Spiritual healing is not biblical. Spiritual healing is described as the “natural energy therapy that complements conventional medicine by treating the whole person — mind, body, emotions, spirit and soul. Healers are thought to act as a conduit for Healing energy, the benefits of which can be felt on many levels, including the physical.”
Spiritual healing consists of transferring healing from the spiritual healer to the person seeking help. A participant of spiritual healing, Su Mason, describes the treatment of spiritual healing in her statement that spiritual healing “promotes self-healing by relaxing the body, releasing tensions and strengthening the body’s own immune system.”
In other words, spiritual healing helps a person become calmer as well as provides them with better mental health and physical health.
The idea of promoting relaxation, releasing tension, and strengthening the body sounds appealing at first, but the idea of spiritual healing is not true to the Word of God. The idea of spiritual healing is not directly related to God or any religion (Mason). Within the concept of spiritual healing, anybody can participate in it, even if you are an atheist. This is because spiritual healing is not in agreement with the Bible or Christianity.
Another type of healing that is directly related to spiritual healing is “energy healing.” The idea of energy healing does come from the New Age Movement and its teachings. Energy healing tries to connect a person to the energy around them in the stars, planets, and the atmosphere. The energy being passed from the healer to the person is believed to be divine energy.
Within a spiritual healing session, the person receiving the spiritual healing sits or lays down on a couch or sofa, then the spiritual healer channels their energy (this is normally done through their hands), and then the spiritual healer places hands on the person in need of spiritual healing (Mason).
After this session and many more sessions, many people have reported their internal, mental, or physical struggle has been healed. It is reported that people struggling with illnesses ranging from intense fear to severe mental illnesses such as anxiety can be cured by spiritual healing (Mason). Spiritual healers claim they can also cure a person of bipolar disorder, cancer, or arthritis (Mason).
Doctors and scientists are skeptical of spiritual healers due to the fact of their mysticism. It is highly plausible these healings are mere placebo effects. Spiritual healers may claim they have healed people of various illnesses such as anxiety, depression, or even cancer, but is it actually true?
There are no documented cases of doctors verifying any person has actually ever been cured of any true illness by the direct work of spiritual healing. It is possible the idea of laying down or sitting down in a calm environment can help someone who struggles with a mental illness; however, one must not be dogmatic, claiming a session with a spiritual healer has “cured” their illness.
The Bible does not tell us spiritual healers can heal us of any mental or physical illness. Jesus could heal people during His earthly ministry because He is God. Many apostles could heal individuals during their ministries; however, the spiritual gift of healing has ceased in the modern-day.
The spiritual gift of healing was a sign gift, which ended during the time of the dying out of the apostles. God can still use doctors, therapists, and counselors to help believers get well; however, these individuals do not necessarily have the spiritual gift of healing.
If a Christian is in need of mental or physical healing, they should not consult a spiritual healer. Spiritual healers can properly be labeled under false teachers that Peter talks about in 2 Peter 2. Spiritual healers do not have the power of the Holy Spirit working through them.
Rather than turning to faith healers, Christians need to turn to God in prayer as well as seek help from doctors, therapists, and counselors. There is nothing wrong with seeking help from a doctor, therapist, or counselor. God can do the impossible; however, He often works in subtle ways, such as in doctors, therapists, or counselors.
True spiritual healing comes from placing faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible tells us, “‘He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed’” (1 Peter 2:24).
When a person places faith in Jesus, the individual is given true spiritual healing. True spiritual healing from Jesus entails being cleansed from your past sins, forgiveness of your past sins, and you are given eternal life.
You are also given the Holy Spirit as He indwells all believers from the moment of salvation. By getting to know God through prayer and reading the Bible, you will experience His love, peace, and kindness. God does bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted (Psalm 147:3).
No matter what you are going through today — God can help you. He delights to help His children and provide them with peace. All you have to do is pray and ask Him. God is faithful and He will give you the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6). God gives true spiritual healing — spiritual healers do not.
For further reading:
What Is the Spiritual Gift of Healing?
What Does the Bible Say about Healing?
What Should Christians Know about Secular Vs. Biblical Psychology?
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