The Bible Echo, vol. 15
September 17, 1900
“The Healing of Disease” The Bible Echo 15, 38, pp. 603, 604.
THERE are to-day presented to the public many means of healing. Besides the dreadful drug medications, there are pretended faith healings, magnetic beatings, hypnotism, Christian science healings, etc., etc. BEST September 17, 1900, page 603.1
There are thousands of persons to-day who have diseases, and who so long to get rid of them that they will willingly apply anything that gives them the promise of doing away with the disease, without asking any questions as to any consequences. The only question with them is, How can I get rid of this, and in the quickest way? There are thousands of persons who are diseased,—persons who have brought disease upon themselves, and who are keeping disease upon themselves, by their wrong methods of living; and who will adopt, and give themselves up to, anything that will relieve them of the suffering, rather than to set anything else than that they will fall under the deceptive power of the enemy, who, by curing, or apparently curing, their bodies, gets a hold upon both soul and body that nothing but the power of God Himself can break. Then why not have God to deliver them at the first?—Simply because the way of the Lord is not the thing of supreme importance with them. BEST September 17, 1900, page 603.2
And when you do go to God to be healed of disease, do not ask nor expect Him to take away the disease while you continue the cause of that disease. Bear in mind for ever that disease does not come without cause. Diseases have their causes: every one of them has its causes. Seek for the cause, and conscientiously correct that, and God will invariably co-operate with you. BEST September 17, 1900, page 603.3
To ask the Lord to heal you of disease while you are continuing the cause, is only to ask the Lord to set Himself against Himself, and work contrary to His own eternal laws and established principles: and all for your sake. For if a person is not willing to put away the cause of the disease,—yea, if a person is not willing to seek diligently and study faithfully to find out the cause, that be may honestly and decidedly put it away,—then it is plain that his own pleasure, and not the glory of God, is his chief aim in asking the Lord to heal him. And it is plain that in asking the Lord to do so, he does it, not for the Lord’s sake, but for his own sake. BEST September 17, 1900, page 603.4
It is a perfectly safe proposition that when a person has done all in his power to search out and put away the causes of his disease, and it should be found after all that the cause is beyond all human effort to remove, then if the one sole aim of his healing is the glory of God and the keeping of the commandments of God, he may with perfect confidence and full assurance of faith, ask the Lord to heal him. BEST September 17, 1900, page 603.5
And in your searching, remember that sin Is the first of all causes of disease; for if there had never been any sin, there never could have been any disease. Accordingly in the Bible, forgiveness of sin is connected with the healing of disease. “Bless the Lord, O my soul ... who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases.” “The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” “That ye may know that the Son of man bath power upon earth to forgive sins (He saith unto the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.” BEST September 17, 1900, page 603.6
Therefore as sin is the first of all causes of disease, all plans or means of getting rid of disease utterly miss the mark if they do not take into consideration the getting rid of sin; and the getting rid of sin as the principal thing. BEST September 17, 1900, page 604.1
For as sin is the very foundation of all the causes of disease, surely there can be complete deliverance from disease only in complete deliverance from sin. Therefore it is written of those who shall inhabit that glorious land, “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick;” and why?—Because “the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” Isaiah 33:24. BEST September 17, 1900, page 604.2
Again: as sin is the first of all the causes of disease, the getting rid of sin must be the chief thing in putting away the causes of disease. And as sin is the transgression of the law of God,—the ten commandments,—the putting away of sin as the chief of all things in putting away the causes of disease, inevitably brings every soul face to face with the keeping of the commandments as the chief of all things to be had in view in all efforts made to get rid of disease. Accordingly all efforts made to be rid of disease must be made in conformity with the commandments of God. And loyalty to the commandments of God will utterly discountenance and repudiate everything—miracles and all—that is offered as a means of getting rid of disease, if in any way it draws away from the keeping of the commandments of God. BEST September 17, 1900, page 604.3
A. T. JONES.