Restoration of physical, emotional, and spiritual wholeness by God's power.
1. The Biblical Definition of Healing
Biblical healing is more than the removal of symptoms; it is God’s restorative action bringing a person back into alignment with His original intention—spirit, soul, and body.
Key Biblical Terms
Hebrew (Old Testament)
רָפָא (rapha) – “to heal, to make whole, to restore.”
Used of physical healing (Exodus 15:26), emotional/spiritual restoration (Psalm 147:3), and national restoration (2 Chronicles 7:14).
שָׁלוֹם (shalom) – often translated “peace,” but includes wholeness, completeness, welfare, health (Isaiah 53:5; Numbers 6:24–26).
Greek (New Testament)
ἰάομαι (iaomai) – “to heal, cure, make whole” (Luke 5:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
θεραπεύω (therapeuō) – “to serve, to care for, to heal” (Matthew 4:23; 12:15).
σῴζω (sōzō) – “to save, deliver, make whole” (Mark 5:23; James 5:15). Often used for both salvation and healing, showing that healing is part of God’s saving work.
Biblically, healing is:
Physical – bodies restored (Matthew 8:16–17).
Emotional/Psychological – broken hearts healed (Psalm 147:3; Luke 4:18).
Spiritual – deliverance from sin and demonic oppression (Psalm 103:3; Acts 10:38).
Healing is therefore not a side issue, but a manifestation of God’s covenant love and saving power.
2. Old Testament Foundation
God reveals Himself early in Scripture as a healing God and ties healing to His covenant relationship with His people.
a) God’s Covenant Name: Yahweh-Rapha
“I am the LORD who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)
After delivering Israel from Egypt, God makes a conditional promise: if they obey His voice and keep His statutes, He will protect them from the diseases of Egypt. Here He reveals His name: YHWH Rapha – “the LORD your Healer.” Healing is not just something God does; it is part of who He is.
b) Healing in the Law and Covenant Blessings
Deuteronomy 7:15 – God promises to take away sickness from Israel as part of covenant blessing.
Deuteronomy 28 – Sickness is listed among the curses of disobedience (vv. 21–22, 27–28, 59–61). This shows sickness is not God’s ideal; it entered through the fall and is associated with curse, not blessing.
c) Healing in the Psalms and Wisdom Literature
Psalm 103:2–3 – “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.” Forgiveness and healing are placed side by side.
Psalm 107:20 – “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” God’s Word is a healing agent.
Proverbs 4:20–22 – God’s words are “life to those who find them, and health [Hebrew: marpe, healing, medicine] to all their flesh.”
d) Healing in the Prophets
Isaiah 53:4–5 – The great Messianic prophecy:
“Surely He has borne our griefs [Hebrew: cholî, sicknesses] and carried our sorrows [Hebrew: mak’ov, pains]… by His stripes we are healed.”
Matthew 8:16–17 explicitly applies this to Jesus’ physical healing ministry.
Jeremiah 30:17 – “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds.”
Malachi 4:2 – The “Sun of Righteousness” will arise “with healing in His wings,” pointing forward to Christ.
From Genesis to Malachi, healing is consistently presented as:
Flowing from God’s character.
Connected to covenant.
Linked with forgiveness, restoration, and peace.
3. The Fulfillment in Christ
Jesus is the perfect revelation of the Father’s will (Hebrews 1:1–3; John 14:9). If we want to know God’s attitude toward sickness, we look at Jesus.
a) Jesus’ Ministry: Healing as Central, Not Peripheral
Matthew 4:23 – “Jesus went about… healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.”
Matthew 9:35 – Again, He is described as teaching, preaching, and healing “every sickness and every disease.”
Acts 10:38 – “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.”
Healing was not an occasional miracle; it was a continuous stream in His ministry.
b) Healing as Fulfillment of Prophecy
Matthew 8:16–17 – After Jesus healed many, Matthew writes:
“He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
This directly connects Isaiah 53 with physical healing in Jesus’ earthly ministry.
c) Healing and the Atonement
Isaiah 53:4–5 and 1 Peter 2:24 show that Christ bore both our sins and our sicknesses.
