Christian Approaches to Explain How God Heals Today - Essay Example

Christian Approaches to Explain How God Heals Today This paper will explore Christian approaches to wholeness, and then it will address Christian approaches towards healing before focusing on the similarities and differences in both situations. Wholeness refers to the proper functioning of the various aspects of a human being including the soul, mind and body. In Christian life, wholeness is depicted as the greatest commandment. In the Bible, this commandment is recorded in Mark 12: 29- 31 and it states that love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and your entire mind and with all your strength. To attain such status, Christianity encourages individuals to observe various traits as highlighted in this paper. One ought to practice forgiveness in order to achieve Christian wholeness. Through forgiveness, a person can heal past pains that wound the emotional aspect of every individual. Forgiveness is an element that prompts peace within nations as people uphold the will of God. Jesus realized the strength embedded in forgiveness and He explicitly offered it to every person regardless of age, gender, or race. People in Christianity seek a loving relationship with God in order to be whole. Seeking a personal relationship with God enables people to identify the various predicaments in life and to overcome them as friends of God (Epperly, 2005, 65). It is through this approach that Christians are able to cast out demons of all kind as they have developed a close relationship with the powerful God. At the heart of wholeness in Christian life, a person should undergo a complete transformation in his or her character and code of behaviors in order to adopt morally accepted behaviors. A life lived in observance of moral behaviors not only bring societal well-being, but it also augment interpersonal relationships. In Christian life, an individual can transform into moral behaviors through an action of faith that Jesus Christ died on the cross and resurrected on the third in order to allow every individual who believes in the ways of Jesus Christ to acquire forgiveness from the heavenly Father, God. As a requirement in the Christian wholeness, individuals should have physical wholeness to be able to accomplish various activities in Christian life such as spreading the gospel. Care of the body had long been hailed as a pertinent issue since the time immemorial when Jesus used to heal the sick and even the early church used to provide care for the sick ( Foreman, 2008, 156). This is supported by the fact that most of the current hospitals in places such as United Kingdom were developed through the donations from the early Christian churches. To achieve wholeness, the society need to reform in order to resolve societal injustices that diminish wholeness. In believing that our Heavenly God is a just God, our perception towards justice is strengthened whereby we act to promote a fair judgment in instances that call for justice. It is the duty of all Christians to observe the welfare of our planet earth as spiritual duty in order to live a whole life. Such an action is in accordance to the requirement God delegated to the first humans, Adam and Eve. As individuals who are observing wholeness in Christian approach, we ought to develop ways and style of communicating the word of God, just like that of Jesus. The combination of love and humility should provide a platform in which our style should work from and in the same time act in a quiet and persistent manner. Throughout history, humankind has always desired to be well though problem arises when we do not have a notion on how to achieve the healing to our numerous sicknesses. The Bible takes an in depth view to our physical well- being and in particular our physical bodies. The Bible asserts that we were created with the image of God and, therefore, as Christians we should expect all healing to come from God. Jesus himself incarnated into a physical body and advanced His healing deeds to everyone who had faith in His teachings and He resurrected with a physical body. To attain healing, Christians should restore “image of God” that is free of all ailment. Healing entails a complete fitness of the physical, emotional, social and religious aspects in our lives. God through His son Jesus Christ bestowed the gift of healing sicknesses to the disciples, which the Christian church uses to heal its congregation. From the Biblical scriptures, our bodies act as the temple of the Holy Spirit and, therefore, not subjected to sicknesses. In Deuteronomy 31: 6 God promised never to leave nor forsake His human folk thus assuring all Christians that, through prayers and faith, we can overcome all diseases and ailment. By trusting in the Almighty God, Christians is assured of a restoration to their ailing bodies as depicted in the book of Romans 8: 11 when Paul declared that the Holy Spirit would give life to our physical bodies. In Christianity, ministers of the word of God would spread His loving nature regardless of the social or economic strata of the person in need. God gave His church numerous modalities to achieve healing as depicted in this paper. In his book, James gives guidelines on how to resolve physical and emotional illnesses through prayers. Leaders of the church are ordained to pray for the sick individuals and to anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. Through this action, the sick are promised to rise from sickness bondage while their sins are forgiven. James advocates for confession where we are freed from the consequences of sin including illnesses. In James 5: 13-15, the scriptures state that we should confess our sins and pray for one another in order to receive the gift of healing. Once we confess our sins, we are able to rebuild our relationship with God where we are shielded from all ailments. To attain healing as Christian people, we are encouraged to observe ordinances such as an ordinance of baptism and ordinance of humility. Through baptism, an individual participates in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, which allows an individual to access healing. Ordinance of humility provides cleansing of the former sins thereby enabling a person to exalt the Mighty deeds of God as the only one who can completely cleanse the sins. Under Christian approach, we are required to observe the Sabbath that resembles the ministry of healing. In the book of Ezekiel 