Objection: The Doctrine of Faith Healing Puts the Sick Under Condemnation
The premise of this objection is that sick people who would otherwise be content are made to feel guilty about being sick because “if they just had enough faith they’d be healed.”
This would be a valid objection if the sick person could not get healed. Indeed, it would be a cruel insult to tell such a person that something is wrong with him because he is sick if he really can’t do anything about it.
However, God gave us His Word about healing so that the sick could be HEALED, not so that they could get under condemnation about being sick! It is NEVER the will of God for a sick person to feel under condemnation for being sick. It is the will of God for the sick person to be healed!
The gospel is GOOD NEWS. Good news to the sinner isn’t that he’s condemned to hell in his current state. It’s that Jesus has provided the way for him to go to heaven instead. Good news to the sick man isn’t that he is living below his covenant rights unnecessarily. It’s that Jesus has provided the way for him to be free of his sickness.
While Jesus did at times express exasperation about the lack of faith he found on the earth, we do not see Him condemning sick people for being sick. Some Christians may do so, but they are walking out of love. If Jesus did not criticize the sick, we should not do so either. Jesus was moved with compassion, not condemnation, when He ministered to the sick. That is the model for us.
However, the fact that some Christians share the message in the wrong spirit does not negate the message. Some Christians attempt to “condemn” people into the kingdom, too. The new birth is not invalidated just because some people do not use any wisdom when sharing it. Even Paul said that many preached Christ from impure motives (Philippians 1:15-18), so this problem is not new.
Just as a younger believer might attempt to ARGUE people into the kingdom (I used to do that, without any success), immature believers may share the good news about healing in an argumentative or belligerent manner. The result of this may be that the sick person feels condemned, but that is not because the true “good news” message is flawed.
It should be noted that carnal believers who do not wish to build themselves up in faith always look for excuses for why they should remain in their current condition rather than change. It’s easier. There is no shortage of carnality in the church today. Surely there are many who would rather question God’s provision for healing than exercise faith and receive the promise, which involves effort on their part. Such people are often the ones screaming, “Condemnation!” If they would simply take the time to read the Bible for themselves on the subject of healing, they could get healed instead of angry.
Do you believe the Bible’s teaching that sinners who do not receive Jesus go to hell? (You should!) If so, do you think that it would be right to approach a sinner this way: “You know, it’s YOUR FAULT that you’re on your way to hell! It’s YOUR FAULT that you aren’t exercising any faith in Jesus Christ to be saved. You should be exercising faith in Him. So if you end up in hell, BLAME YOURSELF, stupid!” Does this wrong approach prove that the underlying message is wrong? No, it just proves that an immature Christian with more zeal than wisdom is doing the “witnessing.” It is similar if someone approaches a sick person this way: “You know, it’s YOUR FAULT that you’re sick! It’s YOUR FAULT that you aren’t exercising any faith in Jesus Christ to be healed. You should be exercising faith in Him. So if you stay sick, BLAME YOURSELF, stupid!” That is not the message of this book or the message of any reputable healing teacher I have ever seen or read after.
The doctrine of faith healing does not HAVE TO put the sick under condemnation any more than the doctrine of being saved from hell by receiving Jesus HAS TO put the unsaved under condemnation. In both cases, we can present the GOOD NEWS of the solution rather than condemning someone for having a problem. The fact that some might preach the “good news” in an annoying manner does not invalidate the good news itself.
The objector usually wants to hear, “There’s nothing I can do – nothing is my fault because everything depends on God. The problem is not at my end.” This supposedly eliminates any condemnation or bad feelings. The problem is, this also eliminates any possibility of “good feelings” by receiving healing God’s way – by faith. It leaves the obvious conclusion, “The problem is at God’s end!” But we cannot go along with that just to soothe someone. If we do not receive – be it the new birth or divine healing – the issue is ALWAYS on our end, because God has done everything necessary on His end. Failure to see this will result in an unnecessary failure to receive divine healing.
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