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Bro. Ostis Wilson Jr.'s Commentary |
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Divine Healing |
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Questions Concerning . . . |
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(Click on a heading to read
the respective article.) |
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Divine Healing Today
Question: Why are not more of God's people getting
healing for their bodies? Is it not His will to heal them? In
the early days of the reformation they had some really
outstanding healing services. Also, I read in the account of
S. O. Susag of the miracles God performed at the hands of His
servants, such as cancers healed, dead raised to life, insane
people returned to their right minds, etc. So many are in need
of these same works by the hand of God today. In Isaiah it
says, "With his stripes we are healed." Surely the Lord did
not suffer those stripes in vain.
Answer: Of course, the Lord did not suffer those
stripes in vain. He never did anything at any time in vain.
Those stripes purchased healing for every one who will receive
it. We must recognize that there are some conditions to
receiving healing, or any other blessing from the Lord, and
those conditions must be met. Before considering any of those
things, I would first hasten to remove any stigma from God or
His Son, Jesus Christ, for having changed His mind or altered
His purpose or will. He said in Malachi 3:6, "...I am the
Lord; I change not;..." Again in Hebrews 13:8, we read, "Jesus
Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and forever." We must
believe this and stand firmly upon it or we will have no way
of knowing where we are. If He were to vacillate or change or
waver in any degree from any of His plans, purposes, or
promises on any point, we would never know if we could trust
Him securely on other points. The Bible says that in Him is no
variableness nor shadow of turning (James 1:17). That has to
be so in all His plans, purposes, and promises. I believe and
teach the people that whatever we read in the Bible that
Christ was when He lived and walked among men in this world,
He is that now. Whatever the Bible says He did when He was
here on the earth, He does that same thing now. If He healed
all manner of sicknesses and diseases when He was here, He
heals all manner of sicknesses today, too. We see this going
on around us and rejoice in it. But I hasten to say that it is
not on as big a scale or as general as I would like to see.
I also hasten to add that if we allow the enemy to get our
minds on this and our eyes on cases that have not been healed
and get to wondering about that, we will rob ourselves of our
own personal victories and blessings. I believe and teach the
people that if all the cases they know of were not healed and
they never knew or heard of anybody anywhere ever being
healed, they still have a right to look to God and His Word
and be healed of whatever sickness or disease they have if
they will earnestly seek Him and believe His promises.
As to the whys and wherefores for any lack along this line of
healing, I would say the causes could be as numerous as the
cases. Every case is determined upon its own merits. We may
not be able to discern the cause in every case. But God, who
searches the heart and tries the reins of all, and who works
according to certain fixed objectives, will determine what to
do or not do in every individual case according to His own
will and wisdom and whatever objective He is striving for. God
deals with every person as an individual and not according to
groups. So I say to every individual saint to just look
straight to God and His Word and expect it to be fulfilled and
verified to you.
I am reminded of when I was in Junior High school. At one time
we had a problem in algebra which was quite complicated and a
little tricky. I worked on it until a late hour at night and
finally got is solved (so I thought) and came up with an
answer. I was eager to go to class the next day because I did
not think many would get that problem, and I had it (so I
thought). Sure enough, I was called on the next day to work
that problem out on the board and explain it to the class. I
went forward with all confidence and put the problem on the
board and began to explain it. The teacher interrupted me
before long and wanted to know where I got all of that. I
started over, thinking I might show him a thing or two, and
got to about the same point when he stopped me again and said,
"Where in the world did you get that?" By that time I began to
lose my confidence. Then I discovered that this problem was
contingent on the one before it, and we were to take the
figure that we got in a certain step of solving that problem
before it for a beginning point for this problem. Well, I had
not solved the problem before it, so I did not have a proper
beginning place for this one; therefore, all my working it out
meant nothing.
We may in some sense have a situation like that to consider
here. Individuals may have spiritual problems in their lives
and the Church may have its problems also. But if we are
passing over all of that and trying to solve this problem of
healing and miracles, etc., it just will not work; we will not
get the right answer. I say that healing and miracle-working
power are just natural outflows of a Church in an up-tight
spiritual condition, and the problems of lukewarmness,
carelessness, indifference, laxity, and shabby living among
many professed saints in our time must be solved before we
have a proper beginning point to solve this problem. In III
John 2 we read, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou
mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."
We see here that our health and other prosperities are
contingent upon our spiritual condition and prosperity.
As to the things that were done in the early days of this
reformation: I know of them principally from readings and
writings of those early saints and ministers, and by word of
mouth from older ministers that I knew in growing up. But
along with that, I read in those early writings of the simple,
consecrated, dedicated, holy lives those people lived in those
days saints as well as ministers. In general they lived really
close to God, and God shone forth the perfection of beauty out
of Zion through them. In this age of affluence and easy credit
when money is of such importance and people have to work all
they can (overtime and sometimes two jobs) and in many cases
husbands and wives both have to work in order to keep up all
their payments and have money for living expenses, God is
crowded too much out of too many people's lives, and many have
no time, or very little time, for God. You can see that we
have a different situation than prevailed in the early days of
this reformation. So we are not seeing healings on as broad a
scale as in the early days of this reformation; but we are
thankful and rejoice for what we are seeing, and recognize
that God is doing a great deal for faithful saints in this
day, too.
