V. What Causes Sickness And Disease?
Good health is more than the absence of disease. It is a state of complete physical, emotional, and mental well-being on all levels.
It has been estimated that approximately 33% of those living in the United States have a chronic illness.
Virtually all people will get injured or sick, eventually dying from some kind of disease. For the human body to maintain its bio-equilibrium (the positive state of efficient functioning according to its design), it is essential to understand the roots of what causes disease.
Disease is defined as “an illness that affects a person, animal, or plant: a condition that prevents the body or mind from working normally.”
When a person has ‘symptoms’ such as feeling like they are coming down with something or an organ isn’t functioning correctly, they indicate an abnormal condition within the body, producing a state of possible illness or disease.
For example, ‘catching a cold’ is the body's way of eliminating toxins by increasing the mucous from the mucous membranes to free the toxins. Toxin elimination is imperative for the body to stay healthy. Because of its inherent positive design, the body will try to restore itself to a state of good health.
All diseases are dysfunctions of the body and its cellular systems. It results from cells not functioning at 100% of their designed duty, whether due to trauma, toxicity, lack of cellular communication, or a combination.
There are two major kinds of diseases. The first is infectious, caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. These pathogens can enter the body through the air, food, and fluids consumed or through openings in the skin, such as a cut or lesion.
The second is non-infectious diseases caused by multiple factors, such as the toxic pollutants in the environment, air, water, chemicals, and medications.
Poor food and dietary choices can lead to diabetes, the fourth leading cause of death. Obesity accounts for almost 300,000 deaths each year in the USA. A lack of proper exercise, inadequate sleep habits, and the lack of essential nutrients also contribute to the body's susceptibility to illness and disease.
Thanks to the immune system, not every pathogen that enters the body can cause an illness. However, some pathogens can evade the immune system by hiding within healthy cells.
Over 15% of the population in the United States has one or more auto-immune diseases. Cases of immune system diseases have increased by over 200% in less than five years.
A. The Root of Chronic Diseases
Researchers have estimated that as much as 90% of chronic diseases are not inherited and are either caused or complicated by stress.
It has been estimated that 75% to 90% of all visits to a primary care physician are due to stress-related symptoms and issues.
How a person reacts to emotional and physical stress is one of the most significant factors in the causes of disease and immune system function. Physical and emotional strain or tension, frustration, worry, heartache, and pain can cause the immune system to become less effective in resisting bacteria and viruses. The stress of psychological pain and suffering affects just about every system and organ of the body.
Smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, chronic physical and emotional stress, and tension are some of the significant risk factors in cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke), which is the leading killer for both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups. It accounts for more than 42% of all deaths in the USA annually. It can play a role in exacerbating the symptoms of a wide variety of other disorders and illnesses as well.
Over 100 million people take some form of medication for stress-related symptoms.
Drugs are used to fight illness, disease, and psychological disturbances such as depression, but they can’t cure a person because they are designed only to treat a symptom.
The average American takes 13 medications per year!
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than one in 20 Americans are depressed, so over 230 million prescriptions for antidepressants are filled each year!
Approximately 90% of the medications prescribed can only help suppress the symptoms of the disease, with no ability to kill or fix the disease, according to data released by the CDC. Prescription drugs are killing far more people than illegal drugs, and while the most significant causes of preventable deaths are declining, those from prescription drug use are increasing. Legally prescribed prescription drugs are now the fourth cause of death in the USA!
B. The Effects of Excess
A study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine noted that prolonged stress could also exacerbate existing medical conditions. High stress causes thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels to fall, so there is less stimulation of the thyroid gland. Cortisol affects the thyroid hormones causing rapid heartbeat, sweating, hyperactivity, shortened attention span, fatigue, weight gain, depression, low body temperature, dry skin, headaches, constipation, recurrent infections, sensitivity to the cold, irritability, poor concentration, inflammation, rapid aging and the risk of degenerative diseases. People who are vulnerable to certain infections may experience more flare-ups.
Some of the things that excess levels of the hormone cortisol affect and impair are the immune system, memory, learning ability, and it can reduce muscle mass. People with arthritis might feel more pain in the joints. It can cause osteoporosis, depression, and tumor growth. It will minimize glucose utilization and the production of growth hormones.
