God is never responsible for sickness AT ALL. Most of the time, the devil is. We have seen the use of the permissive voice in the Scriptures (read about this here: Does God Put Sicknesses On People?).
When the Bible says, “God put sickness on someone,” this is a Jewish way of saying His power was absent to deliver that person from sickness (usually because that person rejected the same). God reveals Himself as a HEALER, not the cause of sicknesses.
Jesus is the revelation of God to humanity.
Hebrews 1:1-3 (NKJV)
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us BY HIS SON, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who (that is, Jesus) being THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY and the EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
The phrase “express image” (in vs. 3) translates the Greek word “charaktér” (χαρακτήρ) which means an exact expression, one’s EXACT IMAGE.
So Jesus is God who became Man to reveal God to man.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, (that is, God became a Man!), justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
Jesus is God’s clearest image of Himself. Colossians 1:15 says, “He (Jesus) is the IMAGE of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
You find similarly in 2 Corinthians 4, “But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD, should shine on them” (vv. 3-4).
Jesus is the IMAGE of God. The word “image” translates the Greek word “eikón” (εἰκών). In the 21st Century context, “eikón” (εἰκών) may best be likened to an HD (high-definition) projection.
“Eikón” (εἰκών) is not just a resemblance but a 100% replication and likeness. What God is 100% in the Spirit, He became 100% in the flesh—in the Man Christ Jesus. Therefore, to know what God is like (concerning any matter), look to Jesus. Jesus explains God’s character to us, FULLY, PERFECTLY and CLEARLY.
Now, let’s look at Jesus to understand healing. Did Jesus EVER put sickness on anyone? No! Rather He healed sicknesses. Acts 10:38 says, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about DOING GOOD and HEALING ALL who were OPPRESSED BY THE DEVIL, for God was with Him.”
This text reveals TWO truths to us:
1) What God does with sickness is to heal it. He is NEVER the cause.
2) It shows us where sicknesses and diseases come from.
Sicknesses are NEVER from God or else Jesus would be destroying the work of God by healing the sick! Every form of bodily sickness/disease stems ultimately FROM THE DEVIL! So Jesus healed the sick to show us God’s character—God heals, He NEVER puts sicknesses on people.
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2022.
