Empty Words

Why is it that many Christians seem to think that the circumstances of their lives are always going to change for the better because that is how God wants it to be? There is nothing in the Bible that promises Christians health, wealth, restored relationships or anything we deem to be of worldly gain and a blessing of the flesh. The reason this type of theology prospers is because it appeals to the flesh. Everybody on this planet wants their flesh blessed to one degree or another and what better excuse to get that supposed blessing than to act as though God wants it to happen. Case in point are the following comments by a Christian:

"We are claiming a financial blessing for you right now in the name of Jesus. I pray not only will God make a way for you to meet every financial obligation." (sic)

"God Wants To Heal You Everywhere You Hurt!"

"That's right... claim your healing & walk in victory!"

All of this sounds good and appeals to the flesh, but it is nothing more than empty words, a Christianized version of positive thinking. The assumption behind it all is that God has promised all believers an easy, prosperous life if they just believe it will happen. Therefore, they keep praying and praying and praying for fleshly blessings and end up being mislead into believing an emotional experience is somehow an act of God. Individuals play scriptural hopscotch to "validate" their beliefs and offer anecdotal evidence as proof that God has indeed blessed them or others. Some of the scriptures they misuse are as follows:

"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

This is one of the most widely used, and abused, passages of scripture used by Christians to justify calls for "revival" or as evidence that God will bless them if they would just pray to Him for His blessing. However, this passage of scripture was God speaking to Solomon about what He would do for the nation of Israel if they, not Christians, turned from their wicked ways after Solomon built the Temple. In verse 13 God talks about preventing it from raining, sending locusts to devour the land or striking the Jews with a plague for their disobedience. What does this have to do with anything Christian? This has everything to do with the power of God and the disobedience of the Jewish nation. Besides, Christians never seem to think about the penalties for disobedience. They think that being divorced, unemployed, broke or sick is God's punishment when the verse they quote is in the midst of God talking about something a bit more universal. Don't they know that God has already blessed us, forgiven us and that there is no condemnation for those of us in Christ Jesus? Furthermore, the temple of God is the body of each individual believer not a building constructed by the hands of man. After all it was the Apostle Paul who said God "does not live in temples built by hands (Acts 17:24)."

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Here is another passage of scripture taken out of context to give the false impression that because of Jesus' death on the cross Christians are promised physical healing. Yes, Jesus did perform miraculous healings during His earthly ministry, but they were done to establish His claim of deity and as the Messiah, not to establish some future right of all Christians to be healed of their physical ailments. The passage in Isaiah is a prophecy of the punishment Jesus took for our sins and that we would be healed of our spiritual death not of our physical infirmities. To misunderstand this passage is evidence of a greater problem within the Church. That problem is not knowing the Gospel and what it was Jesus came to accomplish. Mankind's condition is that we are born into this world spiritual dead to God in our sins and in need of His life. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus paid the debt we owed God for our sins for all eternity so that, raised from the dead, God could offer His life to us as a free gift. The "stripes" is the suffering Jesus endured to pay for our sins. The healing we receive is spiritual life, the restoration of the life of God, once lost in Adam, given back to us for all eternity. The physical healing Christians desire in this life will ultimately be experienced when we enter into eternity and rid ourselves of these fallen, sin ridden bodies.

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Here is another passage taken to mean that God will physically heal us. However, what James is mentioning here is for two believers who have been separated because of the sin of one of them to admit their sin so that forgiveness and restoration will take place. This is consistent with the forgiveness we have received in Christ. God has forgiven us of all our sins and because our sins no longer separate us from God we should not allow our sins to separate us from each other. In both Ephesians and Colossians we see this truth mentioned. Ephesians 4:32 says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." In Colossians 3:13 it reads, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." We forgive because we have been forgiven. We cannot begin to understand how to forgive others until we recognize how much we have already been forgiven in Christ. How can we hold the sins of others against them when God doesn't hold our sins against us? We have been reconciled to God. Therefore, we should be reconciled to each other. That is the healing God wants us to experience.

If you cut your finger and it heals, praise God. If you're sick in bed with a cold or flu and get well, praise God. If the X-ray suddenly becomes clear, praise God. All physical healing is a blessing from God, but it is not promised to any of us, nor should we expect it. If we are healed then we can take what time we have been given by God to continue our work of being a witness for Jesus Christ. If what ails us never fully heals or leads to our passing, we can rest assured that we will experience the ultimate healing in eternity. Paul had a thorn in his flesh that God did not remove. What did he say God's response was? "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)." That should always be our response when faced with the problems of this life. God has already given us everything we need for life and godliness and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. So, if you are anticipating more from God when He has already given you everything, it is fair to assume that you are expecting something from God He didn't promise to give you. May God continue to reveal to you the blessings you already have in Christ.