Is There Healing in the Atonement?

Elisha's Ax Head: Correcting Biblical Misconceptions by Glenn A. Griffis

As a chaplain in a large metropolitan hospital I pray for someones healing everyday. Even in the most desperate of situations where physicians have informed the family that there is no medical hope I believe in the reality of healing. I often tell Christian families that  when medical science has done all it can do that we are certain of two things: that with God all things are possible, and that He has numbered our days. Even when the medical team has given up hope believers have a hope for healing or for life after death. I have seen patients walk out of our hospital who had been given little or no chance of medical recovery, and I've seen patients come in for a relatively minor condition and leave through our morgue. We have the most amazing doctors I have ever known in the hospital; our technology is state of the art, and our staff is committed to providing the best possible care to our patients. Yet all we can do is help or hinder what God is doing in a patent's life. Only Jesus is the Great Physician.

Even a perusal of the gospel will result in a realization that a significant aspect of Jesus' ministry involved caring for people. Early in his ministry Jesus defined his mission; he quoted the Messianic promise of Isaiah 61: 1 & 2 applying it to himself:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away. (Luke 4:16-30 ESV)

After overcoming the most rigorous and blatant attempt at temptation by the Devil, since his temptation of Eve in the garden, Jesus begins his ministry by teaching in the synagogue, standing, opening the scroll and reading what his audience understood to be a Messianic prophecy which he applied to himself. The Messianic mission statement has two aspects:

1. The Messiah would bring a message of good news of “redemption” to the poor. Poor is a reference to a diminished or damage spiritual capacity rather than an economic and social status.¹ It is a reference to saving people from sin and restoring them to relationship with God
2. The second aspect seems to be liberating those who are captive to a corrupt, broken world system, which includes healing and deliverance from oppression and injustice.

Throughout the New Testament the ministry of redemption is presented as being finished and completed in the atonement, Jesus' sacrificial death. The penalty and power of sin was broken because of Christ's atonement. His one time sacrifice, accomplished what repeated sacrifices and good works were unable to do.

 

The penalty and power of sin was broken because of Christ's atonement. His one time sacrifice, accomplished what repeated sacrifices and good works were unable to do.

Sin separated man from God. Christ's death “atoned,” or “satisfied” for that separation.³ This atonement aspect of his Messianic work Jesus is complete, finished

The second part of his Messianic work, the establishment of his kingdom on earth, was to liberate the world system that is captive to sin. This second part include healing the sick and liberating those oppressed by the devil and human government. The Messiahs mission was first to bring “sight to the blind,” a reference to those who are spiritually blinded by sin, and second “liberty to the oppressed.” This aspect of his work while clearly a major part of his Messianic work and of the work of those who follow him, the church, has been initiated but is incomplete. Jesus declared the kingdom of God as being present at his first coming, while at the same time used parables to explain that the kingdom was yet to come.⁴ It was initiated, but is incomplete. The audience to whom Jesus speaks were impressed.

And yet Jesus knows that his audience will soon reject him, because they seek the second part of the promise rather than the first, which Jesus says he will be complete at his second coming. They expect him to heal “all sickness, and cure every disease,” and he will not, and they expect him to conquer the Roman despots, and reign as heir to David's throne, which is yet to come. He points first to the Old Testament prophetic healing as a precursor to his own. He speaks of the hunger, and sickness that fell over Israel after a period of 3 1/2 year drought. He says there were many widows; in other words, many whose spouses had died. During that period only the only son of the widow of Zarephath was the only one to experienced God's healing power at the hand of Elijah. Later though leprosy was common Elisha only healed Naaman the Syrian ³ More Old Testament believers were left in the grave awaiting the Messiah, than were healed. Jesus uses these two Old Testament prophets as an example of the way his healing ministry will work. Jesus turned away from their request to verify his Messianic claim by healing, then left the synagogue. Later he healed Simon's mother-in-law, and many ill and demon possessed people who had believed and asked for healing.⁴ Later Jesus would chose only one person out of a crowd of sick and invalid people to heal.⁵ This person makes no profession of faith and is challenged to “Sin no more” after he is healed.

While Jesus heals some who make professions of faith, some whom he heals make none at all. Jesus ignores far more sick people than he heals. While healing occurred randomly, even people of faith still suffered. The initiation of the kingdom appears in no way diminishes the need for the medicinal arts,⁶ or spiritual care for the sick.⁷ Additionally, though few heeling's are recorded after the book of Acts, or later in church history, the gift of healing is still given to believers⁸ without definition or explanation of how it functions. Is it a gift that empowers people to perform miraculous healing? If so, why is the gift of miracles a separate gift?⁹ So while Jesus' Messianic first coming fulfills the promise of redemption through his atonement; it inaugurates the coming kingdom which institutes a process of healing and liberation that will be consummated at his second coming.

