God's Grace, Healing and Suffering

Abstract

AbstractThis paper shows that people have always attempted to stamp out diseases and other misfortunes on earth through both spiritual and natural means. The approach adopted by the Lord in the Old Testament as Yahweh‐Rapha, wherein/ he was a powerful healer to those who obey him, was, in a way, a response to this. Healing was vital in the ministry of Jesus in the execution of his divine mission to save human life. However, scepticism towards divine healing began during the Enlightenment. The emergence of the Pentecostal movement in the 20th century sought to change this trend. However, there is a tendency among some practitioners of healing that makes it appear that healing is a sign of living right with God, while lack of healing, or suffering of any kind is a curse or a result of disobedience by a person or their progenitors. There are indications in the New Testament that Jesus was selective in his healing ministry, and that in the presence of the apostles not all people were healed. The Christian “lives between the times” of “the already” and the “not yet”, and thus is still exposed to physical afflictions, including any type of suffering. Prayer for healing must be seen as part of the means of dealing with a variety of manifestations of evil and frailty in human life. The place of suffering in the Bible needs to be brought to bear on the healing ministry.