I've been through it, SC, and calling you to take the longer view. Frank Broom's three segments to this long meditation seem to me to be quite right, as I have read them through.
God in His Son does heal in the temporal dimension just the way He desires. We all need to study the doctrine of the Ways in which it is implemented, both at Jesus' time and before; in the interim time to ratify the apostleship of the New Testament authors and church-planters; and in this current time period that the progressive revelation of Written Scriptures has been fully completed, not to be added to, that renders the Word(s) of Life to us.
For the sin-sick depraved hopeless original-sin-tainted human, The Father's Gracious Unmerited Salvation does it all, to heal the believer and reborn child for ever from death. But to continue in the Everlasting Life, on the journey of it we all must pass through physical death, no matter how few or many times we have experienced temporary restoration to healthy function, even if one is physically alive at the instantaneously moment that the Premillennial Rapture takes place.
Here are is the core Scriptures applying to Frank Broom's theme to which your comment is directed ("It is not God's will that any should perish"), under consideration also by other respondents:
Isaiah 53:3-6 (AV; bolding and underlining applied for emphasis)Please take a moment and dwell on these passages. What makes you think that Isaiah was writing only to the people observing the Jewish religion under the Mosaic/Davivic Covenant? Was that Covenant not abrogated, abolished through Jesus' saving life and death as God Incarnate? Is not His Personal servant Simon bar Jonah addressing not only regenerated dispersed Jews, but also faith-reborn Gentiles adopted as wild branches into the spiritual tree of the constituents of His Church Of The First-Born that was already in existence before Hebrews 12:23 was written years after Pentecost?3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
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1 Peter 2:21-26 (AV; bolding and underlining for emphasis)21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to himHis Father and Judge that judgeth righteously:
24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
25For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your soulsas Owner and Master.
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Is not every regenerated child of The Heavenly Father and saved/justified/sanctified by Him already healed from the sin-sickness that would have taken us to Hades and the Lake of Fire?
In this temporal phase of the life of each of us has He not saved us from sickness and death that we may continue to be saved and to serve Him at His predetermined schedule for each? Though there me occasions through our lifetime, has He not preserved us from danger and death that Satan's will would have kept us in his company of depraved humans except for the gift of salvation? Do we not pray even now for Jesus to minister healing and health to both unsaved and saved acquaintances? Are we asking truly of His Providential works, or is it just a hypocritical request that we do not really expect God to honor? Eh?
In the end of this temporal existence, no matter how times each one of us has avoided sickness or been healed from it, are not each of us required to be separated from this physical body of one's birth DNA, to later receive--still spiritually alive--a new body for our everlasting life in Christ.
It seems to me that Frank Broom has covered these aspects, without demanding that God MUST heal us from each temporal injury or sickness that befalls us, although beyond question He does both heal or even miraculously prevent many occasions of disappointment of our earthly existence.
It does not appear to me that here Broom is teaching of the false Kathryn Kuhlman or Benny Hinn or Pat Robertson's charismatic approach, which is supposedly that one's failure to get healing is through a lack of "enough faith"; not exercising intense importinuity; or because of still habitually engaged in sinfulness, lacking repentance.
If I am wrong in this assumption, I hope that Frank will correct me, eh?
How about cutting Frank Broom some slack? (You might also look up some of his other meditations that appeared here.)
“For the sin-sick depraved hopeless original-sin-tainted human, The Father’s Gracious Unmerited Salvation does it all, to heal the believer and reborn child for ever from death.”
Quite true, Imardmd1. You get no argument from me on that point, but that was not the intent of my post and I think you surely misunderstood it. Nonetheless, I can appreciate your view and I appreciate the time it took to prepare your response.
The problem referred to is the word of faith movement in which God will give you what you want: cars, healing, money, etc. I don’t find that to be the truth anymore than I find it that God will heal every sickness and disease brought before Him in prayer by His own children. I pray for many every day for healing, but it’s His decision whether or not to do so.
I stand by my point, Imardmd1, that this position is harmful to newcomers to Christianity in that when God doesn’t help them in a matter, they struggle with faith because they’ve been told God WILL do this and WILL do that or that they already “own” it and just need to claim it. Blab it and grab it, in other words.
It’s damaging to the Body of Christ and is an insult to faithful Christians who struggle with health problems on a daily basis. Their faith is no less than that of the person God chose for His own purposes to heal. I would go further to state that, in fact, their faith may be stronger for not being healed and continuing in their faith with illness day-to-day.
I have enjoyed many of Frank Broom’s posts on FR, but that doesn’t mean that I must agree with every point of view. If another believer has a different point to be made and it is not a salvific issue, there should no insult be taken.
Again, Imardmd1, thank you for your response.
A certain brass serpent comes to mind.