Manifestation Of The Holy Spirit / Part 9

Series – December 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Manifestation Or Marks Of The Holy Spirit Versus Imitation In The Church – Part 9

Physical Healing And Spiritual Restoration
At the beginning of the age of grace, the Holy Spirit came from heaven to dwell in the believers on earth. After Jesus, the Messiah, had been rejected on earth and had gone to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit who worked in many marvelous ways to equip, help and guide the new believers. However, the enemy opposed God’s new work on earth through imitation, a tactic he had already used in Moses’ days when miracles were copied by Pharaoh’s magicians (Ex. 7).

Let’s briefly look at healings and other gifts that may occur in our days, even though marked differences exist between the beginning of God’s new testimony on earth, the Church, and our days. First, however, we want to just mention that we do not find believers being healed through a sign-gift. Instead, the Bible records their illnesses and God’s dealings with them in their sickness (1 Cor. 11:30; 1 Tim. 5:23; 2 Tim. 4:20; Gal. 4:13-14; 2 Cor. 12:7).

The procedure of confession and healing, as described in James 5:14-16, has often been confused with the signs and wonders marking the beginnings of the Christian testimony.1 As always, the issue is, “What does the Bible say?” and not, “What do I want the Bible to say?” In other words, the issue is not what is popular or what people want, but what the Lord teaches us through His Word.

The Lord’s earthly ministry must be distinguished from His heavenly ministry at the beginning of the period of grace and in the closing days of that same period. His instructions to heal were given to His apostles and disciples for specific purposes, while Christ was with them on earth. It is not biblically correct to transfer them to the era of the Church, for our glorified Lord gave other instructions for that period. The only directives in the Epistles for healing the sick or weak are: “Is anyone among YOU2 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 sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven” (vv.14-15 NKJV). These instructions3 are closely linked with the following ones, “Confess YOUR trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that YOU may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (v.16).

Where does such healing occur and why is there not an ongoing healing ministry? Healing is in the home and local assembly with some of its elders, not by an outsider supposedly gifted for a healing ministry. There is no mention of spiritual gifts, healing ministries or crusades. The healings mentioned in the book of Acts were apostolic signs that authenticated their unique ministries (2 Cor. 12:12; see Mk. 3:14-15, 16:19-20; Acts 2:43, 4:33, 5:12,15, 19:12). These sign-gifts ceased with the death of the apostles, possibly even before.

In the early churches, evidently, not all Christians could do the sign miracles, except for a few men like Titus and Timothy, who were Paul’s special delegates. There was no general miracle-working practice, for if there had been Paul could not have pointed to his miracles as being special signs (see Rom. 15:17-21) or that these had discontinued. If all believers could have performed such acts, Paul’s ministry would have been just another miracle-working Christian ministry, and the Christians would not have called for Peter to come and raise Dorcas from among the dead (Acts 9:36-42). No, Peter’s miracle that day was one of the “signs of an apostle” (2 Cor. 12:12). Furthermore, if such healings had been common practice, Luke would not have been called “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14), for this term shows Paul’s appreciation of Luke’s skills instead of rejecting the need for such professional care. It also implies that the Lord makes use of such skills to take care of His people.

The Means Of Healing
The prayer of faith by the elders is what God uses for healing in this specific context. The prayer, accompanied by the anointing with oil, will heal the sick. Notice that it is the “prayer of faith” (Jas. 5:15) which does so, not the anointing with oil. In the case James described, medicinal oil was to be applied because the Bible says so. The apostles anointed with oil when they were sent by the Lord during His earthly ministry (Mk. 6:13). While it is true that oil was used medicinally in Bible times (Isa. 1:6; Lk. 10:34), there is no indication in James 5 that the oil is only to be used in this way. James emphasized its symbolic use to point to the healing power of the Holy Spirit, representing the rejected but glorified Messiah in whose name the prayer and anointing occur. The laying on of hands is not even mentioned.4 The laying on of hands, when done in a biblical way, expresses identification with the sin of God’s people, as Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah and others did.

