Faith and the Sovereignty of God in Healing
As taught in the Pentecostal / Charismatic tradition
Navigating the tension between the prayer of faith and God's sovereign timing and will.
In the broad landscape of Christian theology, few subjects evoke as much passion, hope, and occasional confusion as the doctrine of divine healing. Within the Pentecostal tradition, this is not merely a peripheral interest or a historical curiosity; it is a pillar of the "Full Gospel." The question at the heart of this subtopic is both simple and profoundly complex: How does the absolute requirement for faith, as expressed in the ministry of Jesus and the apostles, intersect with the absolute sovereignty of God, who works all things according to the counsel of His own will?
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the biblical basis for the Pentecostal doctrine of "Healing in the Atonement" using both Old and New Testament sources.
- **Distinguish** between "saving faith," "the gift of faith," and the "prayer of faith" as they relate to the manifestation of physical healing.
- **Explain** the "already/not yet" tension of the Kingdom of God and how it informs the Pentecostal response to unanswered prayers for healing.
- **Articulate** the difference between the Classical Pentecostal view of faith and the "Word of Faith" or "Health and Wealth" caricatures often associated with the tradition.
- **Trace** the historical development of the healing doctrine from the 19th-century Holiness movement through the early 20th-century Pentecostal revivals.
- **Defend** the present-day ministry of healing against Cessationist arguments, using the "Scripture Anchors" provided.
- **Apply** the principles of James 5:14-16 in a local church context, balancing the expectation of a miracle with pastoral care for the sick.
- **Compare** the "Sovereignty of God" as a source of comfort versus its use as a "theological escape hatch" for a lack of faith.
Scripture
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