Many Christians have grappled with the question…Is physical healing for today a part of the blood atonement of Christ? I have recently listened to a teacher on an audio tape attempt to show that Isaiah 53:4-5 contain the key to understanding that there is really healing for today in the atonement. As I listened more and more, I discovered that the very arguments that were used to attempt to show healing in the atonement actually proved BY THE SCRIPTURES that if there is healing for today in the atonement, it is NOT in Isaiah 53.
The first issue that was raised on this tape was that if you don’t believe that healing for today is a part of the atonement, then you don’t understand the details about the new covenant. The problem with this is that the church is NOT under the new covenant. The covenants were and will be for Israel. In Romans 9:4 Paul states, “…who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises…..” Peter confirms this further in Acts 3:12 when he addresses the “Men of Israel“. As his sermon progresses, he reminds them in verse 25 that “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers…” We, on the other hand, are the church in this age of grace as Body of Christ believers. We are in the Body of Christ. We are not in any covenant.
The gentleman on this particular tape then went on to explain how the term “griefs” in Isaiah 53:4 should have actually been translated “sickness” or “diseases”. He is right about that. Every Hebrew dictionary or concordance defines that word in Hebrew as “sickness” or “diseases”. But, does this mean that this verse therefore proves that healing for today is in the atonement? I would say a resounding no. Why? Isaiah 53 does not state a word about physical healing as part of the atonement. Let’s examine this thoroughly.
First, let’s take a look at Isaiah 53:4. “Surely our griefs (sickness) He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.” As many will point out, Matthew uses this text in Isaiah to show that Christ healed the many and they always go to Matthew 8:16-17 to prove their point. “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.” The teacher on the tape I heard went to this passage to show that the word “griefs” was actually “infirmities” or “diseases”. Unfortunately, what is missed is the fact that Matthew is quoting Isaiah 53:4 as being FULFILLED at that moment. This is Christ’s earthly ministry, not as part of his suffering. He had not shed His blood yet. Christ’s earthly ministry of healing had nothing to do with the atoning blood.
Now let’s look even closer at the makeup of Isaiah 53:4. There is a very small, but important, word that gets overlooked in this verse. It is the word “Yet”. This word is in many translations of the Bible and is used here to show a contrast. The Hebrew Interlinear Bible uses the word “but”. The second part of Isaiah 53:4 is obviously speaking of Christ’s suffering. The Jews considered anyone that was killed or sick as being “Smitten of God”. Remember the blind man in John 9? The disciples asked Jesus who had sinned that caused this man to be blind. Paul writes in Galatians 3 that “cursed is one who hangs on a tree”. So the term “Smitten of God” is a reference to the sufferings of Christ. If the first part of Isaiah 53:4 had anything to do with the sufferings of Christ, we would have seen the word “and” or “therefore” or “so” or the words “of course” or even “because of this”. On the contrary, the word “Yet” is inserted to show a contrast between the first and second parts of the verse. So let’s paraphrase this verse for the purpose of showing this in very understandable terms.
“Surely our diseases He Himself healed and our sorrows He carried; Yet in spite of all this, we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”
In other words, “Christ did all these wonderful things, but we still considered him cursed.” Do you see how the word “Yet” changes the whole appearance of this verse? So, not only does Matthew 8:16-17 place the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 at the beginning of Christ’s ministry, the grammar used in Isaiah 53:4 shows how the first and second parts of the verse contrast each other. I believe that this shows beyond a doubt that Isaiah 53:4 does not contain words of physical healing as part of the blood atonement.
A clear reading of Isaiah 53:1-4 will show that verses 1-4a speak of Christ’s walk on the earth and then, with the word “Yet” in 4b, the emphasis turns towards His suffering, His death and His glorious kingdom.
What about Isaiah 53:5? Whenever reading a portion of Scripture, it is important to always read it in the context it was written. What does the verse say, to whom, when, and under what circumstances? Unfortunately, the church has become a group of “verse” readers and not Scripture studiers. I have noticed this more and more, especially when someone presents a position that might be contrary to what the Scripture teaches. For example, Isaiah 53:5 will often be quoted as an example of “healing for today” as being part of the atonement. “And by His scourging (stripes…or literally “stripe” in the Hebrew) we are healed.” Unfortunately, when the rest of the verse is left out the reader misses what the healing is directed towards. “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our wellbeing fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.“ What are the Israelites (this is whom Isaiah addresses-chapter 52:1, 2, 7, 12) healed of? Their “transgressions” (sins)and “iniquities” (depravities, perversities). Not any diseases or sicknesses. 1 Peter 2:24 is also quoted in the New Testament as providing evidence for our physical healing. Yet, if we look at 1 Peter 2:21-24, the evidence will prove once again that this is speaking of being healed of sin and of being made righteous. “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” This is a passage about the cleansing of sins and not about any physical healing.
