It’s
hard to tell what’s really going on in people’s lives. For instance, at church
on Sunday mornings, people smile, greet friends, and tend to look their best.
But what if we could see the truth of their interior lives manifested in their
physical bodies? We would discover that many of our fellow churchgoers are
walking around crippled by pain. We’d know instantly if something was wrong and
would do whatever we could to help them.
That’s
probably how Jesus perceived people as He sought to minister to them. Although
their physical ailments were more obvious, He also discerned the spiritual
darkness and emotional hurts that left them fractured within. And while Christ
always intervened to heal them physically, His main purpose was to save them
from sin and give abundant life (John 10:10).
I
wonder how many believers today could honestly say they enjoy that great gift.
Sure, they’ve been saved and are going to heaven, but life seems more like a
dry desert than an overflowing, vibrant stream. What causes a believer to live
this way? It’s certainly not what Christ intends for His followers.
Fragmentation
is the result of sin.
Brokenness
began when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve. It created an immediate
separation between mankind and God, produced discord between people, and
resulted in illness and death. Because of our fallen environment, we suffer the
emotional damage of painful childhoods, broken relationships, and devastating
circumstances. However, sometimes we suffer not because of what has happened to
us but as a result of our own poor choices. If we allow sin in our lives, we’ll
experience internal conflict and division.
Whatever
the cause of our fragmentation, it negatively affects every area of our
lives—job performance, relationships, health, thought patterns, attitudes, and
emotions. The tragedy of this situation is that we’ll never have the abundant
life Christ promised if we settle for something less. How the Lord must grieve
over the brokenness sin causes. His desire is to heal the fractured areas, put
the pieces back together, and seal them with His love and grace.
Jesus
came to make us whole.
As
we consider what it means to be complete, we must first understand that the
Lord created people as “three-part” beings composed of spirit,
soul, and body. The spirit enables us to relate to and interact with God. The
soul is our innermost being that consists of the mind, will, and emotions. And
the body is the physical part of us. When Jesus ministered to people, He dealt
with all three aspects of their humanity.
The
Spirit. In His encounter with
Nicodemus, the Lord explained that the only way to enter the kingdom of heaven
was to be born of the Spirit (John 3:5-6). Since we are all born spiritually
dead in our trespasses, the only way to be made alive is to receive Christ’s
forgiveness (Eph. 2:1-5). Until that need is met, we will
never be whole. However, once we are born of the Spirit, He comes to live
within us forever. As we yield to His leadership and let Him fill us, the Holy
Spirit produces fruit in our character (Gal. 5:22-23).
The
Soul. Jesus also focused on the
internal issues of the soul. In John 4, the Samaritan woman’s failed marriages
and current extramarital affair revealed her deep emotional hurt. Christ
offered her living water, the only thing that could truly satisfy and spring up
into eternal life (vv. 10, 14). Believing in
Him resulted not only in forgiveness but also in her transformation. After she
encountered Jesus, her testimony caused many others in that city to believe in
Him (v. 39). Christ desires the
same for His followers today—He wants to transform us into people who can grow
spiritually and become emotionally healthy.
Do
you feel alone, isolated, or out of place even when you’re with others? Do you
see yourself as unloved or think no one really cares about you? Are you
struggling with feelings of inadequacy or inferiority? If you answered yes to
any of these questions, know that you don’t have to live in bondage. Jesus
wants to heal your soul so you can live abundantly, fulfilling His plan for
your life.
Just
consider what He’s already done for you. First of all, He has made you a
citizen of His kingdom, a member of God’s family, and a part of His body, the
church. No matter what you’ve experienced, you belong to the Lord forever, and
He delights in you. Moreover, He sent His Spirit to live within you as your
comforter and helper. He walks beside you every moment, giving you the ability
and confidence to accomplish whatever He requires of you.
The
Body. Ever since Adam and Eve’s
disobedience, mankind has suffered with infirmity, sickness, and death. No one
can avoid it. Perhaps the question that so often haunts us is why the sick
aren’t healed. After all, wherever Christ went, He ministered to physical
needs. The Gospels are filled with stories of the blind gaining their sight,
the lame walking, and the sick being made well.
The
truth is, we don’t always know what causes sickness or why the Lord doesn’t
cure every ailment. Although Jesus did restore many people to health, He didn’t
heal everyone in Israel. His purpose was to give people a taste of His future
kingdom, when He will come to rule on earth as King of Kings. Constant good
health isn’t promised in this life. Only after we receive our glorified bodies
will we be made completely whole—spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
Christ
will accomplish His work.
Jesus
began restoring us to wholeness with His first coming and, when He comes again,
will complete the good work He began. At the moment of salvation, He gives life
to our spirits. Then He works to restore our souls through the process of
sanctification, whereby He progressively transforms us into His image. The
final stage will be glorification, when we are given new bodies that never age,
suffer illness, or die (Phil. 3:20-21).
However,
until that day arrives, we will continue to deal with brokenness. But we have
hope because the Lord never gives up on sanctifying us. His goal is that our
spirit, soul, and body “be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). And as He works in our lives, we
discover the boundless joy that comes from being children of the King.
by
Charles F. Stanley
