March 10
Sickness is Torment
And
when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion,
beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith
unto him, I will come and heal him
(Matt. 8:5-7)
One dictionary defines “torment” as “….the
infliction of torture by means of such an instrument or the torture so
inflicted.”[1] Sadly, those who blame God for sickness see
Him as a tormentor. Of course people will not outright accuse Him of being one.
They often describe God’s supposed inflicting of sickness as “an act of love”.
We will find statement such as “God placed that on
you because He loves you and needed
to teach you a lesson,” “God inflicted you to purify you because He loves you,”
or “God knew that if He did not afflict you this way then you might go astray
and sin against Him. He loves you.” Yet,
the inspired Scriptures do not describe sickness as an act of love but as an act of torment.
The majority of Christians I know are against
torture. Most of us find it to be a vile and reprehensible act against another
human being. Yet, we are quick to imply that a loving God would use such
methods to teach lessons, purify us, and keep us from going astray.
Does such an act of torment truly express the love
of God? John would disagree. He writes, “There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). There is no fear or torment in God’s love.
Therefore, sickness cannot be God’s will and He is not the inflictor. John says
that torment is the opposite from
God’s perfect love.
Jesus demonstrates the perfect love of God when He
told the centurion, “I will come and heal
him.” How do so many “Bible teachers” get it so wrong? Jesus, who
demonstrated God’s will by all of His actions, presented God as the healer from
torment rather than the giver of torment. God is the healer and not the tormentor.
If the centurion saw Jesus as the tormentor he would never have requested His
help. We need to see God through this centurion’s eyes if we are to have the
same great faith that Jesus commended Him for (v. 10). Great faith is built upon
knowledge of God’s true loving character.
[1]
torment. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/torment (accessed: November 06, 2014).
Visit www.vindicatinggod.org
If you like this devotional, why not get our book, "Does God Send Sickness?" This book deals with a number of passages, especially in the Old Testament, that some use to paint God as the author of sickness and disease and show how they can be properly interpreted to vindicate God.
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