We must differentiate between suffering and sickness. "Many are the misfortunes of the righteous man,/But Jehovah delivers him from all of them./He keeps all his bones;/Not one of them is broken" (Psa. 34:19-20). James said, "Does anyone among you suffer evil? Let him pray" (James 5:13), so that he may obtain grace and strength. "Is anyone among you ill? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him" (v. 14), so that he may be healed.

First Corinthians 11:30 through 32 clearly depicts the relationship between sickness and the believer. Sickness ultimately is a discipline from God. If a believer will judge himself, God will cause the sickness to disappear. God never intends for believers to suffer sickness continuously. If a believer removes what God condemns and, at the same time, permits sickness to stay in his body, he does not know God's purpose in allowing him to be sick. No discipline should last forever. Once the cause of discipline is removed, the discipline itself should quickly disappear. "Now no discipline at the present time seems to be a matter of joy, but of grief; but afterward..." (Heb. 12:11a). Believers almost forget that with God there is still an "afterward." "Afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised by it" (v. 11b). Discipline is not meant to last forever. In fact, the most excellent fruit comes after the discipline is over. Neither should we be misled to think that God's discipline is His punishment. Strictly speaking, believers will no longer be punished. First Corinthians 11:31 makes this quite clear. We should never allow the concept of law to come in. It is not a matter of how many sins we have committed; we do not have to suffer a certain amount of punishment before our sins can be balanced out. This is not an affair to be settled in court but a problem to be dealt with in the family.

If we turn back to the direct teaching of the Bible, we will see what God ultimately wants of our body. We need to read only one verse, and the concepts of many will be completely overthrown. "Beloved, concerning all things I wish that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). This is a prayer which the Holy Spirit reveals to the apostle, and it shows God's intention towards the believer's body and His desire in eternity. God has no intention for His children to remain sick all their lives and unable to actively work for Him. He delights to see His children prosper and healthy, even as their soul prospers. This allows us to conclude unquestionably that prolonged sickness is not God's will. He may temporarily discipline us and cause us to lose our health, but He is not pleased to see us constantly in weakness.

Paul's word in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 also shows us that prolonged sickness is not God's will. The condition of the body should match the spirit and the soul. If our spirit and soul become sanctified wholly and preserved complete without blame, but our body is still weak, sick, and full of affliction, God will definitely not be satisfied. His goal is to save man's entire being. His goal is not just to save certain parts of man.

All the earthly works of the Lord Jesus reveal God's intention toward the matter of sickness. His only work was to carry out God's will; He had no other work throughout His whole life. We can especially see the heart of the heavenly Father and His attitude toward sickness in the story of the healing of the leper. The leper said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can cleanse me." It seems as if this person was knocking on the door of heaven and asking if healing is God's will. "And stretching out His hand, He touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed!" (Matt. 8:2-3). It is always God's will to heal. If a believer thinks that God is not willing to heal him and that he should remain in sickness forever, he does not know God's will. The work of the Lord Jesus on earth was to heal "all those who were ill" (v. 16). We should not think that He has changed His attitude today.