This is a collection of articles on the topic of health and wellness from a Christian, biblical viewpoint.
“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.” (Is 53:4)
“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.” (1 Pe 2:24)
"He heals all of my diseases." Ps 103:1-5
“He sent His Word and healed them.” (Ps 107:20)
"'But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, (Jer 30:17a)
It is my prayer that these articles will lead you to pray earnestly and seek the Lord's face, regarding your own health and wellness, and that of those you love. If you are not well, I pray that the Lord would heal you, and if you are well, then I hope something you find here will help you stay that way.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
This post provides links to all fourteen sessions of the Charles and Francis Hunter training seminar on How to Heal the Sick videos. Each of the articles below not only links to those videos, but also provides a summary of the key concepts, principles, and conclusions from each session. This can be used by those who either want to get a quick review of the training sessions that they have previously viewed already, so that they can refresh themselves, or by those who are now operating in healing and miracles, but would like to train others. The tools below will enable you to do either one.
However, if you have not seen these training videos yet or if it's been a very long time since you have done so, then I strongly recommend watching them again.
Click or tap on each of the links below to view the corresponding training session, and there will be a link at the bottom of each page to take you back to this overview page:
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
I want to encourage you today that everything begins with thoughts, so we need to be careful to have godly and uplifting thoughts. The apostle Paul wrote:
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil 4:8).
Everything you see in the natural realm began with a thought. Your smartphone began with someone having a thought to create such a device and now you have it in your hand. Your motorcycle or other form of transportation began with a thought, and so did the ideas of the internet and of email communications.
A thought becomes a word.
A word becomes an action.
An action becomes a habit.
A habit becomes a lifestyle.
A lifestyle becomes a destiny.
It all begins with a thought. Since there is a direct correlation between our thoughts and our destiny, let's train ourselves by the grace of God and the renewing of our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit to think thoughts that please the Lord, according to His Word.
Jesus said that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Lk 6:45). This teaches us that spoken words reveal whether a heart is filled with goodness or evil, as the mouth inevitably overflows with what is stored within. Therefore, whatever the heart is full of will directly determine your destiny, and whatever you fill your mind and thoughts with will ultimately become your future.
Closing Words
A practicing neurosurgeon named Dr. W. Lee Warren has written a book called The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life, which explains how it is possible for you to make structural changes to your own brain so it’s healthier and less prone to depression, anxiety, grief, worry, and other issues that make you unhappy and keep you stuck. It shows how modern neuroscience has now proven that what I have taught in this article is true, and gives you practical keys to doing what he calls self-brain surgery to change the way your brain is wired.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says? “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
The deadly, novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, is claiming the lives of thousands of people around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has now officially declared it to be a global pandemic, which experts say will touch every nation. One expert epidemiologist compared it to the Spanish flu of 1918, which lasted two years and killed an estimated 65 million people, but possibly as many as 100 million. He also compared it to World War II.
The infection rate is very high and so is the mortality rate -- 10 times more deadly than the seasonal flu 1, and it is spreading like wildfire. In Italy for example, they went from 3 cases to 3,000 cases in 2 weeks, and during a two week period it went from 250 cases to 10,000 cases, which is why that entire country is in total lock down mode right now. Likewise, Spain, France, Poland, Norway, Belgium, Argentina, Russia, and Israel are also under nationwide lock down as well. The virus is ravaging the Middle East with Iran warning of potentially millions of deaths from it. President Trump has declared a national emergency in the US, which gives him over 120 special powers to deal with the crisis. The governor of the state of Washington publicly stated that his expert advisers are telling him that if he doesn't take measures to slow the spread of this pandemic, he could potentially have 64,000 cases in his state alone by May. In the state of New York, they are taking drastic measures as well, including a 1-mile radius detainment zone around New Rochelle in Westchester County. All flights to the US from the UK and Europe have been stopped for now, and many other drastic things that are being done to stop the spread of this disease.
There were a couple of cruise ships where some of the passengers had tested positive for the virus, and because of that the entire ship was quarantined, requiring everyone on board to remain in their cabins for 14 days. One of those cruise liners was off the coast of Japan and another one was off the coast of California recently. Another example was recently in Bethlehem, Israel, in which there were tourists staying at a hotel where seven people were suspected of having the virus. All those tourists were required to remain quarantined in the hotel for 14 days with the ones who were suspected to be positive.
I am not promoting hysteria, but have done a great deal of research on this virus. Due to its 14-day incubation period, it is also very stealthy in that a person can initially be contagious without symptoms for up to two weeks, making them an ideal spreader to infect unsuspecting people around them. This probably helps to contribute to its very high infection rate, which could be as high as 83%, because people don't know to avoid these carriers who show no symptoms of the disease.
Reason
First of all, as I wrote in my previous article, I believe the The Seven Seals Are Being Opened in Real Time, and the coronavirus is one of the plagues that has been released as part of the fourth seal. It has already been foretold in Scripture, and I believe it will result in many more deaths.
As I look at the seven seals of revelation, especially the first several seals (eg., the first five), they seem to me to all be related to the evil acts of man. In other words, they all seem to be man-made by evil people. All this is allowed by God to help people wake up and realize that Jesus Christ is coming back soon. We are in the last days. The Lord is calling on everyone on earth, including those who know Him and those who don't know Him, to stop doing the things of the world and repent and pray, because Jesus is coming back very, very soon.
Origin
As for the origin and how the virus got started, I believe there is ample evidence that it was man-made (attenuated in a lab).
China's Wuhan Institute of Virology has a BSL-4 lab, which reportedly had been working on genetically modifying the SARS virus to give it a gain-of-function. According to the US National Library of Medicine, "Gain-of-function (GOF) research involves experimentation that aims or is expected to (and/or, perhaps, actually does) increase the transmissibility and/or virulence of pathogens."
