They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.
—Romans 15:18-19
When you order a sandwich at a fast food restaurant, you may be asked if you want to add a few items to complete the meal. While the Good News can’t be compared to a quick lunch, it is certainly more than a one-course meal. The Good News of Christ is not only what Jesus said about salvation, but what He did. He didn’t stop at preaching the message of eternal life. He healed the sick and cast out demons. When Peter preached to the Gentiles, he captured the essence of Jesus’ ministry on earth: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:37-38).
When Jesus was here, people had no problem accepting and believing that He could heal the sick. Their problem was in believing that He could forgive their sins and save their souls. Ironically, Christians today have no problem accepting Jesus as their “ticket to Heaven,” but they sometimes struggle with believing He still heals the sick. Then, as well as today, Jesus wants us to receive the full reward for His suffering. He wants you and me to live the abundant life of freedom He won for us on the cross (John 10:10). He wants to give us the “full meal deal.”
To appreciate the fullness of salvation, we must believe that physical healing, like the gift of eternal life, is part of the atonement given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesied that He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases. He was beaten so we could be whole and we were healed by His stripes (Isaiah 53:4-5). Matthew acknowledged that when Jesus cast out evil spirits and healed all the sick, He fulfilled these words spoken through the prophet Isaiah (Matthew 8:16-17). Jesus Himself said, “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’ “(Matthew 9:5)? Here He implied that forgiveness of sin and physical healing were both part of His redemptive grace. The ministry of Peter and Paul further exemplified that healing and miracles were a central and vital part of God’s message to the world. When Peter prayed for boldness in preaching, He also asked the Lord for the power to do healing miracles through the name of Jesus (Acts 4:29-30). Paul was satisfied that he had fully presented the Good News by his message and by the miraculous signs and wonders he worked among the Gentiles (Romans 15:18-19).
The fullness of the Gospel is captured in the Greek word “sozo” used 110 times in the New Testament meaning “to save or make well or whole.” The New Testament writers showed the completeness of the word by using it in different contexts to refer to three aspects of salvation. For example, in Romans 10:9, “sozo” means saved from eternal destruction: “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved (sozo).” In Matthew 9:22, “sozo” refers to physical healing: “But Jesus turning and seeing her said, ‘Daughter, take courage, your faith has made you well (sozo), and at once the woman was made well (sozo).’ ” And in Luke 8:36, “sozo” refers to inner healing or deliverance from demonic strongholds: “And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well (sozo).”
Jesus died so you could receive the have rich, satisfying, abundant, and complete life. He wants you to receive your full reward for His suffering: salvation from eternal destruction, physical healing, and deliverance from demonic strongholds. He wants you to experience the full meal deal.
Father, thank you for the Good News of Christ Jesus! Help me to believe and receive by faith the fullness of my salvation: forgiveness for my spirit, healing for my body, and deliverance for my soul. Amen.
Excerpted from Peace For Each Hour by Mary J. Nelson; Copyright © 2013; ISBN 978-1938388170; Published by Comfort Publishers; Unauthorized duplication prohibited.