What Nazarenes Believe the Bible Teaches about Healing - June 19, 2022

by Pastor Chuck Ryan

What Nazarenes Believe the Bible Teaches about Healing
Text: James 5:13-18
Thesis: God has the power to heal supernaturally and through medical science.
a
1. It is God who does the work of healing.
A. We believe in “divine healing” not “faith healing”.
1. False teachers put the emphasis of healing more on the faith of the sick person.
2. Jesus said: “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as
small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to
there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20
B. Not every person who prays to be healed will be healed on this side of heaven.
C. We believe at times God chooses to heal supernaturally and sometimes through a
physician or a combination of both.
1. God gives intellect and abilities to people for the purpose of healing.
2. Luke, the writer of the books of Luke and Acts, was a physician.
“Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.”
Colossians 4:14
3. “In New Testament times ‘oil’ may have been a natural medicinal
treatment used in cooperation with prayer.”
BBC Volume 10, page 246
“We believe in the Bible doctrine of healing and urge our people
to seekto offer the prayer of faith for the healing of the sick. We also believe God
heals through the means of medical science.”
Article XIV - Divine Healing; Nazarene Manual
2. Sickness can be traced indirectly to sin and sometimes directly or both.
A. The sin of Adam brought physical, mental, emotional, relational, and
spiritual damage to all humans.
1. We are born into the world as damaged goods.
2. A sinful lifestyle can bring greater harm to all aspects of our lives, such as
addictions and many other dysfunctional behaviors.
3. The majority of sickness in the world is of no direct fault of anyone.
3. “The Prayer of a righteous man (person) is powerful and effective.”
(Vs. 16b)
A. “Righteous” meaning a “Born-Again” (John 3:16), Spirit-filled believer of Jesus
Christ.
B. Many Christians have power they are not aware of.
1. James is referring to Spirit filled laymen too, not just clergy.
2. So pray, pray, pray! “Prayer is the key to power”, meaning when we pray we release
the power of God.