Objection: If God Willed the Suffering and Death of His Own Son, He Can Will Suffering and Sickness for His Son’s Followers

The objecting seminary instructor missed the point of Jesus’ suffering and death.  He was punished for our sins as our substitute so that what HE went through, WE don’t have to go through.  God is not asking any of Jesus’ followers to add to His finished work by becoming substitutes for other people.

The ONLY time Jesus suffered physical sickness was when He was punished in our place, bearing the curse of the Law, including sickness, that we deserved for our sins.  It was never God’s will for Him to have His own diseases.  He only bore OUR diseases (Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 8:17).  Until then, there is NO record that Jesus was ever sick.  Thus, it cannot be God’s will that anyone else who is completely righteous bear sickness either.  If you are a Christian, you are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), having received the gift of righteousness when you were saved (Romans 5:17).  Your born-again spirit was created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24).  You have the same righteousness that Jesus had when He walked the earth, and just as He never got sick with disease of His own, God does not want you to get sick with disease of your own.

God willed the health of Jesus until He took on our sins and sicknesses, and He wills the health of His followers (3 John 2).