"...a team of researchers from Norway and the UK have published their findings that COVID-19 was absolutely manmade. Their two main conclusions:
the mutations that would normally be seen in the course of animal to human transmission have no occurred in the coronavirus, indicated that it was fully “pre-adapted” for human infection and transmission; and
the coronavirus has insertions in its protein sequence that have never been detected in nature and contribute to its ability to cause infection and disease."
It is suspected that the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) was leaked either intentionally or accidentally from the BSL-4 lab in Wuhan. According to Newsbreak, "The taxpayer-funded NIH (National Institutes of Health, where Dr. [Anthony] Fauci is a top official) is now known to have funded bat coronavirus research (SARS-CoV) at the very same BSL-4 Wuhan laboratory that is widely believed to have manipulated and released the Wuhan coronavirus that’s now devastating the planet." Under Obama the NIH gave $3.7 million to the Wuhan lab that is located only 20 miles from the food market where the outbreak allegedly started (Also see here).
It has been reported that they had sloppy lab practices and scientists were taking lab animals (like dogs) home as pets, selling some in the market, which may have been used as food, and not properly burying carcasses of the animals that died. As a result, the world is now experiencing the health and economic consequences caused by this virus. The world as we once knew it has been forever changed, including our freedoms, as this will have a seminal effect like 911 did.
I recommend watching the video in the first link below, and if you still don't believe it is a bio-weapon, then check out the other two articles as well:
A thirty-three year old Chinese doctor Li Wenliang was silenced when he first warned about the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Chinese police stopped him after he attempted to sound the alarm in December 2019 over the outbreak at Wuhan Central Hospital, where he worked. Obviously the Chinese government didn't want that news to get out. Dr. Li later announced that he himself had become ill with the coronavirus, from which he died on February 7, 2020. His employer announced his death on Weibo, the Chinese social media site. He has now become a national hero for being a courageous whistle-blower in that repressive communist country, where there is no freedom of speech.
Moreover, US intelligence now reveals that communist China endangered the rest of the world by lying about the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak there 2. Revelations have surfaced about the regime’s malfeasance in covering up COVID-19, which means they are under-reporting the number of cases and deaths. This led medical authorities in other countries like the US to think that the outbreak was not going to be as serious as expected, until they saw the true numbers coming out of Italy and Spain. Meanwhile the Chinese Communist Party has sought to to turn the story around, making itself seem like the true hero and even a victim of the US military.
Divine Revelations
The Scriptures say: "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." (Act 2:17). So in these last days, the Lord is giving people dreams and visions. I believe the Lord has even given people divine revelations to confirm what we already know about COVID-19, which is that this virus is being used by evil people seeking to depopulate the world. Let me give you some examples.
Coronavirus dream. Message to every nation.
In this first video, a brother in Christ tells of the dream he had about the coronavirus in January. He was not going to share it initially, because I suppose he didn't think anything major would become of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
In the dream, he was trading with two Chinese men, exchanging currencies, and they seemed displeased with something about the trading deal. He then saw that they had five pipes leading from the coronavirus to a factory, apparently to pump the virus into the factory, in order to sicken and kill the workers there. The workers noticed the pipes and didn't understand how they got there. Then he saw a sixth pipe leading into an office building. This one was under the floor and began to cause the floor to boil, which they noticed. They showed a white guy in the office the boiling on the floor, and he downplayed it, saying it was probably just water, which it obviously was not. Then suddenly it boiled over into an explosion that filled the entire room. Later the man who had the dream was made to know that the two men who instigated this ended up dying from the virus, too.
My interpretation:
His interaction with the two Chinese men seems to represent the US trade war with China. The pipes from the coronavirus to the factory and the office building could possibly confirm it was an intentional leak. The factory represents the Chinese manufacturing sector and the office building represents the Chinese corporate sector. The white guy represents the way Americans have downplayed the virus and continue to do so even as it has become a global pandemic. He may possibly represent an American or Americans who were in China on business when people in those offices were getting sick and it exploded all over the place. That explosion all over the place may also represent the way it spread to the whole world from there.
A Dream About Corona Virus
In this second video, a sister in Christ also had a dream about the coronavirus. In the dream, she was in China walking through some kitchens of restaurants. She saw someone go into one of the kitchens with a white powder and place it on a shelf. She was made to understand that the white powder substance was the coronavirus. One of the cooks then added a small pinch of the powder to someone's food, which was then served to them, after which the guest immediately fell over dead. Men then came into the restaurant, put the man into a body bag, took him out the restaurant through the kitchen and out the back door. They put the body into a van, drove up a hill and then stopped and threw the body out onto the ground, which rolled down a hill and off a cliff. This whole process was repeated with more guests in the restaurant. There were also men seated secretly among the guests who were there to monitor this diabolical scheme and ensure it was being carried out. She tried to stop the people who were doing this, but they could not hear her and continued to kill more and more people. She knew that many dead bodies were piling up at the bottom of the cliff where they had been thrown. She also saw other guests in the restaurant watching news on a television screen about many people dying, many of them falling dead in the streets.
My interpretation:
Her dream seems to indicate once again that this virus is a biological weapon of warfare designed to kill people, and that it has been made by evil people who have intentionally infected the civilian population with it. The instant death they experienced may indicate the high fatality rate caused by the coronavirus.
Remedy
In this last video (now removed by Youtube), the Lord appeared to a sister in Christ in her dream and gave her the cure for coronavirus. He placed before her fresh ginger, fresh okra, and fresh garlic, and told her this is what people need to take to be healed from the virus. He warned her that people should not look to the government for help from the virus, because the government would only kill them.
