Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. KJV — 3John 1:2
It is not often thought of, but did you know God is not only concerned with our spiritual but also physical health? When God made Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, he made them in His own image (Gen 1:26). They were perfect in every sense of the word. Not only them, but everything that God created was perfect (Gen 1:31). The roses had no thorns on them. The rocks and mountains were not as rugged as they now appear. The lion and the lamb could lay side by side. The flowers never faded and the grass never withered. All was well until sin entered the world.
To Eve it seemed a small thing to disobey God by tasting the fruit of the forbidden tree, and to tempt her husband also to transgress; but their sin opened the floodgates of woe upon the world. If only they had known the terrible consequences that would result from that one wrong step. So terrible is the power of sin.
But praise be to God, for as soon as there was sin, there was a Saviour. It was Christ’s purpose in giving Himself for man to restore in man God’s image. Jesus wants to bring us back to the perfection in which we were created - physically, mentally and spiritually. While on earth, Jesus did more healing than preaching. In fact, a careful study of the healing miracles of Jesus will always show that in every physical healing, there was a spiritual lesson that was connected in it.
In the creation story, and all through The Bible, are to be found eight simple principles that God put in place for man’s physical wellbeing. They can be summarized in an easy to remember acronym: NEWSTART.
- N - Nutrition
- E - Exercise
- W - Water
- S - Sunshine
- T - Temperance
- A - Air
- R - Rest
- T - Trust in God
Often when we get sick, it is because of sin - because we have violated God’s laws at one point or another.
And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. KJV — Matthew 9:2
Instead of proclaiming physical healing directly as we would expect, we see here Jesus proclaimed forgiveness of sins. And it gets better. Jesus was trying to make a point:
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. KJV — Matthew 9:6
In physical healing, Jesus shows that He has also power for spiritual healing, which we so dearly need.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; KJV — Psalm 103:2,3
God gives us the assurance,
If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. KJV — Exodus 15:26
In future studies, we will be looking at each of these laws from The Bible and Science to see how we can be co-workers with Christ in restoring in us the image of God.
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved?