Spiritual Healing And Its Relevance For The Church

SPIRITUAL healing comes about through radical reliance on God and includes the healing of physical, mental, emotional, financial and relationship issues. But how relevant is spiritual healing for the Church today; given that congregation size, fundraising ability and technology seem the yardsticks for progress?

In John 14:12, Christ Jesus says that whoever believes on Him shall do His works, and He instructs His disciples to preach the gospel and heal the sick (Mark 16:15). More relevant for the church today is that Jesus says anyone who continues in His word is His disciple (John 8:31). Therefore, His instruction to heal is for all Christians. The Messiah’s promise is that Christians shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:18). Thus, there is Christly and Scriptural authority, to accept the relevance of spiritual healing for the Church today.

Other scriptural verses reinforce this. James 5: 15 reads: “Is any sick among you? Let him pray, and the prayer of faith shall heal the sick, and God shall raise him up,” while Exodus 15:26 (Old Testament), categorically states, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” The Bible is full of examples of spiritual healing. King Hezekiah had15 years added to his life, when he turned to God for healing of a terminal illness — Isaiah 38:5. Moses entreated God, when Miriam was struck with incurable leprosy, and she was healed – Numbers 12. Conversely, the account in II Chronicles 16 infers that, if King Asa had turned to God, he would have been healed of diseased feet. The New Testament abounds with examples of spiritual healing. The blind man by the wayside near Jericho was healed with a word from Jesus (Luke 18), and the lame man at the ‘Beautiful’ gate of the temple (Acts 3) was healed by Peter.

In more recent times, a Christian woman, Mary Baker Eddy, an invalid for the first 45 years of her life, initially sought help from medicine, homeopathy, and hydropathy, with no cure. She, however, found permanent healing by turning to God. After her healing, Eddy discovered God’s law underlying Jesus’ healings, which is exact, reliable and teachable. She wrote the rules for spiritual healing in a book titled, Science And Health With Key To The Scriptures.

Many people around the world today, both in and out of the Church, are finding healing from the ideas in her book. Today, the leading medical faculty is appreciating the role of spirituality in healing. The resurgent use of placebos is a case in point. Many individuals are seeing the benefit of changing the basis of thought regarding health, from a material to a spiritual basis, and they are experiencing healing.

Relying on Christ Jesus’ word to His Church, anyone willing to gain a more spiritual understanding of God and man, through faith, inspired Scriptural study and praying aright shall find that they too can experience spiritual healing today.
Moji Solanke @CSCOM_NigWest
Christian Science Media representative for Nigeria