However, we have to make a distinction. God’s forgiveness of our sins is basically different from His healing of our diseases. He deals with our sins in a different way than He deals with our sickness. The Lord Jesus bore our sins when He was crucified on the cross. Is there any sin that has not been forgiven? No! God’s work is absolute; the work of the cross is so complete that sin has been absolutely taken away (John 1:29). While the Lord Jesus was on earth, He bore our diseases and took away our infirmities. But even though He bore our illnesses, He did not remove them all. He took away our infirmities, but He did not remove all infirmities. Paul even said, “When I am weak, then I am powerful” (2 Cor. 12:10). Of course, Paul did not say, “When I sin, then I am sanctified.” Sin is totally and absolutely taken away, but illness is not totally and absolutely removed. The Lord’s redemption deals with sickness differently than with sin. Sin is absolutely taken away, while sickness is removed in a limited way.
Timothy’s stomach remained weak. He was a servant of the Lord. Yet the Lord allowed infirmity to remain in his flesh. Salvation and redemption have brought about a complete solution to sin, but sickness is not completely removed. One group of people thinks that the Lord’s work deals only with sins, not with sickness. Another group of people think that the Lord deals with sickness to the same extent that He has dealt with sin. Neither of these views represent our stand. The Bible shows us clearly that the Lord’s work has dealt with sins as well as sickness. While His dealing with sin is absolute, His dealing with sickness is limited. We must realize that the Lord has dealt with sin in an absolute way. He has resolved all the problems of sin. The Lamb of God has borne everyone’s sins. His blood has taken away the sin of the entire world. The problem of sin is fully settled, but sickness still exists among God’s children.
We can consider the matter from another angle. God’s children should not have so many illnesses, because the Lord Jesus has borne our illnesses. The Lord Jesus paid much attention to the matter of healing while He was on earth, and although His cross has not taken away all our illnesses, healing is definitely an item included in His work. The fulfillment of Isaiah 53 is Matthew 8, not Matthew 27. This fulfillment was realized before Golgotha. He did not begin to bear our diseases at Golgotha. He bore our diseases on earth before He ever went to Golgotha. The bearing of diseases is not something absolute, like the bearing of sin. This should be quite clear to all of us.
There are many reasons a believer becomes sick. I am afraid that many have missed their chance for healing through ignorance of the Lord’s work in bearing their illnesses. Let me say a few more words on this matter. Unless you are as confident as Paul, who after praying three times realized that his illness was for his perfection, you should seek healing. Paul prayed, and by the third time, he was clear. The Lord showed him that his weakness was necessary. The Lord’s grace was sufficient for him, and Paul’s weakness was for a greater manifestation of God’s power. Paul accepted his infirmity. If a person is not clear that God wants his infirmity and illness to remain in him, he should by all means seek healing. He should boldly ask the Lord to bear his infirmity and illness. God’s children do not live on earth to be sick; they live to glorify God. Illness is good if it glorifies God, but many illnesses may not glorify God. You have to learn to trust in Him. You must realize that the Lord Jesus is a Savior who bears our sickness. The Lord healed many patients when He was on earth. He is the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can ask Him for His healing. We can commit all our illnesses into His hands.