Another example of taking a verse totally out of context is when people take an Old Testament verse meant for the nation of Israel and “claim” it for the church today. A prime example I have recently heard was Jeremiah 30:17. “For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,” declares the Lord,”. This verse was again used to show healing as part of the atonement by the same gentleman who tried to show healing in Isaiah 53:4-5. The Scripture surrounding this portion of Jeremiah 30 indicates very clearly that the whole 30th chapter of Jeremiah pertains to when God will “restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.”(Jeremiah 30:3). In fact, Jeremiah 30:12-17 clearly shows that God symbolizes “sins” as “wounds”; and “forgiveness of sins” as “healing” or “restoration”. This is very similar to Isaiah 53:5. In many other Old Testament passages, the picture of “sin” as “sickness” and “healing” as “forgiveness” is very evident. Psalm 107:17-20-“Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted……He saved them out of their diseases. He sent His word and healed them,” Isaiah 1:4-6-“Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly!….Where will you be stricken as you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick And the heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts and raw wounds,”. Isaiah 6:10 -“Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” Isaiah 33:24-“And no resident will say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.” Jeremiah 3:22-“return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness.” Hosea 14:4-“I will heal their apostasy,”. These are all clear examples of God “healing” sin/iniquity. When Isaiah 53 is looked at in the context of the whole Old Testament, it becomes clearer that there is no physical healing for today in Isaiah 53. Does God heal today? Of course He can and He does. Still, I believe the Scriptures show us that the real physical healing of our corrupt bodies is when we will put on incorruption….our resurrected bodies! That’s when the physical healing part of the atonement will be realized. Today, His grace is sufficient for us. Remember when Paul asked to have a “thorn in the flesh” removed from him. Paul says that he asked three times and the Lord told him that His grace was sufficient. In the Greek, this word “sufficient” means “enough”. In other words, Christ answered Paul’s request for healing with a resounding, “My grace is enough, you don’t need anything else.” What grace? The grace exemplified at the cross. Notice, Christ didn’t tell Paul that there was physical healing in the atonement. The grace poured out to all who believe is to suffice for now.
All Scripture references used in this article were taken from the New American Standard Bible except where noted. All emphasis in the Scripture was added by the author of this article.
Article written by Paul D. Pedro of Oakdale, MN.
9 Comments
Thank you for writing this up. This teaching drives me nuts.
First, let’s take a look at Isaiah 53:4. “Surely our griefs (sickness) He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.”
Look at this passage add your name
Surely Waynes griefs
And Wayne’s sorrow
Yet waynes ourselves esteemed Him
In the 1 to 6 were there is a WE US OUR put your name in make it personal
Proverbs 30:4
4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended?
Who has gathered the wind in His fists?
Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is His Son’s name,
If you know?
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
“healing” or “restoration”.
this belongs to all people
Wayne, it seems that you didn’t read the article carefully. The physical healing in Isaiah 53:4 was fulfilled during Christ’s earthly ministry-see Matthew 8:16-17. The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew to write this. This passage is not attributed by the Holy Spirit to the cross. The article also points out very clearly that the healing mentioned elsewhere in Isaiah 53 and 2 Peter is referring to being healed from sin. This theme is carried out throughout Israel’s history.
Also, it is a very dangerous idea to interject “us” or “we or “i” into any passage of the Bible and “make it personal”. Would you do this throughout the book of Leviticus, which is all Law for Israel?-Compare that with Romans 6:14. How about whenever God passed judgment upon Israel and “us” or “we” or “I” is used. Would you claim that and “make it personal”. No, we MUST understand the context of what we are reading-to whom is it written, when was it written and under what circumstance was it written. All Scripture is FOR us (Romans 15:4 and 1 Corinthians 10:11), but it is not all written TO us or ABOUT us. Diligent study is needed to understand the whole of Scripture and I would encourage you to keep digging and find out what is meant by “rightly dividing the Word of truth” in 2 Timothy 2:15-KJV.
Thank you for your comment.
Paul Pedro
Paul _ please qualify your experience(education,for example) to critique bible passages. In the time of the old testament, it was believed, as you point out, sin and disease are one in the same. By his stripes we are healed; emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically and totally – whether in this life, through God’s grace or in the next, but we are healed in God’s time, of ALL our ailments. WHat’s the real motive here? Your point to prove the bible interpreted by those sick looking for hope, is…
???
Light of Love,
I’m not sure what you are driving at in your comment about my article. I was raised with the idea that we, in the Body of Christ, are to claim physical healing because of the cross of Christ. This teaching was based on Isaiah 53 as well as the others listed in the article. If healing didn’t happen, I was taught that I didn’t have enough faith or I had some unconfessed sin.
