Misconceptions Concerning Sickness By Daniel Yohanna

Due to lack of proper and accurate biblical understanding, some people justify the presence of sickness in the lives of believers as a norm. When God brought out the children of Israel out of Egypt, He pledged Himself to be their Healer.

Exodus 15:26

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

He was faithful to His promise, as it was recorded in Psa. 105:37. Out of over 2 million people who came out, for  40-year period, no one of them was sick.

Psalm 105:37

He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

If they had such experience in the Old Covenant, how much more should we, under a New Covenant, which is a better covenant, established upon better promises (Heb. 8:6), expect such a blessing!

Here are a few misconceptions people have concerning sickness.

1)            Sickness is the will of God

                There is no way sickness can ever be the will of God. If it was His will, why would He lay our diseases on Jesus? If sickness was the will of God, why did Jesus heal all that were sick? Jesus said He came to do the will of the One that sent Him (Jn. 6:38). Part of what He did was healing the sick. That must have been the will of God.

2)            God made some people sick (Jn 9:1-4)

People hold this notion because they don't understand scripture. They read the account of the man born blind in John 9, and they run off with some half-baked truth. Let's see it together.

JOHN 9:1-4

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

This is one of the areas that amaze me why the disciples would ask a question that sounds so stupid. “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? A man that was born blind, when could he have sinned? In his mother's tummy?

Then the difficulty in understanding this scripture comes from the punctuation in verse 3, making it look like he was born blind so the works of God should be manifested in him.

You need to understand that the original manuscript of the Bible was not written in Chapter and verses like we have it today, neither was it punctuated.

Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury, is believed to be the first person to divide the Bible into defined chapters.

Robert Estienne, also known as Robert Stephens, was a 16^th century printer in Paris. He divided the N.T. into verses, and was the first to print the Bible divided into standard numbered verses is 1555.

This helps us in referring to portions of Scripture with ease. But you'll find that Moffat's translation does not always adhere to this chapterization.
Benny Hinn said this Scripture should read this way, and I agree with him:

[3] Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, [4] I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

In all of scripture, God's work has been that of healing people and not making them sick. Out of their disobedience they could open themselves up for the enemy to afflict them, but the sickness never comes from God.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

3)            God is glorified through sickness

Again, people misunderstand scriptural truths when they think sickness glorifies God. Look at one of their sources of misunderstanding.

JOHN 11:1-4, 40

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God…” Yes, the final outcome would not be death but God would be glorified. Wasn't that what happened? The 40th verse of that chapter talked of Martha seeing the glory of God by believing. What glory? The glory of resurrection! The glory of healing! That was where the glory was, in the healing and resurrection and not the sickness or death. He had to be healed, because if he wasn't, after being raised back to life, the disease would kill him again. You say, “But Peter's death glorified God!” Yes, because he offered himself as a martyr (Jn. 21:18-19).

4)            Paul's thorn was sickness

People try justifying sickness by referring to Paul's thorn as sickness. I wonder why you would defend your right to being sick as if it's a good thing. Let's look at scripture again.

2CORINTHIANS 12:7

 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

It is clearly written here: the thorn in the flesh was a messenger (Gk: Aggelos = Angel) of satan. He was to buffet Paul so he would remain humble. This messenger was a satanic agent always causing trouble in Paul's Ministry. That would force him to depend absolutely on God's grace, no wonder God's reply to him:

9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Cor. 12:9-10).

In Numbers 33:55, God used a similar expression when he warned his children against fraternizing with the Canaanites, as they would become “irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.”

5)            God puts sickness on people to teach them a lesson

How ironic could people be? Is it not more of an oxymoron for people to claim God is trying to teach them a lesson through their sickness, and yet are undergoing medical treatment? If you believe God is trying to teach you something, why don't you pray for a greater lesson? Why do you consult Medical Practitioners? Are you trying to unlearn what God, as you may claim, is trying to teach you?

While it's true you may learn something through your experience, yet it is not God teaching you through this means. You have the Word; you have the Holy Spirit to teach you.

6)            The age of Miracles is Past

Some would aver that signs and wonders ceased after the days of the Apostles. Has God changed? Didn't the Bible say that “These signs shall follow those that believe?” (Mk. 16:17). Some would warn you that the Bible says in the last days, many fake miracle workers would arise. That is true. But do you realize that the reason you have a fake thing is because the genuine exists. You have fake Pastors because there are genuine Pastors. You have fake churches because genuine ones exist. You can never find a fake 80 Naira note because the genuine does not exist. But that there are fake Naira notes does not mean you won' collect your salary at the end of the month for fear of fake currency? No. You would look carefully before you accept. In the same vein, try the spirits to see whether they are of God (1Jn. 4:1).

7)            Sickness is the Cross you Have to Carry

I've heard someone say, “Well, this sickness may be the cross I have to bear.” When the Bible said you should deny yourself, take up your cross, it wasn't referring to some sickness. God was saying you have to live a crucified life. You have to die to self. It's not talking about you suffering sickness or hunger and lack.  Yes, a Christian would suffer persecution on account of their faith. We're not told to carry sickness as a cross. Jesus Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Mt. 8:17). We have nothing to carry in this sense.

8)            Sickness is used by God to keep us Humble

                Just like the one that says God is trying to teach them lessons through sickness, can you sincerely pray and ask God to intensify the sickness so you can be more humble? If you believe God is trying to keep you humble, then it's a sign of having a proud and an arrogant disposition by praying for a relief of your pain or seeking medical assistance.                                                                                                                                                                      

9)            Something Must Kill you

Some people cannot accept the fact that you are supposed to leave this world peacefully and well prepared. As far as they are concerned, it's an exception and not the rule. They believe if you do not die by accident, you should die by sickness, or some other calamity or natural disaster. I will simply answer such people by making reference to the Patriarchs - the Fathers of Faith - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. How did they die? They called their children, blessed them in advance, and in some cases, they even said 'goodbye' and took off. None of the Fathers died through sickness, and neither should you. Remember, we are called to live supernaturally; so natural disasters don't have to have a place in our lives.

10)          I am a modern  day Job

                Someone once told me this. She said she was the modern  day Job because of her afflictions and pain. “After all,” she reasoned, “the Bible told us in James 5:11 to follow after their example of patience.” But what you fail to realize is that if you are a modern-day Job, you should expect to be healed, because Job did not die sick. He trusted God for his healing (Job 19:25-27). The Lord turned his captivity  (Job 42:10).

11)          Sickness is Part of Life

                Some erroneously believe that sickness should be our normal experience while we are on this side of life. They feel that when we get to heaven, then we have “victory at last!” But Scripture teaches us that we have victory now (1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14). Sickness cannot be part of life. Health is part of life. How can something that carries death in it be part of life? Is it possible for darkness be part of light? We that are born again have the life of God  eternal life  in us. In the Greek it is called Zoë, pronounced zowe. It frees us from the forces of death.

[Excerpts from the book, “RECEIVE YOUR MIRACLE,” by Daniel Yohanna (Verity Books, 2008)]