The balance of the male hormone testosterone and the hormonal balance in females are also affected. It competes with progesterone for cells that receive brain signals and increases estrogen production. The liver usually deals quickly with excess estrogen. Still, if it is compromised by poor diet, allergies, or excessive toxins, symptoms such as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), depression, and weight gain may occur.
According to a study published in the June 21, 2000 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, women with advanced breast cancer had a decreased survival time with abnormal cortisol patterns due to a more rapid breast cancer progression.
VI. God Wants To Heal His People
Daily living and prospering in health are rooted in love because God is love! God’s character and nature is to heal His people. He said, "I am the LORD, who heals you" (Ex 15:26 KJV). He did this through the shed blood of Jesus.
Here is a question: What requires more faith—salvation or healing? Attempting to answer this question creates a dilemma for those who believe healing is guaranteed through their faith. If one says “salvation,” they are saying that they have more than enough faith for healing because healing is guaranteed equally as salvation. Therefore, every Christian should always be healed when they get sick because “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Joel 2:32 NIV)
On the other hand, if they say “healing” requires more faith, they are saying that healing is not guaranteed through faith, as is salvation. The only possible answer is that faith comes from God.
The faith a Christian needed to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior was given to them directly by God. It is because He gives them faith that they should not “think of yourself more highly than you ought” when they are healed, and another is not, “but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” (Rom 12:3 NIV).
The Prophet Isaiah wrote about the coming of the suffering Messiah of Israel to die as the atoning sacrifice so that God’s people may be forgiven. He graphically described what the Savior would endure while paying the ultimate price for the forgiveness of sins (See Isa 53).
Shedding Jesus’ blood on the Cross was to pay the penalty for sin. The court of Heaven had already found humankind guilty of sin against God and worthy of eternal death. Jesus took that guilt upon Himself and died in place of each human being. His death was a matter of law only - God’s law.
The shedding of Jesus’ blood redeemed every Christian from the eternal consequences of sin, including sickness and disease. However, Christians who:
“have the first fruits of the Spirit, have not yet received the redemption of our bodies. Not only so, but we ourselves groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons.” (Rom 8:23 NIV)
The effects of sin, which cause suffering and ultimately death, will remain until a Christian goes to be with the Lord. The Apostle Peter quotes Isaiah when discussing the forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus:
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." (1 Peter 2:24)
Peter explains that the blood of Jesus heals humanity’s sin by one offering put away sin forever. The soul becomes healed from the ultimate consequences of sin. As stated, Christians should be walking in health rather than asking for divine healing! Jesus destroyed the consequences of sin once and for all for those who would believe and receive Him as Lord and Savior.
Sickness and disease are a result of sin entering the world. By Jesus freely shedding His blood, every person on the planet can now go to Him and find healing. Remember that God is a sovereign God. As Creator, He knows what is best according to His timing, not the created. Faith is not a tool one can use to make God move on their behalf. Faith is trust in action. A person says by their faith, "God, I trust You to do this for me, but if You choose not to at this time, I will still trust You."
“The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust” (Ps 18:2 KJV)
VII. For The Glory of God
Whether one does or does not believe that God has guaranteed spiritual and physical healing in the Atonement; it does not negate the fact that God is “the LORD, who heals you." (Ex 15:26 NIV) There are hundreds of references throughout the Bible that substantiate this fundamental truth.
When studying the healing miracles of Jesus, nothing was explicitly said to explain in detail why someone needed to be healed. Nor is there found any specific pattern of how people received their healing. However, it does become evident that the reason that a person received healing was for the glory of God.
Faith does play the most significant part in healing, but it is not the only part. I have seen many people go through terrible grief and agony because they thought their lack of faith, a demonic spirit, or some unknown sin kept them, or their loved ones, from being healed.
A. “Faith” Healing
Sadly, many have been taught that it is only through their own “faith” that healing will come. What this teaching fails to address is the cause. It attempts to treat symptoms rather than getting to the root. God’s will is for every Christian to walk in health. Jesus paid the ultimate price for their healing. Christians were healed at the Cross!
Because God is sovereign, He is not “obligated” to heal every sickness and disease for those who claim and confess it as done through their proclamation of faith. If a person isn’t healed immediately, it is not necessarily due to their lack of faith or unconfessed sin.
Some believe they should “claim” their healing or “confess” it as already done - even though there may be every indication that nothing has changed. Sadly, in most cases, after a person has spent every waking moment trying to figure out what sin they committed so that they can repent of it, they still have to deal with their lack of faith. No matter how hard they try to increase their faith, things don't always change. The reality of this teaching is that healing depends on works and not the grace of God!
