swore that they would not enter His rest. Their carcasses fell in the wilderness.
Beware of an evil heart of unbelief, lest you also do not enter into His rest.