Big Healing Book - The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Says That

Objection: The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Says That “Healed” in 1 Peter 2:24 Refers to Restoration of Divine Fellowship

We can follow a similar line of thought in the answer to the similar Thayer objection. Take other Scripture passages that use the same Greek word iaomai used for “healed” in 1 Peter 2:24, and substitute this dictionary definition, and see how the resulting Theo-illogical Dictionary Version (TDV) reads:

“And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let it be restored to divine fellowship.” – Hebrews 12:13 (TDV)

“And He came down with them, and stood in the plain, with the company of His disciples and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to have restoration of divine fellowship of their diseases.” – Luke 6:17 (TDV)

“And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he touched his ear [the one that Peter had just chopped off with a sword], and restored him to divine fellowship.” – Luke 22:51 (TDV)

“And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present to restore them to divine fellowship.” – Luke 5:17 (TDV)

“And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and restored the child to divine fellowship, and delivered him again to his father.” – Luke 9:42 (TDV)

“And it same to pass, that the father of Publius father lay sick of a fever and a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, restored him to divine fellowship.” – Acts 28:8 (TDV)

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be restored to divine fellowship. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” – James 5:16 (TDV)

(You could do this with the other verses in the Thayer answer as well as other verses not included in either write-up that use the word iaomai.)

No reasonable person could look at these verses and think that iaomai refers to restoration of divine fellowship. Even an author who raised this “dictionary” objection had to admit in his own article that iaomai does refer to physical healing, but he then says that the word is used only “figuratively” in 1 Peter 2:24! Is it “figurative” in these other verses? If not, why would we have the right to claim that it is “figurative” in 1 Peter 2:24? Why should it mean something in 1 Peter 2:24 that it doesn’t mean anywhere else? The context arguments (here and here) and the “spiritual healing only” argument are the only paths left for the author to take, but these also fall apart upon closer examination.

Also, as has been noted elsewhere in this book, Jesus’ stripes alone could not have restored you to divine fellowship anyway. Jesus’ blood shed on the cross is what allows you to have divine fellowship. His stripes before the cross had to have had another purpose, and they did – to legally provide healing for your body.