My interpretation:
I believe the Lord did show this woman a homeopathic remedy for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). I believe these foods will in fact boost immunity and enable people to avoid getting the virus in the first place, as well as be healed from it if they do get sick with the virus. The intestines or "gut" are key to a healthy immune system, and as the sister stated, her research after the dream showed that okra helps to replenish good bacteria in the gut to boost immunity. It is also well known that garlic has anti-viral properties.
The Lord's warning that the government will only seek to kill the people is a confirmation that this is a bio weapon and that the government is behind it. It also confirms that government solutions will only kill more people. Of course, this remedy has not been evaluated or approved by the evil FDA, but that doesn't mean it won't help you get healed from the coronavirus. This is not medical advice, but taking these foods certainly won't hurt you.
I might also add that getting about 15 minutes per day of sunshine during the summer months (March to October in the USA) helps your body generate vitamin D (known as the sunshine vitamin), which is then stored in your body for use throughout the year. This stored vitamin D is used by your body during the months when you cannot generate vitamin D naturally, due to the lack of direct sunlight. Medical studies have shown that vitamin D3 (not D2) can help to defend against respiratory infection. Since the coronavirus causes pneumonia, it is important to have proper levels of vitamin D3 in your system. One study in a hospital many years ago showed that during an outbreak of the flu, the patients in one particular ward, who had received vitamin D supplements, did not suffer from the respiratory illness that plagued the other wards in that hospital. Of course, you can take vitamin D3 supplements in various forms to boost the levels in your system generated by sunlight. For example, you can take Cod liver oil with vitamin D; but do your research, since there are various kinds of vitamin D, but D3 is the best. You also don't want to have too much of it in your system, as that would be unhealthy. On the other hand, you want to get sufficient doses of it in order for it to be effective, and you need to have sufficient levels of other substances (eg., vitamins A and K, plus magnesium), to enable your body to absorb the D3.
I also recommend eating a healthy diet with lots of vegetables and fruits, which are good sources of vitamins and fiber. And avoid foods that can damage your body and/or cause poor health conditions, such as the ones I call the white poisons, namely refined sugar, dairy, refined table salt, and processed white flour. For more on this see White Poisons and Some Foods Damage, Others Heal.
I believe the most important remedy to keep from getting this disease is to repent of all your sins, give your life to Jesus Christ, and ask for His covering of protection over you, according to Psalm 91. Ask for His precious blood to cover you and protect you. His sinless blood that was shed on the cross for you will cover and protect you from this disease. Pray and seek the Lord, as prayer is key to your spiritual and physical well being. And go about your day praising the Lord, as praise is a powerful weapon of spiritual warfare.
Overreactions
There is certainly a lot of hype and hysteria surrounding the novel coronavirus, which is not good and not of God. I am not advocating fear, panic, or hysteria. And there certainly has been a big impact to the economy from it so far, namely the worldwide stock market crash (eg., Black Monday on March 9, 2020, etc.) and widespread fears of another recession. COVID-19 is also wreaking havoc on retail supply chains globally, resulting in various product shortages. The mass panic buying that is happening is also helping to contribute to those shortages. Some businesses are even temporarily laying off employees or sending staff home on administrative leave.
Additionally, the draconian measures being taken by the government to combat the pandemic will lead to a loss of freedoms in the long-term. They are already implementing screenings, monitoring of people, mandatory quarantines, drive-through testing, border closures, school closures, nursing home visitation bans, postponed elections, travel restrictions, and strict guidelines on gatherings of more than ten people, including private family ones in homes and those in public places such as restaurants and churches. I believe that eventually they will implement forced vaccinations, too. People will become desperate for a solution to this global crisis and look to the government to save them, which will set the stage for the emergence of the antichrist and his mark of the beast system.
Medically speaking, in terms of outcomes, on one end of the spectrum it can be as mild as the common cold for most people, and they feel better in two weeks, but on the other end of the spectrum is acute respiratory failure and death. Since the virus has already mutated 262 times to boost its own survival, which is a very high mutation rate, there are different versions of the disease being transmitted. This obviously poses a major challenge to the human immune system to develop ongoing immunity to an ever-changing virus, which could be the reason why it is so deadly and why doctors have observed a high rate of reinfections among those who recovered from the virus. An article from a Beijing, China-based media group called Caixin, reported that "14% of recovered Covid-19 patients in Guangdong tested positive again.”
Moreover, it has also been reported that even those who have recovered from the illness have ongoing damage to certain organs. According to Science Alert, those who recover fully from COVID-19 can still suffer from reduced lung function, possibly up to a 20-30% loss of function. They may gasp for air when walking quickly due to substantially weakened lung capacity, according to a Hong Kong study.
Regardless of what you believe to be the source of this virus, or whether you believe this virus poses a serious health threat, you should at least be able to agree that the reactions of society and the government (as mentioned above) to the pandemic will probably affect your daily life in some way. This perhaps poses the greatest risk to most of us, in terms of the highest probability of occurring and the most severe impact.
In this article, I do not seek to promote panic, but am simply stating what the potential is for this pandemic. The data I have analyzed indicates that things could get a lot worse in terms of potentially millions of people dying and long-term impacts to society.
If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, then you do not need to be fearful of this pandemic. If you have been fearful, then you should repent for your fear and ask the Lord to forgive you. Have faith in God, pray, and trust in Jesus to protect you.
Putting it All Together
This is an unprecedented time in our nation's history and the history of our world. It is not business as usual, but rather apocalyptic days we are living in. If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please get ready for the rapture, because Jesus Christ is coming back very, very soon. If you don't know Jesus, then now is the time to give your life to Him. I believe we are seeing the end time plagues foretold in Scripture, and that the seven seals are being opened. I believe the coronavirus is part of the fourth seal. I also believe it is a man made, bio weapon intended to cause maximum casualties. I do not believe the government has the answer for this problem. Jesus is calling upon everyone in the world, those who know Him and those who don't, to stop doing the things of the world, repent, pray and believe in Him, because He is coming back very, very soon.
