An accurate view of healing
New Testament healings were supernaturally powerful / entirely successful / undeniable / immediate / spontaneous and purposeful each serving a sign that authenticated the gospel message.
Such Biblical quality healings, miracles are not being performed today. We don’t see people with quadriplegics, paralytics, amputees, and people with other significant physical handicaps being instantly restored to full health today as in New Testament times.
Healing miracles such as those recorded in the Gospels and Acts were unique to the first-century church. These miracles validated the ministry of Jesus and the apostles as God’s chosen messengers. After the apostles, healings such as these ceased and haven’t been recorded since.
It is true that the Lord answers prayer and heals people according to His will, but there is no evidence today that miracle healings take place in the same way as they did during the time of the apostles. However, we must also acknowledge that God, in His providential care, can and does answer prayers for healing according to His will.
The New Testament also instructs believers to pray for those who are sick and suffering, trusting the Great Physician to do as He will, according to His sovereign purposes.
James 5:14-15 (NKJV)
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
This type of healing is not equivalent to the supernatural gift of healing as described in the Scriptures. Instead, it demonstrates a reliance on God’s power and sovereignty through the faith and intercession of the church.
The apostle Paul, despite being a vessel for miraculous healing during his ministry (Acts 19:11-12), recognized the reality of God’s will in healing. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul shares how he pleaded with the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” yet God’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” This reminds us that God’s will and purpose are not always aligned with our desires for physical healing, but His grace sustains us in every circumstance.
Even Timothy, a close companion of Paul, was not miraculously healed of his recurring stomach ailment. Instead, Paul advised him to take a little wine for his condition (1 Timothy 5:23). Similarly, Paul left Trophimus sick in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20), highlighting that miraculous healings were not common or guaranteed, even for those in close association with the apostles.
The absence of widespread supernatural healings today does not diminish God’s power but instead aligns with the cessation of certain apostolic gifts following the establishment of the church and the completion of Scripture. The focus for believers now is to pray in faith, trusting God’s providence and grace, while looking forward to the ultimate healing and restoration that will come in eternity (Revelation 21:4).