STATEMENT ON HEALING

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21).

We believe that God can heal today just as He did in the New Testament on many occasions. We also believe, however, that there are many instances when God chooses not to heal a person while on this planet. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) We encourage people to pray with faith for healing, but at the same time acknowledge that it is up to God's sovereignty whether or not He chooses to heal. (James 5:13-15) God is not a big genie in the sky, waiting to grant our every whim. We can't conjure up healing by demanding it or claiming it. (Isaiah 46:9-10)

Many people with chronic illnesses have been prayed for on numerous occasions and yet still remain ill. We are here to support people in this position and help them find meaning and purpose in the midst of their infirmities. (Psalm 119:71) The Bible is very clear that God often uses trials of various sorts in our lives to mold us into Christ's image and to help us develop godly character. (Romans 5:1-3)

For those who are believers in Christ, we can all look forward to being healed someday, whether on this earth or in the life to come. (I Corinthians 15:51-53) The Bible says our citizenship is in heaven, so physical healing shouldn't be our ultimate goal in this life. Our goal should be to please Christ no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in. (2 Corinthians 5:7-9)

Note: We do not endorse ministries that promote unbiblical teachings such as: “If you just have enough faith you will be healed,” “Sin or emotional problems in your life are the primary cause of your illness,” "You can just walk out of your illness through positive thinking and confession," etc. (I Timothy 4:16)

A WORD ABOUT THE FAITH MOVEMENT: The following excerpt is taken from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa’s website: “At Calvary Chapel, we reject the teaching of "positive confession," which is the doctrine put forth by the faith movement teachers that says that we as human beings can have unlimited health and wealth because we, like God, have the ability to create our own reality by the confession of our lips. These people teach that if a person will confess health and wealth consistently, then that is what they will have, and, conversely, the Christian living in sickness or poverty is settling for less than his full inheritance in Christ. At Calvary Chapel, we believe that many believers both in the Bible and in daily life are often afflicted not because their confession is wrong, but simply because we live in a foreign world. We believe that the health and prosperity doctrine is a perversion of Scripture and is often used to fleece the flock of God. We do not believe that God can be commanded by man to heal or provide, but that we must always submit to His perfect will even in affliction.” (http://calvarychapel.com/bitterrootvalley/history.htm)

To read devotionals by Janine Ridings on the topic of healing, see:

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