The Bible Speaks to You December 3, 1966 Issue

[The above is an abbreviated, postproduction text of the program released for broadcast the week of November 25—December 1 in the radio series, "The Bible Speaks to You." Heard internationally over approximately 1,000 stations, the weekly programs are prepared and produced by the Christian Science Committee on Publication, 107 Falmouth Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.]

RADIO PROGRAM NO. 243 - What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Healing?

Announcer: In recent years churchmen of many different faiths are taking a more active interest in spiritual healing, that is, healing through prayer. Regular healing services are being held in a number of traditional churches.
Questioner: Jesus and his disciples healed people through prayer. But that was in ancient times when very little was known about disease and the human body. What is the purpose of spiritual healing in today's world?

Speaker: I'd say the purpose can be summed up in one word— wholeness: wholeness of mind, soul, and body. Spiritual healing recognizes God as the source of wholeness. And in an age when life seems to be fragmented into so many segments—business, social, and economic—and health seems to be physical, mental, and spiritual. Christian healing is awakening men to their continuing God-given completeness, the unity of their being in the likeness of God.

This wholeness is emphasized in the healing ministry of Christ Jesus. He did much more than heal men of physical ills alone. He transformed their lives. At one time when he healed a man, he said to him first (John 5:6), "Wilt thou be made whole?" And then he said to him (verse 14), "Sin no more." Now, this indicates the relation of spiritualization of thought to health. It also shows the importance of wholeness, or holiness, which, incidentally, are words that have a similar root meaning.
Questioner: But I have always thought that the cure of specific ailments and relief from pain were the main concerns of spiritual healing.
Speaker: No, spiritual healing never concerns itself merely with making the individual more comfortable or healthy. Its purpose is wholeness, which is brought about through a spiritual transformation of thought; in other words, transformation of thought from that which is based entirely upon a material outlook upon life to that which is based upon the spiritual facts of man's true, God-given relationship to his Maker.