Who sinned ? (Part 1)
I heard teachings about sin and sickness connections. I also head people who strongly against it. This is my humble view, and I hope this will help you if you are struggling with such thoughts when you are sick.
ENGLISH - DEVINE HEALING
YTM
12/21/20254 min read
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
(James 5:14-16 NKJV)
In the current church circle, if we pray for healing, It's very rare to see people practice the teachings of James 5: 14-16. I tend to encourage people to confess their sins, before we can pray for each other. Then I figured that this is not a message that many people would welcome. I got it, when people are sick and had fought the sickness for a long time and had not seen any improvements. The worst thing is to have your fellow brothers and sisters come to you and ask : what have you sinned to cause this ?
Many people are kind enough not to criticize me but gently tell me to read the book of John 9. The disciple asked Jesus whose sin caused this man's blindness since he was born blind. Jesus answered, It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. (John 9:3) People tell me, because of the record of this story, then their sickness was not due to any sins in their life.
Another great example they used to argue was from the case of Job, who was sick and afflicted due to the enemy's attack but not of his own sin since the Bible clearly stated that. The Lord says, that there is none like Job on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil. (Job 1:8).
Such arguments are valid but we may have APPLIED A SPECIAL CASE into our own life and ignored a GENERAL PRINCIPE , or a GENERAL SPIRITUAL LAW that was taught by the Bible. Such way of application of the scriptures can be explained by another simple example: since the thief on the cross did not get baptized by the water and still went to heaven and accepted by the Lord Jesus, thus water baptism is not important at all considering the salvage of a person. I hope you will understand my point. Using the same token, since Job or that blind man's sickness were not caused by their sins, then my sickness was not caused by my sin neither.
The GENERAL SPIRITUAL LAW between sin and sickness connection had been clearly stated in many places of scriptures. James 5 was one of the them. Here are few more examples:
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. (Acts 3:19)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. (John 5:14)
But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: ... The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. (Deuteronomy 28: 12, 21, 22)
There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. (Psalms 38:3)
Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. (Psalms 107:17)
Therefore I will also make you sick by striking you, By making you desolate because of your sins. (Micah 6:13)
The following scriptures also mentioned that God will hear our healing prayers if we lives in sin.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2)
One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)
Could you tell the link between sin and sickness? And sickness and unanswered prayers?
You see, my intention was not to point the figures to you so to make you miserable while you are suffering. My intention is to direct you to think about another possibility: does my sickness COULD BE caused by my unknown sin(s)? Or are there sin issues behind my sickness?
THIS question is not between you and me but between YOU and Lord Holy Spirit!
In the end, if one truly believes that he/she is in the same boat as that blind young man. Then, let's praise the Lord and hold on to Him, because that person is GUARANTIED to be healed by our Lord Jesus. So, believing this whole-hearty, then be healed in Jesus name !
On the sin and sickness connections, my first point is: Behind all sickness, there are sin issues. The second point is: Not every sickness of a person was caused by sin of that specific person. I will explain the second point in the Part 2 post.