Accounts of Biblical Personalities with sickness

 

The Bible presents us with a number of stories which challenge the assertion that a believer should always be in health, that the opposite thereof points to slackness in faith and God's disfavour. The accounts of Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9, Galatians 4:13-15), Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23), Epaphrodi'tus (Phillipians  2:25-26), Troph'imus (2 Timothy 4:20) present us with people we would definitely credit with being Christian and yet all these were sick at one time or another. The writer of the epistle of James expecting and assuming some of his audience to find themselves sick writes: Is any among you sick? 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 (James 5:14). Nowhere in these accounts is there an insinuation that these sick brethren were under God's disfavour or slacking in their faith. Certainly, there is no belief that they always ought to have lived in health because of what Christ has done at the cross. Paul himself, that mighty apostle, writes of a condition for which the Galatians would have given their eyes for him to be well. It is thought that it is this condition which he prayed to God for relief and was told that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Timothy was not chided for his "stomach and frequent ailments" rather adviced to take wine (extend that to any medicine which can be prescribed for a medical condition). The accounts of these Christians call into question popular beliefs around healing which are in circulation today.Coming next is a brief focus on the experiences of some victimized Christian folks.