Tom Barnard

“Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint

him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the

sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.”

(James 5:12-15)

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; and forget not all his benefits—

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.”

(Psalm 103:2, 3)

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,

should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes we are healed.”

(1 Peter 2:24)

Does God forgive sin? Is God pleased when sinners repent? Does heaven rejoice when the lost are found? Does God still heal today? Does the Bible encourage us to pray for healing? Can God heal all diseases? The answer to these questions is an unqualified “yes.” Is the forgiveness of sins included in our belief system? Absolutely. Does the healing of the body fit in there somewhere? It should. David, Peter, and James thought so. Read the verses above once more. Notice the connection between the forgiveness of sins and the healing of diseases.

Jesus healed people wherever he went. In Matthew 9 some men brought to Jesus a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw the faith of the men, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” Immediately the teachers of the law murmured among themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” Do you remember what Jesus said when he perceived their thoughts? He said, “Which is easier: to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” The teachers had no answer.

Two things happened to the paralytic that day—his paralysis was healed, and his sins were forgiven. He came with hope for one miracle; he experienced two. God had something in mind for both problems. To fix our sin, God sent His Son to die. To fix our sickness, God sent His Son to die. Double trouble; double cure. Jesus did it all. For you.

Lord Jesus, how shortsighted I am. Sometimes I limit my prayers to one problem, when actually you are ready to solve multiple problems. If I seek to be healed, you are ready to forgive as well. Or I seek forgiveness, you are ready to heal. Open my spiritual eyes to see what you see. Remind me to ask largely, and often, and teach me to be persistent in my prayers. You bore my sins on Calvary, and you suffered there so that I might be well. Enlarge my vision. And answer even the prayers that I do not ask. Amen.