2 Death rate for seasonal flu is around 0.1% in the US, but the death rate for COVID-19 is 29.6% worldwide (excluding mainland China), according to Worldometers. That is actually 296 times (29,600%) greater than the seasonal flu death rate. Case Fatality Rate (CFR) is calculated during the epidemic using the formula: CFR = deaths / (deaths + recovered) which, with the latest data available, would be equal to: 20,781 / (20,781 + 49,354) = 29.6% CFR (worldwide excluding China). Moreover, the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) in the USA is 1,295 / (1,295 + 1,868) = 41%. That is 410 times (41,000%) more deadly that the seasonal flu. As of April 2, 2020, the CFR is 95.6% in the UK, 84.6% in Netherlands, and 73.2% in Sweden! Therefore, when I state that COVID-19 is 10 times more deadly, it is a huge understatement.
Attribution notice: Scripture quotations from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.
Author's note: You must take responsibility for your own actions. This article is not to be construed as medical advise. This is only to provide
you with information, so that you can make your own decisions, for which
you will be accountable to God. I highly recommend watching the video featuring renowned virologist and author Dr. Judy Mikovits called Plandemic, a film about the global plan to take control of our lives, liberty, health & freedom.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org
The Lord has truly blessed our family of seven since we changed our diet! Since we eliminated the four white poisons on October 2011 ( white sugar, white flour, milk and it's byproducts, and table salt), our average monthly medical expenses have decreased by $135 (a 56% savings), and our average monthly medicine expenses have decreased by $78 (an 83% savings). A dramatic drop occurred in our spending on those areas as soon as we made the change in our diet. Since we live on a shoe string budget, that is very helpful to us!
Meanwhile, our monthly food expenses have increased by $200, partly because we are buying fresh produce and meats and other whole foods that have not been processed, which are more expensive than manufactured foods that come in a box, a can, a preservative, or a foil. The other reason that our average monthly food expenses during the past three years have been higher than they were during the two years before our dietary changes is simply inflation. Food prices have gone up significantly, so that accounts for part of our higher food bill. But the extra $200 per month that we are spending on food is offset by the $213 we are saving each month on medical and medicinal expenses. We still come out with a net savings of $13 per month.
And best of all we feel better, we are healthier, and we spend less time being sick or at the doctors. The Lord has been good to us, and we give Him all the glory! We cannot take any of the credit. It is He who gave the wisdom how to change our diet, and it is He who has healed us many countless times over the years when we were sick or injured. Praise the Lord!
We thank the Lord every day and at every meal for our food, because we realize that He is our Provider, and we are blessed to have food on the table, because there are many other people who don't have enough to eat. I hope this article has served to give you some kind of empirical evidence for the benefits of eating well.
Author's note: This post is part of a series. If you enjoyed it, you may also like the other posts in this blog available
through the links in the side bar. You may also access my blog
directory at "Writing for the Master."
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
Most Christians believe that Jesus died for sin, but very few believe he died for their own sin. Still fewer yet believe that Jesus died so they could be healed! I want to show from Scripture that salvation and healing, as well as deliverance are included in the atonement. It's a package deal!
First of all, Isaiah said, “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” (Isa 53:4-5, NASB). I encourage you to read the whole chapter, if you can!
Then the apostle Peter quoted the prophet Isaiah saying, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1Pe 2:24, NASB)
I realize that some people misunderstand these passages. Some may think the two passages contradict one another. Others may say that Peter was only referring to forgiveness of sin, not literal healing from sickness. Therefore, I’d like to do a side-by-side comparison of what the prophet Isaiah said about Jesus and what the apostle Peter said, in order to see the similarities and differences:
Isaiah
Peter
Comments
“Surely our griefs He Himself bore” (Is 53:4)
"He bore the sin of many" (Is 53:12)
“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross”
1. “bore” is “nasah” in Hebrew, meaning “to carry, take, receive, bear or accept” (Isaiah); “bore is anaphero in Greek, meaning “to take up (literally or figuratively): - bear, bring (carry, lead) up, offer (up).” (Peter)
2. “griefs” in Hebrew is "chŏlı̂y" meaning “sickness, affliction, disease, griefs, or illness,” (Isaiah); “sins” in Greek is hamartia, meaning “offense, sin” (Peter)
3. “Sin” in Hebrew is "chêṭ'," meaning, “a crime or its penalty: - fault, offence, (punishment of) sin.”
“Sins” in Greek is hamartia, meaning “offense, sin” (Peter)
“Our sorrows He carried”
(Not in 1 Peter)
1. “sorrows” is “makob” in Hebrew meaning “pain”.
2. “carried” is the Hebrew word “sabal” meaning “to carry or bear a heavy load”
“We ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted”
(Not in 1 Peter)
“He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities”
(Not in 1 Peter)
1. "Pierced" comes from "chalal" in Hebrew, meaning “wounded,” “dissolved,” “profaned,” “broken,” “polluted,” “slain,” “stained.”
2. “crushed” is “daka” in Hebrew, meaning “to crumble; transitively to bruise (literally or figuratively): - beat to pieces, break (in pieces), bruise, contrite, crush, destroy, humble, oppress, smite.”
(Not in Isaiah)
“so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness”
Since Jesus bore our sins, we should die to sin. In this way, we are enabled to live righteously and be saved.
“The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him”
(Not in 1 Peter)
1. “chastening” is “musar” in Hebrew, meaning “chastisement; figuratively reproof, correction, discipline, rebuke.”
