Abundant Health Wellness Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to apply Biblical principles for the well-being of the whole person and cooperate with the Creator in His compassionate work in the restoration of your health. Our goal is to help you achieve your best health by helping you put knowledge into action, embrace health, and conquer disease.
This month, we are focusing on the spiritual aspect of our health. In our last Blog, The Balm of Gilead - The Answer for Health, Healing, and Reduced Inflammation for Body, Mind, and Spirit, we identified the Balm of Gilead as a symbol for Jesus. Why is Jesus so important and how is He the Key for Abundant Health and Life?
Jesus, the Majesty of Heaven, humbled Himself and came to this world as an unwearied Servant of man’s necessity, to meet us where we are; sorrowful, afflicted, tormented, sin-sick. He “took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses,” that He might minister to every need of humanity. (Matthew 8:17; See also Isaiah 54:4; Matthew 1:22). The burden of disease, wretchedness, and sin He came to remove. His mission was to bring to men complete restoration; to give us health and peace; to restore in us His perfection of character and His life. From Him flows a stream of healing power for body, mind and spirit, making man whole and complete.
During His ministry, Jesus devoted more time to healing than to preaching. The miracles He performed testified to the truth of His words, that He came not to destroy but to save; to give abundant health and life (John 10:10). As He passed through the towns and cities, He was a vital current diffusing life, hope, and joy. He ministered to each with tender, courteous grace, bringing health and strength. Jesus is all Health! (Psalm 42:11; 43:5; Proverbs 4:20-22; 13:17).
Jesus made each work of healing an occasion to implant divine principles in the mind and soul. This was His purpose; to impart earthly blessings and incline the hearts of men to receive the Gospel of His grace. As He met individuals who had drifted under satan’s control, and who had no power to break from his snare; discouraged, sick, tempted, and fallen, Jesus spoke words of tenderest pity. Others He found in battle with the adversary of our souls. These He encouraged to persevere, assuring them they would win; angels of God were on their side and would give them the victory.
The Redeemer, the Balm of Gilead, came to this world to show that by receiving power, healing virtue, from Him, we can live a life free from evil and selfishness. By the gentle touch of grace, He banishes from the soul unrest and doubt, changing enmity to love, and unbelief to confidence, breaking the spell of the world’s enchantment, dispelling the spirit of greed and self-interest from the heart. He draws our hearts to Him by the tie of human sympathy, and with His divine grace brings abundant health and life.
How is it that Jesus can provide abundant health and life to each one of us and take upon Himself our sins (Isaiah 53:5)?
The Bible clearly teach that sin cannot be transferred. For example, we read in Deuteronomy 24:16, “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” If sin cannot be transferred how can Jesus die for our sins and give us life?
In Numbers 14:18 we read, “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” Does this seem like a contradiction? How can it be both? The actions, example, and habits are witnessed and lived out from generation to generation. Therefore, we are inclined to eat the same, act the same, as our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents, etc. To make a change from such instilled habits creates a war within us. But Jesus has already won the war for us! How is that possible?
In Hebrews 7:9-10 we read, “And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Mechisedec met him.” How is it that Levi “paid tithes in Abraham” if Levi did not come into existence until 350-400 years after Abraham? Levi was corporately “in Abraham”, therefore, he “paid tithe” in a corporate sense.
So likewise, in Adam, all humanity, male and female, were corporately present when Adam sinned, and therefore, all humanity inherited his fallen nature with a propensity to sin. Who could then redeem all humanity and corporately pay the wages of sin which is death? Only One in Whom all of humanity was corporately present before Adam existed. And that is Christ through Whom all things were created and in Whom dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily (John 8:58; Colossians 1:9; 2:9-10), from Whom all life is derived (Colossians 1:16-17). The only One Who could bare the iniquity of us all is the One through Whom all life originated and in Whom there was no sin.
Therefore, we have to return to the Seed promise of Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.” Notice this Seed of the woman is singular. Galatians 3:16 confirms this: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of One, and to thy Seed, which is Christ.” Without the seed we have no hope as it says in Romans 9:29: “And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a Seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.” The Seed gives humanity hope, because the Seed, which is the Word of God (Luke 8:11, John 1:1-3), which became flesh, the only begotten of the Father, Jesus Christ, is the only One Who can save us and give us abundant health and life, by saving us from our sins.
Jesus is the only One Who can redeem us from our sinful nature. All humanity was corporately in Jesus before Adam was created. Therefore, Only Jesus, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, (Revelation 13:8) can reveal the love of God and give us power to become the children of God (1 John 3:1). “For He [God the Father] hath made Him [God the Son, Jesus,] to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. The only One Who can corporately die for all of humanity is the One in Whom all humanity is derived from. He bore ALL our sins.
“By His obedience to all the commandments of God, Christ wrought out a redemption for man. This was not done by going out of Him to another, but by taking humanity into Himself. Thus, Christ gave to humanity an existence out of Himself. To bring humanity into Christ, to bring the fallen race into oneness with divinity, is the work of redemption. Christ took human nature that men might be one with Him as He is one with the Father, that God may love man as He loves His only begotten Son, that men may be partakers of the divine nature, and be complete in Him.” Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, paragraph 15.
Jesus Christ, God manifested in the Flesh, is the only One Who could die for us because we were corporately in Him (Hebrews 2:16. See also Romans 8:2-4). “Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we have no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. ‘With His stripes we are healed.’” Desire of Ages, p. 25.
But He not only died for us, He also was resurrected. Why could He be resurrected, if He died for our sin? Because He had no sin, therefore, death could not contain Him Who is Life. When He was resurrected, it was for all of humanity. This is the blessed hope (Titus 2:13) and confidence we can have in Him (1 John 5:14): Though we were once dead in sin, now we can be made alive, with Abundant Health and Life, through the righteousness of Christ. See Romans 6:3-11.
So, we have a choice; to accept the key to abundant health and life in Christ or die in our sin (Matthew 1:21; Acts 17:25). What is your choice?
If you would like to learn more about accepting Jesus’ offer click here.
Blue Skies,
Dana West, RDN, LD, DIPACLM
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