How Does the Bible Authorize the Gift of Healing?
Many people wonder how the Bible authorizes the gift of healing. Jesus himself healed many people, and the Bible identifies the gift of healing as one of the spiritual gifts. Jesus stated that the gift of healing supersedes the restrictions of the Sabbath and results in God being glorified. Some people speculate that the Japanese art of Reiki is the gift of healing that is referenced in the Bible.
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Identification
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The Bible identifies the gift of healing as one of the spiritual gifts in I Corinthians 12. In I Corinthians 12:4, the Bible says there are many kinds of spiritual gifts. In verse 7, "gifts of healing" is identified as one of those spiritual gifts. In verse 28, the Bible lists the spiritual gifts again, presumably in the order of "greater" to "lesser." The gift of healing falls in the middle of the list.
Considerations
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In John 14:12, the Bible records Jesus saying, "anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing." One of the things that Jesus did repeatedly was heal others. He would lay his hands upon those in need (whether with a physical or emotional infirmity), and he would heal them (Luke 4:40). Jesus expects us to do the same. Jesus even said that we would do greater things than he did (John 14:12).
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Significance
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According to the Bible, the gift of healing supercedes the importance of keeping the Sabbath, which is one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8). The Pharisees tried to accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath by healing others on that day. Jesus pointed out that, if it was permissible to circumcise on the Sabbath, it was certainly acceptable to heal another person on the Sabbath (John 7:23). Therefore, the Bible not only authorizes the gift of healing but ranks it in importance higher than keeping one of the Ten Commandments.
Effects
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The Bible authorizes the gift of healing so that God may be glorified. In John 9, the Bible shares the account of Jesus healing a man who was born blind. Jesus' disciples ask if it was the man or his parents who sinned, resulting in the man's blindness. In verse 3, Jesus said the man had been born blind so that "the work of God might be displayed in his life." The Bible authorizes the gift of healing so that God may be glorified.
Theories/Speculation
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Some people speculate that Reiki is the "gift of healing" mentioned in the Bible. Reiki is a technique that was developed in Japan to channel life energy into others. The Reiki master places his hands on or near another living being (human, animal or plant), and the one receiving Reiki experiences a surge of healing energy. Many speculate the Jesus' "laying on of hands" was actually Reiki.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Faith Allen
