In the Old Testament, Adam’s choice to sin made future human beings guilty without hope before God. The ritual of Atonement was a detailed sacrificial process of an animal as a substitute offering for the sins of the people committed, and removing them to be holy before God. It set the nation of Israel apart.
“Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins.” (Leviticus 16:15-16 NIV)
“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 NIV)
Jesus, as a human being, loved and lived His life and spoke like no other man has ever done or ever will. Through His act of ultimate humility, He suffered and died on the Cross as God and a human being. In His act of atonement, Jesus chose to be the legal substitute for every person, took all their sins upon Himself, and defeated the evil one completely for eternity at the Cross because He is love.
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)
The Greatest Mystery
Jesus is a great mystery who, as a human being, loved, lived His life, and spoke like no other man has ever done or ever will. Through His act of ultimate humility, He suffered and died on the Cross as wholly God and wholly as a human being. In His act of atonement, Jesus took all sins upon Himself and ultimately defeated satan for eternity.
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him’" (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)
The most profound mystery of God's love is that the King of the Universe, the supreme Lord of all creation, is so passionately in love with every Christian that the Bible describes it as the love of a groom for his bride!
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." (Revelation 19:7 NIV)
Each Christian ravishes his heart, for He takes great "delight in” them “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride" (Isaiah 62:4-5).
"You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace. How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!" (Song 4:9-10 NKJV)
Jesus intercedes from Heaven for each Christian. He is both love and the Word incarnate. He is the only mediator between God and human beings and is the proper and only object of a person's faith. Salvation is found in no one else. He said that if a person does not believe He is God, the great "I am", and receive Him as Lord, they will die in their sins.
The ultimate magnitude of God's love is manifested in the Cross, where the entire Trinity was involved. The Father was present as the Son paid the absolute price for the remission of sins as the final sacrificial lamb, turning away the wrath to come, and His blood was offered through the Holy Spirit for the sins of all human beings. This is the greatest mystery that came directly through Love Himself. The blood of God was shed and poured out to redeem and set free all who willingly choose to accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior and become a Christian by surrendering their life to Him.
Jesus, as a human being, loved, lived His life, and spoke like no other man has ever done or ever will. Through His act of ultimate humility, He suffered and died on the Cross as both fully God and fully human. In His act of atonement, Jesus chose to be the legal substitute for every person and took all their sins upon Himself and defeated the evil one completely for eternity at the Cross because He is love.
It was the blood of God that was shed and poured out to redeem and set free all who willingly choose to accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior and become a Christian by surrendering their life to Him.
The most profound mystery of God's love is that the King of the Universe - the beautiful God - the supreme Lord of all creation is so passionately in love with every Christian that the Bible describes it as the love of a groom for his bride!
"Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." (Revelation 19:7 NIV)
They ravish his heart, for He takes great "delight in you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride" (Isaiah 62:4-5 NIV).
"You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart With one look of your eyes, With one link of your necklace. How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, And the scent of your perfumes Than all spices!" (Song 4:9-10 NKJV)
God’s will was “to give His life a ransom”…“for all” (Acts 2:23 NIV). God “laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6 NIV). Jesus “has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God” so that those who believe in Him might receive atonement and “be saved from [God’s] wrath” through “the precious blood of Christ” (Ephesians 5:2; 1 Peter 1:19 NIV).
When Jesus became the perfect covering and the absolute substitute sacrifice for sin, the love of God toward sinful humanity was poured out. The intent of the sacrificial atoning death of Jesus on the Cross was not to influence humanity's morals but to satisfy the demands of divine justice.
Throughout the Old Testament, all the symbols and examples of atoning sacrifice are complete and fulfilled in the New Covenant. Jesus's disciples clearly understood this.
The violent death of Jesus brought about reconciliation - or at-one-ment - between humanity and God. It reinstated the intimate position humanity was destined to enjoy with God before the fall in the Garden of Eden.
