THE SECRET OF HEALTH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 31, 6 February 1935, Page 9

THE SECRET OF HEALTH

SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL WELL-BEING. SERMON BY (’ANON WILLIAMS. The following is the substance of a sermon, preached by Canon Williams at Westmere ami Aramoho on Sunday last, when he took as his text I’salin 103, v-2; “Bless tire Lord, O my soul, ami foigot not, all llis Benefits." Grace Through Faith. “Si. Paul sums up Ihe whole gospel message in one sentence in Ephesians 2, 8, when he says: ‘By grace are ye saved through faith.’ Grace is a work of God by which lie lias made provision, for the complete deliverance of man’s whole being from evil of every kind, ami for tire fullest engagement of well-being in spirit, soul ami body. Faith is file response of the human soul to this divine provision, through which man believes what God lias told us concerning His provision (Ro. 10, 17).. thankfully accepts what God lias provided for his spiritual and physical well-being (Eph. J, 2) and trustfully submits to the conditions which God has laid down for the fullest enjoyment of that provision. This is the meaning of the striking expression in Romans 16, 26; ‘The obediance of faith.’ “In. Psalm 193 we have a similar nummary of the same gospel truth: ‘Bless the Lord, (.) my soul, and forget not all (any of) His benefits.’ The following verses show that these benefits are twofold, and spring from the Initial privileges of spiritual forgiveness and physical healing. The psalm then shows how the spiritual benefits may be completely realised, and the

consequent physical benefits most fully enjoyed. The Nature of Sin. “ The Bible teaches very clearly that the sp ritual disease which is called sin lias its source in an inward .state ol opposition of the human will to the will of God, resulting in an outward infringement of the expressed laws of God. This thought is very fully worked out in the Epistle tu the Romans. We there learn that one object in the giving of the divine law was to expose the sinful state of the human will, so that man might recognise his spiritual disease and submit to the appointed remedy. ‘The carnal mind is enmity against God; it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be-’ ‘1 had not known sin, except the law had said thou shalt not covet.’ ‘ lhe iaw entered that the offence might abound.’ In other words acts of disobedience to the divine law are the symptoms which demonstrate the diseased or sinful state of the soul. The consequence of this condition of human sinfulness is seen in an everincreasing harvest of personal, family, social, national, and international disharmony and wretchedness.

The Nature of Disease. “ L'iiis condition of moral opposition lo the will of God in tire spiritual sphere, lias resulted in a corresponding state of opposition to, or ignorance of, the will of God on the physical plane; and is demonstrated by personal unwillingness or failure lo learn the will of God for the health of the body, with the consequent continual infringement of the divine laws for its proper nourishment and development. \\ rung methods of feeding, abuse of the appetites, neglect of proper recreation, open air and sunshine, are allowed without a thought to the harm being done. The result has been, as generation succeeds to generation, an ever increasing toll of acquired or inherited disease. The Gospel is the good news of a ‘way of salvation,’ or deliverance from this burden of spiritual ami physical disease: ‘Who forgiveth all thy iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.’ The Spiritual Benefits —Forgiveness.

“The psalmist expands the message of forgiveness in the words of verse 4: ‘ Who redeciueth thy life from destruction; who crowneih thee with loving kindness and tender mercies.’ This message of redemption, or deliverance of the human soul from sin and all its consequences, is the central message of the Epistles of St. Paul. The Greek word translated ‘redemption’ in the New Testament, signifies the setting free of a slave by paying the price of his ransom; and the gospel of redemption may be summarised, in the very words of Scripture, in the following passages.—Ephes. .1, 7: ‘ln Him we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.' 2 Cor. 5, 21; ‘He made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.’ Gal. 2, 13; %'hrist hath redeemed us from the curse of lhe law, being made a curse for us.’ Ro. IS; ‘There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.’ 80. 8,4: ‘The righteousness ol the law, fulfilled in us who walk, not. after the flesh, but after the spirit.’ This is the old Gospel of deliverance from the tyrannny of sin, which is still ‘foolishess to the wisdom of this world,’ as it was in the days when St. Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians; but which is still ‘the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.’ The condition for experiencing this deliverance is faith, which implies: (1) Belief of God’s testimony concerning it (Ro. .10, 17); (2) repentance, or the resulting complete turning of the heart and will from evil (Ro. 6, II); (3) obedience, or the complete surrender of the whole life to God, for the, praHice of righteousness by the power of the, Holy Spirit (Ro. C, 13). The Physical Benefits Healing. “The psalmist, in verse 5, expands the message of healing in the words; ‘Who filleth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed as the eagle's.’ The more completely we yield ourselves to God's provision for the redemption of the soul, the more fully shall we understand and yield ourscives io His provision for the redemption of the body. The way to enjoying this deliverance from physical disease, is the same as that for experiencing deliverance from spiritual sin; it is lhe way of faith, and here again faith implies: (1) Belief of God’s testimony concerning it, ‘Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ (Ex--15, 26). (2) Physical repentance, or fasting by which the body is rid of lhe accumulated effects of past disobedience to the divine laws for feeding. (3) Physical obedience, or the thankful receiving and using, in the proper proportions and right quantities, of the

‘good things’ which God has provided in nature with which to ‘fill the mouth.’ Forget Not AU His Benefits. “For centuries even the most enlightened Christians have concentrated all their thoughts upon the first half of the Gospel message, ‘who forgiveth all thine iniquities,’ and have forgotten or ignored the second half, ‘who healeth all thy diseases.’ When this two-fold Gospel is really believed, tie ccptcd, and obeyed by every individual, there will dawn upon the human race such an era of spiritual and physical well-being, as has never yet been thought of under the orthodox ‘religion’ of priests and churches, or lhe orthodox ‘medical treatment’ of doctors and hospitals.