This may be a little severe, and it is; but you asked the
question and I am answering it according to my best
perspectives, and I doubt if many, if any, will gainsay it.
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Psychological Healing and "Prayer
Therapy"
Question: What part, if any, does God have in
psychological healing or modern "Prayer Therapy"? I know this
may help some people neurotics, psychosomatics, etc., but it
is hard for me to believe God works this way. Am I wrong?
Answer: No, you are not wrong. You are exactly right.
God established His own method of working in the early church
and has outlined it in the Bible for humble saints and humble
ministers to go by. It has never changed. It was not and is
not today through the human sciences or psychology,
transcendental meditation, mesmerism, hypnotism, modern
"prayer therapy" and such like, but is through obeying the
plain, simple instructions of God's Word. Some of the
aforesaid things are purely of human origin and some of just
plain Satanic origin and relate to witchcraft and should be
religiously avoided by Christian people.
In Mark 16:17-18 Jesus said, "And these signs shall follow
them that believe;...they shall lay hands on the sick, and
they shall recover." We see this is something that accompanies
the preaching of the pure gospel of Christ and is accomplished
by the laying on of hands of holy, humble people of God who
believe in Christ. Again, in James 5:14-16 we read, "Is any
sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and
the let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and
the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins,
they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to
another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
Here again we see that God's method of healing is through the
operation of His church by holy men of God under the anointing
of His spirit and acting according to His Word and living
holy, righteous lives.
God's Word and God's Spirit are the two agents through which
all the work of God is being carried on in the world today,
and God's people receive their healing, salvation and all
other benefits for both soul and body through faith in Christ,
obedience to His Word and the power of His Spirit.
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A Little Wine for Thy Stomach's
Sake
Question: Please discuss I Timothy 5:23 and does this
scripture teach the use of home remedies, etc.?
Answer: I Timothy 5:23 reads thus: "Drink no longer water, but
use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often
infirmities." First, I will apply the teachings of this same
man, Paul, in another text to this same man, Timothy, found in
II Timothy 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth." Surely it is necessary to rightly divide the
word of truth in this text the same as in any other text.
The Bible has quite a little bit to say about wine in both the
Old and New Testaments. If we use the term "wine"
indiscriminately we will run into numerous dead ends and
difficult complications. There was fermented wine which the
Bible condemns generally in every reference to it. Proverbs
20:1 says, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs 21:17
says that he that loveth wine shall not be rich. In Proverbs
23:29 it asks who has woe, sorrow, contentions, babblings,
wounds without cause and redness of eyes? Verse 30 says, "They
that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine."
Then verses 31 and 32 add this admonition, "Look not thou upon
the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup,
when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a
serpent, and stingeth like an adder." All these texts and many
others clearly refer to wine as an intoxicant in an advanced
state of fermentation and is stoutly condemned and is strongly
admonished against throughout the Scriptures.
There was also a sweet or fresh wine (grape juice) which is
also referred to as "Wine" in the Scriptures with no
distinguishment. Therefore we cannot arbitrarily accept the
argument of some that "Wine is wine and it is all the same.
Wine just means wine wherever you see it." It would be
difficult to fathom the idea that in this place Paul was
instructing Timothy to drink something that was so strongly
condemned in other scriptures in the Bible. Neither can I
fathom the idea that Jesus Himself would have passed to His
disciples at the institution of the Lord's Supper a cup filled
with this abominable, condemned substance and declare it to be
His blood of the New Testament which is shed for the remission
of sins. He didn't. But He called it the "fruit of the vine"
Luke 22:18, Mark 14:25 and Matthew 26:29.
I realize that everyone may not concur with my conclusions on
this text in question but my conclusion, based on the
foregoing scriptures, is that Paul was instructing Timothy to
drink grape juice (the fresh, sweet variety) as it would be
good for his stomach and system in general. It is commonly
known that grape juice is an excellent health food good for
the stomach, good for the digestive tract, and a good
blood-purifying agent. The water in the area may not have been
all that good and pure and it would help his health to drink
some wine (grape juice) along instead of water all the time.
It seems from the text that he was instructing him to
discontinue water altogether and drink grape juice (wine)
instead. But I do not think of this as a remedy such as
medication or pills or home remedies for an ailment, but for
him to avail himself of the good health food that was
available.
The New Testament scriptures abound with teachings for saints
to trust God with every phase and area of our lives (spiritual
and physical soul and body) and offers much incentive for that
in multitudes of healings of the people by Christ and His
apostles and others and the promise of its continuance for all
believers throughout the dispensation Mark 16:14-18. God's
Word gives positive instructions to the saints as to what to
they should do when they become ill "...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 shall save
the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;..." James 5:14.
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The Difference Between Sickness
and Afflictions
Question: I would like to have an explanation of what
is the difference between sickness and afflictions in James
5:13-14. I would like to know what all afflictions take in. I
have several afflictions on my body, but I don't consider
myself sick, so I just pray for myself.