Almost daily I deal with people who have a loved one who is either chronically ill or dying, and who have been taught that “there is healing in the atonement,” and they are certain Christ's death assures them that God will restore their loved ones to full health. If the person fails to improve or recover they then face a theological crisis: was their own faith insufficient? Is their loved one's sickness or illness persisting because of failure to claim the atoning power of Jesus' death; has their sin or the patent's grieved the Holy Spirit and blocked his healing power; could they have been healed had they believed enough? Or did God relent, or can they be certain of God's promises at all?

Is there healing in the atonement? Some modern day preachers, especially those associated with the Word of faith movement, teach that every believer has a right to be healed, because Jesus took our “afflictions” on the cross. When Jesus stood and declared himself the Messiah was he claiming a complete fulfillment of the entire Messianic promise would be complete in his first coming:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn; (Isaiah 61:1-2ESV)?

Did Jesus incarnation and death complete both the redemption of human and their liberation?

What we are discussing is the meaning and significance of the gospel itself. This is one of the great theological debates of our time. There are those who believe that Jesus' atonement accomplished the liberation of the cosmos from political bondage, and it is now the role of the church to bring justice, equity and liberty to every social situation. While the church is clearly to speak and act for truth and righteousness, we have addressed clearly in other places that liberation and “social justice” are not the church's principle mission. ⁹ But what about the Messianic promise of healing? Did Jesus' death on the cross accomplish our healing? Did he die that we might be made well​? Two passages lead to confusion about this matter. The first is the classic passage that describes the Messiah's suffering in fulfillment of the atonement. Some advocate that this verse means he substituted (atoned) his life for our sickness, and that by his death all who believe in his atoning sacrifice are assured of health:

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV)

The Hebrew word translate “healed” is “rapa'.” Used 65 times in the Old Testament the root meaning of the word is to “restore to normal.” While it can be used in reference to healing a sickness or injury,¹⁰ it can also be used as a reference to a nation or people group's restoration to God, or their revival,¹¹ or to spiritual renewal or reconciliation of an individual to God and his Word.¹² So does the prophet envision this the Messiah's death would be a substitute (atonement) for man's sickness. Isaiah uses an ancient Hebrew poetic style called parallelism. Two terms or concepts are juxtaposed because they have a similar enough meaning to be saying the same thing in different ways in the same context. “Rapa, healed,” is parallel to “havon” which means “iniquities or sins. The primary sense of this verse is that Messiah substituted his life to die the death humans deserved, healing the breach that had been caused by man's sin.

This is the atonement: Jesus substitutes his righteous holy fully divine fully human self to satisfy God's wrath for our sin. There is no satisfaction for our physical health.

This is the atonement: Jesus substitutes his righteous holy fully divine fully human self to satisfy God's wrath for our sin. There is no satisfaction for our physical health. 

Yes, indeed, sickness is the result of man's sin. But Jesus as God incarnate never once identified with human sickness. He never became sick to make anyone well. He identified with our temptation.¹² No where in the New Testament are we ever taught that Jesus identified with human sickness. The doctrine of the atonement means, “ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21ESV)” No where does it say that he was made to be“sick for us,” that we might made whole or well. While there is no doubt that God heals people miraculously, Isaiah 53: 4 & 5 in no way associates physical healing with the Messiah's atonement, but there is another verse that is sometimes used to teach that “healing is in the atonement”:

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for 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 one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:13-20ESV).

While the passage mentions praying for a sick person, it is set in a broader context.  James uses several different but important words here to set the prayer's context beyond illness or injury. He speaks of “suffering,” “kakopathei,” which means “the endurance of hardship. He speaks of “sickness,” “asthenai,” which means to “be diseased or infirmed.” He speaks of “sin” hamartias.” He speaks of the effectiveness of a prayer of faith. He speaks of a prayer of “salvation,” which is “sodzo.” This world usually refers to spiritual redemption, the root idea is “to be made whole.” It is interesting that this word“salvation” is what the “elders of the church” are to pray for on behalf of the sick. This word is almost always used for the spiritual dimension of our separation from God. Yet later when he speaks of “confession of sin” he says that brings about “healing.” “Healing” that comes from confession is “itheete,” which although having a general sense of being made whole is most often use in reference to healing of physical infirmities. So in reference to physical sickness he call upon the Elders to pray for salvation, and encourages public confession of sin and prayer for physical healing. For spiritual problems he suggests intercession from church leaders, but for physical healing he advises corporate confession of sin  and prayer. While James clearly assures that prayer is powerful to aid in physical healing, he is speaking much more broadly about prayer's effect on our health.

Clearly he is speaking of prayer's relation to the human condition. Every person on earth faces “suffering “or affliction,” “sickness,” and “sin.” Suffering, sickness and sin are all effects of man's alienation from God. Some afflictions are the result of specific choices of individuals make and some are just the product of living in a world governed by sin. Notice he calls for those who are suffering and sick to call for the elders of the church, and for those who have sinned to “confess to one another.” Suffering, sickness and sin are never private matters. I pastored long enough to know that most of the time if you confront someone for sin the response is something like this, “What I do in the privacy of my own home, is my business,” but James seems to think differently.