2. “Well-being” is “shalom” in Hebrew, meaning “safe, that is, (figuratively) well, happy, friendly; also (abstractly) welfare, that is, health, prosperity, peace.”
“By His scourging we are healed”
“By His wounds you were healed”
1. “Scourging” is “chabburah” in Hebrew, meaning “properly bound (with stripes), that is, a weal (or black and blue mark itself): - blueness, bruise, hurt, stripe, wound.” The word “wounds” is “molops” in Greek, meaning “a mole (black eye) or blow mark: - stripe.”
2. “healed” in Hebrew is “rapha” meaning “to mend (by stitching), that is, (figuratively) to cure: - cure, (cause to) heal, physician, repair, thoroughly, make whole;” “healed” is “iaomai” in Greek, meaning “1) to cure, heal, 2) to make whole, and 2a) to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation”;
When the prophet Isaiah said, “Our griefs He Himself bore,” the Hebrew word for griefs is "chŏlı̂y" meaning “sickness, affliction, disease, griefs, or illness,” according to the NAS Exhaustive Concordance (NASEC). When the prophet said that Jesus “bore” our griefs, the Hebrew word is "nasah," which means in this context “to carry, take, receive, bear or accept” (Strongs). Jesus actually received our sicknesses, our diseases, and our illnesses in His body on the cross.
When the prophet said that Jesus carried our sorrows, the Hebrew word for sorrows is "makob," meaning “pain” (NASEC). When it says He carried our pain, the Hebrew word is "sabal," which literally means to carry or bear a heavy load (NASEC).
It is repeated in the New Testament. In the gospel of Saint Matthew, it says, “When evening came, they brought to Him [Jesus] many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.’” (Mat 8:16-17, NIV). So Matthew states that when Jesus healed all who were ill, He was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53 that we have just cited. Therefore, the Holy Spirit through Matthew confirmed that the prophecy of Isaiah is about Jesus Christ, and that this prophecy includes the Lord's healing and deliverance ministry.
Jesus Christ rose from the dead and lives forever. Just as He healed all who were ill during His earthly ministry, He continues to do so today. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Heb 13:8).
Furthermore, the apostle Peter wrote, “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1Pe 2:24). While Isaiah says Jesus bore our griefs, Peter says He bore our sins. Although Peter did not use the exact same words as the prophet, Isaiah did say "He bore the sin of many" (Is 53:12). So both passages say the atoning sacrifice was for both sin and sickness. And Peter affirms this by saying "you were healed."
The Greek word for “healed” is iaomai, which means “1) to cure, heal, 2) to make whole, and 2a) to free from errors and sins, to bring about (one’s) salvation” (Thayer). Therefore, Peter affirms that by the wounds that Jesus received in His passion and crucifixion, we His sheep are healed, made whole, cured, forgiven, freed from the power of sin, and saved. Jesus Christ not only paid for the forgiveness of our sins and our salvation from hell through His atoning sacrifice, He also paid for our healing and deliverance. This means that there is not only salvation but healing in the atonement.
Here is my own composite blend of both verses from Isaiah and Peter combined together into one verse, using the various definitions of the original Hebrew and Greek words:
“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, including all our sins, offenses against God, sicknesses, afflictions, diseases, griefs, and illnesses. He carried them on the cross, took them up, received them, bore them, and accepted them in His body all for us. He carried our heavy load of sorrows and pains, too. We ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. He was pierced through for our transgressions and rebellion -- wounded, broken, profaned, polluted, and stained with blood, all for us. He was crushed and bruised for our iniquities, faults, mischief, and sins. In fact, He was beaten to pieces for the punishment that was due to us for our sin. He did all of this, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him. The chastisement and reproof that we deserved -- the correction, discipline, and rebuke that were rightfully ours – were directed upon Him. He bore the penalty for sin that was due to us. It all hit Him, so that we could enjoy safety, wellness, health, prosperity, and peace. He did it all so you could be set free from errors and sins, in order to bring about your salvation and deliverance. He took every one of those black and blue marks, bruises, hurts, stripes, and red, swollen marks left on His flesh by the blows, so that you could be mended back together, cured, repaired, and completely made whole. For by His wounds received from scourging you were healed.”
It is not God’s will for His children to have disease. We have seen the Lord heal many various sicknesses and diseases through the laying on of hands with prayer in Jesus' name. He has done this in our own lives, our children’s lives, as well as the lives of other people. We have not only read about this happening through others like Smith Wigglesworth, Reese Howells, Kathryn Kuhlman, Charles and Frances Hunter, and Dr. T.L. Osborne, who saw tens of thousands healed in every corner of the earth during his sixty-five years of ministry, but we have seen it first hand.
Going back to our text in Isaiah, the prophet began his message with the words, “Who has believed our message, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Is 53:1). It’s such an amazingly wonderful message that it may seem too good to be true. But if anyone does not believe God, he has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son (1 Jn 5:10). Who has believed our message? Have you?
Just as one must believe in Jesus as His own personal Lord and Savior in order to be saved, one must also believe in Jesus as His own personal Healer to be healed. Jesus often said to those whom He healed, “Your faith has made you whole” (Mat 9:22; Mat 15:28; Mar 5:34; Mar 10:52; Luk 8:48; Luk 17:19).
It’s not enough to believe that Jesus died for the sins of the world. In order to be saved, you must believe he died for your own sin, and that He actually bore your sin in His body.
While few people who consider themselves Christians believe this, even fewer believe that He died for sickness and disease. And of those who do believe He did so, there are even fewer who believe He died for their own pain, sickness, and disease. You must believe he died for your own pain, sickness, and disease, and that He actually carried your sickness in His body. It was condemned there, along with your sin, two thousand years ago. You need to accept this and believe it is for you personally, in order to be healed.
