God’s original intent for mankind was for us to live harmoniously with Him and all that He had created in the Garden of Eden. The Book of Genesis explains all that God did on mankind’s behalf in creating life, and on the sixth day of creation God himself said, “it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). However, through a subtle deception both Adam and Eve ate from the one tree from which God had forbidden them to take food – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Sin entered Adam and Eve through this deception and they could no longer remain in the presence of the Lord, so God had to banish them from the Garden of Eden. Sin entered the world through Adam, and death through sin (Romans 5:12). Through the sin of one, all of mankind has been forced to live in a fallen world in which we have become susceptible to every form of destruction. God’s intended peace and pleasure for mankind were replaced with hardship and toil.
The judgment of mankind came from one sin and this sin condemned mankind to live apart from God. However, God created mankind for relationship and God had a plan to bring mankind back into right standing with Him from the beginning. God shared His plan with the prophet Isaiah who announced it in the Book of Isaiah. Chapter 53 in the Book of Isaiah speaks of the coming Messiah who would be mankind’s deliverer and redeemer. In Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) it is written, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah was prophesying that God would send a Messiah that would take our sins and bear them for us and by these wounds we would be healed.
The prophecy in Isaiah was fulfilled through the finished work of Jesus. In I Peter 2:24, the apostle Peter says of Jesus, “‘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.’” Jesus died on the cross for our transgressions and it is because of His finished work that death through sin no longer reigns for those who believe in Him. By His wounds we are healed! We have been delivered from our destruction. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross and through His sacrifice we have been delivered and redeemed from the curses that followed Adam, from the sickness and disease that entered through Adam, and from the hardship and toil that came through the fall. God has given us authority, through our faith in Jesus, over sickness, disease, over all of the curses (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68), over poverty, and over death. All of the effects of sin (sickness, disease, lack of self-control, poverty, anger, etc…) can no longer affect the lives of those who believe in and put their faith in Jesus. By His wounds we have been healed! God’s Word is truth, and this is a spiritual truth that we can assuredly stand on. When we truly believe in our hearts that Jesus delivered us from our destructions by bearing our sins in His body on the cross, we will see amazing things happen in our lives.
The Truth in Action: Many believers aren’t aware of the power and authority God has given them through the finished work of Jesus and through His Word. We can stand in victory over that which is meant to bring us harm by standing firm in the Word of God. God’s Word tells us that by Jesus’ wounds we are healed. Focus on the Word of God (His promises) and allow the Word to take root in your heart so that it can produce a harvest – that harvest might be a physical healing over sickness or disease, it might be overcoming a temptation, or it might be a financial blessing. Whatever it is you are standing for, put your faith in Jesus and in the Word of God.
Meditate on Scripture: Psalm 107:20 (NIV) – He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
Further Study – Read and study Romans 5:12-20. Here the apostle Paul writes about the death that came through the sin of Adam and the life that we have been given through Christ. What do you think is Paul’s overall message in this teaching?