Spiritual Leprosy

TEXT: Luke 5:12-13

"And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him."

Leprosy

A leper is someone afflicted with leprosy. Leprosy is a contagious disease that affects the skin, causing disfiguration and physical separation. It used to be a very terrible disease in Bible times without a cure. Namaan was a leper who got healed by God through Elisha (2 Kings 5:1-2).

Spiritual Leprosy.

The spiritual leper is someone afflicted with spiritual leprosy; a condition that disfigures the mind and manifests carnally as works of the flesh. While physical leprosy is caused by bacteria, spiritual leprosy is caused by sin and leads to separation from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). Spiritual leprosy disfigures the afflicted just like physical leprosy. The condition of the spiritual leper is described vividly in Isaiah 59:10, "We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes.

Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark.

Among the living, we are like the dead." The leper who came to Jesus was full of leprosy. Natural man is full of sin. "For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are" (Isaiah 59:12 NLT). The sin of the spiritual leper testifies against him just like the bell of the physical leper rings as he announces 'unclean, unclean' whenever he leaves the lepers camp. Spiritual leprosy is a terrible disease.

Biblical Examples.

Mariam was afflicted with leprosy because of her rebellion against Moses (Num 12:10). Gehazi suffered the same fate because of greed (2 King 5:27). King Uzziah was struck with leprosy because of pride and rebellion (2 Chron 26:16-21). Pride, rebellion, greed and other works of the flesh leads to spiritual leprosy. Sin causes spiritual disfiguration as it eats away the soul of the sinner. Spiritual leprosy causes numbness (lack of feeling) toward the things of God just like physical leprosy causes numbness. The spiritually leprous is a slave to sin.

Consequences of Spiritual Leprosy.

One of the most significant effect of spiritual leprosy is separation from God. Sin cuts off the sinner from the presence of God.

Spiritual leprosy eats the heart and distorts the mind leading to a reprobate condition and a dead conscience.

The spirit becomes subject to flesh resulting in abominable acts that attracts the wrath of God and eternal damnation.

Cure for Leprosy

Physical leprosy has a multi drug therapy cure, but spiritual leprosy has only one cure - Jesus. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

How can one obtain the cure?

Like the leper that came to Jesus, the spiritual leper must seek and come Jesus. Acknowledge his condition and ask for spiritual cleansing. Eph 1:7 says, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace". The blood of Jesus cleanse the sinner completely. Jesus is willing and ready to touch the spiritual leper and reconcile him/her back to God. His touch makes lepers whole.

PRAYER:

Father, please touch my life and heal me of every symptom of spiritual leprosy in Jesus name.