"Mankind's search for viable alternatives to conventional medical treatment continues to gain momentum and popularity around the world. A clear indication of this trend is the sheer number of books being published which offer explanations or instructions on the subject of spiritual or Christian healing. However, the few volumes I’ve found that are actually consistent with Scripture are lengthy, and require an initial investment of time and personal commitment many readers are hesitant to make. This little book, on the other hand, is not only consistent with Scripture, but it can be read and comprehended by most people in a matter of hours. It presents to readers a proven, systematic, approach to healing themselves and others through prayer which is in strict accord with Christ Jesus’ teaching on the subject.
"The book is deliberately condensed because it is most effective when read straight through from beginning to end. The material is presented in a way that can be grasped without weeks or months of study, and in a format that will deliver the maximum healing effect in the reader’s thinking and ultimately in his or her life. Our purpose is to lift thought as quickly as possible above the myth of mortality, with its imaginary but frightening concerns, leaving readers free to recognize the immediate possibility of healing. A permanent transformation will obviously require ongoing enlightenment and understanding, but this is not necessary in order to experience instantaneous physical healing. I have found this to be true in my own practice, and in what the Bible clearly teaches on this subject. I have made the Bible my primary focus because I am convinced that whatever insights modern systems of spiritual healing contain, their roots, and the understanding of their effective application to human difficulties, can be traced to that volume. I have relied exclusively on this Biblical approach to spiritual healing through prayer for more than twenty-five years, and gratefully acknowledge the indispensable role it has played in successfully maintaining my health and well-being.
"The Bible is filled from beginning to end with God’s promises of enlightenment and healing. The goal of this commentary is to illustrate and explain how these promises can become useful and practical realities in our lives when we need them most — RIGHT NOW! To accomplish this goal, it directs the reader’s attention to Biblical themes which are frequently overlooked or ignored. It examines the perpetual warfare between truth and falsehood which seems to occur in our thinking and in our world. It examines the history of this apparent conflict, and how the documentation of that history has been developed and treated in both the Old and New Testaments. It analyzes the influence this Biblical treatment has on our concepts of God, on our spiritual growth and advancement as a race, and on our understanding and practice of spiritual healing. In addition, it sheds some much-needed light on what the Bible actually reveals about the nature of God, about the universe He has created, and about the spiritual law by which that universe is governed. Finally, it provides invaluable aid to the reader in his or her efforts to demonstrate spiritual healing as it is taught and practiced throughout the Bible.
"I recommend that the contents of this publication be read carefully because the concepts and ideas it presents challenge the validity of familiar, long-standing, and cherished beliefs we all hold about the fundamental nature of being. However, it is the challenging of these beliefs which enables us to accomplish two essential tasks: 1.) It enables us to rise above our natural human inclination to accept outward appearances as factual even when they have no basis in truth; and, 2.) It enables us to establish our thinking more firmly on a groundwork of Spirit, and on the discernment of spiritual reality.
"My purpose in publishing this message is not to be contentious, but to share with thinking Christians a logical and intelligent alternative to conventional religious belief. An alternative, not only to the narrow perspective and out-dated theories of Scholastic Theology, but to the self-contradictory creeds and doctrines engendered by ancient church councils and clerics as well. Free Moral Agency, Original Sin, Vicarious Sacrificial Atonement, and Everlasting Punishment, are just some of the doctrines to which I refer. Centuries ago, these and other man-made theories were carefully blended with traditional religious symbols and ceremonies, and successfully substituted for the healing and saving power of primitive Christianity as Jesus lived it and taught it. They still occupy that place in most of our churches today. This particular approach to Christianity simply disregards the fact that being is spiritual and immortal. It blatantly misrepresents a fundamental principle of Jesus’ teaching, (Matt. 7:14), 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Its goal is to somehow elevate and redeem a counterfeit mortal sense of existence rather than to expose it as the deceptive and mesmerizing illusion that it is!
