What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About Faith Healing?

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones provides a balanced and thoughtful analysis of faith healing and miraculous healing in modern times. Here are key questions and answers based on his sermon:

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe we should reconsider our attitudes toward faith healing?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, "The time has come when we should reconsider some of our established attitudes towards elements in life and practice, both of the Christian in general and of the medical Christian in particular, where certain difficulties arise." He notes that there are several new factors that have compelled him to rethink this issue:

• A new interest in spiritual phenomena in general
• The rise of the charismatic movement
• A resurgence of what appears to be demon possession
• Reports of miraculous healings in various contexts, including in places of revival

What are the two main positions Christians take regarding faith healing?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies two common positions:

1. Those who capitulate to phenomena - People who are so impressed by miraculous events that they abandon their theological foundations. As he puts it, they essentially say "theology doesn't matter as long as you see this kind of thing happening."

2. Those who reject the whole thing in total - People who dismiss all claims of miraculous healing as either psychological phenomena, fraudulent, or impossible based on their theological position.

Why do some Christians reject the possibility of miraculous healing today?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies three main reasons:

1. Prejudice based on association - They dismiss claims based on who practices healing (e.g., "Catherine Kulman, a woman preacher") rather than examining the facts.

2. Scientific objections - They believe natural laws make miracles impossible, adopting a deterministic and mechanistic view of nature.

3. Biblical interpretation - They believe that the miraculous ended with the apostolic age, though Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes "there is no statement in the scripture which says that."

What scientific developments does Lloyd-Jones believe should make us more open to miraculous healing?

Lloyd-Jones points to a significant shift in scientific thinking:

"The scientific view of the 19th century has been abandoned. It's no longer held. That was a view which taught us that natural laws, or the laws of nature governed all events... But the fact is that as the result of the work of Einstein, his theory of relativity and the quantum theory and so on, there is an entirely new approach."

Scientists now recognize: - Our knowledge of natural laws is limited - These laws only describe part of reality - There is indeterminacy rather than determinacy - We should speak of probability rather than certainty

How does Lloyd-Jones explain spontaneous healing from a medical perspective?

Lloyd-Jones suggests several important points:

1. There is evidence of spontaneous cures, particularly in cancer cases
2. There is "a new view of disease" recognizing psychosomatic factors
3. Disease and health exist in a "delicate and sensitive mechanism" with a balance
4. The nervous system appears to be the controlling element
5. Disease may be caused by many factors (including psychological ones)
6. Therefore, cures may likewise result from many factors

He states: "If shock can cause a disease, why can't a corresponding shock on the other side restore the patient to health, stimulate the mechanism on that side and put an end to the diseased condition?"

Does Lloyd-Jones believe that all faith healing is from God?

No. Lloyd-Jones acknowledges that healing can occur through various kinds of faith, not just Christian faith:

"Into this category I would put faith. Now, faith of any kind. I don't care what kind. If this view is correct, any kind of faith can do it, the spiritist can do it. We mustn't limit these factors."

He specifically warns about healing through spiritualism or occult means, noting that while healing might occur, there are spiritual dangers in submitting to such powers.

How should Christians evaluate claims of miraculous healing?

Lloyd-Jones offers several principles:

1. "We must be very careful lest we fall into the same error as the Roman Catholic Church fell into over the case of Copernicus and Galileo. They rejected his facts because they didn't fit into their theory."

2. "We must still continue to maintain our healthy, skeptical and critical attitude to everything that is reported to us."

3. "We must not allow our doctrine to be determined by phenomena." The Bible should determine our doctrine, not miraculous events.

4. Biblical miracles have certain characteristics (not announced beforehand, given with certainty, producing awe rather than levity)

5. The "prayer of faith" is given, not worked up: "You can't work it out. You either have it or you haven't got it."

What is Lloyd-Jones' final position on miraculous healing today?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes:

"We must continue to use the means as usual. God's customary way of dealing with disease is through these means and methods, abilities he's given to men, drugs that he's put in such profusion in nature, and so on. But in addition, we must remember this other factor and not be surprised at it."

He advises Christians not to "exclude dogmatically in the way we've often tended to do the equally positive manifestation and demonstration of the power of God, to heal diseases or to do anything that he wills and chooses to do."