A friend writes asks about 1 Pet 2:24-25, where Peter alludes to Isa 53:4-6 – “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” He states: I have always taken this to mean that by His stripes we are “forgiven”, not “physically” healed of some infirmity, though certainly, by being forgiven of something, especially of our sins, there can certainly be a physical healing as well. I have always bounced this verse off the verse in Isaiah 53:5 where it says that “by his wounds we are healed”. I’ve been hearing a lot of teaching where our physical healing comes through His stripes that He bore for us….
Thanks for the question! I know of three perspectives on this question of “healing in the atonement.” I agree with one, partially affirm the second, and wholly reject the third.
First, the option that you mention: indeed, Peter paraphrases the Servant prophecy from Isa 53 and applies it to the forgiveness of sins. Or more broadly, to the overall state of well-being found within the covenant. In Luke 4:18-19, the Lord Jesus quotes Isa. 61:1-2 and applies it to his ministry: “…He has sent me to proclaim…recovery of sight for the blind.” This could refers either to the healing of literal blindness or to the removal of the spiritual blindness of sin.
Therefore, “healing” can refer to forgiveness. Nevertheless, Peter’s use of the passage is not the only one. Matthew too applies just Isa 53:4 to Jesus, but this time to his ministry of healing the sick: “That evening they brought to him many who were possessed with demons; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and cured all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah, ‘He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.’” (Matt 8:16-17). That is, it is appropriate to think of Isa 53:4-5 to forgiveness of sins or to the healing of the sick.
This brings us to a second view, which is associated with A. B. Simpson and A. J. Gordon and the Christian and Missionary Alliance. They taught that since Christ died so that “we are healed,” then healing must be seen as part of the atonement. Simpson says in “Divine Healing in the Atonement”:
If sickness has come into the world through sin, which is conceded, it must be got out of the world through God’s great remedy for sin, the cross of Jesus Christ. If sickness is only a natural condition it may be met by natural means, but if it be abnormal, and but a stage of death, which has passed upon all because all have sinned, then its divinely appointed remedy is the atonement of Jesus Christ, which God has set over against all the effects of the fall.
I agree, that healing is ultimately guaranteed in the atonement: Paul taught that because of the death of Christ, he has defeated sin. With sin defeated, so is death and pain. We will experience that victory in the resurrection of the body when Christ returns (1 Cor 15). It is also true that whenever Christ heals us during this age, it is a result of his death for us – but nowhere is full healing guaranteed before the resurrection. Our experience of any healing has its roots in the atonement. Nevertheless, this does not mean that healing is the automatic right, as is forgiveness of sins. There are plenty of blessings that Christ purchased – the resurrection of the body, the destruction of our bent to sin, “perfect” knowledge (1 Cor 13:9-11), being entirely like Christ (1 John 3:1-3), judging the world and the angels (1 Cor 6:2-3), co-ruling with Christ (cp. 2 Tim 2:12 with 1 Cor 4:8-9) – which were long ago bought and paid for, but not taken delivery of before the end of the age.
As you may remember, I strongly believe that the evangelical church has neglected its ministry to the sick, which includes comfort and counsel, but also must include fervent, believing prayer for healing. Although I do not agree with Simpson and Gordon in some areas, their affirmation of the ministry of healing has played a role in my theology.
The third viewpoint is the one I reject entirely and, I confess, with particular vehemence. Modern “Word of Faith” or Rhema teachers, such as Kenneth Hagin, teach that healing is guaranteed right now for any sick person, and that the sick or the poor simply lack faith. Although these preachers claim to follow A. B. Simpson, in fact they distort what he said. I quote Hagin himself:
The Word of God says, “…with his stripes we ARE healed” (Isa. 53:5). Since Jesus Christ has cured us by His stripes (1 Peter 2:24), we have a right to be well! Then why do some people remain sick? Why doesn’t everyone get healed? The answer can be found in Luke chapter 4… [He summarizes:] Why didn’t they receive their healing? It is very simple: They refused to believe.1
In my opinion, the Rhema doctrine (or Word of Faith, or Prosperity Gospel) is the great false teaching of our day, doing far greater damage than the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example. It has deceived and harmed millions of people, not only in North America, but on every continent. In Latin America, where I minister, the poor and sick are urged to send their few pesos to one of the Word of Faith teachers, and they are told they are guaranteed healing and prosperity. If they do not become rich or healthy, they might lose any assurance that they are God’s people. I believe that there are some sincere Rhema teachers, but the successful and famous ones are usually those who have no scruple about taking funds from the desperate and using them to build their own personal empires.
PS – I have two other blogs on healing, which you can look up on this site: Rediscovering God in the Age of Therapy, Part I, Part II,” and Will God Heal Us? A Re-Examination of Jas. 5:14-16
Footnotes:
1From “The Christ Cure,” Kenneth Hagin. http://www.rhema.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1045:the-christ-cure&catid=45:healing&Itemid=144
“Is there healing in the atonement?” by Gary Shogren, New Testament professor at Seminario ESEPA, San José, Costa Rica.
Open Our Eyes, Lord! 
Gary,
Good article.
This ‘Word Faith’ movement is just sheer wickedness. They will teach that if you are not healed it is because you don’t have enough faith.
And what a message of condemnation that would be to those that are lacking in biblical wisdom?
Did not Paul leave ‘Trophimus at Miletus sick’? 2 Timothy 4.20. If healing (physically here and now) was in the atonement why didn’t Paul heal him?!
Very much appreciate your noting that Mt. 8:17 quotes the Isaiah 53 passage in reference to physical healing. Not much better authority that Scripture interpreting Scripture directly.
As far as people giving pesos to be healed, this is not the “faith” teaching; it is an aberration … like what Luther opposed with respect to indulgences. If there are false teachers, this does not mean faith is not necessary to receiving healing. But likewise, we cannot reduce the fault to only people’s lack of faith – there may be many other things, like demons, and more complex inner healing needed to see the lesser physical healing come to pass. I agree that there are no guarantees even then; Paul had health problems so he could receive grace (but I wouldn’t teach this as an absolute doctrine, either, though we all need God’s grace).
Blessings!
Yes, Word of Faith, or simply the Faith Teaching (capitalized) is the antithesis of Biblical faith.
And if I read you correctly concerning Paul’s thorn in the flesh – it’s one possibility when a person is sick, although I suspect that people sometimes fall back on that passage rather than explore whether they have really gone to God in faith. Paul states that he had first exhausted believing prayer, once again providing us an example to follow
Gary, have you published this in Spanish. ‘Much needed, methinks.
Dave
Dave, hi! It’s on the “list”. I’ll probably want to expand it.