- God Heals Because It Is His Nature
- God Is Unchanging: The Healer Then and Now
- God placed His life in us
- God can’t and doesn’t want to undo
- God made it available in Salvation
- Conclusion
When we ask, “Why does God heal?” the answer lies deep within the very nature of God Himself. This blog post explores the reasons why God heals, beginning with the foundational truth that healing is an intrinsic part of God’s character and extending through the history of His interactions with humanity.
God Heals Because It Is His Nature
At the heart of understanding why God heals is the recognition that it is simply who He is. The Bible consistently portrays God as a healer. Psalm 103:1-3 reminds us, “Bless the LORD, O my soul… Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” This passage reflects the dual aspects of God’s nature—He forgives and He heals. These two actions are inseparable in the character of God; it has been a part of His identity from the very beginning.
Healing has always been a significant part of God’s covenant with His people, as evidenced throughout the Old Testament. In Exodus 15:26, God reveals Himself as “Jehovah-Rapha,” declaring, “I am the LORD who heals you,” and promises to protect His people from the diseases of Egypt if they obey His commands. This promise is reiterated in Exodus 23:25-26, where God assures that He will “take sickness away from the midst of you” and ensure long life and fertility. Deuteronomy 7:15 further emphasizes this, stating that the Lord “will take away from you all sickness” and not allow the terrible diseases of Egypt to afflict His people. Psalm 103:2-3 highlights healing as one of God’s benefits, stating, “Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” This connection between spiritual and physical healing is also prophetically affirmed in Isaiah 53:4-5, which speaks of the Messiah bearing our sicknesses and healing us through His suffering: “By His stripes, we are healed.” Proverbs 4:20-22 echoes the theme of healing, advising that God’s words bring “life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” Jeremiah 30:17 reassures with God’s promise, “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” and Psalm 107:19-20 concludes with the powerful declaration that God “sent His word and healed them.” The consistent message throughout Scripture is that God’s nature as a healer is foundational to His relationship with His people. During Jesus’s earthly ministry, he showed the perfect will of God, and he healed sickness and diseases.
It’s sad that we rarely doubt God’s willingness to forgive our sins, but we often hesitate to believe that He will heal us. However, the same God who forgives is also the God who heals, and He does both because it is His nature. Healing is not contingent upon our worthiness; it is a sign that follows those who believe, as stated in Mark 16:17: “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues.
God Is Unchanging: The Healer Then and Now
Now that he was a healer from the very beginning, one of the most reassuring truths in Scripture is that God is unchanging. When God revealed His name to Moses as “I AM” (Exodus 3:13-14), He was declaring His eternal and unchanging nature. This means that the God who healed in the past is the same God who heals today.
Hebrews 13:8 reinforces this truth: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The healing promises made to the Israelites and fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry are still applicable to us today. God’s willingness and ability to heal have not changed. The same covenant that provided healing for the Israelites is now fulfilled in Christ, making healing a covenant right for all who believe. Plus, The New Covenant, established through Jesus Christ, is described in Hebrews 8:6 as “a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” If the Old Covenant, with its promises of healing, was good, the New Covenant is even better.
In Luke 13:16, Jesus emphasizes that healing is a covenant benefit, referring to a woman as a “daughter of Abraham” and affirming her right to be healed. This concept of healing as a covenant right is further supported in passages like Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30, where Jesus describes healing as “the children’s bread.” Healing is your bread.
God made us capable to be healed through life in us
God placed His life in us
One significant aspect of the New Covenant is that believers are not only recipients of healing but are also empowered to live in divine health and become life-givers to others. 1 Corinthians 15:45 speaks of Jesus as the “last Adam” who became a life-giving spirit. Our core nature, our spirit, since is one with the Lord (1 Cor 6:17), it means it emanates life, and Rom 8:11 says “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.” This means that believers have access to a life in them, that not only receives healing but also imparts it, and heals their own mortal bodies.
God can’t and doesn’t want to undo
A lot of people reckon it’s all up to God to decide who gets healed, case by case. But hey, if you’re a believer, you’re 2000 years behind! “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5) – (yup, Matthew quotes Isaiah 53:5, when talking about healing in Matt 8:14-17). He got it done 2000 years back, for anyone who believes, and now, even if He wanted to, He can’t turn the clock back. He chose to do it this way because He didn’t want to backtrack, and He made sure healing was available to everyone.
The atonement, accomplished through Jesus’ death and resurrection, provides for both our spiritual and physical healing. 1 Peter 2:24 connects the two: “by His wounds, you were healed.” This verse echoes Isaiah’s prophecy, indicating that the healing of our bodies is included in the salvation Jesus secured for us.
God made it available in Salvation
The Greek word “sozo,” used in the New Testament, is often translated as both “saved” and “healed,” emphasizing that salvation and healing are intertwined. James 5:15 uses this word to describe the prayer of faith that will save (heal, sozo) the sick.
In the New Covenant, healing is not just an optional blessing; it is a part of the complete salvation package offered through Jesus. When we embrace the full scope of what Christ accomplished on the cross, we can confidently receive healing as a natural outflow of our relationship with Him.
Conclusion
God heals because it is in His very nature to do so. From the beginning of time, through the Old Testament, and into the New Testament, God has consistently revealed Himself as a healer. His promises have been fulfilled in Christ, and through the New Covenant, we have access to even greater promises. Healing is not only a reflection of God’s unchanging character but also a central aspect of the atonement provided by Jesus. As believers, we can approach God with the assurance that He is both willing and able to heal, just as He is willing and able to forgive.
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