When sickness comes, we seek a physician who is skilled in remediating our symptoms. In most cases, our problem heals on its own; however, some illnesses require a trip to a physician’s office. Valuing our health, we always seek physicians who are highly skilled and recommended. Sometimes, even with the best physicians and medical facilities available, some diseases cannot be healed.
When the body is sick the ill one gives much concern to symptoms. But when it comes to sickness of the soul, most give little attention. Why? Sickness of the soul does not normally hurt or cause outward scaring of the body. However, disease of the soul is terminal if not addressed. What is this disease of the soul, and how do the afflicted get relief? Writing concerning this ever present danger, the apostle Paul penned, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Since everyone has sin in their lives, it must be addressed or the afflicted ones will lose their souls in the end. Well, how do we get relief? First, those living in sin must realize sin will not get better on its own. Without a physician to help the sin-sick, they will “…grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). Not addressing sin, keeps the wanderer from God. Hear James: “Then when one’s desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14 -15).
Jesus declared, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matt. 9:12). The righteous have no need for healing; only those who have failed to obey the gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus is the only one who can heal sin-sick souls. He, and He alone, has the medicine to heal. Even though a medical doctor is well trained, and has practiced healing the maladies of the flesh for many years, he or she has no power to heal the sin-sick.
Paul identified the healing power of Jesus in his letter to the Saints in Rome: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). For those, suffering outside of Christ, Paul, being in possession of the ever-lasting gospel of Christ, proclaimed, “But after faith has come, you are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as, many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gals. 3:25-27). What was the remedy for sin? The apostle Peter revealed the healing balm of Jesus in his first letter to the Jews of the dispersion—Jesus “bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Because of His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
The only way to escape sin-sickness is to obey God and walk in the light with the Lord (1 John 1:7-9). Jesus gave a key when He revealed that He “…loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev.1:5(b).
Have you been washed in the blood of Jesus?