The atonement cleanses the repentant person from sin. This change starts within the new Christian at the moment of salvation. It is revealed in their changed attitudes, actions, behavior, beliefs, perspectives, etc., and can help them be an effective spiritual warrior and a catalyst for change in the world.
Atonement
Per Old Testament Law under the Old Covenant, in order for all sins to be forgiven so that a person could earn salvation, there had to be a substitutionary atonement made. The sacrifices of the Old Testament did not take away sin, but they were able to sanctify “for the purifying of the flesh” (Hebrews 9:13 NIV). The Old Testament doesn’t say anywhere how sacrifices were supposed to provide atonement, but it did lay down the principle that the “life is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11-14 NIV).
The New Covenant began when Jesus shed His blood on the Cross and made the Old Covenant obsolete by His atoning work:
“Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant” (Hebrews 9:15 ESV ).
Throughout the Old Testament, all the symbols and examples of atonement sacrifice are made complete and are fulfilled in the New Covenant, brought about by the shed blood of Jesus.
Jesus became human according to God’s will “to give His life a ransom”…“for all” (See Acts 2:23 NIV ). God “laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6 NIV ), yet Jesus “has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2 NIV), so that those who believe in Him might receive atonement and “be saved from [God’s] wrath” through “the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19 NIV ).
When Jesus became the perfect covering and absolute substitute sacrifice for sin, not only was the wrath of God poured out, but also the love of God toward sinful humanity. The intent of the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross was not to influence human morals but rather to satisfy the demands of divine justice.
Regeneration
Under the Law, sin cannot be permanently removed, nor can it provide permanent justification (right-standing with God) or the regeneration of ‘new’ birth. That comes by becoming a Christian, which is attained only by faith in the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the one who made the first Covenant “obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13 NIV). He is the mediator of the New Covenant. The Greek word for “new” is ‘kainos’ and means brand new, never used before. The new birth could not take place until Jesus died as the final sacrifice for sin, was raised from the dead, and glorified.
A person cannot receive salvation and be considered a Christian unless they have been Born-Again, meaning that they have received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which is a result of the New Covenant of Jesus shed blood on the cross, and then experiencing the new birth of regeneration from the inside out, which is effected by the Holy Spirit who marks the starting point of salvation. The fundamental need of regeneration for salvation is recognized in the Old Testament as well as in the New.
The Christian is saved from God’s wrathful judgment because of sin by the atoning work of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross as the perfect sacrifice. Biblical salvation refers to the deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin. God rescued mankind through Jesus Christ.
Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ after hearing the Gospel which is the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ according to the OT Scriptures and what is the basis for salvation. Christians were called to be saved through the Gospel.
The central importance of becoming saved is “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23 NIV) because He “died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3 NIV) and was handed over to death for our trespasses.
What Jesus did in every person’s name, He also did in their place, giving “his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NIV). Jesus said that it could only happen when He was lifted up – referring to His death on the cross – so that whoever would believe on Him would have eternal life.
Eternal Healing
The Prophet Isaiah wrote about the coming of the suffering Messiah and graphically described what the Savior would endure while paying the ultimate price for the forgiveness of sins. The teaching that physical healing is guaranteed is based on a single verse that says, "By His stripes, ye were (past tense) healed" (Hebrew: ‘rapha’ = to be completely mended and cured) (Isaiah 53:5 NIV).
The word “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical healing. In the context of forgiveness, the Apostle Peter quotes the Prophet Isaiah that the blood of Jesus heals humanity’s sin because He, by one offering, put away sin forever. The soul becomes healed from the ultimate consequences of sin.
The Bible says that Jesus “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 NIV). The context explicitly speaks of sin, righteousness, and spiritual healing, but not physical sickness and disease. Being “healed” in Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 is about forgiving and saving. It is important to note that the verses do not say, 'I am being healed' or 'I will be healed if I have enough faith.' Christians have faith in Jesus but do not have His sovereignty.