20: 12, Sabbath recognizes Yahweh as our healer and our Restorer. In a Christian approach, similarities emanate on how God restores wholeness and healing. In the process of restoring wholeness and healing, God requires every individual to observe forgiveness to one other. By forgiving each other, we are able to create a peaceful environment that God requires to restore wholeness and to augment healing as He Has promised through the Bible. Improving our relationship enables us to rebuild His image in us thereby we are potential to attain wholeness and receive healing (Sardello, 2008, 117). Individuals are required to observe the Sabbath day as it provides a space of fellowshipping with our God in order to achieve the image of God. The notion is pertinent because it enables everyone to address his or her grievances in terms of wholeness and healing. Prayers are required as it provides the only channel that we can communicate to our God thus allowing individuals to receive wholeness and healing. The prayers should be in truth and in spirit, which can only be attained after we make a sincere confession to God. Once individuals make declaration to observe God’s ways, he or she is entitled to wholeness and healing. This tendency is achieved when an individual makes a complete transformation on his or her behaviors thereby getting closer to Gods protection. Moral behaviors enable an individual to avoid sins that create a barrier to God’s providence of wholeness and healing. Ordinance of humility enables an individual to praise the actions of God thus permitting God to deliver us from all deficits in wholeness and to allow God to augment His healing promise. Once individuals observe ordinance of baptism, they are able to demonstrate as Jesus deed, element of trust to the Almighty God thus allowing God to fulfill His promise of wholeness and healing. Abstaining from evil and being sin free crops up from a culture of following God’s will in all time in every situation. Trusting in God and believing that he is the source of wholeness and healing enables to make a person a close friend of God who cannot fall short of his protection thus rendering us whole and free of all ailments. Physical fitness allows Church leaders to perform the duties they have been delegated including praying for the sick people and spreading the word of God in all societies and cultures (Sawatsky, 2009, 156). In order to attain wholeness and healing, individuals are required to believe in the word of God that asserts that God is the source of wholeness and can manage to restore healing to any person who trust and believe on His name. The ultimate wholeness and healing can be attained when a person gets salvation. Salvation entails following Gods teachings in obedience and respect to others. Several differences may arise in Christian approach to wholeness and healing. Achieving Christian wholeness does not always grant an individual healing. In instances when an individual forgives his or her neighbor on grounds to restore social unity, he or she may not receive healing since he or she could not have observed other factors that perpetuate a healing such as trust. To attain healing, individuals are encouraged to observe all elements of God through his word in order to benefit from His mercies. Some member Christians through excessive training may achieve wholeness as it entails the physical fitness. Individuals may engage in physical exercise programs to improve on their health thus evading the interpretation of healing from God. God does not require His people to engage in arduous exercises to receiving healing, He only demands ultimate loyalty to His teachings. Wholeness being a physical attribute may be improved through diet. Individuals throughout history have tended to improve their physical status by checking their diet. In instances where an individual is overweight, he or she can engage in dietary practices that do not accumulate many calories in order to decrease their weights. These tendencies would improve on their health and help the victims to evade major health issues caused by overweight such as heart attack. In such an instance, the wholeness attained is different from the same advocated through God’s interventions. To achieve Christian wholeness, the Bible reminds people that seek first the kingdom of God, and the rest of the issues would be solved. To get Gods healing does not involve the food or dietary that one engages in but a total commitment to His will. Many individuals have observed their diet in vain. It is only through Gods mercies that people are able to attain Christian wholeness and thus healing. Another issue that creates a major difference in wholeness that God restore arises from scientific invention. Scientific inventions have led to the development of medicines that provide healings to the human bodies. In the modern times, numerous medicines have been developed to cure the various complications in the contemporary world. With this great age of invention, many diseases remain incurable leaving many medics to deal with the treatment while allowing God to provide the healing. Christian approach to wholeness and healing will remain unchangeable throughout human life, but regimes pertaining to exercises and diet will always be subjected to changes. It is, therefore, clear that by observing God’s will, we are able to overcome all major illness and thereby attaining wholeness. It is pertinent to note that by ignoring God’s wholeness, people will not only be getting into a path that would lead them to hell but also would lead lives that are full of predicaments in social, emotional and religious facets. Bibliography Epperly, B. G., & Epperly, K. G. (2005). Reiki Healing Touch: And The Way Of Jesus. Kelowna, B.C., Northstone. Foreman, M. W. (2008). Wholly Jesus His Surprising Approach To Wholeness And Why It Matters Today. Boise, Id, Ampelon Publishing. Http://Www.Contentreserve.Com/Titleinfo.Asp?Id={416bd053-7548-417a-8cf4-6b9ef8a360cb}&Format=410. Sardello, R. J. (2008). Silence The Mystery Of Wholeness. Benson, Nc, Goldenstone Press. Http://Www.Contentreserve.Com/Titleinfo.Asp?Id={2bb0f178-3829-4c77-9d21-566dfabdd175}&Format=410. Sawatsky, J. (2009). The Ethic Of Traditional Communities And The Spirit Of Healing Justice Studies From Hollow Water, The Iona Community, And Plum Village. London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Http://Public.Eblib.Com/Eblpublic/Publicview.Do?Ptiid=435587. Read More