The Promise Given
The promise to be restored to good health is made with a definite restriction, namely if it be the will of God. This promise cannot be taken in an unconditional sense for any and every sickness. To suggest that this passage guarantees healing in every circumstance is contrary to what it says and to other New Testament teachings.

James 5:15-16 indicates a solid link between four elements:

• Confession of a specific sin of the sick person, who is a believer;
• Prayer of righteous persons, recognized as elders;
• Healing, the verb also meaning “to save”; and
• Forgiveness of sins committed against another believer.

The context indicates that there is something wrong with a member of a local assembly, of which the elders seem to be aware, but it has not yet been confessed or dealt with. The Lord allows the person who transgressed to become sick, after which the instructions of verses 14-20 must be put into practice:5

• The earnest, intelligent and perseverant prayers of the elders, righteous men; and
• The help given to recover the one who went astray.

Yet, great differences exist between the days of the beginning of God’s new testimony of the exalted Christ and our days of decline. God’s government and dealings in discipline are important factors to consider as possible reasons why we cannot expect the same general conditions that existed in James’ days to continue today. Yet, divine principles remain the same for the whole period of grace. Living in the closing days of His present testimony we are also reminded that the Lord remains the Same (Heb. 13:8). For this reason, James confirms that we should always put our trust in Him.

Some Were Not Healed
We read about cases that were different from the one just described, when God did not heal Christians of their sicknesses and no specific unconfessed sins existed.

The case of Timothy. Timothy was repeatedly sick (1 Tim. 5:23) and the apostle Paul, his spiritual father, told him to use a little wine for his stomach’s sake and his recurrent infirmities. God did not heal Timothy supernaturally or permanently from his sickness, nor did Paul try to heal him.

The case of Trophimus. Another of Paul’s co-workers, Trophimus, was left behind in Miletus sick (2 Tim. 4:20). He was not supernaturally healed even though an apostle had been with him. Instead, Paul had to leave his companion behind because of his illness.

The case of Paul. The apostle Paul described how he was afflicted with some sort of infirmity (2 Cor. 12:7-10). Three times he asked the Lord to take away this problem. However, He refused to do so, telling Paul that this infirmity was something He wanted him to have for his spiritual well-being. Upon learning this, Paul bowed to God’s will and said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10).

This is the appropriate example for Christians today. We should pray for healing and release from trials, but when God does not respond affirmatively, we must bow to His will and accept that sickness or trial as something from His hand. This is not lack of faith, rather it is obedience and submission to the sovereignty of God. These three examples do not assume that there was a specific sin to be confessed, as in the case in James 5. They describe God’s hand in discipline and true love, allowing sickness either to prevent a person from sinning or for other purposes. Such situations are designed by God for His honor and glory (see Jn. 11:4), and for the well-being of the individual brother or sister concerned.

The case of Epaphroditus. Besides these cases we may look at Epaphroditus who had become gravely ill while visiting Paul in Rome (Phil. 2:26-28). There is no indication that Paul had the ability to heal him or that he had tried to do so, neither is there any hint that Epaphroditus was sick because of his being out of God’s will. God allowed this sickness for several reasons: to test this brother, to test Paul, to test the assembly where he came from as well as the assembly he visited. Through all of this, God’s name was glorified, especially when the Lord healed Epaphroditus, thereby comforting the one who was sick, the assemblies as well as Paul and those with him (Phil. 2:25-30).

Are Miracles And Healings To Be Signs For Today?
Many believe that the Church is entering a time of unprecedented miracles, signs and wonders. They teach that miracles are the birthright of the believer, implying that they were common in the days of the early Church. However, a brief glance through the Bible proves that miracles were not ordinary at all, as true miracles were very rare. Less than 20 people performed them, apart from the 70 disciples the Lord sent out. The typical Christian in the early days did not perform any miracles.6 Besides Jerusalem, Ephesus and a few other places, many churches and areas became known for reasons other than signs and wonders having been done there. How to perform miracles was not a topic taught in Scripture. Until quite recently,7 such things were not practiced Church history, except for some groups who had departed from the truth.

