Article May 18, 1912 Issue

The belief that divine power is sufficient to destroy sin...

William S. Campbell

Washington (D. C.) Post

The belief that divine power is sufficient to destroy sin but is not sufficient to destroy sickness is not borne out by the Scriptures. When the man sick of the palsy was brought to Jesus he received these words of encouragement: "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." Then followed the complete restoration to health, so that when he the told, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house," he immediately did so. On another occasion, after healing a woman of what would probably today be called rheumatism, Jesus defended his action by saying to his critics that Satan had bound her, which was another way of saying that sin was the cause of her trouble, and the result proved that he had destroyed both the cause and the effect.

That sin was recognized as the cause of diseases in New Testament times is apparent from the question of the disciples, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" The reply, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents," indicates that disease is not necessarily due to the sins of the individual, but it does not invalidate the statement that in a general way sin is the cause of disease. The relationship between holiness, wholeness, and health is illustrated in the account given by John of the healing of the impotent man. "Wilt thou be made whole?" was the question. "And immediately the man was made whole," is the statement that follows. Then the record states, "Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."

Paul, in his letter to the church at Rome, used the word holy in this sense. He advised those to whom his letter was written to present their bodies "holy"—that is, whole, or healthy. He followed this advice with the admonition, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." The members of the church to which this letter was sent no doubt understood that by mental means it was a practical thing to have their bodies transformed into whole or healthy ones, and thus to prove that health is a part of the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It is a fact, substantianted by history, that healing was a part of the work of the early church.

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