IV. THE CHANNEL OF HEALTH AND HEALING.
By W. S. Sadler, M.D.
Christ Heals Through His Creative Word.
"Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." Ps. 107: 18-20. DIVINE healing comes to the race from Christ through a single channel—the divine word, the divine laws. When the transgressor draws nigh unto the gates of death, and there cries unto the Lord in his trouble, and God, in mercy, delivers him, He does it by sending His healing Word. So when you discover that those who claim to be special representatives of divine healing in the earth, are knowingly and consciously trampling underfoot the teachings and requirements of God's Word, you are warranted in doubting and questioning their claims. The word of truth, in all its forms, has in it healing power, whether written in the Book, sketched in the skies, or traced upon the fibers of muscle and nerve in the human frame. Wherever recognized and co-operated with, God's word of light and truth brings health to mind and body. To obtain the healing which the divine Word brings, it is necessary that we receive the Word; and in order to receive the Word, we must bring our lives into harmony with that life which is in the Word—even the life of the Christ. We must yield up to the Word that which is to be healed, and thus put ourselves in harmony with its divine Author, and in willing obedience to its just claims. In the Gospel commission, Christ enjoined the preaching of the Word,—the teaching of truth,—and stated that signs and miracles would follow as a consequence. The minister of the Gospel was never commissioned to preach miracles, wonders, signs, or even divine healing, apart from the divine Word. The Word, Christ Jesus, is to be the key-note of the Christian's message to a dying world, and it is this Gospel that has in it saving and healing power for all who accept it in faith. It is the disposition to be in harmony with God, and the sincere effort, by the help of divine grace, to obey His laws, that brings man into that attitude where it is consistent for God to manifest Himself as his special Healer. It is by recognizing God as our Creator and our Redeemer,—by recognizing ourselves as His creatures, subject to His laws, as sinful, utterly unable to help ourselves, and wholly dependent upon Christ,—that we are prepared to recognize God as the Divine Healer, as the Giver of health to both soul and body. "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." Matt. 8: 16. To preach divine healing in a way to benefit those who hear seems nothing more nor less than to preach obedience to the divine Word, by faith—by the grace and faith that Jesus gives. It is the word of the Master that casts out evil spirits, cures bad tempers, and of old "healed all that were sick." God is a healer because He has power to create, and as healing is nothing more nor less than creating, God must first be acknowledged as a Creator before He can be recognized as a Healer. Yet to-day we find thousands who are trampling underfoot the Sabbath, the very institution the Lord gave men to point out Himself as Creator, yet claiming to be special channels of God's healing power on earth. "Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." Eze. 20: 12. Notwithstanding their antagonism to the laws of the Creator, and His memorial of creation, these bogus healers are found preaching the wonders of divine healing, and claiming to be the sources and centers of this power in the earth. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8: 20. "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction; for Thy word hath quickened me." Ps. 119: 49, 50. Preach the Word, and divine healing will surely accompany the message in the lives of those in whom it arouses a spirit of obedience. The word that quickened David will quicken all who receive it as David received it. If the divine Word is not preached, it is absolutely useless to preach divine healing. "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy word." Ps. 119: 9. "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." John 15: 3. "My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings. . . . For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." Prov. 4: 20-22. The words of wisdom are declared to be "health to all their flesh." The margin renders it, "medicine to their flesh." There is a physical reward for moral rectitude; there is a physical reaction from spiritual obedience. The comforting ministry of God's Spirit not only brings peace to the mind, but also health to the body. As we conscientiously obey the life-giving truth of God's Word, that is, actually make it a part of our character, we obtain the healing benefits that accompany the creative word. By compromising or antagonizing divine truth, we array ourselves in opposition to divine healing, for the only way that God heals either soul or body is by the light and life and truth that are in His Word. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." John 6: 63. To neglect or reject light means separation from God. Separation from God means divorcement from the fountainhead of life and health and healing. So the one who knowingly persists in manifesting a spirit of disrespect for the teachings of the Word of God can not expect to enjoy the fulness of life and health which rewards those who walk in humble obedience to the light of heaven. The laws of God are a transcript of the character of the Divine Healer, so the man or woman who presumes to disobey or antagonize these laws, either physically or spiritually, is fighting, opposing, yes, rejecting, the very source, essence, and channel of divine healing. Is it reasonable to expect that in manifesting Himself as a Healer, God will either deny His own character or place His seal of approbation upon those who do so? Those who are special channels for the communication of either physical or spiritual healing to a dying world will be individuals who, so far as they have had light, are obedient to the teachings of God's Word. Man needs healing because he is out of harmony with God and His laws. Can we consistently expect God to disregard and do violence to His own laws, either physical or spiritual, in the manifestation of His power to heal man, while the one who seeks healing continues to transgress those laws? One of the most effective ways to preach divine healing is to preach the everlasting Gospel. The spirit that is in truth is the spirit of the Divine Healer. By pointing out the cause of moral or physical affliction, we can lead the sufferer away from transgression into the path of obedience, and thus place him in contact and co-operation with healing power. As to just how, when, or under what circumstances, the healing shall be bestowed, the Divine Healer must decide, not we. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8: 32. Bible light teaches us how to think and live so as to receive life. Truth is indeed a message of life to all who receive and obey it.