Answer: I will insert here the full text of James
5:13-14: "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any
merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? 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."
The dictionary defines "afflict" as: "To give pain which is
continued or of some permanence to body or mind; to trouble,
grieve or distress. (To persecute). One can be afflicted with
a disease or with melancholy, losses or misfortunes." It lists
synonyms as: "Torment, distress, trouble, grieve, harass,
pain, disquiet."
Disquiet is defined as "Uneasiness, restlessness, want of
tranquillity in body or mind, disturbance, anxiety."
Distress is defined as "To afflict greatly; to afflict with
pain or anguish, to harass, to oppress or crush with calamity,
to make miserable."
Grieve is defined as "To feel pain of mind or heart; to be in
pain on account of an evil; to sorrow or mourn, to grieve for
a dead friend or grieve at a calamity that befell him."
All of this ground is covered in the term afflict. Some of
these things also overflow into the dictionary definition of
the term sick. It might be a little difficult to draw a sharp
line of distinction between affliction as it might affect the
physical body and the term sickness. It seems in a general
sense, any physical ailment or disorder would come under the
heading of sickness, while affliction would more generally
apply to one's being troubled, distressed, burdened, grieved,
offended, persecuted or, etc. The Scriptures also generally
agree with this.
In Genesis 41:52 we read where Joseph named his second son
Ephraim and said, "...For God hath caused me to be fruitful in
the land of my affliction." His affliction in this case was
his slavery and separation from his family in a strange land.
In I Samuel 1:11, we read where Hannah, who was barren, but
afterward by a direct miracle of God, became the mother of
Samuel, was praying and said, "...O Lord of hosts, if thou
will indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and
remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto
thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord
all the days of his life,..." Eli, the priest, saw her lips
moving as she prayed but heard no sound coming from her lips,
so reproved her for being drunk. Hannah answered him thus in
verse 15, "...No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit:
I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured
out my soul before the Lord." In this case her affliction was
her deep sorrow and grief of heart because of being barren and
having no children.
In II Kings 14:26 we read again, "For the Lord saw the
affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was
not any shut up, nor any left, nor any helper for Israel." In
II Kings 13:4 we see that Israel's affliction was their
oppression by the King of Syria. Again in Exodus 3:7 we read,
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my
people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason
of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows." In verse 8,
God continues speaking, "And I am come down to deliver them
out of the hand of the Egyptians,..." It is clear in this case
that Israel's affliction was their severe oppression by the
Egyptians, and their abject slavery unto them, and God came
down to deliver them by the hand of Moses.
In Isaiah 53:4 we read of Christ as a man who was afflicted. I
know of no Scripture referring to Jesus ever being sick, but
He was "...A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief:..."
Isaiah 53:3. He was persecuted, despised, rejected. As the
weight of the sins of all mankind, including our own, fell on
Him, His soul became exceeding sorrowful unto death. (Mark
14:34.) He bore a great weight of grief because of the
unbelief and hardness of the people's hearts and the severe
burdens and troubles they were in on account of this. (Mark
3:5, Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34, Matthew 14:14.) On one occasion
when Jesus came near to Jerusalem and beheld the city, He wept
over it because of realizing the great calamities which would
befall its people, not far hence. These were the afflictions
of Christ.
Concerning the time of these severe calamities, Jesus said in
Mark 13:19, "For in those days shall be affliction, such as
was not from the beginning of the creation which God created
unto this time, neither shall be." In this case their
affliction was to be the great tribulation they were to
suffer. In II Corinthians, chapter four, Paul speaks of his
being troubled, perplexed, persecuted, cast down, bearing in
his body the dying of the Lord Jesus, and in II Corinthians
4:17, he says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment,..." In this case all of these things constituted his
affliction. In II Corinthians 8:1-2, Paul speaks of the
brethren of Macedonia, "How that in a great trial of
affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty
abounded unto the riches of their liberality." Their
affliction was deep poverty and great material need. Also Paul
said in Philippians 4:14 in regard to a financial contribution
the Philippian brethren had sent him, "...ye did communicate
with my affliction."
I could go on extensively with such texts, but it is not
necessary. These texts surely confirm the scriptural use of
the term affliction, and I find no place in this whole chain
of scriptures where affliction refers to physical or bodily
ailments. The terms used to describe these in the Scriptures
are "sickness, disease, plague, infirmity."
Therefore, it is concluded that one's wounds, bruises, hurts,
offenses, griefs, sorrows, troubles, burdens, persecutions,
tribulations, and such like are afflictions about which one
should pray until he has prayed out from under them and
triumphed over them; until he can be merry and can sing
psalms. Neither is it forbidden to them to seek agreement of
prayer from others in whom they confide, but these are things
in which the individual needs to pray through for himself and
gain his own victory. Also, any physical ailment or disorder
that a person may have (including arthritis, eczema, nerve
disorders, and anything which causes pain, discomfort or
torment) things which we ordinarily think of as afflictions
should be anointed with oil by the Elders of the church and
prayed for with the expectation of being healed according to
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