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Among the varied ways in which miracles are manifested, I must include the many records of miracles involving the healing of the physical body. Like other miracles, healing originates from within. “If [since] the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

Romans chapter 8 is one of the highlight passages of the New Testament. It has much to say about victorious Christian living — the triumph of the Spirit within over the apparent limitations of everyday life. The future resurrection of the believer is not in view in verse 11, and the careful reader will recognize God’s choice of words that make it evident that the present is under discussion. John Calvin, an early Protestant Greek scholar, wrote, “The quickening of the mortal body here cannot refer to the resurrection of the saints, but must mean a giving of life to their bodies, while here upon earth, through the Spirit.”

Romans 8:11Let us pause just long enough to give some background on the two key words, “give life” and “mortal”. The Greek word for “give life” (“quicken”, KJV) is a combination of the words for “life” and “I make” and is therefore handled by recent translators as “make alive”, “endow with life”, and so forth. The same word is employed in II Corinthians 3:6, where again the context is obviously in the present, “…for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” It is the work of the Spirit within to give life, and in Romans 8:11 it is to fill the physical body with the vibrant life of God — real vim, vigor, and vitality.

The word “mortal” never means “dead” but rather something that is “subject to death”. There is a Greek word for a dead human body, but it is not employed in Romans 8:11. The word “mortal” appeared earlier in Romans 6:12, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies…” Dead bodies do not sin, but bodies subject to death do sin. Another usage of “mortal” is given by Paul in II Corinthians 4:11, and significantly it is in association with the same Greek word for “life.”. “For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” While we live there is every opportunity for His life to be revealed in bodies which are subject to death.

The Spirit of God that is resident within the believer gives life to that believer’s body, and this includes when disease is present. Healing is not something to be sought from an outside source; it is a power that you bring into action from within. God’s plan for His children is divine health — perfect, continuous health. When a believer sees evidence of sickness or disease, it is a signal from the body that somehow the flow of health has been frustrated and is at dis-ease. Now a miracle is required to replace the dis-ease with the perfect flow of health. The Bible teaches that healing for the whole man was provided for us on the cross of Calvary, and in a very real sense we look back on it now as a past-tense action, “By his wounds you have been healed” (I Peter 2:24.)

The records of healings of the physical body are spread throughout both Old and New Testaments. When God brought three million people out of the land of Egypt, it is recorded that “Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled” (Psalm 105:37). Even with the advances in medical science, no nation on earth today can match that record. The ministry of Jesus is summarised in Acts 10:38 in these words, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Since that same power is resident within, we can have the same results. Again we need to develop a miracle consciousness and bring into action the power that God has already given us.

Remember, according to I Corinthians 12:7 miracles are a manifestation of God’s Spirit within. As we change our emphasis from expecting a miracle from “out there somewhere” to seeing them as an outworking of that which is within, we will see a string of miracles in our lives. Let’s boldly walk forth and take our position as sons and daughters of God.