On Divine Health? 2

Having discussed how sickness became a part of human life, we can conclude certain things from last week. Man was now subjected to the laws of nature. In fact, these laws only came into place after the fall. The cosmos began to lose its vitality. Eden was sustained by the laws of the Spirit that made natural laws subject to its inhabitants. As the earth lost its vitality, man was also subjected to earthly corruption. We have also seen that the earth was not redeemed; it is our spirit that was redeemed. Ephesians 1:7.

Another consequence is that as the earth came under corruption, the main component of man’s makeup that interacts with the earth also began to experience corruption. Genesis 3:18–19. The body was also not redeemed. This makes the body subject to the corruption that is in the world, which includes sickness and death. Romans 8:18–24. This is what points us to the future glorified or celestial body we shall receive at the second coming, a body not subject to sickness or disease. Philippians 3:20–21, 2 Corinthians 5:1–4, 1 Corinthians 15:51–53.

Sin that introduced sickness and the decay of the earth also made man prone to sickness. So we see two realities: man falls sick because of sin, and man also experiences sickness because he lives in a fallen and corrupted earth. John 5:14.

As a result of this, men began to fall sick and some even died from such sickness. Elisha the great prophet died from a sickness that was not attributed to sin but can be understood as part of the natural decline of human life. 2 Kings 13:14. Naaman was afflicted with leprosy before he encountered healing through the ministry of Elisha. The Shunammite woman’s son fell sick and died before he was restored. 2 Kings 4:18–37. The woman with the issue of blood also shows us that sickness had become systemic, no longer always tied to moral failure, but something that required physicians, effort, and prolonged endurance. Mark 5:25–34.

These examples help us see that sickness had become part of the normal human experience in a fallen world.

This brings us to what redemption actually did. In Eden, Adam and Eve had dominion by design. We have dominion at redemption by adoption. Romans 8:14–17, Galatians 4:4–7. Adam did not need to learn authority because authority was natural to his position. The earth responded to him by nature. But in redemption, authority is not automatic in experience, it is conferred through sonship.

Adoption therefore confers rights, privileges, and authority, but these must be understood before they can be enforced. This is why there is a need for renewal of the mind. Romans 12:1–2. The renewed mind is what brings the believer into alignment with redemption rather than the fall. It teaches us to think as sons and not as victims of corruption.

The will of God is revealed in the Son. Jesus did not come only to pay for sin, He came to reveal the Father and show us what redeemed life looks like. This is why He said, learn of me. Matthew 11:29. The first Adam introduced mankind to the fall, but the second Adam reveals the intention of God for redeemed man.

So when we look at Jesus, we see consistency. He confronted sickness wherever He found it. He healed all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Matthew 4:24. He healed all that were sick. Matthew 8:16–17. He went about healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Matthew 9:35. And Acts 10:38 summarizes His ministry as doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.

The pattern is clear. The first Adam opened the door to sickness, but the second Adam consistently demonstrated authority over it. And while the body is still awaiting full redemption, the believer already stands in sonship. That sonship must be understood, renewed in the mind, and expressed through the authority that redemption has provided.

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close with this question in anticipation for next week- So, how does this come to play in maintaining health and living above sickness and its cousins after Jesus was glorified?

Having discussed how sickness became a part of human life, we can conclude certain things from last week. Man was now subjected to the laws of nature. In fact, these laws only came into place after the fall. The cosmos began to lose its vitality. Eden was sustained by the laws of the Spirit that made natural laws subject to its inhabitants. As the earth lost its vitality, man was also subjected to earthly corruption. We have also seen that the earth was not redeemed; it is our spirit that was redeemed. Ephesians 1:7.

Another consequence is that as the earth came under corruption, the main component of man’s makeup that interacts with the earth also began to experience corruption. Genesis 3:18–19. The body was also not redeemed. This makes the body subject to the corruption that is in the world, which includes sickness and death. Romans 8:18–24. This points us to the future glorified or celestial body we shall receive at the second coming, a body not subject to sickness or disease. Philippians 3:20–21, 2 Corinthians 5:1–4, 1 Corinthians 15:51–53.

Sin that introduced sickness and the decay of the earth also made man prone to sickness. So we see two realities: man falls sick because of sin, and man also experiences sickness because he lives in a fallen and corrupted earth. John 5:14.

As a result of this, men began to fall sick and some even died from such sickness. Elisha the great prophet died from a sickness that was not attributed to sin but can be understood as part of the natural decline of human life. 2 Kings 13:14. Naaman was afflicted with leprosy before he encountered healing through the ministry of Elisha. The Shunammite woman’s son fell sick and died before he was restored. 2 Kings 4:18–37. The woman with the issue of blood also shows us that sickness had become systemic, no longer always tied to moral failure, but something that required physicians, effort, and prolonged endurance. Mark 5:25–34.

These examples help us see that sickness had become part of the normal human experience in a fallen world.

This brings us to what redemption actually did. In Eden, Adam and Eve had dominion by design. We have dominion at redemption by adoption. Romans 8:14–17, Galatians 4:4–7. Adam did not need to learn authority because authority was natural to his position. The earth responded to him by nature. But in redemption, authority is not automatic in experience, it is conferred through sonship.

