DOES GOD PROMISE HEALING THROUGH THE CROSS?

“Jesus already bore your sicknesses on the cross—He has healed you!” said a pastor to his listeners. Of course, the audience clapped, and some even said, “Thank You, Lord!” Preaching like this can be very inspiring! But the question is: Does God really promise physical healing through the death of Christ? Is there an assurance of healing from diseases in the gospel of salvation?

The most reasonable answer is no, and it is with a heavy heart that we must correct this misinformation. The idea that the death of Christ offers perfect health comforts many people. Who wouldn’t want to be healed from sickness? But no matter how comforting an error may be, it will never become truth. And as believers, we are called to have a kind of love that rejoices in the truth. Today, let’s examine some of the passages often used to support the belief that Christ died to heal us from our physical diseases.

ISAIAH 53:5 – BY HIS STRIPES, WE ARE HEALED, FROM WHAT?

In Isaiah 53:5, a prophecy about the coming Messiah says: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” In 1 Peter 2:24, this was also quoted: “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’” Do these verses talk about healing from physical disease?

Based on the context, no. Throughout Isaiah 53, the writer consistently shows that what the Messiah dealt with in His suffering was the sins of the people (vv. 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12). It would be unreasonable to suddenly claim that v. 5 is about physical illness when there is no mention of sickness in the whole passage! Where did that meaning come from? In Peter’s letter, where the prophecy is quoted, he directly said that what Jesus bore on the cross was our sins, “so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Pet. 2:24). In other words, the “disease” we were healed from is spiritual sickness.

MATTHEW 8:17 – JESUS WANTS TO HEAL EVERYBODY. REALLY?

In Matthew’s account, Jesus healed many people, and the writer says this fulfilled Isaiah 53:4: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Matt. 8:17). The question is: if Isaiah 53 is really about Jesus dealing with sin (as mentioned above), why did Matthew connect it to Jesus’ healing of physical sicknesses? Was Matthew quoting it out of context? Does this guarantee healing for all believers?

Before answering that, we should note that when NT writers mention OT passages as “fulfilled,” they didn’t always mean that the event in the NT was the original meaning of the OT passage. Often, they used OT references as illustrations or analogies to make a point. And Matthew loved this writing style! For example, Matthew used “Out of Egypt I called my son” as a reference to Jesus, even though in the OT it clearly referred to Israel (Matt. 2:15 cf. Hos. 11:1). The “fulfillment” here was in the sense that both Israel and Jesus, called “son,” came out of Egypt. Another example is Matthew 2:17, where he quotes Jeremiah 31:15.

Going back to Matthew 8:17, the “fulfillment” of Isaiah 53:4 in Jesus’ healing ministry doesn’t necessarily mean that healing was the original meaning of the prophecy. Matthew quoted it to make a point by drawing an analogy between the OT text and the NT event. His point may be that genuine physical healing can also illustrate the principles of spiritual healing (see also Matt. 9:5–7, 12; 13:15). Also, we cannot deny that the spiritual healing Jesus offers will ultimately lead to physical restoration in the future (“glorified body”), but this is not a guarantee of perfect health today. 

The next question: Does the fact that Jesus healed before guarantee that He will heal everyone who comes to Him now? No. Even then, Jesus did not heal everyone who sought Him. While He did heal many during His earthly ministry, there were also times He deliberately withdrew from crowds seeking miracles (Matt. 8:18; Mk. 1:32–39; Lk. 5:15–16). In John 5, there were many sick at the pool of Bethesda, but Jesus chose to heal only one and left the rest (v. 13). Jesus also repeatedly told people not to broadcast His miracles (Matt. 8:4; Mk. 1:44; 7:36; Lk. 5:14), to avoid crowds demanding more miracles. This shows that while Jesus was compassionate and able to heal all, He did not always heal. His miracles were primarily to confirm His message so that people would believe (Matt. 11:4–6; Jn. 2:11; 10:38; 14:11). The emphasis of the gospel accounts is actually on Jesus’ teaching and preaching ministry, not His healing ministry. If His priority was to heal everyone, He could have done so easily without needing to come to earth. To put it briefly: Jesus’ healings then are not a guarantee that we can always expect Him to grant healing today.

3 JOHN 1:2 – A PROMISE OF GOOD HEALTH? REALLY?

Another commonly quoted verse is 3 John 1:2: “Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” Does this mean that God promises good health to believers? No. This verse is not a promise at all. It is simply a greeting that shows the writer’s desire for the readers’ well-being. It is not written to teach a doctrine or theological truth. In short: it’s just a greeting—similar to saying “Good morning” or “Hello.” In fact, there is no verse in the Bible that promises perfect health for believers. On the contrary, Scripture honestly shows that believers are not exempt from sickness (Gal. 4:13–14; 1 Tim. 5:23; Phil. 2:26–27, etc.).

CAN WE STILL EXPECT GOD TO HEAL TODAY?

YES! God still heals! There’s no question about that. All the verses about healing (Jer. 17:14; Ps. 41:3; 103:2–4; 147:3; James 5:14; etc.) still apply to us! But we cannot expect Him to always heal because He never promised that. It’s easy to find stories of believers today whose prayers for healing were not answered. Still, healing remains available, and it is never wrong to ask for it (James 5:14–15). This might be hard to accept if you are expecting healing for yourself or others. But we should remember: God remains the Healer whether He heals or not.

Some believers mistakenly think that sickness is always related to sin (Jn. 9:1–3), while others are disappointed in their faith when healing doesn’t come. These misconceptions come from the false idea that God always heals, so if you are not healed, it must be your fault. But the truth is: God is able to heal, but that doesn’t mean He always will. He has the right to do what He knows is best.

Paul is a good example of submission. In 2 Cor. 12:7–9, he mentioned his “thorn in the flesh” that God did not remove despite repeated prayers. Though there are many views on what this “thorn” was, many think it may have been some illness affecting his eyesight. Whether or not it was an illness, the point is clear: God’s answer was not always “yes.” If anyone deserved to be healed, it was Paul—yet God, in His wisdom, chose not to remove it. Instead, He said: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Whatever Paul’s “thorn” was, the lesson is the same: even without healing, God’s grace sustains. Like the psalmist said: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps. 73:26).

WHAT DOES GOD PROMISE?

There will come a day when sickness will no longer be an issue because God has promised believers a glorious future (Rom. 8:18). A day when our bodies will be fully freed from sin (Rom. 8:23) and we will receive glorified bodies like His (Phil. 3:21). A time and place where there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain (Rev. 21:4). This is the comforting truth we can hold on to despite the reality of sickness and death. This is the healing we should all look forward to—our blessed hope. Stay Curious.