25 Nov Believe and be Sozoed!
It has been many years since Jesus’ disciples went all over the world and preached the Gospel. Many people even today don’t realize that they can accept Christ in their hearts and receive salvation.
Around the year 1825, a young Presbyterian man by the name of Charles Finney received a revelation about salvation and began preaching the Good News to people. He taught them the same message the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans. A great revival began; many people believed the word of God and were saved. However, there were others who did not receive Finney’s revelation and they booted him out of the church!
Thank God that in our day the message of the Gospel is spreading all over the world. But it is sad that not all who accept salvation also believe in healing, although it is the same thing! In the time of Jesus and His disciples, it was as natural to pray for healing as it was to pray for salvation. People believed and were healed!
Mark 2:1-12 is a story of a paralytic man who was healed by Jesus. It is written that when Jesus saw the faith of the people who brought the paralytic man to Him, He said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” However, the story does not end there, and in verses 6 and 7 it says, “But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why does this man speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” The Pharisees were furious; they could not believe what Jesus said. “What nonsense!” they thought. “Who does he think he is to be able to forgive sins?”
Many Christians today behave like those Pharisees, saying, “Praying for healing? What nonsense!” Jesus responded to the unbelieving Pharisees: “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins… He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home” (Mark 2:8-11). Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic man and healed him at the same time!
Jesus paid the huge price for our sins, and because of that, relationships between God and people were restored! Now, neither death, nor sin, nor sickness can ever separate you from God.
Jesus took all our sins! He took all our sicknesses on His own body!