“Lord, save me!”
“Lord, heal me!”
These may seem like two different statements in our language, but in the Bible’s original languages, these are simply two different nuances of the same request. When we say, “Jesus saves,” we often refer to salvation from our sins and from a destiny separated from God. When we place our faith and trust in Him, it is God’s mercy and grace, extended through Christ our Savior, that saves us. This meaning of “saving” is indeed profoundly true. But the Bible uses this same word when referring to the appeal, or the response from God, to save someone from physical or mental suffering and illness as well.
Because the Bible views humans holistically, healing the body and the soul are intertwined and inseparably linked. We are body, mind, spirit, and soul—all different facets of the same sparkling gem of God’s creation called humankind. Often, when one of those aspects of our personhood becomes ill, other aspects also become ill. But when Jesus saves, He saves every aspect of our personhood. An example of this intertwined mind, body, and soul healing is evident in Jeremiah 17:14: “Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.” Other examples from Scripture include Psalm 147:3, Proverbs 17:22, Isaiah 38:17, Isaiah 57:18-19, James 5:16, 1 Peter 2:24, and 3 John 2.
Although it is NOT true that all physical and mental suffering results from personal sin (a warped theology Jesus refuted in John 9:1-3 and Luke 13:1-5), unforgiven sin CAN wreck the body and soul. Guilt and shame can paralyze the soul, lead to isolation and loneliness, embitter the heart, and ultimately manifest in all kinds of physical maladies. We see this ripple effect of sin and suffering in the paralyzed man’s healing as presented in the Gospel of Mark 2:1-12. This story is about four friends carrying a paralyzed man and lowering him through a roof to where Jesus was teaching. Surprising everyone, including the paralyzed man, Jesus said to the man, “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus knew that the healing of the man’s body was inextricably linked to the healing of his soul, and Jesus wanted to give him salvation in all areas of his life—not just his paralyzed limbs. Jesus could have also said, “Take up your bed and walk,” after He had first addressed the hidden area keeping the man paralyzed in his soul. No wonder the man leaped up joyously—he had received double healing from just one sentence! This body and soul healing also occurs in the woman bent over as recorded in Luke 13:10-17.
We might think of sin as something that clogs the spirit just as a hardened artery clogs a blood vessel. Sin prevents the free flow of grace to those around us and ourselves. However, forgiveness sets people free (the word “forgive” in the Bible’s language means “to set free, or to release”), and as a result, a soul, a relationship, and perhaps even a body is being healed. Oh Lord, save us. Oh Lord, heal us. Oh Lord, for heaven’s sake, for their sake, and our sake, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”—Amen.
by Pastor Allen Walworth
