Today, during this Gentile age of “the gospel of the grace of God,” it’s clear that Almighty God can still heal. But now it does not occur as it did in the Gospels of the early Acts period for the reasons explained in the first installment of this study. There we saw the God’s purpose in healing of infirmities and sicknesses in Israel in the time of Jesus and the Twelve Apostles to Israel. Those miracles as we saw were actually to be seen as “signs” that the Kingdom “was at hand.” Of course, we know Israel still rejected the Messiah and His kingdom, so that taste of the Kingdom of heaven to one-day come on earth and the call to the Nation Israel was ‘set aside’ while God established a new gospel of pure grace for the Gentiles, through Paul’s ministry.

During today’s “dispensation of the grace of God” He has a purpose for us to be gained through our sicknesses and sufferings … that we would learn to endure in trusting faith by the power of His indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” We are learning that we can endure the common corrupting effects “sin and death” in the world, and also in our physical body even in the midst of our present sufferings… since we are endowed with His overcoming life as our new life.

“For the law [nature of operative power] of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath Made Me Free From the law [natural operative power] of sin and death [in the flesh].” (Romans 8:2 (KJV)

Jesus was not delivered from going to the Cross, He endure the suffering of the cross for us, and that same life is our new life. God’s ultimate purpose in our learning to endure sufferings through the knowledge of the truth and the power of His Spirit in us. We are being trained on earth to eventually co-reign with Christ in heaven.

“If we suffer [endure by His overcoming life], we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us [from reigning in heaven]:” (2 Timothy 2:12 (KJV)

We do have the record here below that God at times does have mercy upon us in our sicknesses to heal us … according to His will for us at that time. As we’ve seen it is not always His will to heal us. Thus, most of us in our lifetimes have recovered from physical calamities many times. Isn’t that the experience of all of us as believers? I can think of how many times I have recovered from significant sicknesses or infirmities that were life threatening. E.g. I’ve had double pneumonia and serious lung infections that required 6 months of twice daily IV antibiotics for nearly 6 months to bring me to a slow recovery. I also had eight heart stents over 26 years until recently by His grace and mercy I recently came through a sixfold heart bypass graft surgery. I’m sure you likely have your similar experiences of His love and mercy, restoring you. His mercy has permitted me to live on till now. None of have arrived and we won’t until the Rapture, but through all this we learned more and more how we can endure by His life in us… without the great anxiety we once had. Weren’t these experiences His will for us at that time?

Below, we have Paul’s words concerning how that God had healing mercy upon “Epaphroditus.” But note also that there is no record of Paul or anyone praying for the healing of “Epaphroditus.” Nor was the anointing with oil applied by some elevated person, as applies only in Israel’s program only (cf. James writing to Israel in James 5:14).

God at times simply has mercy according to His will for us … at that time… restoring us.

“But I trust in the Lord that I [Paul] also myself shall come shortly. ²⁵ Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.

²⁶ For he longed after you all [the Philippians], and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he [Epaphroditus] had been sick [but now is recovered]. ²⁷ For indeed He Was Sick Nigh Unto Death: But God Had Mercy On Him; and not on him only, but [thereby] on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. ²⁸ I [Paul] sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less sorrowful.” (Philippians 2:24-28 (KJV)

The fact that ancient people rarely recovered from serious illnesses and the Apostle Paul’s specific language in Philippians 2:27 indicate that he is talking about more than just a providential answer to prayer. Epaphroditus was evidently healed through the Lord’s direct, miraculous intervention according to the Lord’s will for him, at that time. We can be sure there came a time when the Lord’s will was for Epaphroditus to die and rest in his grave until the Rapture.

Nevertheless, when we are led to pray for a believer, we need not petition God, giving Him instruction as to who to heal and how to deal them with their situation. We do not instruct the Lord. When we pray for them, we hold them before the Lord, by name, ‘agreeing with the Lord that His will being done is the best for them,’ and thanking Him.

God’s message today is not that the saved are immune to sickness, pain, death, or would physically overcome their enemies. And it is not the we or any believer has the power to impart healing. Those promises were to Israel only in the time before today’s grace age. Those promises will apply to Israel in the Millennial Kingdom, after the Tribulation period, but not today.

For us today, sickness and infirmities work for the good in us toward an “eternal weight of glory.”

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

“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. ²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:28-29 (KJV)