From: gerald <gerald@evestamail.com>

Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 16:21:29

To: WalterMartin@mail.serve.com

Subject: Re:WM: Trials and tribulations 2

"Castillo, Jaime W." wrote:

>Again, I am not arguing against healing as a promise of God, for it is. But sometimes physical healing does not occur. To the faithful however, spiritual healing and blessing does occur in unhealed illness--which is what MATTERS TO GOD. We have to make sure that we get the right message across to the suffering Christian. So far, I am still troubled about Gerald's exposition on WOF quotes, because it seems like the WOF teachers do not mention with same emphasis the other part of the equation: that God in His sovereign plan MAY NOT CHOOSE to physically heal or materially prosper a Christian. And that may not be due to that Christian's lack of faith or presence of sins, but according to God's will and wisdom to build that Christian's faith and sanctification. Paul has shown that to us with his thorn in the flesh, how he relied more on God's grace for his weakness. And there is no documentation that he ever got healed. And we have countless testimonies like his through the centuries.

Gerald writes:

Well said. As far as I am concerned you hit the nail on the head. I would not have much problem with the WOF teachers if they also mentioned that due to God's sovereign will that He may not heal you, or provide every financial need you ask and confess in faith. In all of the material I have read they have NEVER done this. As another example here is a quote by Gloria Copeland who is responding to a woman who has been "...standing for my healing for a long time, but it has not come.":

"GOD NEVER HOLDS OUT ON us. When we fail to receive something He’s promised, we can always be assured that the problem lies with us and not with Him. God’s will is that all men be healed—and that includes you! Jesus purchased your healing at the same time He purchased your redemption from sin (Isaiah 53: 4-5). So health is just as available to you as salvation is. There are however several things that might be preventing you from receiving it." (June 1998 Believer’s Voice of Victory, pg 22)(bold & underline added for emphasis)

Mrs. Copeland goes on to say that four things may be the problem: (1) Failing to walk in love, (2) Unbelief, (3) Sin, and (4) Unforgiveness.

At the end of the article Mrs. Copeland adds:

What happens if someone addresses all of the above areas, and they are still not healed? This kind of teaching can damage and destroy people’s lives. Instead of freeing people with regard to sickness and disease it puts them into bondage if healing is not manifested.

Healing did not come for Doyle Harrison, John Osteen, Jamie Buckingham, and others.