To Encourage You

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

Have you ever heard of what some have called “The American Gospel?”  You can read all about it at the following website: https://www.americangospelfilm.com/.  It’s an interesting term that has been applied to the teaching that is so prevalent in many churches in America today. It’s a “gospel” that says that once you become a Christian, God wants to bless you in every way possible.  He wants to fulfill all your dreams, heal all your diseases, and give you lots of money!  It’s uniquely “American” in the sense that in many places in the world it would be pretty difficult to preach the same message (although some try).  

One of the common “proof texts,” if you will, of this gospel is the last part of the verse above from Isaiah 53: “with his wounds we are healed.”  What we are told is that this verse is telling us that because of the physical torture Jesus withstood in the crucifixion, the physical diseases of a Christian are certain to be healed – if they will just have enough faith.  It seems patently obvious to me that this can’t be what this means, for I’ve known many, many Christians who have died – and that’s pretty sick!  Did they die because they had no faith?!  And how many Christians do YOU know that are older than 100?  Is that only because the older a Christian becomes the less faith they have?  And so it occurs to me that as in the interpretation of any of the Scriptures, we should ask ourselves in what sense the words that are written are true.   Could what a pastor is teaching his middle- and upper-class congregation in America also be taught at a nursing home and that teaching still be true?  Could it be taught in the hospital rooms of the many cancer wards across the country? Could it be taught in the prison camps of North Korea? If not, then the teaching, whatever it is, is very suspect, for the Truth of God’s Word is not dependent on the place that Word is being preached.  In fact, it is important to keep in mind that much of the Bible,  when it was originally written, was written FROM persecuted Christians TO persecuted Christians, and every single one of those first century (and earlier) believers, passed from this life long ago.  

Which brings us to the fact that the Bible is an eternal book with a message for all eternity.  That means that while all of its promises are certainly true, that truth, ultimately, is in an eternal sense. You see, the passage above from Isaiah 53 begins with a reference to Jesus’ “wounds” by saying that He was “pierced” for our transgressions and He was “crushed” for our iniquities.  And so the references everywhere else in this verse to “healing” are in the sense of the SPIRITUAL healing that the crucifixion brings.  It’s talking about salvation. It’s referring to forgiveness of our sins. And it’s talking to the forgiver of those sins, whose miracles of physical healing pointed to the fact that He was the Messiah (Matthew 8:16-17).  Yet, while we live the rest of our time on this earth, we will still be subject to the Fall. We still sin, we still suffer, we are still subject to all kinds of sicknesses and physical tragedies, and we will still die (physically, that is).  And while the salvation that God gives us is certainly accompanied by many wonderful blessings in this life, and every healing that anyone ever receives in this life is a healing that was provided by God, the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises awaits the time after our physical death. 

We get a sense of this from Hebrews 11, which is known as “the faith chapter.”  Although many of those listed in this chapter received wonderful deliverances in this life, “others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.  AND ALL THESE, THOUGH COMMENDED THROUGH THEIR FAITH, DID NOT RECEIVE WHAT WAS PROMISED.” It’s telling us that they didn’t receive all that God had promised them IN THIS LIFE.  But we can be sure that every single one of them received all of God’s promises after they died.   

You see, it is in heaven that there will be no more sin. It is in heaven that the curse will be completely reversed.  It is in heaven that Jesus “will wipe away every tear from (our) eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things (will) have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).  Of course, it takes faith to believe this. It takes faith to hold on to such promises be it in the churches of America, the nursing homes, the hospital rooms, or the prisons where Christians languish in North Korea and so many other places around the world.  And so, as you hear what some would call “the gospel” being preached today in our world, ask yourself if the message holds true for believers no matter what circumstances they may find themselves in. If not, you can be sure that it’s “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6), and it is foreign to what the Scriptures call “the gospel of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:9; Romans 1:1; 2 Corinthians 11:7).