After years of study, I found that teaching to be faulty. Like I said in the article, God can and does heal today, but there is no promise of that for us in this age of grace based on the cross, Isaiah 53 or any other Scripture. I refer to the Apostle Paul and ask why he didn’t heal Trophimus-2 Timothy 4:20? Why didn’t Paul heal Epaphroditus-Phil. 2:27? Why wasn’t Paul healed himself? Because, God’s grace is sufficient in this age of grace and we walk by faith and not by sight-2 Cor. 5:7. Are we to pray for healing? Absolutely! For Phil. 4:6-7 says to bring “ALL” our petitions to God. But, then note God’s promise to us. Does it say in Phil. 4:6-7 that he promises to heal us? No, the “peace of God” is the promise. God will eventually heal all of us totally-at the rapture, but until then, “…we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
Thanks for your comment and keep searching the Scriptures.
Paul Pedro
I agree that we are healed in God’s timing. We live in part not in whole, but we will be healed either on earth or eternity. But Jesus did say that as His followers we would do greater things. One thing He did was to heal physical illness. God is God whether we are healed now or later. But we have not because we ask not and we die for lack of knowledge. What if the doctrinal issue here that often splits churches and separates believers is not yes and no, or no but is yes and yes?
Connie,
I’m not sure what you meant by your last statement, but let me address something that you wrote. You wrote that we have not because we ask not and that Jesus’ followers would do greater things than He did. We have to remember who Jesus is talking to-the nation of Israel. Jesus was their minister (Romans 15:8) and the supernatural signs and wonders, healings being one of them, were to convince unbelieving Israel (1 Corinthians 1:22) that their King was here and Jesus did and said everything with this Kingdom economy at the forefront of His ministry. Supernatural healings are a part of that (see Isaiah). The Apostles of Israel (Gal. 2:8)continued this Kingdom message through the first 8 chapters of Acts and we do see some “greater things” performed by the Aposltes of Israel (Gal. 2:8). But our instructions from Jesus through the Apostle Paul about prayer and healing is in Phillipians 4:6-7. There are no promises of healing “if we just ask.” “The peace of God” is our promise today. Again, I point to the Apostle Paul’s later ministry when He instructed Timothy to take some wine for a stomach ailment. Why didn’t he tell Timothy that he had not because he asked not? How about when Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus? Why didn’t Paul do a “greater thing” and heal him? Does God heal today? Of course He does, but it is according to His grace and purposes, not because of any promise to heal. We MUST separate the earthly walking, law keeping Jesus of Nazareth’s commands to Israel in the gospels with the Glorified Lord Jesus’ commands to the Body of Christ. Jesus now gives us our commands through the Apostle of the Gentiles-Paul. I, again, point to 2 Timothy 2:15 where Paul instructs us to “rightly divide the Word of truth” (KJV). Once we understand what that means, then the confusion about what “Jesus said” and to whom was it said will disappear.
Thanks for visiting this website and keep digging!
Paul Pedro
P.S. For more on the sign gifts to Israel, see the article on this website titled, “Understanding the Gift of Tongues”. I hope this helps. God bless.
Isaiah53 is about the healing and restoration of all people.
Yes Jesus Christ is still Healing
Yesterday Today and Tomorrow:
We Us and Our is used here in Verses 1 through 6 only to show all people
That the Father still Loves and is giving restoration (Healing)even today
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
(Yet) [adverb] used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time;
Smitten by God, and afflicted
On the Cross of Jesus
But we considered him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted
The three expressions stricken (Hebrew “nagua”) refers to a loathsome disease such as leprosy: “smitten of God” a divine retribution for a heinous sin and “afflicted” as one might be afflicted by the punishment for one’s crime: all these describe the terrible consequence of sin
Jesus came to sent us free from all this.
The whole sacrificial system symbolizes substitution of the innocent for the guilty. No sacrificial animal, however perfect, could by itself make atonement for sin. In the last analysis the sacrifice was merely symbolic and pointed to the fact that he sinner deserved to die. And that it was the servant of God, who voluntarily took upon himself the sins of all men.
John 1.29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 3.18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
I would like to thank you for this article. It really made this topic clear to me. One example that I would like to share is about my wife’s uncle. Her uncle is in the last stages of cancer. He has not been physically healed from the cancer and the doctors have given him a few months to a couple years to live. Whether or not he is physically healed or not is beyond the point. The MOST important decision that he made was to ask Jesus into his heart and heal him from his sin. Through his ailments, he saw that he needed to know where he was going to spend eternity. In making that decision he will now spend eternity in heaven and be freed from his sin. If God heals him of his cancer that’s fine, but the most important healing took place in his soul. I believe that sometimes GOD uses or sickness or disease to help us realize our total dependence on him. Praise be to GOD for the decision that my wife’s uncle made to ask Jesus into his heart and heal him from his sin.