In some churches, illness is so prevalent that you think something must be wrong with the drinking water. Everyone seems to have some type of malady. In other churches, health is prevailing in almost the entire congregation. There are towns in which cancer is present in large numbers; in other cities you rarely hear about cancer.

When you look at the miracles of Jesus Christ our Lord, we find 34 miracles recorded. Within those miracles, five different reasons for illness are given by the Lord. Some illnesses come so that God is glorified. The strongest case for this is found in John 11:4, where Jesus clearly states that the purpose of this illness was to glorify God.

In another passage, Luke 13:11, illness is related to demonic activity. In this account, you find a strong and very defined example of a “spirit of infirmity” which had bound a woman for 18 years. Jesus called it “a spirit of infirmity.” Jesus also referred to the source of the illness as being Satan himself. This offends some, but in this scripture the case is not only strong but very clear. Much illness is related to the presence of evil. There are many such examples in the ministry of our Lord. You might disagree with me, yet the biblical evidence of this truth is very relevant.

In other cases, such as in Mark 9:14, you find an illness which is directly connected to hereditary conditions. The father of this young boy was filled with unbelief and total disregard of faith. Illness can come into our lives through our genes, a fact sustantiated by medical evidence. We believe in original sin, and yet some doubt that our genes could bring much illness to our descendants. Jesus addressed this case, reprimanding the unclean spirit which was brought into the child through the father’s neglect of faith.

I don’t know what caused Peter’s mother-in-law to have a fever, but our environment can cause us to be ill. A case of the flu can be shared with many if we are not careful. I would consider it a sin against my brother and sister not to warn them of my physical condition if I had a contagious virus, especially in close quarters. This is only one way in which some illnesses can be caused by the sin of others against me or mine.

Many examples in the New Testament to point to sin as the primary cause of illness. No wonder Jesus referred to sin connected to illness in various miracles which He performed. When you are out of contact with God, sin can in fact cause much more than illness. It can cause your premature death.

If you ask me which of the five categories above prevails in America, I would have to say it is the demonic. This type of illness is found where disagreement reigns and where abuse and mistreatment of pastors is a common daily occurrence. This type of illness is found in churches where worship is not practiced. It is found in churches where even the mention of the Holy Spirit is an offense to some.

I strongly believe that illnesses are directly associated with our inability to welcome the presence of God. Do you have a spiritual illness?

Rick Bonfim

Edited by Betty Mckinney