Thank you, once again, to Bud Hancock for another “on the pace” article. Bud has a rare ability to cut through the many distractions being thrown at the world and tackle the grass roots of the human problem. Many thanks once again Bud.

Gibber! Gibber!

Chugley

Why Not Take It?

By Bud Hancock

Imagine a monetary amount that would provide for your financial needs for the rest of your life, say $1 million, $5 million, $10 million; now imagine if someone with excellent credentials and a long-proven reputation for truthfulness, generosity and honesty, approached you and told you that he had already placed at your disposal, that amount of money, with the only stipulation being that you must not doubt the authenticity of his offer, but must believe it to be true and then publicly accept it, would you? Or would you put on a fake humility face and say, “I cannot accept this magnificent gift, I simply am not worthy to receive it”? Of course you would accept it; to refuse it would be to refute the need for it and that would make your imagination only a playground for fantasy. So, receiving much needed money from a generous and trustworthy source would likely be a no-brainer, right?

Every rational, mature adult knows unequivocally that a certain amount of money is essential to maintain a healthy, comfortable and enjoyable life, and even though money is one of the most discussed topics in scripture, it is not the only thing needed for successful human existence. Yes, life without it, or with too little of it, would be less pleasant and less tolerable, but consider some of the necessities of life that are equally as important as, if not more so than, money.

For example: health. There was a time way back in human history when concerns over human health did not exist. When man was created, he was a perfect being with no limit on his life expectancy. Had sin not entered into humanity, we all would have lived eternally, and with no health issues. But the curse brought that possibility to a screeching halt. In a moment, mankind became a race with, not only limited life expectancy, but with many ways in which our health can be compromised, or even worse, totally destroyed, and that very quickly.

Our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve, certainly did not worry about heart disease, cancer or diabetes; in fact, they were SO healthy, it required hundreds of years for them to die. Though the curse provided the means whereby man’s health could be affected, the means for the eternal life, Zoé, the life of God, had been installed into the human DNA and that presence allowed the human body to fight off almost every disease that could possibly attack it. But, over time, as mankind’s sin and rebellion worsened, and the human immune system became weaker and weaker due to the curse placed on the Earth, diseases began to win out over the immune system and eventually, physical death followed. Unfortunately, it was not just death, but agonizing death such as that caused by cancer, stroke, heart disease and many other debilitating conditions.

Every person born into this world arrives in a flesh and blood body, created for him or her by the joining of the reproductive cells from a mother and a father. That body is supposed to last that person for a lifetime, however long that may be. Once that lifetime has expired, the body goes back into the dirt from which it came. It does not go into the timeless eternity in the same form in which it entered the world of time. That is the result of the sin of the mother and father of us all. However, the spirit and soul which, at conception, takes up residence in the flesh and blood body IS eternal in the same form with which they entered this world. When sin destroyed the future of man, not only was the human body affected, becoming subject to death, but the eternal part of man, the spirit and soul was affected, being separated from God, a condition known as spiritual death. That condition, possibly much worse than physical death, made it impossible for man to have any fellowship with God. All the blessings that were promised to mankind were negated due to that spiritual separation. In order to understand just how devastating that was, and still is for mankind, one must gain the Godly knowledge and wisdom found only in His word.
We know from scripture that God had already made the plan that would not only save man’s soul and reestablish the relationship with God that Adam and Eve once had, but would also provide a way to regain the physical health that was lost due to the curse. Do not misunderstand, I am not saying that physical death has now been negated , allowing mankind to live forever in these bodies. On the contrary, according to Hebrews 9:26-28, every human has a date with physical death, with the exception of two: Enoch and Elijah, both of whom were “taken to heaven” while still alive in their flesh and blood bodies, but even those two will face death as the two witnesses who will return during the Tribulation and be killed by the Antichrist at the midpoint of the Tribulation. They will both be put to death, but will rise and return to heaven, leaving their former flesh and blood existence behind.

What is most important is the way in which our flesh and blood bodies are cared for while still alive, and to what use they were put while still alive.

Every person born into this world will endure some challenges, whether financial, physical or spiritual, likely all three together at one time or another. Some of those challenges will occur because of decisions made by the person, others will occur simply because, well, such is life.

What do I mean by that last statement? Since the entire human race was cursed as a result of the treason of Adam and Eve, the details of that curse are ever-present in all of mankind. That curse involves the aging, the degradation of the human body over time, allowing for disease and sickness to ravage it. Before sin, that was not the case and had man not sinned, all human bodies would have lived forever. But, the reality is that all mankind is still living under the curse……unless you have been redeemed from the curse; but exactly what does that mean?