If you are suffering from pain, sickness, or disease today, you don't have to. It doesn't matter whether it is AIDS, cancer, heart disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia, or migraines. You need only believe what God's Word says and appropriate it for yourself. Believe it with all your heart without any doubting. It was all paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, two thousand years ago.
James said, "Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord." (Js 5:14). If you are a believer, who knows Jesus, let me encourage you to do that. Call upon the elders of your church, asking them to anoint you with oil and pray for you to be healed. When you do so, the Scripture says, "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." (Js 5:15).
Scripture says the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well. You can depend on God to keep His promise. And it also says, "If they have sinned, they will be forgiven." That's why I think it is always good when you are ill to ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have opened the door to the enemy in your life through some sin and disobedience. Ask Him to expose you, so that you can get it right with Him. Repent and confess your sin to the Lord, asking Him to forgive you, and He will. That's important, because if He heals you, and you continue in disobedience, it'll be even worse. Jesus would say, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." (Jn 5:14; 8:11)
However, not everyone reading this article belongs to a church where the elders believe in divine healing, and your elders may not believe it is God's will to heal every sick person. In fact, some of you reading this blog may not yet belong to a church. I encourage you to get connected with one. But until you do, if you are a born again believer, and believe this message with all your heart, you can even be healed right where you are sitting now. I want to encourage you to lay your hand on your body over the area that needs to be healed, and confess your faith out loud to God right now. Call that sickness by name, and in the name of Jesus, boldly command it to leave your body. Then praise and thank the Lord Jesus for healing you. Receive it by faith from Him, just as you received His payment for your sins when you gave your life to Jesus. If you did that, then I declare you are healed!
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
A leper once came and bowed down to Jesus saying, “If you are willing you can make me clean.” Scripture says, “Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.” (Mt 8:3).
The Greek word for cured in Mt 8:3 is katharizo, meaning “to cleanse (literally or figuratively): - (make) clean (-se), purge, purify.”
In Deut 28:16, and throughout that chapter, Moses warned that anyone who did not obey God’s Law would be cursed. In other words they would be one on whom a curse has been invoked, accursed, doomed to destruction. And he listed all the sicknesses that were part of that curse.
“However, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE’”-- (Gal 3:13)
Christ redeemed us from the curse. Hallelujah! The Greek word for redeemed in Gal 3:13 is exagorazo, meaning “to buy up, that is, ransom; figuratively to rescue from loss (improve opportunity): - redeem.”
In English there is only a one-letter difference between the words “cursed” and “cured.” I say the letter “S” in that word should remind you of the Savior! He became a curse for us! It’s amazing but true that through faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we go from cursed to cured!
He became the sacrifice for our sin, so you could say the "s" is also for "sin." Through His sacrifice, our Savior bore our sin. If you repent and put your faith in Him, asking Him to forgive you, He will remove your sin and even give you power over sin. You'll go from cursed to cured!
If you have a pain, sickness or disease today from which you cannot be healed, there is One who can heal you. If you are a sinner in need of forgiveness today, there is One who can save you. His name is Jesus Christ. He alone has the power to save you from your sin and heal you from your disease. He alone can make you whole spiritually and physically.
Author's note: This post is part of a series. If you enjoyed it, you may also like the other posts in this blog available
through the links in the side bar, especially Power of God to Heal. I also recommend my daughter's poem, Faith Should Not Depend on Feeling, which she wrote the same day she received a divine healing in her body. You may also access my blog
directory at "Writing for the Master."
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
The transfusion of blood has become a standard practice in modern medicine, which society and the Church have generally accepted. It purportedly saves lives, so the end result seems to justify the means. Blood banks are constantly seeking donors through their blood drives, and many donors give their blood, thinking they are doing something good for mankind.
But as disciples of Christ, we must know the will of God concerning blood transfusions. We don’t make decisions based on what the world does, or based on the efficacy of a practice, even if it seems good in our own eyes. Neither do we make decisions based on what the majority of other Christians believe. Rather we make our decisions based on a correct understanding of Scripture, along with wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
Scriptural Injunctions Concerning Blood
Before the Law was given, God told Noah, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” (Gen 9:3-4). This also became part of the Law, and Moses taught that meat must always have the blood drained out before it is eaten.
Scripture teaches that the life of all flesh is in its blood:
"'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.'"(Lev 17:11)
In the Septuagint, which is the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament, the word for life in this verse is psuche. This is where we get the English word psyche, which is a soul or personality.
According to Thayer’s Greek definitions, the Greek word psuche means
1) breath
1a) the breath of life
1a1) the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing (of animals; of men)
1b) life
1c) that in which there is life (a living being, a living soul)
2) the soul
2a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
2b) the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life
2c) the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)
So when the Scripture says, “the life of the
flesh is in the blood,” it literally means the soul or the vital force that
animates the body is in the blood.Since
the life of a human is its blood, it must be kept pure.Nothing unclean may be put into the
blood.Since the life of every creature
is in its blood, we must not put it into our own blood.This is the same as putting their life into
our blood.Since their lives are not
pure, their life weakens us.
Bleeding finger (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Notice God did not say, “The life of every living thing is in the brain.” Although that’s what society seems to think, it’s not true. A human can go on living with brain damage. In fact, we can mechanically circulate blood through the body and keep a person alive, even in a comatose state. But if you take out all of a person’s blood, then their life ends and their soul departs from their body.
Since the life of every living thing is in the blood, the LORD told the people of Israel that they shall not eat any meat with blood still in it. "For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, 'You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.'” (Lev 17:14).
This injunction was carried over in the New Testament by the apostles and elders.
"Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.” (Act 15:19-20)
Unlike food going into the body, which is broken down, blood going into the blood stream remains whole. It contains genetic material, DNA, as well as other components like blood cells, germs, bacteria, and somatids (see footnote about somatids). From a spiritual perspective, the blood also contains other components that cannot be viewed beneath a microscope. It has a supernatural life force within it.