Jesus redeemed every Christian from the curse of the law, which results in eternal death. The Bible repeatedly says that all their sins were healed by God's grace through faith in the moment of salvation. He allotted them as a gift for believing in Jesus and surrendering their life to Him as their 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 ask for healing. Remember, though, that God is a sovereign God. As Creator, He knows what is best according to His timing, not the created.
The shedding of 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. His death redeemed every Christian from the eternal consequences of sin.
The person who becomes a Christian is “not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16 KJV). Every person has “sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV). 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” (Romans 8:23 NIV).
The Christian is given the “righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ” and is “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:25 KJV). The faith a person needs to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior is given to them directly by God. It is because He gives them faith that they should not “think of” themselves “more highly than” they “ought” when they are healed, and another is not, “but rather think of” themselves “with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given” them (Romans 12:3 NIV). The promise of salvation through the faith of Jesus is given to those who entrust their lives to Him.
God created human beings to live forever and never die. Aging is not natural in God’s original intent and is caused by the cells of an organism breaking down. The sickness and disease of sin that made its way into the DNA of human beings were brought into the world by the sinful fall of Adam and Eve and are at the root of why everything dies in this world.
The reality is that everyone in this temporary life begins to die from the ravaging effects of sin’s sickness and disease from the moment they are born. The Bible tells us that humans can live 120 years. No one is immune to death (unless they are ‘raptured’ out of this world)! However, when a person becomes a Christian, they are given eternal life because they were forgiven of all their sins!
Within the science of Physics, there are the Laws of Thermodynamics. The second law is Entropy, an empirical biological reality and scientific absolute. Entropy is why things deteriorate, and the body breaks down as it ages. People go bald, hair turns gray, glasses are needed to see, skin wrinkles, bones get brittle, teeth decay, and organs ultimately fail. Everything dies because cells stop dividing, and organs stop working, which impairs normal functioning, the definition of disease. No matter how much 'faith' a person conjures up, they cannot escape it. Natural death cannot be cured.
A person attains spiritual immortality when they become a Christian. Death is the ultimate sickness. However, the mortality of this life that ends in death is swallowed up by eternal life when a person dies in Christ.
The sin nature of humankind is not destroyed when a person receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior through repentant humility. Everyone on this planet sins before God. The Christian is a ‘saved’ sinner, but still a sinner, nonetheless. That can be seen in the Apostle Paul's statement about the battle of the flesh:
"So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." (Romans 7:21-25 ESV)
The biblical truth is that every human being has a mortal and perishable body that is subject to weaknesses and is being torn down and destroyed by decay, which is the reason why the Apostle Paul told the Galatians that “it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus” (Galatians 4:13–15 NIV).
The Bible says that the full realization of what Jesus accomplished in the atonement for the Christian will happen at their resurrection. Until then, the body slowly starts to die from the moment of birth.
“And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." (Revelation 21:4 NIV)
It was never God's intent that anyone would die from anything. His will was that they never get sick. He has nothing to do with sickness or disease. It is also God's will that everyone come to saving faith in Jesus and that no one should ever die.
Nowhere does the Bible explicitly link physical healing with spiritual healing. Sometimes, people are physically healed when they place their faith in Christ, but this is not always the case. Sometimes it is God’s will to heal, but sometimes it is not. Healing is NOT proof of a person’s faith and God’s love. Someday, all sickness and death will be eradicated.
One microgram of faith in Jesus Christ is all one needs to become a Christian. They are spiritually considered dead to the eternal effects of sin, but not physically. By Jesus freely shedding His blood, every person on the planet can now go to Him and find healing according to His sovereign will.
The fundamental truth of the Atonement is that victory over death, sin, and the enemy was provided for. As with eternal life, physical healing is one of the many blessings provided for by the Atonement and is guaranteed after the Christian receives their resurrected and imperishable bodies when they graduate from this world, because it is found through the provision of grace within the atonement itself.
The Christian is implored to pray without ceasing for anything they need or until God says to them, “My grace is sufficient for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV ). It is vital and necessary for the Christian to exercise trust and hope when they are under affliction, no matter what caused it or where it came from. 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." Someday, all sickness and death will be eradicated.