Adoption therefore confers rights, privileges, and authority, but these must be understood before they can be enforced. This is why there is a need for renewal of the mind. Romans 12:1–2. The renewed mind is what brings the believer into alignment with redemption rather than the fall. It teaches us to think as sons and not as victims of corruption.

The will of God is revealed in the Son. Jesus did not come only to pay for sin, He came to reveal the Father and show us what redeemed life looks like. This is why He said, “Learn of me.” Matthew 11:29. The first Adam introduced mankind to the fall, but the second Adam reveals the intention of God for redeemed man.

So when we look at Jesus, we see consistency. He confronted sickness wherever He found it. He healed all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Matthew 4:24. He healed all that were sick. Matthew 8:16–17. He went about healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Matthew 9:35. And Acts 10:38 summarizes His ministry as doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.

The pattern is clear. The first Adam opened the door to sickness, but the second Adam consistently demonstrated authority over it. And while the body is still awaiting full redemption, the believer already stands in sonship. That sonship must be understood, renewed in the mind, and expressed through the authority that redemption has provided.

So, how does this come to play in maintaining health and living above sickness and its cousins after Jesus was glorified?

Divine Health?

 

I preached a message today on divine health, and I thought it would be a good place to begin as I return here. It is good to be back writing.

There are two common extremes I often hear. One says a believer can never be sick because salvation has brought healing. The other insists that salvation is only for the soul and has nothing to do with the body. But the real question is not what we think. It is what Scripture actually teaches.

God created man and gave him dominion over the earth. At creation, the earth was subject to man. This is why Adam could name the animals, because he exercised authority over creation.

The command to subdue carries the idea of dominion. Man functioned as God’s representative on the earth, and creation responded to him.

At this point, man was not subject to death. Death was not part of the order of existence. For death to occur, man had to step outside God’s command (Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:22).

Because death was absent, sickness also had no place. Sickness is a byproduct of a world under death.

When man fell, the primary consequence was death. This death wasn’t just spiritual, as has been echoed over the years; it is also physical (Romans 5:12). After the fall, death became part of human experience. Mortality entered, and with it came the gradual breakdown of the human body, making it vulnerable to sickness and decay.

The fall did not only affect man. It also affected the earth. The ground was cursed. Man was sent out of his original domain into a world now under corruption and under the influence of the devil. This is why Scripture talks about a new earth that will emerge at the end of the age, when the earth will also be redeemed (2 Peter 3:13).

This is the tension we live in.

We are redeemed people in a fallen world.
We are saved, yet still living in a corrupted creation.

From this, we understand clearly where sickness comes from.

Sickness is a consequence of a fallen world (Genesis 3:16–19).

Humanity is no longer immortal and is subject to death, disasters, and sickness as part of life in a broken creation.

If Christ has redeemed us, yet we still live in a world where sickness exists, how should believers properly understand and relate to sickness and health?

Let's continue next week. Blessed?

Yours in Christ, 

Olufemi Ibitoye

Miracle?

I realized many of us have not been taught about the different dimensions of miracles that the Lord works in our lives. Our teachings have gleaned more towards escape and deliverance as the model of God’s miracle in our lives. 

So, I need a job and the only miracle that I’d testify about is that God finally came through for me and I secured a job in a desired company. I needed to get married and the Lord came through, my spouse showed up and we settled down in a nice part of the city. This has always been our definition of faith and the miracle of God.

DEATHLESS

I was invited to teach at a church recently and the topic was around identity. As I prepared for the message I began to see the concept of identity differently. Let me share it with you. 

I saw that Identity is linked to birth and that man becomes an exact image of what gave birth to him. A thing is identified by what gives birth to it. Just as the scripture says a tree is recognized by its fruit. So, the concept of identity is linked to the phenomenon of birth. In the beginning, man fell and the order of men became that of the first Adam that fell. The man began to struggle because there was already a disconnection from what powered man’s life earlier. 

THE CHURCH AND POLITICS

This week's dose is dedicated to Nigerians as we celebrated another year of independence. 

I know there was so much expectation in the 2023 general elections. Hope was dashed as far as many were concerned, particularly the youths.  Many picked on the church and her leaders who decided not to meddle into who to vote for and not to vote for during the elections. Infact, I saw how some people threatened to leave the church if some of our leaders do not endorse a particular candidate. 

However, the church has no direct business in politics  of the country (as this is not the purpose of the local assembly) but in nation building. This is important to note as a believer committed to a local assembly. 

LIKE MOSES

I was reading the book of Joshua and I was only seeing the person of Christ and what He has done for us. Moses was a man who had done great stuff for the people of Israel. He had come to face everything to ensure the Israelites made it to the promised land. He had an opportunity to throw everything away and save himself but he fought for the same people making sure they were not blotted out of God’s book. 

He was the man who was the voice of God. The weight of the works Moses did was eternal in the scheme of things. 

The same set of people Moses fought for would also make his bid to enter the promised land, not a reality.

Narrow is the Gate

I grew up to the gospel of doing so much just to ensure one doesn’t miss heaven. God was described to us as a taskmaster who is more interested in keeping the rules than the wellbeing of the labourers. It all began to look like a very tough endeavour and we were always extra careful to ask for forgiveness every day before we slept to be sure if anything happened, we made it to God. 

This line of thought was frequently fueled by the scripture that says narrow is the way to heaven

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matt 7:13-14