by His stripes we are healed

“Stripes,” (Isaiah 53:5;  1 Peter 2:24) in the language of the King James Version of the Bible, and in some  others, means “wounds,” as seen in more modern translations such as the New  International Version. These stripes were administered by whipping the bare  backs of prisoners whose hands and feet were bound, rendering them helpless. The  phrase “by His stripes we are healed” refers to the punishment Jesus Christ  suffered—floggings and beatings with fists that were followed by His agonizing  death on a cross—to take upon Himself all of the sins of all people who believe  Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No  one comes to the Father except through me” (John  14:6).

The whips used were made of braided leather, with pottery  shards and sharp stones affixed to the ends, which tore open the flesh of the  prisoner with each cruel swing of the whip. When we picture this terrible,  inhumane form of physical punishment we recoil in horror. Yet the physical pain  and agony were not all Jesus suffered. He also had to undergo the mental anguish  brought on by the wrath of His Father, who punished Him for the sinfulness of  mankind—sin carried out in spite of God’s repeated warnings, sin that Jesus  willingly took upon Himself. He paid the total price for all of our  transgressions.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Peter  wrote, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die  to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” In  Isaiah 53, Jesus’ future life on earth was foretold in the clearest of terms, to  include his eventual torture and death: “But He was pierced for our  transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought  us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds (stripes) we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter  2:24).

Although these two verses are central to the topic of  healing, they are often misunderstood and misapplied. The word “healed” as  translated from both Hebrew and Greek, can mean either spiritual or physical  healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that  they are referring to spiritual healing, not physical. “He himself bore our sins  in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for  righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter  2:24). The verse is referring to sin and righteousness, not sickness and  disease. Therefore, being “healed” in both these verses is speaking of being  forgiven and saved, not being physically healed.

What does the Bible say about healing?

Isaiah 53:5, which is then  quoted in 1 Peter  2:24, is a key verse on healing, but it is often misunderstood and  misapplied. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our  iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” The word translated “healed” can mean either  spiritual or physical healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2  make it clear that it is speaking of spiritual healing. “He himself bore our  sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for  righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter  2:24). The verse is talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and  disease. Therefore, being “healed” in both these verses is speaking of being  forgiven and saved, not physically healed.

The Bible does not  specifically link physical healing with spiritual healing. Sometimes people are  physically healed when they place their faith in Christ, but this is not always  the case. Sometimes it is God’s will to heal, but sometimes it is not. The  apostle John gives us the proper perspective: “This is the confidence we have in  approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And  if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked  of Him” (1 John  5:14-15). God still performs miracles. God still heals people. Sickness,  disease, pain, and death are still realities in this world. Unless the Lord  returns, everyone who is alive today will die, and the vast majority of them  (Christians included) will die as the result of a physical problem (disease,  sickness, injury). It is not always God’s will to heal us physically.

Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in heaven. In heaven, there  will be no more pain, sickness, disease, suffering, or death (Revelation 21). We  all need to be less preoccupied with our physical condition in this world and a  lot more concerned with our spiritual condition (Romans  12:1-2). Then we can focus our hearts on heaven where we will no longer have  to deal with physical problems. Revelation  21:4 describes the true healing we should all be longing for: “He will wipe  every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or  pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

What is the spiritual gift of healing?

The spiritual gift of healing is the supernatural manifestation of the Spirit of  God that miraculously brings healing and deliverance from disease and/or  infirmity. It is the power of God that destroys the work of sin and/or the devil  in the human body, such as the healings that Jesus and the disciples performed  (Matthew  4:24, 15:30; Acts 5:15-16, 28:8-9). The gift of healing given to the church is  primarily noted in 1 Corinthians 12, where the spiritual  gifts are listed.

Spiritual gifts are powers, skills, abilities, or  knowledge given by God through the Holy Spirit to Christians. Paul tells the  church that the purpose of gifts to edify other believers, and ultimately, to  glorify God. God gives these gifts for His use, but in the Corinthian church,  they were apparently a type of status symbol or being used to indicate  superiority. Interestingly, 1  Corinthians 12:9 refers to “gifts” of healing in the plural, which may  indicate that there are different gifts of healing. The gifts of healing could  mean a very wide range of skills or abilities. This could be from the power to  do miraculous or dramatic healing, like making the lame walk, or the use or  understanding of medicine. It could even be the ability to empathize and show  love to others to the point of removing or healing an emotional wound.

There has been much debate about the usage of the spiritual gift of healing  among Christians. Some believe the gift of healing and some other sign gifts are  no longer operative today, while others believe the miraculous gifts are still  in operation today. The power to heal was never in the gifted person  himself/herself. The power to heal is from God and God alone. Although God does  still heal today, His healing through the gift of healing belonged primarily to  the apostles of the first century church to affirm that their message was from  God (Acts 2:22; 14:3).

God still  performs miracles. God still heals people. There is nothing preventing God from  healing one person through the ministry of another person. However, the  miraculous gift of healing, as a spiritual gift, does not seem to be functioning  today. God can certainly choose to intervene in whatever manner He sees fit,  whether “normal” or miracle. Our salvation itself is miracle. We were dead in  sin, but God entered our lives and made us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17).  That is the greatest healing of all.