Eight Steps to Spiritual Healing: (Five and Six)

Fifth Confession: I Can Be Cured

Once a person recognizes that the cure for sin rests in Jesus Christ, and in no one or nothing else, the next step suggests itself. It is time to personalize salvation. This step has a counterpart in the realm of physical healing when a diseased person understands that a cure exists, but it looks too complicated, too expensive, too remote or too risky to undertake. Often, the psychological barriers loom as formidable to people as do the physical or medical procedures. Some people cannot muster the ability to identify with wellness or health. They have been sick for so long, or their problem is so great that they talk themselves out of the cure. They know that others have suc­ceeded, but they cannot, or will not, see themselves in that role.

Good things start to happen the moment a sinner activates faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It compares to the seed which drops into fertile, moist ground. The life in the seed breaks forth, and sends tiny roots into the soil around it. Soon, a tender stem pokes through the ground to be greeted by the warm sun and cool rain. Likewise, faith generates a chain of healing, curative effects. There are many critical events that must follow this new beginning, but nothing happens until one personally proclaims, “I can be cured!”

Consider the following reasons why many people never take this step from recognition to receptivity. These ideas will not allow them to cross the bridge from recognizing that a cure exists to receiving that cure for themselves.

• “God could never love me.”
• “I am worthless.”
• “My sins are too great.”
• “I will just fail again, like everything else I’ve tried.”
• “I’ve tried praying before. It doesn’t work for me.”
• “I have offended God. He won’t listen to me.”

Satan delights in deceiving people with these falsehoods. None of them stand up, however, in the light of the Word of God.

God loves each individual person. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Each person is worth the whole world. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26

No sin is too great for God to forgive. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Romans 5:10

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slander­ers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” I Corinthians 6:9-11

Each person must trust in God who never fails. “No temp­tation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” I Corinthians 10:13

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Romans 7:24-25

When a person prays in faith, believing, God will hear. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”   Luke 18:9-14

God will not hold men in judgment for offending Him when they turn toward Him in meekness and ask to be saved. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received recon­ciliation.” Romans 5:10-11.

Sixth Confession: I Will Accept the Cure

The story of Naaman sheds much light on the sixth step, “I will accept the cure.” Naaman was a commander for the king of Syria. He was great in every regard, except he had leprosy. One day, one of his servant maidens, a Hebrew, told him of the prophet Elisha in Samaria who could heal him of his leprosy. Naaman journeyed to Elisha’s door bearing many precious gifts, and asked for healing. Elisha, in Naaman’s eyes, treated him coarsely. Without bothering to come to the door, Elisha sent word out to Naaman to go and wash himself in the Jordan River.

“Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’ “But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. “‘Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’” So he turned and went off in a rage.”   II Kings 5:10-12.

You can see how Naaman had taken each of the steps to this point. He confessed his sickness; he knew nothing else would work; he knew his disease was terminal; he understood that there was a cure; and he personally confessed that this cure could be his. Now, a huge obstacle rose in front of him. He disdained the procedure by which he was to appropriate the cure. He saw dipping in the Jordan River degrading and insulting.

In his rage, Naaman acted irrationally. He began to compare the rivers back home to the Jordan, as though the healing virtue was in the water itself. He evidently felt that leprosy was better than the preposterous cure Elisha proposed, and was willing to go home a leper with the illusion of honor than to go home cured with real honor. His servants saw through his thinly disguised pride.

“Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” II Kings 5:13

Because of pride and anger, Naaman nearly missed his only chance for healing. He had done everything but accept the actual cure that was offered to him. Regeneration can only begin when the sinner embraces the full cure. The full cure begins in the heart and mind. It must find expression from a person’s mouth.

“(But the righteousness that is by faith says): “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  Romans 10:6-10.

So what did Naaman do? He swallowed his pride and simply did what the prophet told him to do. This step is not be confused with the doctrine of “earning salvation”, or getting saved by works. Nothing Naaman did glorified him or brought accolades to him for mighty feats. He simply obeyed the voice of the prophet.

“So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” II Kings 5:14.

What does Jesus Christ require for salvation today? Naa­man’s experience serves as a model for the proper attitude, but his cure applied only to leprosy. How can we, in our generation, be cleansed from our sin? Jesus had some forceful words that addressed this matter in the New Testament.

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “‘Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.’”  In reply Jesus declared, “‘I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’” ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’” Nicodemus asked. “‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’” Jesus answered, “‘I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.’”   John 3:1-5

Many stop short of this step. They merely stand on the sidelines of the gospel and nod affirmatively. They define faith as only a condition of one’s heart that, when God observes it, He perfunctorily grants salvation. True belief, however, leads to action. Faith and obedience go hand in hand. A person can measure faith by the extent of obedience to the Word of God in his/her life. The faith that saves is the faith that obeys.

“Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revela­tion But now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him.” Romans 16:25-26

When Jesus left this earth, he gave the task of reaching the world and preaching the gospel to His church. He personally selected the group of people who would begin to carry out this gigantic mission. Their inaugural service took place on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on them. This created a great spectacle and attracted a crowd at an opportune time. Jerusalem was filled with Jewish celebrants of the Feast of Pentecost.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4.

When the crowd came running, Peter, the spokesman, stood up and began to preach about Jesus Christ. His stinging words cut deep into the hearts of those who had recently crucified Christ.

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37

Again, Peter seized the moment. His words fulfilled the earlier instructions of Christ to Nicodemus. He explained what it meant to be born of the water and spirit.

“Peter replied, “‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ‘The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” Acts 2:38-41.

This cure was shocking to these Jews. Peter demanded that they admit their crime against Christ and, instead of rejecting Him, he ordered them to be baptized in His name! These instructions were far more insulting and bitter to them than Elisha’s command to Naaman. To accept Christ openly and publicly, meant to affirm all that Christ did and taught. They had vehemently opposed these miracles and doctrines for over three years. Yet, this was their only means to salvation.

In medical practice, a similar scenario unfolds. The diagnos­tic physician lays out a critical situation to a patient. He/she then proceeds to outline several routes to a cure. In especially bad cases, the doctor may recommend radical surgery, amputation or an organ transplant. In oncology, chemotherapy and radiation are often prescribed. With each measure, the risks become greater and the danger of negative side effects increases. Patients often get so frightened at the cure that they elect to do nothing. The disease seems better than the remedy.

At this juncture, many patients go out to seek a second or third opinion. Before submitting to a radical cure, they run the problem by other doctors, hoping that one of them will have more pleasant news for them. The range of answers they receive is limited only by the number of doctors they see. They often become confused by the differing opinions of several medical doctors. Moreover, many people add to their confusion by talking to those in the “twilight zone” of medicine—-adherents of acupuncture, herbal therapies, hypnosis and psychic practitioners.

Spiritually, the victim of sin must embrace the full, scriptural cure for sin. Salvation may appear radical, but it is the only viable remedy. To search for a second opinion only wastes time. Many self-styled healers proclaim every kind of cure imaginable. In the end, however, the serious person who wants to be saved treks back to the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel.