Lesson 33: When You Are Sick (part 1)
Read James 5:13-18 – www.bible.com/bible/59/jas.5.esv

Splash! Joni Erickson dove into the Chesapeake Bay a strong, athletic, young girl. A split second later she was paralyzed from the neck down, completely helpless and still underwater. Though rescued from drowning by her sister, the doctors could not rescue Joni from the paralysis that swept over her body. Medically she came to accept the fact that she couldn’t be healed but what about God? Didn’t Christ heal all kinds of diseases? The more she thought and prayed about these things the more she was convinced God would heal her too.

One writer said, “Joni brought together a group of her friends and church leaders and set up a private healing service. The week before that service, she publicly confessed her faith by telling people, ‘Watch for me standing on your doorstep soon; I’m going to be healed.’ On the scheduled day the group read scripture, anointed her with oil and prayed in fervent faith. Today (43 years later) she is still a quadriplegic…She did everything right and seemed to have met all the conditions, yet she was not healed.”

Was Joni denied this miracle because she didn’t have enough faith? Some believe so. Others believe she had some sin in her life. Still others say that she didn’t use the right technique or process and that she didn’t go to the right healer. Today thousands of people travel around the globe seeking those who claim to have the gift of healing. What about doctors and medicine? Should we trust God alone for healing? What method does God honor? James gives us the answers

5 Foundational truths


1. There are 2 classifications of sin – original and personal. Original refers to the sin nature we inherited from Adam (Rom 5:12) Personal sin is the daily disobedience that is spawned by our sin nature (Romans 7:14-23). Original sin is the root and personal sin is the fruit.

2. Original sin introduced sickness and death to the world. (Rom 5:12 – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”) Had Adam & Eve never sinned, they would never have died, but because they disobeyed, sickness and death spread to every human being. So in the broadest sense, sickness and death are the result of ‘original’ sin.

3. Sometimes there is a direct result between personal sin and sickness. (David & Bathsheba 2 Samuel 11-12) David committed adultery and murder and refused to acknowledge his sin for some time. Finally after a rebuke from the prophet Nathan, David confessed and repented. Psalm 32 is David’s journal of this period. It reveals the physical sufferings he experienced while refusing to acknowledge his sin. (Psalm 32:3-4)

4. Sometimes there is no relationship between personal sin and sickness. (John 9:2-3)

5. It is not God’s will that everyone should be healed. Paul had the gift of healing (Acts 20:7-12, 28:7-9) yet he left Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20). Epaphroditus almost died while ministering to Paul (Philippians 2:25-27). Timothy had stomach problems and frequent ailments (1 Timothy 5:23). Paul asked God three times to remove the thorn in his flesh but he was told each time, “My grace is sufficient!” (2 Corinthians 12:9)