Why don’t some get healed?

Introduction

I’d like to offer some insight into answering the question of why some people don’t get healed when we pray for them. Obviously, we can throw answers at this question for weeks without coming to a sensible conclusion that we all agree on.

Common Answer in Christian Circles

Probably the most commonly passed-around answer, at least within my Christian circles, is the story of Matthew 17 about the demonized boy, which suggests that the problem is unbelief, and with the guidance of prayer and fasting, there shall be an increase in results. But this is such a limited answer because it's only derived from one story, while we have 66 books contained in a library of God's nature, abilities, plans, and works known as the Bible.

A Broader Perspective

So I wanted to offer you something that I feel God has revealed to me that has really impacted my understanding of why sometimes things don't pan out the way we think they should. So many Christians take the finished work of the cross way too far. I used the words "the finished work of the cross," not "the finished work of Christ," because they are two separate things.

Clarifying the Finished Work

I hear many people say "the finished work of Christ" when they are referring to the cross. The cross was not and is not the finished work of Christ. It is usually those within the identity genre, word of faith, victorious eschatology, or those who lean toward dominionism who make this mistake. I truly love many of the expressions of these movements I listed above, by the way, especially the identity movement, which I have a very fond relationship with. 🙂 But I also have strong disagreements with many aspects of them. With all ideologies, as humans, we always make mistakes and always have errors. None of us have everything right.

The True Finished Work of Christ

We actually do not find "the finished work of Christ" until the last events at the end of the age in the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation.

Biblical Reference

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “IT IS DONE. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost." - Revelation 21:5‭-‬6

Ongoing Work of Christ

Christ is not finished. God still needs to restore all things (Acts 3:19-21). There still needs to be a resurrection of the dead, the final judgment with all the books open and accounts settled, and the heavens and earth made new by the total cleansing of sin and curses. These things are all in the future. Christ's work is not yet finished.

The Period of the Finished Work of the Cross

So we are in a time period of the finished work of the "cross," during which we can access foretastes of the age to come. No matter how much you pray, there will always be sickness, suffering, demons, and death on the Earth until that Day of the Lord with the restoration of all things in the future. Everybody dies. For there to always be total healing every single time we pray would mean nobody could die.

Understanding the Kingdom of God

So we can't be mistaken that we can somehow have full access to the kingdom of God and the age to come while we are in a waiting period for the restoration of all things on the Day of the Lord. Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick, and raised the dead. He did these things to prove that He was the King of the Kingdom to come and that these things are the foreshadows and foretastes of that Messianic Kingdom to come.

The Tension of the Present Age

Though we have biblical promises for healing and deliverance that God says "yes and amen" to—like His desire for all to be healed and all to come to the knowledge of truth—at the same time, we are in a waiting period for the kingdom of God to come and the restoration of all things to have fulfillment upon the Earth. This is the tension we must live in until the age to come.

Dealing with Disappointment and Misunderstandings

I've seen so many people get upset, even mad or angry at God, and sometimes even leave the faith because of the errors in these types of theology and things not panning out in their lives the way they thought they should. So I wanted to write this article hopefully to help somebody. 🙂

The Coming Day of Restoration

There is a Day coming in which God will make all things right, the Day of the Lord. But that Day is not yet. Our calling now is to proclaim that the Day is coming and do our best to live in that Day as if it were here now, and let our life be a demonstration and proclamation of the things we will see in that Day to come. It's called preaching the kingdom of God!

Hope this helps somebody. 🙂 Much love!

- Jeremy Gilbert