Expert: Marvin Howard - 7/24/2004

Question


It seems to me that in Jesus' earthly ministry He was healing before He received His stripes (Isaiah 53:5), and forgiving sins before his Crucifixion & Resurrection (Matthew 9:2, Luke 7:48).

These people are NOT given a ticket for later action-- The blind, lame and dead are healed immediately. The forgiveness of sin seems also to be immediate-- "You're sins ARE forgiven," NOT "You're sins WILL BE forgiven after I am sacrificed."

Obviously, Jesus is fully God and can do whatever He wants. Don't you think that Jesus has always had the power to Heal and to Save, and His earthly suffering was less to "earn" this power, and more to fulfill the Levitical Law?


Otherwise, how could He do these works in advance of His suffering?


Answer
Hi!

Larry, this is a well thought out question. We are carnal men, trying to understand spiritual things, yet I will do my best to answer it to your satisfaction.

Yes, Jesus is fully God. Even while in the flesh and fully man, He was still God.

The blood of bulls and goats can't take away sin (Hebrews 10:4). It never could. Salvation of the obedient people was always predicated on the coming of Messiah. This applied to both Jews and Gentiles. They were under different laws, but each had to be ammenable to his own. For the Jews, this was the Levitical Law.

Jesus was able (and did), as you correctly noted, to forgive sins and heal while on earth. While He was here in the flesh, we were being prepared for the coming of a New Law, applicable to all man, regardless of nationality, race, or sex. Today, we are under this law; the law of Grace. He was and is the testator of the New Covenant/Testament. Please note the following in this same vein:

Hebrews 9:16-17, "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."

This is how it was possible for Jesus to tell men (such as the thief on the cross) they were forgiven, with no further actions required on their part, even though these requirements are plainly laid out in scripture. Only those desiring non-obedience deny the existence of these.

In changing from the Old to the New, the New was made to cover the Old, thus providing justice for those lost, and mercy for those saved. Each instance is predicated on obedience. While Jesus was not yet slain, He had the right to change the laws as He saw fit. While He still maintains ability to change things, for Him to do so now would be unfair to those gone before. This would be unjust, and since God is infinite justice, He will not allow this to be done.

Jesus (and His disciples after Him) used healing to prove He was from God; they were His credentials (John 3:2 and others). Today, the records (scriptures) containing these miracles are the credentials which we are authorized to use. This is in accordance with prophecy. If we say something different from the Word of God, we are shown to not be speaking for Him, or following Him; we are, instead, to be the oracles of God (I Peter 4:11). For more information on this, please see:

http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962/archive3.html

His stripes didn't give Him His power: He brought it with Him from Heaven. His stripes never physically healed anyone, or we would have record of such. His stripes healed us spiritually. How? He was demonstrating the depth of His obedience to the Father: even unto death (Phillippians 2:8).

If we are obedient, it is correct to say we are saved now (Mark 16:16, I Peter 3:21, etc.). What isn't correct is the false doctrine of "Once saved, Always saved." Galatians 5:4 plainly states we can fall from this grace. Also, please observe the following:

Hebrews 6:4-6, "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

Being singular, it is not possible for "the heavenly gift" to mean anything other than salvation. Yet, those with it can fall away.

When we are saved, we are saved from sin: this is in the present tense. Being saved from our sins is what will keep us from going to (save us from) Hell. Please note the following parable of Jesus:

Matthew 18:21-35, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

The man, once forgiven, was required to repay his original debt. It was once forgiven, but no longer. Why? In this instance, it is because he did not act with the same compassion as his lord. The parable closes by saying God the Father acts in the same way. Instead of being forgiven of money debt, the debt is sin. In any case, we see here that those forgiven (saved) can once again become unforgiven (no longer saved). The price (wages) of this sin is death (Romans 6:23). If the sins are reapplied to our account, so then is the penalty.

So, we see, salvation is used scripturally in two forms; both present and future tense. Thus, it occurs in two stages; one present and one future. You must maintain the present in order to obtain the future.

I hope I have covered the topic in a way easily understood. If you require further information or followups, please do not hesitate to ask.

In His Service,
Marvin Howard
preacherman_1962@yahoo.com
preacherman_1962@bellsouth.net
http://www.geocities.com/preacherman_1962