It is an undeniable truth that Christians are given eternal life at the moment of salvation because of Jesus shed blood. That also includes living and prospering in health.
"By His stripes you have been healed." (Isa 53:5 KJV)
Just as salvation is to be worked out daily, so must a person work out living and staying healthy, eating right, and obeying God’s commands through trusting Him if they want to live a healthy life (See Phil 2:12).
Good health is far more than just figuring out how to appropriate the right amount of faith to get a “healing.” The truth is a Christian shouldn’t need to ask for healing because they were already healed! Heath does not come from without - it comes from within! God’s will is for every Born Again Christian to prosper daily in health!
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (3 John 1:2 KJV)
VIII. The Relationship of Faith and Healing
When studying Scripture, the best commentary, and its interpretation, comes from the Scriptures itself. They offer the best evidence of faith in relationship to healing.
A. Corporate Faith
One day as Jesus was teaching;
“Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 5:17-20 NIV)
This is corporate faith at work. The person on the mat is not the one having a measure of faith. It is those who made the incredible effort to bring him to Jesus who are commended for their faith. Sometimes it is the corporate faith of the church that can be instrumental in healing.
B. Confession of Faith
Elsewhere Jesus is found astounded by a Roman centurion whose understanding of sovereign authority was a profound confession of faith and became the catalyst for healing. Jesus had been passing through the area near the centurion’s house, and he had sent some friends to find Jesus for him. Upon meeting Jesus face to face, the Centurion said,
"Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well." (Luke 7:6-10 NIV)
C. Amazement and Wonder
One day, as Jesus was walking down a road, He passed a man who had been blind from birth. The disciples, who had been taught over the years that physical infirmities - as well as sickness and disease - were caused by sin, asked Jesus;
"’Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered: ‘Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.’" (John 9:1-3 NIV)
This man was born blind so that God would be glorified! Without being asked, Jesus healed him. The Disciples were amazed by the healing, new insight, and understanding that Jesus now gave them of God’s sovereignty.
D. A Move of Mercy
In another place, Jesus is seen approaching the gateway to a town and running into a funeral procession for the only son of a widow.
“A large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don't cry.’ Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother." (Luke 7:12-15 NIV)
They didn't ask Jesus for healing - and no one showed they had any faith! Jesus responded out of love and care for this poor woman. It was a sovereign move of mercy.
E. The Sovereignty of God
In the story of Lazarus (brother to Mary and Martha), it is discovered that God is glorified through a series of events greatly misunderstood and initially causing much grief. Jesus Himself weeps during the events.
Mary had sent word to Jesus to tell him Lazarus was sick so that He would come and heal him. Jesus then does an amazing thing: He doesn’t go! He stayed where He was for two more days.
He told them instead, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." Finally, Jesus goes to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, and is told that Lazarus has been dead for four days.
"When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ “Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
"‘Yes, Lord,’ she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’"
Then Mary goes to meet Jesus and, upon seeing Him, begins to weep. When Jesus saw her weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and greatly troubled. Mary;
“fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’
"‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’
“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said.
"’But, Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone.
Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’
“When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
“Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” (John 11:1-44 NIV)
Jesus waited four days after hearing Mary's heartfelt and desperate cries. This resulted from the sovereignty of God choosing when - and how - to act. I use the “Lazarus Rule’ when I have been sick. If I don’t get raised up within four days, I see the Doctor!
F. A Thorny Issue
The Apostle Paul tells us of a terrible infirmity he had to carry that he called "a thorn in the flesh" and prayed to be healed three times. Instead of healing Paul, the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Paul adds, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:7-9 KJV).
It could be debated it was not necessarily a physical ailment, but it is pretty safe to say that Paul had the faith to rid himself of it, but God, in His sovereignty, still chose not to heal him at that time.
G. Medical Advice
In the Epistles, the Apostle Paul gives some medical advice to Timothy:
"Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” (1 Tim 5:23 NIV)
Notice that Paul didn't say to Timothy, "You just need more faith to claim your healing." In addition, Paul tells Timothy that he had to leave Trophimus sick in Miletus (See 2 Tim 4:2).
“My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” (Prov 4:20-27 NIV)
PRAY – CAN WE ALL COME TO AGREEMENT ON THIS SECTION?
