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Does the Atonement of Jesus guarantee our Physical Healing?
The Question:
Does our Lord’s atonement on the cross provide for physical healing today? Some believe that as we can trust Jesus for salvation so we can trust Him for physical healing with the confidence that He will always heal a sick body. This belief is based on the false view that our Lord made atonement for our diseases as well as for our sins and that our bodies are now redeemed. If this is true, then a gospel believer should never be sick. So the theory goes that it is always God’s will to heal, at least until a person reaches a certain age. Advocates of this view look to Isaiah 53:4-5 and James 5:14-15 for their support.
The Answer:
(1) I believe this view is COMPLETELY UNBIBLICAL. Isaiah 53:4-5 represents a double prophetic outlook: (a), this prophecy refers to our Lord’s healing sick people during His ministry to Israel before and apart from His atoning work (v. 4 with Matt. 8:17). And (b), this prophecy refers to the atonement of sin (v. 5 with 1 Pet. 2:24). Observe that the words “with His stripes we are healed” refer to spiritual healing (Ps. 41:4; 103:3; 147:3
(2) Another reason for rejecting this theory is that, while He was on the cross, Jesus bore the judicial penalty of our sins, which is death. He did not bear the natural consequences, such as disease. In regard to this, A.J McClain wrote,
"Sickness is not sin; it is the rather the result of sin. We punish men for sinning, but not for getting sick….Christ died for our sins, not for our diseases. He was made sin for us; He was not made disease for us. Christ never forgave disease; He forgave sin and healed diseases. Death is the divine penalty for sin, not for disease. Therefore, the death of Christ as our substitute was penal (judicial), not pathological."
(3) James 5:14-15, which directs sick people to call for the elders of the church for their anointing and prayers, does not guarantee recovery. It is the ritual of committing the sick person to God for healing according to His divine will.
(4) If we can be healed at any time by exercising faith, it is strange that the apostle Paul did not receive healing in answer to his prayers (2 Cor. 12:7-10).
(5) This theory ignores the fact that sickness serves divine purposes for the Lord’s people. It may be for divine parental chastisement (1 Cor. 11:30-32), spiritual productivity (2 Cor. 12:9-10), or solely for the glory of God (John 9:3).
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