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He Is Just the Same Today: Jesus Christ Our Healer |
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By Darrell Sovine Retired Pastor and Evangelist |
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He Is Just the Same Today By Jacob Byers
Have you ever heard of Jesus, How He came from heav’n to earth With a name of mighty virtue, Tho’ by very humble birth? When the world was held in bondage Under Satan’s dismal sway, Jesus healed their dread diseases— He is just the same today.
Do you see the people gather ‘Round that great and holy Man, Bringing all the sick and suff’ring, Coming to Him all who can? See Him look with great compassion As they fainted by the way! How He called them gently to Him! He is just the same today.
Is it true that every sickness May be laid at Jesus’ feet? All my trouble, care, and sorrow, And I rest in joy complete? Yes, my friend, in ev’ry sadness If by faith to Him you pray, He’ll remove with tender mercy, For He’s just the same today.
O that precious, loving Jesus! His compassion still the same For each sinful, suff’ring mortal Who seeks refuge in His name. Heed the present invitation, O you need not stay away! Come, receive His healing favor, For He’s just the same today.
Chorus: He is Just the same today, He is just the same today. Yes, He healed in Galilee, Set the suff’ring captives free, And He’s just the same today.
The church of God historically has given divine physical healing a prominent place in her ministry to the people. When this hymn was written divine physical healing received more attention than it is getting now. The question is, are we better or worse for it? Are we more or less in the will of God as a result?
The Hebrew letter assures us that “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). Do we believe that? How does that play out in terms of divine physical healing? That Jesus healed is beyond refute. Does He heal today? The answer you get depends on whom you ask. Some will reply, “Yes, of course, Jesus heals today.”
And if anyone questions them, they may generate a lot of heated debate. But since heat does not heal, the person with a lot of flame may have little when comes to healing faith!
Ask someone else that question, and they will reply, “No, of course, not. The age of miracles is past!” The sad fact is, that claim is almost true—but not because Jesus Christ has changed His mind or His ministry in terms of healing. The problem is not in heaven, it’s on earth!
In the churches of God the answer to that question will commonly be, “Yes, on occasion. It’s a matter of God’s will,” and by that many mean that God only occasionally has the will. Consequently, a prayer for healing often runs like this: “O Lord, IF it be Thy will . . . .” Since that is an admission that one is not sure he is praying in God’s will for healing, then rather than the prayer being an exercise in faith, it is nothing but a stab in the dark.
Where do we fit into the issue? Where do we want to fit in? Perhaps a discussion concerning this great hymn of the church will help each of us answer that.
First, let’s do an historical sketch on Christ “yesterday,” in terms of divine healing.
To insure we are talking about the same thing, let me posit a definition: divine physical healing is a miraculous act of God, in which the sick one is recovered on the basis of faith alone. Nothing else is required, and nothing else is involved.
Two phrases in stanza one call for explanation. One, “When the world was held in bondage.” Is sickness a bondage? Two, “Under Satan’s dismal sway.” Is Satan the source of sickness? The answer to both questions is, Yes! Luke 13:16 answers both questions on one occasion: “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” This concerned the woman who had been bent over and could not straighten up for those 18 years.
Jesus referred to her sickness as a “bondage for 18 years,” saying that Satan had done it. His healing included a loosening from “this bond.”
Acts 10:38, in Peter’s sermon in Cornelius’ house, he preached, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” The apostles understood the source of sickness to be Satan, and confronted it accordingly.
I must point out that people are not sick necessarily due to sin. What the Bible teaches in these passages is that God is not the author of sickness. The originator is Satan. It’s in the world because of him, and people are susceptible to it, because of the Fall.
When Jesus launched His public ministry, it was a ministry of constant healings. When His ministry was brought to a close, He was still about it! He healed so many and so often, we have given Him the name the “Great Physician.” That is not because He healed only on occasion, but He preached divine physical healing and He practiced it everywhere He went. That’s the record on Jesus Christ, YESTERDAY.
The hymn’s second stanza indicates that compassion was a major part of Christ’s appeal to the people. Christ does not heal anyone because of merit, but only through compassion. No one can ever deserve it, but through mercy, everyone is a candidate. It is important to note that Christ healed all who came to Him in faith, and all who were brought to Him in faith. There is not a single instance in which faith was denied its objective.
Next, let’s do an analytical search of Scriptures in terms of healing for today. Has anything changed? From our side, no doubt, change has occurred. The truth of divine physical healing is not getting the exposure it once did, and while there are several explanations for that, none of them change the truth. On God’s side, nothing has changed. “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday [and] TODAY.”
What does Scripture reveal concerning God’s will in terms of healing?
In the early stages of revelation, one of the methods God used to convey truth to His people was through a system of self-selected names. Each name God selected revealed something about Him—His Person, His power, His plan, His provision, etc. One such name was JEHOVAH RAPHA (ray fuh). It has other spellings and pronunciations, but it means, “I AM the Lord your Healer.” No time limit and no type of diseases were attached to that revelation. It was for all time. The Old Testament is full of instances in which Jehovah practiced His “art.” Then, when Jesus Christ came, He took that truth and entered into a wider territory and accomplished greater things.
Why are the miracles of healing recorded? They tell us, not merely what Christ did, but what He would do for us on the same terms: faith and obedience. Faith is the key, but we need to be Biblical in our definition of faith. Heb. 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is not just hope or desire or feeling—it is an unshakeable assurance that the petition has been granted, either immediately or it is on its way.
In Luke 17:14-21, a father brought his son to the disciples for healing and they could not heal him. They were embarrassed and the father took him to Jesus Who healed the son. When the disciples asked why, Jesus replied immediately by addressing them, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?” (Matt. 17:17). Then he called the boy to him and delivered him. Jesus told the disciples, “This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21).
Jesus committed the ministry of healing to His disciples. Matt. 10:1, “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” The commission is the same yesterday, today, and forever! He recognized that there would be times when faith for a miracle would be beyond us for some reason, and He does not get angry with us if we cannot believe! Just because one does not have faith for a miracle does not mean she or he does not have faith for other things. Likewise, this does not mean that because he does not have faith at one time that he will not have it at another time.
Jesus didn’t heal everyone who was sick—only those who came to Him and believed He would do the work. This may account for times when one who prays for one person can do so with an assurance that is often lacking when he prays for others.
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To Those Needing Healing . . .
Before people can have a steadfast faith for the healing of their body, they must be rid of all uncertainty concerning God’s will in the matter. Appropriating faith cannot go beyond one’s knowledge of the revealed will of God. Before attempting to exercise faith for healing, one needs to know what the Scriptures plainly teach, that it is just as much God’s will to heal the body as it is to heal the soul. [There are several] portions of Scripture that will forever settle this point for you. It is only by knowing that God promises what you are seeking that all uncertainty can be removed and a steadfast faith is made possible. His promises are each a revelation of what God is eager to do for us. Until we know what God’s will is, there is nothing on which to base our faith.
It is important that the mind of those seeking healing be “renewed” so as to be brought into harmony with the mind of God. This is revealed in the Bible . . . . Faith for the appropriation of God’s promised blessings is the result of knowing and acting on God’s Word (Rom. 10:17). The right mental attitude, or the “renewed mind” (Rom. 12:2), makes steadfast faith possible to all.
F.F. Bosworth |