"Viewed from a spiritual perspective, these theories and doctrines represent an incorrect and misleading interpretation of what I consider to be the Bible’s central message: man’s innate spirituality, his power and authority as the image and likeness of God, and his inherent exemption from sin, sickness, and death. It seems to me that Christian theorists deliberately ignore this vital aspect of the Bible’s message because it does not fit conveniently their limited interpretations and distorted religious models. These models are based entirely on a material perspective. They limit the application of spiritual or Christian power exclusively to theological issues such as sin, punishment, repentance, salvation, etc. They conveniently ignore man’s God-given dominion over the earth. They fail to make the all-important distinction between God’s spiritual image and likeness and sinning mortal man, a distinction which Jesus emphasized repeatedly in his teaching. Moreover, these models deny man’s ability to heal the sick and raise the dead through spiritual means, an ability which was clearly evident in the lives of patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament, and an ability which Jesus taught and commanded his followers to exercise as well.
"Another objection I have to these particular theories and doctrines is that they are built entirely upon a foundation of sensory perception and human observation, — on a model of reality which excludes the elements of Spirit, of spiritual power, and of divine law. The physical senses present not only a very limited and distorted picture of what constitutes reality, but they are easily deceived and misled by optical illusion, by hypnotic suggestion, and even by strongly held convictions based on well meaning, though ignorant, human beliefs. Furthermore, the scope of these senses is limited to the observation of that which can be seen and felt. They are not cognizant of the spiritual dimension. The physical senses cannot see, feel, or otherwise discern moral or spiritual qualities such as holiness, innocence, purity, humility, joy, etc. It is spiritual sense which informs us of the existence of these qualities, and of their ever-present and unlimited supply.
"If, in our quest for truth, we rely on opinions or conclusions based strictly on what the so-called physical senses are capable of discerning, our journey will be a long and ultimately disappointing one. We cannot begin merely with an objective assessment of what we term our natural material surroundings, and hope to arrive at a knowledge of truth by asking such questions as: 'What is God’s purpose if this is the world He created?' Or, 'What must God be like if this is the man He made?' We must go in exactly the opposite direction. And this is precisely what we intend to do. We will begin with God and with what we 'know' to be true about Him. Then, through prayer, and through a process of reason, revelation, and inspiration, we will begin to discern and to understand the true spiritual man and universe that God has created.
"Even Natural Science, which has always been somewhat at odds with the traditional approach to Christianity, has begun to recognize and to acknowledge the unreliability of material sense testimony. Modern scientists such as Dr. Deepak Chopra, ('Ageless Body, Timeless Mind', 1993 Harmony Books, N.Y.), readily admit that these senses are not a reliable source of absolute or even dependable data. They now realize that such data cannot be trusted because it changes as human beliefs change, and because recent findings show that observation itself tends to alter the manifest characteristics of that which is observed. Besides, the main focus of the Bible is not what humans believe, but what God knows, — not theological opinion but divine law.
"This work consists of two distinct parts. Part One is titled simply 'The Commentary', and is a general discourse on the relationship between truth and error, between spiritual reality and material illusion. It also focuses on what the Bible actually teaches about the nature of Deity, about the creation and government of His Kingdom, and about the importance of spiritual healing as it is defined and practiced in both the Old and New Testaments. Part Two is headed 'Practicing Truth'. It consists of six prayerful steps for the reader to follow each day in his or her practice of spiritual or Christian healing.
"At one time or another, we have all asked ourselves the following questions: 'How can so many religious denominations be based on the same Bible, and yet have such different views of God, — who He is and what He does?'; 'Why is there so much controversy and difference of opinion about the Bible?'; 'Why is there so much confusion over its message, and such violent disagreement about what it teaches?'; and finally, 'Can’t we rise above these conflicting personal points of view and bring healing to the situation by knowing the truth?' According to the Bible, it is not only possible, it is our Christian obligation to do so. My hope is that readers will find this publication helpful in achieving that end.
NOTE: (References to 'man' are not gender specific. They are generic, and refer to the spiritual man, both male and female, created in God’s own image.)
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