I came across a statement the other day supposing that illness is a result of sin and when a person is healed it means they are forgiven of their sins. I can only guess at which scriptures the person has in mind to support his statement.
Let's start with 1 Cor 11:30: "For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep." Paul was speaking of the Lord's supper and the need of examining oneself beforehand to judge oneself. I understand Paul to mean spiritual weakness and sickness, and falling asleep spiritually, not in a physical sense because he then says:
How are we judged? Jesus said, "The one rejecting Me and not receiving My words has one judging him: The word which I spoke, that will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). Therefore, Paul was speaking about studying the scriptures and being disciplined by them. If we do not receive correction from our Savior's words and put them into practice, we will be judged by them in the end and condemned.
Does James imply that sickness is a result of sin? When a person recovers from an illness, are they automatically forgiven of any sins they committed?
James acknowledged that sickness is not always the result of sin because he said "if" the person committed sin they will be forgiven. We do know that some illnesses result from abusing drugs and alcohol and unhealthy lifestyles, especially those which are in conflict with God's laws. Also, James stressed the need to confess our sins. Recognizing sin for what it is and striving to eliminate it from our lives is necessary for forgiveness. Being ill should remind us of the frailty and uncertainty of life so that we become more aware of our need to be right with God. But, we should recognize this even when we're healthy because we are never guaranteed another day of life.
The pervading attitude of the Jews in Jesus's day was that diseases and disabilities were a result of sin. Jesus contended that the man born blind had not sinned, neither had his parents, to cause his blindness:
Again, there are sins that adults may commit that could cause themselves or a child to become ill or disabled, but it is not necessarily so. Did Jesus infer that the man near the pool by the sheep gate had sinned to cause his illness?
When Jesus told the man not to sin any more, he did imply the man had sinned. But, did the man's sin cause his illness? Not necessarily. The man did sin as a result of his illness, though. In his desperation to be healed, the man had turned to superstition which ascribed the power of healing to angels. The worse thing that Jesus inferred could happen to this man is eternal judgement, if he continued to sin.
In the Old Testament, Job's unsympathetic friends accused him of sin to explain the multitude of calamities that befell him. Their insistence that he had sinned, contrary to the truth, caused Job to err by alleging God had wronged him. After Job confessed and repented when confronted by God:
While he suffered Job had reminded his tormentors that, in the days before his misfortune (vv. 12-16):
“For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
“The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
“I was eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.
“I was a father to the needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know."
A marvelous testimony to Job's compassion, yet there are people today who misapply words spoken in the book of Job and other scriptures because they fail to study them in context. Instead, they use scriptures to promote their own false doctrines for which they shall be judged.
Please let me know if I have erred in anything I've said.
Let's start with 1 Cor 11:30: "For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep." Paul was speaking of the Lord's supper and the need of examining oneself beforehand to judge oneself. I understand Paul to mean spiritual weakness and sickness, and falling asleep spiritually, not in a physical sense because he then says:
"But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world" (vv. 31-32).
How are we judged? Jesus said, "The one rejecting Me and not receiving My words has one judging him: The word which I spoke, that will judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). Therefore, Paul was speaking about studying the scriptures and being disciplined by them. If we do not receive correction from our Savior's words and put them into practice, we will be judged by them in the end and condemned.
Does James imply that sickness is a result of sin? When a person recovers from an illness, are they automatically forgiven of any sins they committed?
"Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (Jas 5:14-16).
James acknowledged that sickness is not always the result of sin because he said "if" the person committed sin they will be forgiven. We do know that some illnesses result from abusing drugs and alcohol and unhealthy lifestyles, especially those which are in conflict with God's laws. Also, James stressed the need to confess our sins. Recognizing sin for what it is and striving to eliminate it from our lives is necessary for forgiveness. Being ill should remind us of the frailty and uncertainty of life so that we become more aware of our need to be right with God. But, we should recognize this even when we're healthy because we are never guaranteed another day of life.
The pervading attitude of the Jews in Jesus's day was that diseases and disabilities were a result of sin. Jesus contended that the man born blind had not sinned, neither had his parents, to cause his blindness:
"As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him" (John 9:1-3).
Again, there are sins that adults may commit that could cause themselves or a child to become ill or disabled, but it is not necessarily so. Did Jesus infer that the man near the pool by the sheep gate had sinned to cause his illness?
Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk....Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you” (John 5:2-9, 14).
When Jesus told the man not to sin any more, he did imply the man had sinned. But, did the man's sin cause his illness? Not necessarily. The man did sin as a result of his illness, though. In his desperation to be healed, the man had turned to superstition which ascribed the power of healing to angels. The worse thing that Jesus inferred could happen to this man is eternal judgement, if he continued to sin.
In the Old Testament, Job's unsympathetic friends accused him of sin to explain the multitude of calamities that befell him. Their insistence that he had sinned, contrary to the truth, caused Job to err by alleging God had wronged him. After Job confessed and repented when confronted by God:
It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has" (Job 42:7).
While he suffered Job had reminded his tormentors that, in the days before his misfortune (vv. 12-16):
“For when the ear heard, it called me blessed,
And when the eye saw, it gave witness of me,
Because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
And the orphan who had no helper.
“The blessing of the one ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the widow’s heart sing for joy.
“I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
“I was eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.
“I was a father to the needy,
And I investigated the case which I did not know."
A marvelous testimony to Job's compassion, yet there are people today who misapply words spoken in the book of Job and other scriptures because they fail to study them in context. Instead, they use scriptures to promote their own false doctrines for which they shall be judged.
Please let me know if I have erred in anything I've said.
