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     ³ Is it the birthright of the child of God to claim physical ³
     ³ healing for every illness?                                 ³
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     Does the Christian have the right to claim physical healing in the
same way he does salvation?
     I have often heard Exodus 15:26 quoted by people who believe that
God's plan is for every Christian to be well.  The verse reads:

     If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do
     what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and
     keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you
     which I have brought on the Egyptians.  For I am the Lord who
     heals you (Exodus 15:26).

     I suggest to you that this covenant of healing was made exclusively
with Israel.  They were God's earthly people, and to them were promised
earthly and temporal blessings.  If Israel obeyed God's commandments,
they could claim this covenant of healing.  Those who are Christ's
belong to the church, God's heavenly people.  We are blessed "with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3).
But while we live on this earth, we are subject to the ills that plague
the human race.
     Certainly, in answer to prayer in the will of God, by the use of
God-given remedies and gifted physicians, or by wise adherence to the
laws of change and rest, the believer may experience healing.  But there
are times when God does not choose to heal His children.  They remain in
bodily weakness, even though all sin has been confessed and believing
prayer has been offered.
     We therefore must conclude from the record of Scripture and the
personal experience of godly saints that the sovereign will of God is
involved in the healing of His people.
     Far greater than any bodily infirmity is the sickness of the soul
caused by sin.  If you have never trusted the One who paid for your
sins, you are afflicted today with the malady of sin.  Acknowledge today
your lost condition without Christ.  Trust the Savior.  He will bring
forgiveness, cleansing, and eternal life to you.

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"Pass It On--Is God Obligated to Make Us Well?" by Paul Van Gorder.
Copyright 1989 Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Used by Permission.
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