Is “Healing in the Atonement” a “Different Gospel”?

​When it comes to false teaching that is in the category of “a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6-8) Scripture speaks about adding requirements (obeying the works of the law) to the gospel of grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, which is the narrow gate and way that Christ describes in Matthew 7:13-14. In other words, any teaching that says we have to DO something in order to be saved is adding a requirement to the gospel that nullifies the grace of God, creating a different gospel.

​“I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”
— Galatians 1:6-8

​The popular prosperity teaching that physical healing is available now, through Christ’s atonement, doesn’t perfectly fit into this category of a different gospel because is it’s not in the “requirement” category, but is in the “fruit” or “benefit of the atonement” category. However, this teaching does have the potential to create a false works-based gospel in practice.

​“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
— Galatians 2:16

​Physical healing in the atonement is a biblical benefit of Christ’s saving work that is promised in the next life (like freedom from sin and the consequences of sin— death, sickness, poverty, suffering, sorrow, etc.). Sin and all of those consequences of sin will finally be graciously removed when Christ returns, and we receive our glorified bodies.

​The last enemy that will be abolished is death. — 1 Corinthians 15:26

The key error comes when people try to pull this promise of physical healing into the “here and now” and attach and bundle it with our forgiveness of sins. This false teaching can communicated in a few different ways:

• “It’s as easy to get healed as it is to be forgiven.”
• “Physical healing and forgiveness come as a packaged deal.”
• “Physical healing is the fruit of repentance and faith in Christ.”
• Some teach that if you’ve lived a life of drug addiction and have destroyed your health, if you’ve repented of those sins and put your faith in Christ, God also apparently wants to heal your physical body now— removing any physical consequences or reminders of your sinful past. If you were suicidal before Christ, he wants to remove the physical scars from cutting, etc.

​So why is this teaching so spiritually deadly? Think about what happens when someone truly repents and believes the gospel, but they aren’t seeing the physical healing that’s been promised to be connected to their forgiveness by this prosperity teaching. They begin to doubt whether they’ve truly been forgiven of their sins because they aren’t seeing the promised fruit!
The same danger actually occurs in the error of pietism, which is when we make our spiritual fruit (good works) something that our assurance of salvation rests on in a primary, and objective way. Yes, our salvation should produce the fruit of good works, but that fruit is not perfect (sinless perfection), is growing through the Lord’s sanctifying work, and is meant to be a secondary, subjective basis for our assurance of salvation. Our primary and objective assurance is always found in Christ, and what He has done for us.

When physical healing is taught as a fruit of forgiveness/repentance, and that healing doesn’t happen, physical healing then becomes a primary focus in someone’s assurance of salvation. It becomes even more dangerous when they believe more false healing teaching that takes away the blame from God; they teach that it’s always His will to heal in this life, and therefore the lack of healing is not on His end of the equation, leaving the fault on us.
They buy into formulas for healing, reasons for why you haven’t been healed, how to maintain your healing, or how to use your faith a force to create healing. It becomes all about what I need to DO to somehow unlock or maintain this physical healing, which is supposed to be a gift of God’s grace (like forgiveness). “Wait, why am I now working for a gift? I thought this was grace!” Now we’ve turned grace— our forgiveness and physical healing (which promised in the next life)— into something I need to work to unlock, which nullifies grace, creating an assurance-killing, false gospel.

​“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
— Galatians 2:21

​This teaching also distorts faith. Biblical faith is simply trusting or resting in what God has done for our salvation. But in Word of Faith teaching, faith becomes a scientific force that we can manipulate through our positive words (or thoughts), in order to manifest these promises that are supposed to be gifts of God’s grace. Once again, grace and faith— what we should be freely receiving through trusting in what God has done— is turned into a different gospel, since it requires the trust in our works to unlock or maintain that part of our salvation.

This false promise of healing in this life also affects motives for coming to Christ, and can be an idolatry issue; am I coming to Jesus simply because of my selfish desire to gain physical healing, with little or no interest in the Giver of that gift? Jesus pointed out that same issue with the crowds that sought Him for His signs, or the miracles that satisfied their natural desires (like food), and not seeking Him for who He is, as the Bread of Life (John 6:26-35).

​Avoid teachers who connect promises of physical healing in the here and now with the forgiveness of sins. Avoid teachers who assume that they always know God’s will in relationship to physical healing, and by default, leave the blame for the lack of healing on us. This teaching can only lead to a burdensome, works-based, faith-killing poison. The true gospel is much different; Christ takes the burden of your sin and finishes all the work for you. In Christ, we follow His example as the suffering servant by humbly embracing suffering, and trusting that He will use that for our good in our sanctification:

For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, — Philippians 1:29

​For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, — 1 Peter 2:21

​Our hope is not in our ability to take authority or dominion over the suffering in this life, bringing the promises of heaven to earth in the here and now. Our hope is in the next life, where Christ promises freedom from sin and it’s consequences, because we will be in His presence for eternity.

​And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” — Revelation 21:3-4