Based on these Scriptures above, and other ones about blood, some Christians sincerely believe that it would be sinful to allow anyone to inject any substance containing human or animal blood into their bodies, such as vaccines or blood transfusions. (For more on vaccines, see What Does the Bible Say About Vaccines?).
Arguments in Support of Blood Transfusions
Some people argue against that interpretation by saying that vaccines and transfusions are never mentioned in Scripture. They argue that Scripture never forbids these modern medical practices. They argue that there is a vast difference between ingesting blood through the stomach (digestive system) and injecting blood or blood-containing products into the bloodstream (circulatory system). Those who make such arguments do so from the assumption that blood transfusions are medically necessary.
However, it is interesting to note that Northeast Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas is a “bloodless” hospital. In other words, it performs even complicated open-heart procedures without transfusing any blood. They say it is safe, less expensive, and the patients recover faster. Their goal is to perform 90% of their surgeries without blood. There are bloodless hospitals in other parts of the country that have been doing this for years, and this is not an experimental practice. Since one unit of donated blood can cost around $700 or more, it’s less expensive not to use it. There’s also less chance of having a problem with the blood, such as infection, and you feel better, too. So even from a medical and practical perspective, it is not as necessary as some would like us to believe.
Quality Control within Blood Banks
Donating blood (by MartinD, Wikimedia Commons)
It’s important to note that the blood banks do not routinely test donated blood for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Street drugs, even marijuana, are often contaminated with many other things, the least of which would be pesticides, etc. Those things, as well as the chemicals of the drugs themselves, can interact with other medicines the person receives. They depend on donors to be honest in answering the questions and honest with themselves about if they really should be a donor. But people who use drugs do donate their blood for a variety of reasons, including incentives from the blood banks.
Here are some guidelines on blood donations the Red Cross considers acceptable, and it is all done on the honor system, relying on the honesty of the donor answering the questions:
“Taking antibiotics to control acne does not disqualify you from donating.”
“Acceptable if you have a positive skin test for tuberculosis, or if you are receiving antibiotics for a positive TB skin test only.”
“In almost all cases, medications will not disqualify you as a blood donor.”
Regarding use of marijuana, the Red Cross states the blood is: “Acceptable as long as you are not under the influence of marijuana at the time of donation.” (Note: drug use is an occult practice).
Regarding herpes: “Acceptable as long as you are feeling well.”
“Donors are only required to wait 12 months after treatment for syphilis or gonorrhea.”
Women on hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms and prevention of osteoporosis are eligible to donate. The hormone replacement pill, Premarin, comes from PREgnant MAres' urINe. Animal hormones. When estrogens and other steroid hormones go inside a cell, they can unite with a receptor to form a hormone/receptor unit that moves into the nucleus, attaches directly to special DNA binding sites, and activates protein-producing genes. The proteins drive the cell changes guiding estrogen-controlled growth and development
“Surgery: Acceptable once the wound is healed and stitches are dissolved or removed, as long as the underlying condition is also acceptable in a blood donor.”
These rules for eligibility give new meaning to the expression, "They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel"! It should also be noted that making donations for your own use during surgery (autologous blood donation) is considered a medical procedure and the rules for eligibility are even less strict than for regular volunteer donations. If this self-donated blood is not used, it is uncertain whether it is later put into the blood bank for others to receive, or what its final disposition is.
However, a former, high-ranking satanist has revealed that most donated blood around the world is intercepted by the satanists and used for drinking in their rituals. It’s a well-documented fact that satanic rituals involve animal and human sacrifices, as well as drinking blood, which is an occult practice. Some convicted criminals have confessed to murdering their victims in order to get more blood to drink in their satanic rituals. This is why there are so many abductions, including children. So it is not impossible that other criminals obtain the blood they need through blood banks. There is a risk for an illegal market.
Making Blood a Commodity
As I've already mentioned, blood is very expensive for hospitals, and in the U.S. the final cost to the patient for the blood can be double what the hospital pays for it! This can be as high as $1,500 USD for a unit of blood.
Due to the dramatic increase in the demand for blood, the brief shelf-life, and the constant shortages of blood supplies, the practice of offering incentives has increased in recent years, according to studies. Blood banks throughout the world offer both monetary and non-monetary incentives to donors, which can include cash, as well as things like gift cards, tax relief, travel reimbursement, paid time-off from work, and tickets to an event or museum, entry into sweepstakes to win expensive cars, or other material gifts. Studies in the U.S. have shown that over half of all blood donors received some sort of incentive in 2001. Sometimes legal defendants are given the option of a reduced fine, if they donate blood, or delinquents may be given the option to donate blood as part of their community service sentence.
Blood has now become a commodity that is bought and sold on the market. Since we know that the life or soul of a person is in their blood, then the blood centers, hospitals, patients, and criminals in the black market are buying and selling the souls of men (Rev 18:13). Human blood and the life in it has become merchandise, which is carried as cargo in cars, trucks, planes, and trains. Men are paying for blood. Yet few care whether that is the will of God.
Lastly, studies have shown that infectious diseases among donors who are recruited by monetary incentives are more prevalent. Therefore the safety of the blood is affected, and it's quality is reduced by this trend toward incentivized blood donors. Paying for blood donations is a risk.
Questions for Prayerful Consideration
In light of what Scripture teaches about blood, and the perpetual controversy over vaccines and blood transfusions, here are some questions:
Why do satanists drink blood?
What if a Christian’s donated blood were being used in satanic rituals?
Can a blood donor be sure of the final disposition of his blood?
