The Godhead - God

God has never used sickness to discipline His children

Kenneth Copeland in his Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine has written: ‘God has never used sickness to discipline His children” (9/89).

Confutation

The Holy Scripture teaches that God in ancient times used sickness to punish some of His children for their disobediences. Here is what Paul wrote to the saints of Corinth: “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgement. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32 – NIV). As you can see, some of the saints of Corinth were struck by God with sickness for they ate the bread and drank the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner. In other words, God disciplined them through sickness because they had sinned against the body and the blood of Jesus, lest they should be condemned with the world.

And since the Scripture states that God does not change, we proclaim that He still disciplines His children through sickness for their disobediences, lest they be condemned with the world. Let no one deceive you with empty words, brothers, for the Scripture says that “whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12.6 – NKJV).

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