2:24 What does Peter mean by what he says here?

Peter is attesting here to bodily healing in the atonement as an established fact accomplished by Jesus' stripes (cp Isa 53:4-5). This clearly affirms that Christ's atoning death provides for our physical healing as well as our spiritual healing. Griefs and sorrows in V 4 (KJV), mean sicknesses and pains (cp Mt 8:16-17).

Matthew asserts here that Isaiah's prophecy was being fulfilled in the healings Jesus rendered to the sick. He was not implying that the prophecy was completely fulfilled during Jesus' earthly ministry and therefore there is no bodily healing in the atonement, as so many Christians believe. If that was correct then there would be no spiritual healing in the atonement either, because Jesus healed and forgave sins at the same time. Jesus bore our sicknesses and our pains so that we could be healed of them, the same as He became a sin offering so that we could be forgiven our sins. Sin and sickness go hand in hand (cp Mt 9:1-8; Mk 2: 1-12; Jn 5:1-14).

Here we learn that as sin and sickness go hand in hand at one end of the spectrum, so too do healing and forgiveness at the opposite end. Sadly, there are a great many Christians who will not accept this truth and cannot obtain their healing as a result. Yet these scriptures clearly prove that God's redemptive plan is all-inclusive. It provides for physical healing as well as spiritual healing. Jesus' healings in His earthly ministry simply foreshadowed the healing His atoning death on the cross would provide (cp Ga 3:13-14, 28-29).

There can be no confusion over what this scripture means. It confirms everything the other scriptures in this study teach. Jesus died on the cross so that all who believe on Him can be partakers of the salvation benefits He bought for us with His blood. What is the curse He died to redeem us from? (cp Deut 28:15-68). There are 54 verses relating to all the curses here and everything listed is what Christ died to save us from but for the purpose of this study we will only look at the different sicknesses that are listed.

These include deafness, blindness, lameness, barrenness, mental illness, fear, consumption, fever, emaciation, cancer, ulcers, boils, haemorrhoids, rheumatism, arthritis, dermatitis, etc, etc, Verse 61 even takes into account sicknesses and plagues not listed. No doubt we could include herpes, aids, emphysema, heart disease and many others among them but praise God, Jesus has redeemed us from them all and healing is ours if we will but believe and comply with the conditions (cp Ro 5:17). This scripture clearly teaches that the abundant life Jesus promised believers applies to this life, not the next as many would have us believe, and sickness and disease have no place in it (cp 3 Jn 2).

This is further evidence that it is still in God's eternal purpose to heal us. The word wish here means pray. The verse should read, "beloved I pray above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." There are three blessings of God involved in John's prayer here: material prosperity, bodily healing and health, and the saving of Gaius' soul. If any one of those blessings was not the will of God, John would have known and he would not have prayed for them. If such blessings are the will of God for one man, they are for all men alike who will have faith for them, because in the gospel of Christ there is no respect of persons.

It is plainly evident from scripture that God still heals, that He always heals and that it is His will to heal everyone who meets the conditions. God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In Him there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. It is also plain in scripture that sickness is not God's chastening of His children; it is not a blessing in disguise, and God is not glorified in sickness. Only good gifts and perfect gifts come down from God. Now we need to know what we must do to be healed, and what are some of the hindrances to healing (cp Mk 9:23).

First, we must dispel any doubt that God will heal us. We have the assurance of His word. His promises are right throughout scripture as we have found in this study, but for the promises to work we must meet the conditions (cp Psa 66:18-20).

If there is any unconfessed or unrepented sin in our life the Lord will not hear any prayer we pray, whether it be for healing or anything else. We must bring the sin before God and confess it before our fellowship can be restored with Him (cp 1Jn 1:7-10).

Any sin not confessed and repented of puts a wall up between us and God and because of this we can no longer experience God's favour, or His salvation.

See also comments on Mt 8:16-17, 9:1-8, Ga 3:13

1 Peter