My dear readers,

Did Jesus Die to Heal Diseases?

The following are the words of Joseph Prince (the founder and pastor of one of the largest Charismatic churches in Singapore): “I have been accused of being one of those health and wealth ‘prosperity gospel’ preachers. Actually, there is no such thing as a ‘prosperity gospel.’ There is only one gospel and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, you can depend on Him for His resurrection life to pulsate and flow in your physical body from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Sicknesses and diseases are not from God. On the cross, Jesus bore not just our sins, but also our sicknesses, diseases and infirmities, and ‘by His stripes we are healed’ (Isaiah 53:5)!” [ https://www.josephprince.com/meditate-devo/the-gospel-brings-health-and-provision ]

The text quoted by Prince to support the above teaching is Matthew 7:11: “ If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Is this teaching from God? If it is, then the whole world ought to believe in such a “gospel.” But if it is not, then thousands have been deceived by Prince into a salvation that is not from God. The “gospel” of Prince is a diabolical deception! Thousands who believe in this “gospel” are not born again but are still in their sins and will die in their sins! They might think they are Christians, but in reality they are not and are still bound for hell when they die in their sin.

What does the Bible say about the “gospel” of Prince?

Isaiah 53:5 says,

Isaiah 53 is a well-known chapter describing the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ at His first coming. It speaks of the substitutionary atonement of Christ when He suffered and died for the sins of all believers. This understanding is attested to by the immediate context. Isaiah 53:4:

And Isaiah 53:6:

The "healing" that Isaiah 53:5 teaches definitely points to spiritual healing which Prince does not deny as seen in his statement “Jesus bore not just our sins.” The issue is whether this healing includes “physical healing” as well.

When we look at the doctrine of salvation as a whole, there is no doubt the salvific work of Christ includes the whole person, body and spirit. Therefore the healing of the physical body is definitely included! The question we need to ask is whether the physical healing that Christ’s salvific work accomplished for all believers is to be experienced here on earth today or in eternity future. We know that the witness for Christ today is in and through this earthen vessel. This earthen vessel continues to be afflicted by the ills and diseases of this life. This is evidenced by the experience of Job in the Old Testament and the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.

Job 2:7-8: “ So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.” God gave Satan permission to afflict Job with such excruciatingly painful boils that Job had to sit on ashes and scrape himself with a potsherd to find relief. The spiritual lesson learned by Job at the end of this trial was priceless. He said in Job 42:5: “ I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” Job’s relationship with the LORD jumped to the next level, from hearing to seeing. The clarity of spiritual sight was through the painful experiences of loss of wealth and health.

In the case of the Apostle Paul, the LORD gave him a thorn in the flesh to humble him so that the sin of pride would not overcome him. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9: “ And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Paul experienced the sufficiency of the precious grace of God in the only way possible: by being afflicted with the thorn in the flesh. This thorn was a sickness Paul described as a messenger of Satan that was permitted by the LORD as was with Job.

If believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour means that we are healed from all diseases, then everyone would become a Christian for the wrong reason which makes Prince’s gospel a false gospel. It is a gospel of works, not of grace. It is no wonder Prince is able to draw so many to his church every weekend. This kind of teaching is very attractive and extremely appealing to the carnal man. The old man is characterized by the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Carnal people will be drawn to carnal messages like bees to honey. There is no salvation in such a message except death. Christ came to save sinful man from carnality but the gospel of Joseph Prince only condemns sinful man deeper into carnality with the devious exception that he deadens their souls by deceiving them into thinking that they are going to heaven when they are still bound by sin and will die in sin.

The teaching from God is clear on this issue of carnality and spirituality. Romans 8:5-8 points out clearly, “ For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

The argument that God as the believer’s heavenly Father would not cause His children to be sick is fallacious. An illustration is not the basis for doctrine, but the Word of God is. Charismatic preachers like Joseph Prince are very fond of using illustrations (instead of the Bible) to teach doctrines. The two cases of Job and the Apostle Paul above have shown that the heavenly Father does use sickness to teach eternal spiritual lessons to His children. The LORD thinks in terms of eternity whereas Joseph Prince thinks earthly and distorts the meaning of Matthew 7:11 to suit his erroneous and diabolical gospel. Based on the context of Matthew 7:11, we see that Matthew 7:11 teaches believers the importance of prayer in his life. He is now a child of God. Asking God his heavenly father for help is new to him. He is to ask God for help in prayer when he lives a holy life doing the will of God. He does not have to struggle alone in his battle against the god of this world. Matthew 7:11 does not teach believers to ask God for carnal things like health and wealth to satisfy their lusts of the flesh and the eyes and their pride of life. Christ came to die to save man from sin, not from poverty or sicknesses which God can easily remove using His omnipotent power as Creator of heaven and earth.

Conclusion: No Christian is exempted from any illness or disease. To teach otherwise is to preach a false gospel. When a believer experiences sickness in life, he needs to ask God if it is due to chastisement (cf. Heb 12) or to strengthen his faith to the next level (cf. James 1:2-4). Either way, it is good for him as Romans 8:28 promises, “ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Joseph Prince is a trickster and a false teacher who is using the Name of Christ to make merchandise of people. His gospel of health and wealth is a gospel that condemns and is powerless to save anyone. He is a typical diabolical unregenerate professing Charismatic believer of the last days that Christ prophesied would deceive many before His return. 2 Peter 2:1-3: “ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” Let all be warned, and be discerning.