Sin is a moral condition that has corrupted the entire world; sin as a personal condition spreads decadence and dysfunction and disease wherever it goes. My sin and my suffering is never just about me, or my family. My sin always effects God, my church and the world. Therefore, James calls upon the church to provide the remedy to the damage sin has done. First to the one who is suffering and sick, he says, call the Elders. ¹³ The elders are shepherds, they are the one's called upon to Shepherd, take care of and guide the flock. The Elders can pray for the sick. All sickness ultimately is rooted in sin, which is a condition of the rebellious human heart. So when we bring our suffering and sickness to the elders for prayer, we commit our lives to Christ's redemptive authority and Divine providence. The Elders are to anoint in the name of the Lord.

Anointing with oil is usually a symbolic reference to trans-formative and cleansing work of the Holy Spirit. The elders prayers bring the sick and suffering person under the enabling work of the Spirit, which is conditional.

The elders prayers bring the sick and suffering person under the enabling work of the Spirit, which is conditional.

The anointing is done “in the name of the LORD.” As we have discussed elsewhere, anointing or praying “in the name of Lord,” is equivalent to placing oneself under the authority of the Lord and committing your life to his providential grace. Far from being a “formula” to get God to act, it has more to do with one's attitude or position in reference to Christ.¹⁴ Using the example of Elijah's who prayed for drought to bring judgment on Israel then for rain for the nation's relief. Effective prayer brings a person's life under the authority of Christ. When we place our trust in the redemptive work of Christ alone, we are transformed by the Spirit and confess our sin publicly, sin's power is defeated in our lives.

The defeat of sin is made manifest in different lives in different ways. When we call the Elders to pray for our sicknesses we recognize that our sickness is a result of living in a sinful world. We confess our sin publicly and rely on the transforming power of the Spirit to restore us to relationship with God. The passage puts healing completely and ultimately in the hands of God. Jesus Christ alone is the Great Physician. Only he heals, calling the Elders to anoint the sick places the sick under his care and authority and accepts God's providential will for that person whether they live or die. Notice the concluding verse from the section, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” The truth of gospel redeems the soul from death. The passage is a call to submit our lives and our sicknesses to his authority and power and to commit to his purposes that we might be redeemed.

Most of us will face suffering and sickness of ourselves, our family, and our friends. Those who tell us that “there is healing in the atonement,” that Christ died that we might live long endearing healthy lives misconstrue the doctrine of atonement. (Since the doctrine of atonement is foundation to the gospel, a misunderstanding of why Christ died, is serious matter). Healing is not an element of the Messianic gospel message. Healing is not be “named and claimed.” As God kingdom advances we are individually transformed and socially reformed. There is transformation that occurs in our lives and as we become more Christ like. God works his purposes in our lives to lead us to experience the reality of the gospel. The transforming power of the Spirit will give some a new perspective, some destructive life patterns will be broken, some broken families will be restored, and some will be physically, psychologically or emotionally healed. Sanctification will remain incomplete until we stand with Christ in glory. And yes as the gospel has advanced through the ages justice has followed and the oppressed have been liberated. While the atoning work of the gospel is complete, there is no healing in the atonement. The kingdom is here but it is not consummated, so where the gospel advances there will be healing,  both at the hands of men and women with healing gifts, and miraculously and supernaturally in ways that can only be explained as the work of God with whom all things are possible.

Yes, definitely if my wife or child gets sick I will pray for their healing, because I pray for the desire of my heart. As Jesus prayed that his cup of suffering would pass, I will pray the same for them. Yet despite Jesus' fervent prayer to be relieved of the suffering he was to undergo he prayed, not my will but yours. I will pray that God would reign in their life for his glory with the firms assurance that “the effective prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.”

1Luke 6:20; Matthew 5:3

31 Kings 17:1; 18:1; 2 Kings 5:1-14; 7:3; James 5;17; Rev 11:6

4Luke 4: 38-41

61 Timothy 5:23

7James 5: 13 & 14

81 Corinthians 12:28

91 Corinthians 12: 29 & 30

9Glenn A. Griffis, “Is Social Justice Part of the Great Commission,” SAMSON'S JAWBONE, copyright Glenn A. Griffis https://drglennspage.blogspot.com/p/is-social-justice-part-of-christian.html, accessed June 28,

10Gen 20;17; Ps 6:2; Jer 17:14; 19:11; 2 Kings 2:22; Ex 47:8

11Jer 30:17; 51:8 & 9; Hos 6:1

131 Peter 5: 1-5

31 John 2 1-3

4Dr. John Piper, “Is the Kingdom Present or Future?” DESIRING GOD, , accessed June 28, 2017

5John 5: 1- 17

12http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is-the-kingdom-present-or-future

12 Matthew 4: 1-10; Mark 14: 36; Luke 4: 1-11; Heb 2: 14- 18;

14https://drglennspage.blogspot.com/p/must-christians-invoke-words-in-jesus.html