Although many modern practices are not mentioned in Scripture, such as cigarette smoking, vaccinations, and blood transfusion, does that mean they are not sinful? Does it mean that God is neutral about these things, or can we deduce from Scripture what God’s will is?
Since we do not know about the life of the person who donates their own blood, then what if the blood comes from someone living in sin, such as a sexually immoral person, an adulterer, a homosexual, an incestuous person, a satanist, a pedophile, a pornographer, an atheist, a rebellious person, a hateful or bitter person, etc.?
What if the blood donor was the product of an incestuous relationship or whose birth was illegitimate in some other way?
What if the blood donor suffered from depression, anxiety, or some other mental disorder?
What if the blood donor has epilepsy?
What if the blood donor had cancer either previously or unknowingly at the time of donation?
What if the donor was sick with flu or had just taken antibiotics for a respiratory infection?
What if the donor had been vaccinated?
What if the blood donor had been taking psychotropic drugs (Antidepressants are a broad category of psychotropic drugs)?
What if the donor had been using cocaine?
What if the blood donor had recently had their ears or body pierced with a non-sterile instrument?
What if the blood donor recently had an elective abortion? (Note: the Red Cross says this blood is acceptable).
What if the blood donor were taking birth control pills (i.e., the hormones estrogen and progesterone)?
What if the blood donor were taking other hormones?
What if the blood donor had a sexually transmitted disease or herpes?
What if the donor had undergone Sexual reassignment surgery (SRS)?
What if the blood donor had themselves been the recipient of a blood transfusion from a foreign country with more lax screening and had received bad blood?
Since the life of a person is bound up in their blood, how would the life of these donors spiritually, physically, and emotionally affect the recipient of their blood?
If a Christian knew that the blood they were getting through transfusion or in a vaccine was once part of the life of a wicked person such as the kind mentioned above, or some other example mentioned above, would they still want that blood?
If a Christian received that blood, knowing where it came from, would it constitute sin?
If a Christian received that blood, realizing that he could not be certain where it came from, would it constitute sin?
If God does not want His people ingesting blood into their bodies through the mouth, why would He want us injecting it into our bodies? If it still ends up inside our bodies and becomes part of our life, what is the difference?
Whether by injection or ingestion, would a Christian want to receive a stranger’s bodily fluid -- other than blood (e.g., whole urine or components of it, sweat, mucous secretions, saliva, semen, or other bodily discharges)? If not, why then would a Christian want to receive a stranger’s blood?
Is it holy? Is it pure?
Is it ethical to buy and sell blood?
Is it morally right in God's sight to do so?
I am not going to answer these for you. These are for your own prayerful consideration. Ask the Lord to speak to you and give you wisdom. You can discuss them with your pastor, too. If you are married, discuss them with your spouse. If you have children, ask them what they think? Sometimes the Lord will use little children to speak nuggets of wisdom.
Putting it All Together
In light of the uncertainty surrounding the sources of the blood in blood banks, and the quality of the blood, it presents many difficult questions of both an ethical and spiritual nature. In light of God's Word, each disciple of Christ must determine the will of God pertaining to blood transfusions, as well as other medical matters like vaccines and the use of hormone-based products. But they cannot be left to make those decisions alone. Pastors must provide those who are under their care with the Biblical guidance to make right decisions before God. For we will all have to give an account one day of everything done while in the body, whether good or bad.
This is not something to be dismissed or taken lightly. And you don’t want to wait until you or your child has a medical emergency to decide what God’s will is about blood transfusions. In a medical emergency, there may be too much pressure from the immediate situation and the medical professionals to search the Scriptures and make a sound decision. In fact, if you are unconscious, you cannot make a decision for yourself or your loved one at all. You need to prayerfully seek the Lord’s guidance now to know God’s will.
In my opinion, the Scripture has some clear guidelines about receiving the blood of another living creature into your body. The life of every living thing is in the blood, and we are to avoid ingesting it. It seems to me that injecting something directly into the blood stream is just as bad as ingesting it, if not worse.
Man wants to disregard those guidelines, thinking he knows best. But God’s wisdom is supreme. I believe blood transfusions present a significant risk, and there are no guarantees of the purity of the blood in the blood banks. Likewise, there are no guarantees of the spiritual, physical, and emotional consequences of donating or receiving blood. At best, receiving a blood transfusion is somewhat like playing Russian roulette. At worst, it may be a direct violation of God’s will. You need to decide for yourself before God.
As you make your decision, please bear in mind that if any man wants to see God, he must walk in truth, righteousness, and holiness (see Heb 12:14; Eph 4:24; Act 17:31; 1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22; 1 Pet 2:24; 1Jn 2:29; 1Jn 3:7; 1Jn 3:10; 1 Pet 1:15-16; Mat 5:20; Rev 21:8; 22:11, 14-15). That is the only standard for heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ still loves you. But His standard is high! And His mercy is only attainable in the world.
In case you didn't know, Jesus gave his life on the cross for you. He gave His blood on your behalf. He took your place. His blood was pure, holy, and undefiled. If you will repent, give up your life of sin, ask God to forgive you, and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, He will save you. He'll wash away your sin in His blood, and give you His perfect righteousness as a gift.
Footnote: Somatids are the tiniest life form. They are visible in living human blood, as well as reconstituted dried blood. When healthy blood is viewed in an electron microscope, somatids appear as little dots of light, which seem to dance around the motionless red blood cells. They are living and indestructible, which means they cannot be killed either by heat or by any chemical product.
Author's Note: This is not to be construed in any way as medical advice. Consult a physician for professional
advice. Please be advised that I am NOT a Jehovah's Witness. If you enjoyed this post, I recommend the articles by Pakistan Defence cited in the references above, as well as my articles called What Does the Bible Say About Vaccines? and The Bible is our Guide. There are more articles of mine on the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog
directory at Writing for the Master.
Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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