1 Peter 2:24: “by whose stripes you were healed.” Peter, looking back at the Cross, uses the past tense. The provision has been made; we now receive what Christ has already purchased.
While the full removal of all sickness awaits the resurrection (Romans 8:23), the atonement provides a legal basis for healing in this age. Healing is part of the “down payment” of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13–14; Hebrews 6:5).
d) Jesus’ Compassion and Authority
Matthew 14:14 – “He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
Mark 1:41 – To the leper, “Then Jesus, moved with compassion… said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’”
Jesus never once refused healing to someone who came to Him in faith. He corrected unbelief, but He never said, “It is not My will to heal you.” His consistent pattern reveals the Father’s heart.
4. The Power for Today: The Holy Spirit and Healing
This is where many believers struggle: Is healing still for today? Scripture answers with a resounding yes.
a) The Great Commission Includes Healing
Mark 16:17–18 – “These signs will follow those who believe… they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Note: “those who believe,” not just apostles or special ministers.
Matthew 28:18–20 – Jesus commissions His disciples to teach all nations “to observe all things that I have commanded you.” What did He command them? Among other things: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8).
If the Church is to teach all nations to obey all that Jesus commanded the first disciples, then healing ministry continues until the end of the age.
b) The Holy Spirit: The Agent of Healing Power
Acts 1:8 – “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
1 Corinthians 12:7–9 – The Spirit manifests “gifts of healings” and “workings of miracles.”
Romans 8:11 – The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and gives life to our mortal bodies.
The Holy Spirit is the One who:
Reveals God’s will to heal through the Word.
Empowers believers to minister healing.
Quickens the physical body.
Gives gifts of healings as He wills.
c) Authority of the Believer
Jesus delegated His authority to His followers:
Luke 9:1–2 – He gave the Twelve “power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases… to heal the sick.”
Luke 10:19 – To the seventy: “I give you the authority… over all the power of the enemy.”
John 14:12 – “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.”
Authority is not the same as power. Power is the ability; authority is the legal right to use that power. In Christ, we have both:
Ephesians 2:6 – We are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:19–23 – The same power that raised Christ is at work in us; Christ is head over all things for the Church.
d) Faith and Expectation
Healing is received by faith in God’s promises and character:
Hebrews 11:6 – We must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Mark 11:24 – “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
James 5:15 – “The prayer of faith will save [sōzō] the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
Faith is not presumption; it is confidence in God’s revealed will. The Word shows us that healing is part of God’s redemptive provision, so we are invited to expect Him to move.
e) Not Everyone Healed Yet – But the Provision Stands
We must acknowledge: not every believer we pray for is healed in this life. Reasons may include:
Lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).
Unbelief or double-mindedness (James 1:6–7).
Unconfessed sin or bitterness (James 5:16; Mark 11:25).
Spiritual warfare and delay (Daniel 10:12–13, principle).
God’s sovereign purposes we do not fully grasp.
However, we must never build a theology of unbelief around our disappointments. We build our faith on the Word, not on our experiences. Our assignment is to believe, obey, and minister in faith; the results belong to God.
5. Practical Application: Walking in Healing and Ministering It
Here are concrete steps for a believer to walk in this truth.
Step 1: Renew Your Mind with the Word
Study key healing Scriptures (see section 6).
Meditate on them daily (Joshua 1:8; Proverbs 4:20–22).
Replace traditional or experiential unbelief (“Maybe God wants me sick”) with biblical truth (“He is the LORD who heals you”).
Practical action: Write out 10–15 healing promises and speak them aloud daily, personalizing them.
Step 2: Deal with Hindrances in Your Heart
Repent of known sin (1 John 1:9).
Forgive others from the heart (Mark 11:25; Matthew 18:21–35). Bitterness can open the door to torment and hinder healing.
Renounce lies such as “God made me sick to teach me a lesson.” God can use trials, but sickness itself is an enemy Christ came to destroy (1 John 3:8; Acts 10:38).
