Sin is the reason the horrors of sickness exist. This truth does not mean that if someone is sick, it is because of some specific sin in their life, but when Adam fell, all manner of distress was unleashed upon this world—even death. But for those of us whose sins are forgiven, even if disease takes our life, we will one day be healed when these mortal bodies are raised immortal. In heaven, where there is no sin, there will also be no sickness.

If a Christian is facing an illness that will not go away and needs encouragement, the Lord healing the paralytic who was lowered through the roof in Mark 2:1-12 can touch our deepest wounds but not in the way many might think. When the man who could not move of his own volition was lowered to Jesus in the crowded room, Jesus did not immediately heal him. Instead, he forgave his sins. The forgiveness of sins is where we find our ultimate reassurance. Only later, when the Pharisees complained that Jesus did not have the power to forgive sins, did he heal the man. The healing was secondary and served the express purpose of letting everyone know he had the power to blot out our transgressions.

We need the forgiveness of sin much more than we need physical healing. When we think of the horrible diseases that wreak havoc on our bodies and the lives of those we love, such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and many others, we know the devastation they can unleash. The Christian does not make light of the horrors of disease to make sin seem worse. Instead, we look at infirmity with all its bodily indignity and pain and then remember that sin is even more devastating because it destroys our souls. Considering the horrors of illness while understanding that sin is worse only sheds light on how much we desperately need forgiveness.

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