Paul stated that he performed “the signs of a true apostle” as a seal of his apostleship (2 Cor. 12:12). It was this God-given ability that proved to the churches that Paul was in fact an apostle approved by God and not a counterfeit mixing truth with error (Mt. 13:25-30) or pretending to be an apostle as some claimed about him in his days (2 Cor. 12). At the beginning of Acts, God showed His approval of Peter and Stephen as He performed miracles through them addressing the Jews. Such miracles and signs were not commonplace in Old or New Testament times, nor widespread in the history of the Church. The only public display of so-called miracles that we can expect to see in great numbers is found in the category of counterfeits (see 2 Cor. 10–12), while the full manifestation of a spiritual delusion8 is still future (2 Th. 2:9-11).

Every believer must exercise biblical discernment about any meeting or event that claims that miracles are happening there. Many have been led astray from the truth of God’s Word, deceived by men and women who have taught heresy backed by a pretended supernatural manifestation. In His grace and wisdom, God still works miracles, but these are of a different category. The great tribulation and the coming millennium will again see true signs linked to the living Word (Rev. 19:11-16), as in the days of the Lord and His apostles (Heb. 6:5).

ENDNOTES
1. Several points in these pages about James 5 have been adapted from a study by David Cloud.
2. Many versions do not differentiate between singular you(r) and plural you(r). For this article, the small capital text indicates the plural.
3. The Greek word James used for “oil” was oil to refresh oneself after bathing or before gymnastic exercises. It is different from the term used for the anointing of our Lord as Prophet, Priest and King, implied in the name Christ, which means “Anointed One.”
4. This method is sometimes practiced, allegedly to transfer “energy” to the ill person, but of what source does it come? These matters should be carefully examined.
5. James wrote this at the end of the Jewish economy, just before the destruction of the temple. Yet, these instructions are still valid for our days as warnings, because we are living close to the end of the dispensation of grace.
6. We are not talking about common miracles, as every birth is, or miraculous help God gives in difficult circumstances. We are referring to special miracles given by God as public signs through His servants to confirm His testimony on earth.
7. That is, with the so-called first, second and third waves. The first “wave” represents the rise of the Pentecostal movement at the start of the twentieth century, also called the Azusa Street Revival. The second “wave” occurred during the 1960s as the Charismatic movement spread throughout mainline Protestant denominations as well as the Roman Catholic Church. The third “wave” occurred during the mid-1980s and continues today, as the others do, and is associated with Peter Wagner who coined the expression “third wave” along with the Vineyard Movement. The Toronto blessing and Eternal Grace are also expressions of this movement. The “Third Wave” involves those who claim to have received Pentecostal-like experiences but usually deny any close association with either the Pentecostal or Charismatic movements. It is part of a larger movement known as the Neo-charismatic movement, and it tries to penetrate groups of Evangelicals or Churches who are not yet affected by it.
8. “Anti” means “against” as well as “instead of.” The Antichrist will do both: presenting himself as the Christ while at the same time working against the true Christ. This kind of spirit has been at work since the beginning of Christianity (2 Th. 2:7; Gal. 3:1), but its full manifestation will only take place after the rapture.

By Alfred Bouter

Persons Through Whom
God Performed Miracles Approximate
Dates

Moses 1445 BC

Joshua 1240 BC

Gideon 1148-1108 BC

Samson 1085-1065 BC

The prophet from Judah 931-910 BC

Elijah 874-853 BC

Elisha 853-852 BC

Isaiah 740-680 BC

Daniel and his friends 605-530 BC

The Lord – earthly ministry AD 27-30

The 12 apostles AD 27-30

The 70 disciples AD 27-30

Peter after Christ’s ascension AD 30-33

Stephen AD 32-33

Look for the conclusion of this Series next month.