Practical action: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any unforgiveness, resentment, or hidden sin. Confess and release it before God.
Step 3: Receive Healing by Faith
Come to God on the basis of Christ’s finished work (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4–5).
Ask specifically for healing (Mark 10:51).
Believe that you receive when you pray (Mark 11:24), even if symptoms remain. Faith often precedes manifestation.
You may pray something like:
“Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that Jesus bore my sickness and carried my pains. I receive Your healing power into my body right now. Body, be healed in Jesus’ name. Pain, go. Infirmity, leave. I align myself with Your Word. Amen.”
Then begin to act in line with your faith as you are able (Mark 3:5; John 5:8–9), without presumption or recklessness.
Step 4: Seek the Elders and the Body of Christ
God has ordained corporate means of healing:
James 5:14–16 – Call for the elders, be anointed with oil, receive the prayer of faith, and confess sins.
1 Corinthians 12:9–10, 28–30 – Some are specially gifted with “gifts of healings.”
Practical action: Humbly ask mature believers and church leaders to pray for you, lay hands on you (Mark 16:18), and anoint you with oil.
Step 5: Minister Healing to Others
Healing is not only for you to receive but also for you to give in Jesus’ name.
Start with simple obedience:
Offer to pray for sick friends, family, and fellow believers.
Lay hands on the sick (where appropriate) and command the sickness to leave in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:6; Mark 16:18).
Depend on the Holy Spirit:
Ask Him for words of knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:8) and gifts of healings.
Stay humble; give all glory to God (Acts 3:12–16).
Practical pattern of prayer:
Ask briefly what the problem is.
Lay hands (if appropriate) and pray in Jesus’ name, speaking directly to the condition: “In the name of Jesus, I command this [condition] to go. Be healed.”
Ask them to test their body.
Give thanks to God, whether the manifestation is partial, complete, or not yet visible.
As you step out consistently, you will grow in faith and sensitivity to the Spirit.
6. Key Scriptures on Healing (With Brief Commentary)
Exodus 15:26 –
“I am the LORD who heals you.”
Foundation text. God reveals His covenant name as Healer. Healing flows from who He is, not just what He does.
Psalm 103:2–3 –
“Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.”
Forgiveness and healing are presented together as benefits of God’s covenant mercy. To accept one and deny the other is to divide what God has joined.
Isaiah 53:4–5 (cf. Matthew 8:16–17) –
“Surely He has borne our griefs [sicknesses] and carried our sorrows [pains]… by His stripes we are healed.”
The Messiah bears both sin and sickness. Matthew confirms this applies to Jesus’ physical healing ministry. The Cross is the legal basis for healing.
Acts 10:38 –
“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.”
Sickness is here associated with satanic oppression. Jesus’ healing ministry is an expression of the anointing and goodness of God.
Mark 16:17–18 –
“These signs will follow those who believe… they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Healing is part of the normal Christian life, a sign accompanying believers as they preach the gospel.
James 5:14–16 –
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church… the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
A clear New Testament instruction for the Church age. Healing is expected as a result of the prayer of faith and confession of sin.
1 Peter 2:24 –
“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree… by whose stripes you were healed.”
Peter, writing after the Cross, declares healing as an accomplished provision. We “were healed” at the Cross; we now receive it by faith.
Conclusion
Healing is not a fringe doctrine; it is woven into the fabric of God’s revelation from Genesis to Revelation. The God who revealed Himself as Yahweh-Rapha in the Old Testament fully manifested His healing heart in Jesus Christ, and now continues His work through the Holy Spirit in the Church.
The Cross provides the legal basis.
The Holy Spirit provides the power.
The Word provides the promise.
Faith provides the hand that receives.
The Church provides the context for mutual ministry.
You are not merely a spectator. In Christ, you are both a recipient and a channel of God’s healing power. Align your mind with the Word, open your heart to the Spirit, and step out in obedient faith. As you do, you will see that Jesus Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8)—still saving, still healing, still making people whole.