MIRACLES OF HEALING by A. F. Ballenger

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Jun 13, 1900

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 26, No. 24.

MIRACLES OF HEALING.

By A. F. Ballenger

[This is article three of this series.]

WHY should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?" was the pointed, pleading question which Paul, the apostle, addressed to Agrippa, the king. Agrippa believed the prophets. Why should you believe the prophets and discredit the resurrection? was the real import of Paul's searching question.

This question was followed by Paul's testimony concerning the miracle of his own conversion, and then the miracle of the resurrection of Christ in fulfilment of the promises of the prophets.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should heal the sick? is another pointed question that pleads to-day for answer from those who profess to accept the testimony of Scripture.

The Gospel of salvation is nothing if not a miracle. It is the "mystery of God," the working of a miraculous power, the effects of which can be seen and heard, but its processes are unexplained. John 3:8. It is easy for one who has experienced the miraculous transformation of life called in the Scripture the new birth, to credit the miracle of the resurrection of the body. And he who really believes in the resurrection of the body can readily believe in the healing of the body, which is only a kind of first-fruits, or part payment on the promised "redemption of the body."

The atonement embraces the whole man, spirit, soul, and body. "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thess. 5:23. Notice how the promises of bodily healing are united with those of soul healing in the following scriptures:—

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; . . . Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases." Ps. 103:2, 3.

"He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." Matt. 8:16, 17.

Let us place this scripture concerning our infirmities and sicknesses alongside of another concerning our sins:—

"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree?" 1 Peter 2:24. "Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." Matt. 8:17.

Why did He bear our sins? Answer—"That we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness." 1 Peter 2:24. "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Rom. 6:2. "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21. "Thou shalt call His name Jesus; for He shall save His people from their sins." Matt. 1:21. "He was manifested to take away our sins."

Thus do the Scriptures teach that He bore our sins that we might not bear them. He bore them for us that He might bear them away from us, that we should bear them no longer. This is the blessed truth which we teach the sinner when he comes to us seeking salvation from sin.

Why did He take our infirmities and bear our sicknesses? Let the Scripture answer, while we watch for the taking away of the "infirmities" and "sicknesses" from the infirm and sick:—

"And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in nowise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." Luke 13:11-13.

"Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind." Luke 8:35.

"And as soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." Mark 1:42.

"And a certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years." "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked." John 5:5, 8, 9.

"Great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities." Luke 5:15.

"And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogs, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." Matt. 9:35.

"And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the

even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils; and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." Matt. 8:14-17.

From all these scriptures it is clear that our Lord took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses that we might not have to bear them,—that we might be loosed from them,—that they might depart from us. Jesus bore them, therefore, that He might bear them away from us, that we might bear them no more.

All this proves that the Gospel includes salvation from sickness as well as salvation from sin. At this point we will be tempted to measure this truth by our limited experience. We are in danger of denying the inevitable conclusion to which the Scriptures have brought us, because we have never seen such mighty miracles of healing as are promised in the Gospel, and which appear in the preaching and practise of that Gospel at the hands of the apostolic church. But, instead of cutting and trimming this tremendous truth to fit our experience, let us accept it in its fulness, however impossible it may seem to us, and commence immediately to enlarge our faith and experience until they shall measure up to apostolic precept and practise.

But why should any one who believes in the miracle of conversion, ever question the miracle of healing? "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?" Mark 2:9. Reader, answer this question which the Lord asks you. Do not answer it from the standpoint of your limited experience, but from the standpoint of what the Lord promises, and from the interpretation of these promises, as they appear in the practise of the apostolic church.

Why is it that a reported healing creates so much amazement among the people? If the Lord should to-day give sight to one born blind, it would cause a sensation throughout all Christendom. We would expect the world to wonder, but why should the church stand in amazement? If conversion is in reality a miracle, it is the greatest of all miracles. Why should there not be as much amazement manifested in the presence of this miracle? Does not the surprise manifested over miracles of healing show a lack of appreciation of the miracle of the new birth, and a disposition to transpose it from the realm of the miraculous to the sphere of the natural?

No one will ever be able to appreciate the miracle which follows the command, "Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk," until that one appreciates the miracle which follows the words, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."

In this I am not penning theory but personal experience. The time was when I had no real faith in miracles of healing. I had not experienced God's miraculous saving power. But when this miracle appeared in my life, immediately there followed a faith in God's power to heal the sick. I reasoned thus: God has wrought a mighty miracle in my life, in delivering me from besetting sins which have enslaved me all my life. It will require no greater miracle to heal the sick than He is manifesting in my life in keeping me from falling into my old sins. Thus arose my faith in God's healing power for the body. And as I received it, so must I walk in it. If there comes a shadow of a failure in my personal experience touching my salvation from sinning, there is a corresponding failure in my faith and practise concerning the healing of the sick.

There are conditions, of course, which must be met in order to realize salvation both from sin and sickness, which will be presented later; but we must not await the conditions before accepting the scriptural truth that the Gospel includes health for the body as well as for the soul. To those who believe the Scripture, I repeat the question, Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should heal the sick?

A. F. BALLENGER.

[The next article in the series will be "The Gifts of the Spirit."]