In the last post, we discussed the “power gifts” of the Holy Spirit and how a person may receive those special anointings. Now, we will dig a little deeper into understanding the “gifts of healing,” which is one of the nine anointings or “manifestations” of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
Healing Gifts
To understand the healing anointing, we must see that a person does not receive “a gift of healing.” Instead, the word gift is plural. The anointing is for “gifts of healing.”
This is an interesting distinction in how the gifting for healing has been viewed in the 20th century where certain leaders claimed to carry the healing gift as though it is an official position. We have seen many famous evangelists take on the title of “divine healer” or “the man of power.” Unfortunately, there is not an office of healer in the New Testament.
There is Not an Office of Healer
The five spiritual “offices” given in the New Testament are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. This is often referred to as the fivefold ministry. The Bible says these are unique callings placed on certain people by Jesus Himself, rather than by the Holy Spirit as in 1 Corinthians.
But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ …And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers…”
Ephesians 4:7-8,11
These “offices” are directly tied to the long-term discipleship and empowerment of the church (see Ephesians 4:11-16), and should therefore be considered as God-given job descriptions rather than hierarchical titles to go in front of our names.
Healing vs Prophecy
To better explain, let me divert from healing for a minute…
What you may notice in the two scriptures above is that there is a calling of Prophet given by Jesus in Ephesians and there is also the gift of prophecy given by the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians. These two things are not the same!
When Paul writes about the gift of prophecy and its use in the church, he says, “you can all prophesy one by one” (1 Corinthians 14:31). The implication is that every member of the church can, at times, give prophetic utterances from the Lord. That is the gift of prophecy from the Spirit. This does not mean that all believers were Prophets by calling/office.
Office Prophets have an assignment on their lives to lay the directional foundations of the church and nations (Ephesians 2:20). Their prophetic gift is constantly at work in Christ, and their revelation is often much deeper than an “occasional” gift of prophecy received when someone comes under the anointing.
The reason I divert to prophecy is because this distinction between giftings and offices is important in understanding how the gift of healing works. Contrary to prophesy, healing does NOT connect directly with a spiritual office given by Jesus. As I said before, there is not an office of healer (remember, we all have authority to heal!).
This becomes foundational to understanding why there are multiple “gifts” when the Holy Spirit brings His anointing for healing.
Various Types of Healings
As I have read the writings of various ministers, contemporary and historical, who are each recognized for their healing gifts, there are differing opinions for why the “gifts” are plural.
One explanation is because there are various types of healing which can be received, such as:
- physical wounds like broken bones or open lesions,
- bodily infirmities like HIV or diabetes,
- mental illnesses like schizophrenia,
- emotional illnesses like anxiety or depression,
- soul-sicknesses, such as issues coming from traumatic experiences or abuse
- spiritual sickness, often coming from demonic strongholds and torments.
Another explanation is that there are various means by which God brings healing, such as:
- The laying on of hands,
- Anointing with oil
- The word of command,
- Anointed items such as Paul’s prayer cloths,
- Anointed presence such as Peter’s shadow, or
- Inspired human wisdom in medical professionals.
Every Healing is Another Gift
While those explanations are mere speculation, there may be a lot of truth to them, and they are very helpful observations. Still, I prefer a much simpler explanation.
I believe that the reason Paul uses the plural “gifts” when discussing healing, is because each healing that takes place is a distinct gift being given to the person healed.
That means that I, as the minister, do not receive the gift of healing. Instead, when operating in this anointing of the Holy Spirit, God uses me to deliver His gifts of healing to those in need.
If someone gets healed of cancer, that is their gift. If someone gets healed of three broken ribs, they have received three gifts of healing. Each sickness or condition God heals is another gift!
God’s Delivery Person
What I like about this understanding, too, is that it removes the pressure from me as the minister. I am not the one controlling the gift, and therefore do not have to feel the pressure on me to perform.
Instead, I am simply acting as the delivery man, who gets to bring God’s gifts to people as He chooses to distribute them. It is His good pleasure and His timing; not mine! (Side note: this is why the gift of Words of Knowledge is often connected with healing.)
When someone is healed of anything, we give God all the praise. When someone is not healed, we learn to press into Him more and more for His gifts!
Pursuing the Gift to Get the Anointing
The gifts you receive will be determined in large part by how you are pursuing God and how you are seeking to love others. God seems to give healing anointing to those who are praying for the sick. (And unless you pray for the sick, you cannot know if the anointing is there in the first place!)
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Anthony Scott Ingram.
Featured Image by pasja1000 from Pixabay
