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The Ministry of Health and Healing
can never bring healing to the soul. The faith that brings salvation is
not a mere assent to the truth of the gospel. True faith is that which
receives Christ as a personal Savior. God gave His only-begotten
Son, that
I
, by believing in Him, “should not perish but have ever-
lasting life.”
John 3:16
. When I come to Christ, according to His
word I am to believe that I receive His saving grace. The life that I
now live, I am to “live by faith in the Son of God, who loved
me
and
gave Himself for
me
.”See
Galatians 2:20
.
Many hold faith as an opinion. Saving faith is a transaction, by
which those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation
with God. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a confiding
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trust, by which, through the grace of Christ, the soul becomes a
conquering power.
Faith is a mightier conqueror than death. If the sick can be led to
fix their eyes in faith upon the Mighty Healer, we shall see wonderful
results. It will bring life to both body and soul.
In working for the victims of evil habits, instead of pointing them
to the despair and ruin toward which they are hastening, turn their
eyes away to Jesus. Fix them upon the glories of heavenly things.
This will do more for saving both body and soul than will all the
terrors of the grave when kept before the helpless and apparently
hopeless.
A Centurion’s Servant Healed
A centurion’s servant was lying sick with palsy. Among the Ro-
mans the servants were slaves, bought and sold in the marketplaces,
and often were treated with abuse and cruelty. But the centurion
was tenderly attached to his servant and greatly desired to have him
recover. He believed that Jesus could heal him. He had not seen the
Savior, but the reports he had heard inspired him with faith. Despite
the formalism of the Jews, this Roman was convinced that their
religion was superior to his own. Already he had broken through
the barriers of national prejudice and hatred that separated the con-
querors from the conquered people. He had manifested respect for
the service of God and had shown kindness to the Jews as His wor-
shipers. In the teaching of Christ, as it had been reported to him,
he found that which met the need of the soul. All that was spiritual