Right Doctrine is so important

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dougr777 Apr 3, 2016

I have a confession and need help.

First, as a believer, I seek to bring this discussion up because it's important, having right doctrine is so very important, it's life or death with our salvation!

I confess and repent here by turning to the Lord and the true word of God wanting to learn how to discern and divide the word of God rightly from this day forward.

I have a "doctrine" that I wanted to share if someone has heard of this and how to rightly divide it. It's basically the healing doctrine which says this:

This is an excerpt from an article, but it's about a book (which I won't share because of it's teaching), but I want to know the truth on this subject.

"This (pastor) says that diseases are caused by specific sins in one’s life. He claims that if a person repents of that sin, then we can pray for healing and the person will get well. If there is no repentance, then there can be no healing." Based on these scriptures:

James 5:14-16

14 Is any sick among you? 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:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

sermonindex Apr 3, 2016

William Carrol of Times Square Church (God bless him) had an excellent teaching this afternoon regarding healing in all it's aspects

http://www.tscnyc.org/webcasts/sunday-3pm-nyc/

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Lysa Apr 3, 2016

"This (pastor) says that diseases are caused by specific sins in one’s life. He claims that if a person repents of that sin, then we can pray for healing and the person will get well. If there is no repentance, then there can be no healing." Based on these scriptures:
James 5:14-16
14 Is any sick among you? 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:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

I'd just like to point out that verses 14 and 15 does not say that the person being prayed for needs to repent.

These verses are about faith, it takes faith to call for the elders and we need to take care to appoint elders that are full of faith in order to pray the prayer of faith.

And I experienced a woman at the jail who was healed that did not repent but she definitely did after she was healed. In that case, it was the goodness of God that led her to repentance.

Doesn't it seem to be putting God into a box to say what this pastor said was God's absolute truth? I believe this doctrine is man's doctrine, not God's.

Just my two humble cents,
God bless,
Lisa

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ginnyrose Apr 3, 2016

Is this writer implying that ALL diseases are caused by specific sins or just some?

I would guess all would agree there are diseases caused by sinful lifestyles and to some degree others result from stress, bad habits, etc.

Mind enlightening us more?

I am in total agreement that correct doctrine is extremely important. If it were not we would not have the prophets, the testimonies of God working with people nor the epistles.

Sandra

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twayneb Apr 5, 2016

Doug: Right doctrine is SO important, and right doctrine comes about as we study the scriptures prayerfully and seek the whole counsel of scripture. One passage applied to all sickness is not good doctrine unless the passage is unequivocally applied to all sickness. Scripturally there are examples of sicknesses that are brought about by sin in a person's life. I have seen bitterness and unforgiveness be the root cause of several sicknesses such as cancer. But that does not follow that all cancer is caused by bitterness and unforgiveness. Sometimes it is hereditary (we have messed up DNA due to the fall) and sometimes it is diet (we eat a lot of junk food) or it may be some other reason. If a sickness is caused by a specific sin, repenting of that sin is part of the cure. But it takes spiritual discernment and the leading of the Holy Spirit to discern that. That was the Biblical pattern in the NT. That is why we must be led of the Spirit when ministering to people.

I believe in divine healing, in God's desire to heal my body. I believe this healing was paid for by the atoning sacrifice of Christ and is received by faith. Yet I cannot and should not take this truth to mean that my body can be healed indefinitely and can go on living eternally, supernaturally. To do so would be to ignore clear Biblical truth that my body is not yet born again and that it is subject to decay and that I will, barring the return of Christ, eventually die. Again, the whole counsel of scripture.

By the way, someone who tries to interpret this passage in James as saying that all sicknesses are caused by specific sins is either seriously twisting a passage to try to get it to say what they want it to say, or, if they are sincere, their teaching is not to be trusted in this area. This passage does not even come close to saying that.

sermonindex Apr 5, 2016

by DougRenz on 2016/4/3 17:29:04
"This (pastor) says that diseases are caused by specific sins in one’s life. He claims that if a person repents of that sin, then we can pray for healing and the person will get well. If there is no repentance, then there can be no healing." Based on these scriptures:

Hmmmm. That is harsh. So, now we have an outward manifestation (sickness) by which to judge someone's heart. I believe in divine healing and walking in health but it can't be an idol and with every doctrine there are two ends (extremes) of the spectrum. But, there is also a balance to God's truth, which the enemy always seeks to pervert in order to bring people into bondage, condemnation, etc. You can't isolate scriptures from the rest of God's word to create doctrine. (Actually, people do it all the time). The whole counsel of God's word will expose the extremity of your doctrine.

Sometimes God gives us a "thorn in the flesh" to prevent us from becoming prideful, but we call it "sickness" and sin. True, God uses the devil for many things ("messenger of Satan to buffet me"), but it doesn't mean you are in sin.

Paul never mentioned anything about sin, when he revealed his "thorn in the flesh". If it was as a result of sin, Paul could get delivered from it by repenting, but that did not happen because it wasn't as a result of sin.

2Co 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2Co 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

"There was given to me" - Who gave it?
"messenger of Satan" - Carried out the direction of the One above that gave permission.
"sought the Lord thrice" - He went to God for relief and deliverance

Jesus says to Paul -
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul then glories in his infirmities (sicknesses) because the Lord told him that he will not be delivered from this infirmity. In other words, he has a clean conscious before the Lord and makes a conscious choice to praise the Lord and overcome, regardless.
2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

As you can see from this, we should not go around judging one another for being sick, but rather pray for and encourage one another. Leave everything else up to the Holy Spirit.

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TMK Apr 5, 2016

I agree that some sicknesses are caused by sin because we reap what we sow. Those types of sicknesses should be pretty obvious.

Other sicknesses are caused by viruses, bacteria, environmental factors, genes, etc. The only sin we can point to in those cases is Adam and Eve's.