Mankind had absolutely no means of saving himself from the curse pronounced by God. Only through the introduction of His Son into the World could God provide the means of escaping eternal death. That means is as available today as it was when Jesus hung on the cross, but one can only have it by 1) making a decision to believe that it is real and 2) a personal pronunciation of its acceptance (Romans 10:9-10). What an amazing opportunity God has given to all men, the ability to step into eternal life, “zoé”, (Strong’s 2222) the very same life that God has/is (Matthew 25:46). While this means that a born-again, saved person will enter eternity to live forever with all the other saints and the heavenly host, it did not relieve the problem of dealing with the results of the curse on our flesh and blood bodies before we encounter eternity.

In our lifetimes, we will have occasion to experience pain, sickness and disease simply because the curse is still active…. unless you have been redeemed from the curse!

What???

Do you mean that there is a way to live on this planet in a flesh and blood body without giving in to the many diseases trying to kill us? That is exactly what I mean. I know many will dispute this statement and call me a dreamer or a charlatan, but, at 81 years of age, I can claim that I am a healthy dreamer who has experienced this healthy human state for many years now. Am I claiming that I live a totally pain-free life? No, of course not. As I have aged, and especially if I work harder that my body should be made to work at my age (which according to my wife, is often), I do have pains and some muscle aches, but they have not debilitated me in any way, and so I continue to work and do what many men thirty years my junior cannot do. Before making the mistake of believing that I am a “freak of nature”, hear me out.

Consider the words describing Moses in Deuteronomy 34:7, which states: “And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated”. This statement indicates that, even at the age of 120 years, Moses was still of clear vision and vitality of body. He did not die due to old age, or some serious disease, rather, he died from causes other than those. In the Book of Numbers, chapter 20, Moses was confronted with a grumbling, complaining people because, after leaving Egypt and while on their way to the Promised Land, they were in the Desert of Zin without water. Moses was led by God to a rock and was told by God to “speak to the rock” shown to him so that life-giving water could be given to the Israelites, but out of frustration, or possibly anger at the complaining of the people, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff. Even though plenty of water came from the rock, God told Moses and his brother Aaron that, because they had disobeyed Him and “struck” the rock instead of speaking to it, they would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Moses, the man who spoke to God, face to face, as a man speaks to his friend, lived to an old age still having a healthy body and perfect vision, but failed to experience the very best God had due to disobedience, and was forbidden entry into the promised land as a flesh and blood man. I am quite sure the fact he could not enter in caused some dismay for Moses, but we, now, have a much better opportunity than did Moses.

We who are the “born again”, those who have accepted the blessings purchased for us by the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son, must recognize what those blessings are and learn how to appropriate them into our lives. But, you may ask, if those blessings are given to us freely by God, why should we need to appropriate them? If they are truly free, should these benefits not happen automatically? Good questions. Let’s look for some answers.

Suppose you have been given a beautiful, shiny, brand new car by a local, and very generous Christian car dealer; also suppose he delivered the car to your home and parked it in front with the keys in it. All you have to do to gain the use of that beautiful new car is to walk out there, open the door, sit down and turn the key, right? Exactly, except a person who has hated you all your life saw the car being delivered and has decided to stand by that car, holding a gun and threaten to shoot you if you try to use it. What do you do? Walk away without the car, or stand up to the evil bully and take what belongs to you? Tough choice, especially if you are less armed than the bully. After all, you know this bad guy and he has done some very evil things in the past, but man, you sure want that shiny new car. You have the choice to go back in your house and return, armed better that the bully and take what belongs to you. That might sound like opening the door to a violent confrontation, but what if the means of disarming the bully has already been given to you without any danger of harm to you, and involves no use of a gun? Would you use that means to get your new car?

Well, just as in the scenario above, there is a “bully” who wants to deny you the benefit of that new car, there is a bully named Satan who would like nothing better than to deny you the benefits that Christ purchased for you on the Cross. But, instead of a gun pointed at you, he uses his own chief spiritual weapon to steal those benefits: lies and deception.

