Avenues to healing in the Bible

There are three corresponding avenues to healing in the Bible as well: 1. If sickness is due to oppression or attack by Satan or demons, there are two answers:

a. The demon can be cast out by the power of the Risen Christ (Acts 16:18, 19:11-20: Note that in this latter passage, the name of Jesus cannot be used as a magical charm; only those who are fully committed to Jesus can use his name safely).

b. Ultimately only God can lift Satan’s oppression and sometimes God does not choose to do so at once (Job), and sometimes even the most dedicated Christian will receive an answer of “no” to a prayer for healing(2 Cor. 12:7-9). In this case, God told Paul the reason for the “no” answer that has become a principle that Christians apply to all such cases.

Brokenness in the created order that causes sickness:
a. In both the OT and the NT, God sometimes heals through a miracle.
b. There is also an understanding of healing through medical treatments (Isa 38:1-5,

21; 1 Tim 5:23).

If sickness is due to sin, the proper response is repentance, confession, and forgiveness (1 Cor

11:30-31). This can accompany medical treatment.

36. Which category does James 5:13-18 fit into?