The Charismatic doctrine of physical healing says that (1) healing is in the atonement, and (2) it is always God's will to heal, and never His will for us to be sick. There is already a thread about (1), so I'll concentrate on (2).
First of all, Charismatics argue that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) is not physical illness. Let's take a look at that. If it can be proven that Paul's thorn was physical illness, then the greatest Christian in the Bible was sick and not healed, and their argument is gone. That is why they fight so hard on this. Bill Johnson can even be heard on Youtube saying that if you believe Paul's thorn was sickness, you have a false Gospel and are cursed according to Galatians!
In 1 Cor. 12:9, Paul refers to the thorn as the Greek word astheneia. This word is very clearly sickness when used about sick people being healed by Christ in: Luke 5:15, 8:2, 13:11-12. Luke was a doctor, using a normal word for sickness. It was used in the same way in John 5:5, of Lazarus sick to death in John 11:4. Paul healed people with astheneia in Acts 28:9 (again Dr. Luke using the word). Paul himself uses the word of physical weakness (which was not healed), "weakness of the flesh," in Gal. 4:3. Again, Paul used the word of Timothy's stomach sickness for which he was to drink wine, a medicine in those days, in 1 Tim. 5:23.
The word is used 23 times in the NT. Of those times, I just listed 9 times, almost half, where the word clearly meant sickness. Of the other times, some refer to physical weakness, and some are ambiguous. However, since Luke the doctor uses the term for sickness 5 times, I think a primary meaning is "sickness." Other times the word is clearly physical weakness (Rom. 6:19). So the core meaning is of the word is physical weakness, with a meaning in context often of sickness.
Now, Matt. 8:17 is a prime verse used by Charismatics to try to prove that physical healing is in the atonement. That verse uses two words for sickness, astheneia (infirmities) and nosos. Nosos is clearly sickness, but this is an example of a parallel in Hebrew poetry in Isaiah, meaning that in context astheneia means sickness also. The Hebrew word in Isaiah is choliy, clearly meaning sickness. If it means sickness in Isaiah, then with the inspired translation in Matt. 8:17, it must also mean sickness.
The upshot? When Charismatics use Matt. 8:17 to prove that healing is in the atonement, they must also say that Paul's thorn is a sickness, or prove themselves wrong in Matt. 8:17.
But there are other proofs that it is not always God's will to heal. The above-mentioned case of Timothy's illness is one proof. Paul did not scold Timothy for not having enough faith to be healed, he said, "Take some medicine."
I can quote some Greek lexicons on Paul's thorn. And there are other passages that can be brought in, but I'm out of time. More tomorrow morning, maybe.
First of all, Charismatics argue that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) is not physical illness. Let's take a look at that. If it can be proven that Paul's thorn was physical illness, then the greatest Christian in the Bible was sick and not healed, and their argument is gone. That is why they fight so hard on this. Bill Johnson can even be heard on Youtube saying that if you believe Paul's thorn was sickness, you have a false Gospel and are cursed according to Galatians!
In 1 Cor. 12:9, Paul refers to the thorn as the Greek word astheneia. This word is very clearly sickness when used about sick people being healed by Christ in: Luke 5:15, 8:2, 13:11-12. Luke was a doctor, using a normal word for sickness. It was used in the same way in John 5:5, of Lazarus sick to death in John 11:4. Paul healed people with astheneia in Acts 28:9 (again Dr. Luke using the word). Paul himself uses the word of physical weakness (which was not healed), "weakness of the flesh," in Gal. 4:3. Again, Paul used the word of Timothy's stomach sickness for which he was to drink wine, a medicine in those days, in 1 Tim. 5:23.
The word is used 23 times in the NT. Of those times, I just listed 9 times, almost half, where the word clearly meant sickness. Of the other times, some refer to physical weakness, and some are ambiguous. However, since Luke the doctor uses the term for sickness 5 times, I think a primary meaning is "sickness." Other times the word is clearly physical weakness (Rom. 6:19). So the core meaning is of the word is physical weakness, with a meaning in context often of sickness.
Now, Matt. 8:17 is a prime verse used by Charismatics to try to prove that physical healing is in the atonement. That verse uses two words for sickness, astheneia (infirmities) and nosos. Nosos is clearly sickness, but this is an example of a parallel in Hebrew poetry in Isaiah, meaning that in context astheneia means sickness also. The Hebrew word in Isaiah is choliy, clearly meaning sickness. If it means sickness in Isaiah, then with the inspired translation in Matt. 8:17, it must also mean sickness.
The upshot? When Charismatics use Matt. 8:17 to prove that healing is in the atonement, they must also say that Paul's thorn is a sickness, or prove themselves wrong in Matt. 8:17.
But there are other proofs that it is not always God's will to heal. The above-mentioned case of Timothy's illness is one proof. Paul did not scold Timothy for not having enough faith to be healed, he said, "Take some medicine."
I can quote some Greek lexicons on Paul's thorn. And there are other passages that can be brought in, but I'm out of time. More tomorrow morning, maybe.