Let’s look at those benefits. Firstly, His blood redeemed us from the curse and provided us with the same life that God Himself has, the zoé, or the eternal, never-ending life, the same life Adam had and lost. Secondly, our benefits include the ability, by faith, to connect with God on a spiritual basis, speaking directly to Him, in the name of Jesus, presenting all our needs and requests to Him. Thirdly, Jesus Himself became our Intercessor (think lawyer) who also presents to His Father, our case for receiving our benefits. Now, these all seem to be “spiritual” benefits, somehow connected to the eternal life we receive when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and these are wonderful, but, should there not also be benefits that aid us here in this present, flesh and blood life? What about the ability to live free of disease and sickness? Is this something that Jesus purchased or us? After all, if we are redeemed from the curse, which came with the fall of man, before which man had no idea what disease and sickness were, would not our redemption include a return to health for our aging flesh and blood bodies?

Look at Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed”. Amazingly, I have seen it written that the word “healed” used here actually refers to spiritual healing, but that makes no sense. Before a person is born again, he is essentially a “dead spirit” in the sense that his human spirit is separated from God; but when that person accepts the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and makes Him the Lord of his life, that person is now a living spirit, able to communicate with God, and that makes him alive. The word “healed” used here is the English translation of the Greek word ĭaŏmai (Strong’s 2390, pronounced ee-ah’-om-ahee), and it means “to cure”, literally or figuratively, to heal or make whole.
That sounds as though the healing, curing or making whole of a diseased body is accomplished by the work of Jesus Having subjected Himself to a horrible beating and torture before He was led to His crucifixion on the cross, and that being so, His work accomplished more, MUCH more, than becoming a living human spirit, able to contact God. His work allowed for the healing of our aging, cursed bodies.
Look at Romans 10:9-10, ” That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The word “saved” in this passage is the English translation of the Greek word, “sōzō”, (Strong’s 4982, pronounced sode’-zo). In various applications, it means “safe”, to deliver, to protect, to “heal”, to preserve and to make whole. Wow, that word has a lot of info to unpack.

It certainly seems that Paul was telling the saints at Rome that, when a person confesses the Lordship of Jesus, he (his human spirit) is born again and his formerly dead spirit becomes alive and able to commune with God, Who IS a Spirit. That action is implicit in the use of the word “sozo”, and in itself is a true miracle, but the word “sozo” contains so much more than spiritual regeneration.
Also implicit in the word usage is the ability, by faith in the work of Christ, to receive bodily healing and not JUST healing, but “deliverance”, preservation and being made whole. Deliverance means “rescue from bondage or danger” while preservation means “to keep from injury, peril, or harm; to protect. The phrase, “be made whole” in the definition of “sozo” is found in the gospel of Luke 8:48-50, 17:19, and Acts 4:9, and in all these passages the writer is referring to acts of physical healing that were performed by the disciples of Jesus.

My point in the study of the word “sozo” is that one of the greatest, and most overlooked/ignored benefits of our salvation is physical healing. I have heard many evangelists and pastors use the passage in Romans 10:9-10 to preach our eternal salvation, and rightly so, but, many, if not MOST, stop short of explaining, as I did, that our healing was important enough to God to include it in His list of benefits. Our eternal salvation is a marvelous miracle made possible by Jesus Who shed His blood and died to purchase it, but we are still flesh and blood humans who need good health to function properly and live successfully; and like the imaginary person in the analogy I used, who seeks the money necessary to live, and the imaginary person who was promised a new car, we have a mean bully, in the person of Satan and/or his minions, who will do whatever they can to stop us from receiving those amazing benefits.
If you are one who is experiencing some dreaded sickness that is making you unable to function properly, I urge you to consider that your Father in heaven provided the means to have that healing benefit, and it only requires that you believe it, proclaim it, and be willing to arm yourself with better armor that that of the enemy and refuse to let him steal your benefits!
Blessings and Maranatha!

Bud Hancock

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Born and raised in a small textile town in North Carolina, Bud’s family moved to Michigan in the hope of finding better employment with General Motors.  After graduating from high school, Bud began an apprenticeship with General Motors to become a Metal Modelmaker.  Retiring after a 30 year career, which included an eight year stint as a Metrologist (Science of high precision measurement), he and his wife moved back to North Carolina to be near his elderly parents.  Shortly thereafter, with both of his parents having passed, he began a new career in the bank security/ATM business, advancing from an entry level technician to one of two North Carolina customer service managers for his employer.  Retiring again after 13 years, he and his wife of 51 years relocated to Tennessee where Bud began writing articles emphasizing Biblical teaching and geopolitical issues.  At age 75, he and his wife relocated to South Carolina with their Miniature Schnauzer, Baxter.  Bud continues to study God’s word and write articles on Christian living and geopolitical issues from the Biblical end times  perspective.