Healing, Gifts of
Healing in the Ministry of Jesus
The foundation for understanding the gifts of healing lies in the ministry of Jesus himself. Healing was not peripheral to Jesus's work but central to it. The Gospels record that Jesus healed every kind of disease and affliction: blindness (John 9:1-7), leprosy (Luke 17:12-14), paralysis (Mark 2:1-12), deafness (Mark 7:31-37), and even raised the dead (John 11:43-44). Matthew summarizes: "Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction" (Matthew 9:35).
Jesus's healings were not merely acts of compassion, though compassion was always present. They were signs of the arriving kingdom of God. When John the Baptist sent messengers to ask if Jesus was the expected Messiah, Jesus pointed to his healings as evidence: "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them" (Matthew 11:5). The healings fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy about the messianic age (Isaiah 35:5-6) and demonstrated that God's power was actively breaking into the world to reverse the effects of sin and death.
Jesus Delegates the Power to Heal
Jesus did not keep the healing ministry to himself. He sent out the twelve apostles with authority "to heal every disease and every affliction" (Matthew 10:1). He later sent out seventy-two others with the instruction, "Heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'" (Luke 10:9). When the seventy-two returned, they reported with joy, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" (Luke 10:17).
After his resurrection, Jesus indicated that healing would continue through his followers. The longer ending of Mark records Jesus's promise that believers would "lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:18). Whether or not these words are original to Mark, they reflect the experience and belief of the earliest church.
Gifts of Healing in Paul's Teaching
Paul lists "gifts of healings" among the spiritual gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, and 30. Several features of Paul's language are worth noting. Both "gifts" and "healings" are in the plural, suggesting variety, that different individuals may receive abilities to address different types of illness, and that the gift may operate occasion by occasion rather than as a permanent endowment.
Paul places the gifts of healing within a larger framework of spiritual gifts that includes wisdom, knowledge, faith, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). All these gifts come from "one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills" (1 Corinthians 12:11). The gifts are given not for the benefit of the individual but for "the common good" of the entire body of believers (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Healing in the Early Church
The book of Acts records numerous instances of healing through the apostles and other early believers. Peter healed a man lame from birth at the temple gate (Acts 3:1-10). Extraordinary healings occurred through Paul, including the restoration of a man crippled from birth at Lystra (Acts 14:8-10) and the healing of Publius's father on Malta (Acts 28:8). Even Peter's shadow and Paul's handkerchiefs were associated with healings (Acts 5:15; 19:12), though these accounts emphasize God's power rather than any magical property of the apostles themselves.
The letter of James provides instructions for healing within the local church: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up" (James 5:14-15). This passage places healing within the context of community prayer and pastoral care, suggesting that healing ministry was not limited to specially gifted individuals but was a function of the church's leadership.
The Role of Faith in Healing
The New Testament consistently connects healing with faith, though the relationship is complex. Jesus told many he healed, "Your faith has made you well" (Mark 5:34; 10:52; Luke 17:19). He was unable to do many mighty works in Nazareth because of the people's unbelief (Mark 6:5-6). The father of the demon-possessed boy captured the tension of faith and doubt: "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24).
However, the Bible does not teach that every failure to experience healing is the result of insufficient faith. Paul himself had a "thorn in the flesh" that God declined to remove, telling him instead, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Paul left Trophimus sick at Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20) and advised Timothy to use wine for his frequent ailments (1 Timothy 5:23). These examples demonstrate that God's purposes in healing are sovereign and not reducible to a simple formula.
The Question of Continuity
Christians have debated throughout church history whether the gifts of healing continue in the present age or were limited to the apostolic period. Those who believe the gifts have ceased (cessationists) argue that miraculous gifts served to authenticate the apostles and the new revelation they delivered, and that once the New Testament was complete, these foundational gifts were no longer needed. Those who believe the gifts continue (continuationists and charismatics) point out that Paul gives no indication of an expiration date for spiritual gifts and that the church throughout history has testified to experiences of divine healing.
Regardless of one's position on this question, all Christians can affirm that God is the ultimate healer, that prayer for the sick is commanded in Scripture, and that the healings recorded in the Bible point forward to the final restoration when God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, mourning, or pain (Revelation 21:4).
Biblical Context
Gifts of healing are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28, 30 among the spiritual gifts. Jesus's healing ministry pervades the Gospels (Matthew 9:35; 11:5). He delegated healing authority to the Twelve (Matthew 10:1) and the Seventy-two (Luke 10:9). Acts records healings by Peter (Acts 3:1-10), Paul (Acts 14:8-10; 28:8), and others. James instructs elders to pray and anoint the sick (James 5:14-15). Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-9) provides a counterbalance to simplistic healing theology.
Theological Significance
The gifts of healing reveal that God cares about the whole person, body and soul, and that the gospel addresses physical suffering as well as spiritual death. Jesus's healings served as signs of the kingdom, demonstrating that God's reign was breaking into a world marred by sin and its consequences. The distribution of healing gifts within the church body teaches that God works through human instruments and that the ministry of healing belongs to the community of believers, not just to specially anointed individuals. The tension between God's power to heal and his sovereign choice not to heal in every case points to the 'already but not yet' nature of the kingdom.
Historical Background
Healing practices in the ancient world included temple incubation (sleeping in a temple to receive divine healing, as at the Asclepieia dedicated to the Greek god Asclepius), herbal medicine, and various forms of folk healing. The Jewish tradition associated healing with God's covenant faithfulness (Exodus 15:26) and the ministry of prophets like Elijah and Elisha. Early church fathers including Irenaeus, Origen, and Augustine testified to healings in their communities. The anointing of the sick with oil (James 5:14) developed into the sacrament of anointing the sick in Catholic and Orthodox traditions. The modern Pentecostal and charismatic movements, beginning in the early 20th century, renewed emphasis on the gifts of healing within Christianity.