Introduction - Why I'm Writing this Series

The question of divine healing is something that every believer wrestles with at some point. We pray for the sick, we rejoice when God heals, and we question Him when He doesn’t. In recent years, many teachers have claimed that it is always God’s will to heal, that Christ’s atonement guarantees complete physical healing this side of heaven for every Christian who has enough faith. Teacher Andrew Wommack is one of the more prominent. His 2010 book God Wants You Well has become one of his most popular and widely read.

There are members of my immediate family who are not well and yet insist that God desperately wants to heal them, but for some reason cannot. They have been taught (by Wommack and others) that because Jesus healed people, then that must mean that God always wants everyone healed. But at the same time, because they are not healed, it cannot be God's fault. The inevitable conclusion is that it’s our fault. We don’t have enough faith, there is unforgiven sin in our lives, or we haven't ‘positioned’ ourselves well, prayed enough, or got into the Word enough. This is a cruel and heavy burden to carry. None of this, however, is how the Word of God describes our physical healing, and I hope to show this through this blog series. 

Andrew Wommack’s book God Wants You Well has been read by hundreds of thousands worldwide, including these members of my family, whom I deeply love. In this book, Wommack claims that healing is guaranteed in Christ’s atonement, that God never wills sickness for His children, and that failure to be healed stems from our own unbelief or failure to “receive.” These teachings have brought false hope to so many, and deep spiritual pain to others who are left wondering why their faith “didn’t work.” The result of this teaching is not the deep comfort of resting in the sovereignty of God, but instead, there comes confusion, pain, and bitterness. At best, this leaves believers disillusioned and at worst, it causes them to walk away from Christ and into apostasy.

This blog series, which I have titled Healing and the Will of God, is a chapter-by-chapter, biblical response to God Wants You Well. Yes, I am frustrated at times and righteously angry at other times at this teaching for the damage I believe it has caused my loved ones and the many millions of Christians worldwide who believe this spiritually destructive teaching. But ultimately, I am writing out of my conviction that the truth of God’s Word really does matter, and that the sovereignty and providence of our God are far more comforting than the shallow promises of the false teaching of guaranteed health.

Why I believe this Series Is Important

I am often accused of being “anti-healing” or that God no longer works in our lives today. This is entirely false. The issue, of course, is not whether God can heal. Of course, He can. Scripture often shows us a God of compassion and power who heals according to His sovereign will. The question then is whether God has promised healing to every believer in this life. Wommack says yes. I believe the Bible strongly disagrees with him.

To say that God must heal is to make God beholden to our faith when in fact, as we will see throughout our series, he is sovereign over everything, including our healing. To say that faith guarantees results is to turn faith into a force we use at our command, when in fact the true nature of faith is trusting in someone who is sovereign over us in all things, and we trust in that. That’s true faith. Very sadly, the end result of this misunderstanding of the nature of faith is not freedom in Christ, but bondage to a works-style belief system where believers are crushed under the weight of seemingly unanswered prayers and unfulfilled expectations.

How This Series Will Work

Each blog post will examine one chapter of God Wants You Well. We’ll look carefully at the claims Wommack makes, the Scriptures he uses, and the meaning of those passages in their biblical context. Where he misinterprets Scripture, we will clearly see what God's word actually teaches in its proper context. 

Every post will follow a similar pattern so they can be referred to and used when talking to family and friends, etc.

• Wommack’s Claim – what he argues and assumes.

• The Scriptures He Uses – how he interprets them.

• What the Passage Actually Teaches – exegesis in context.

• The Theological Error – why his doctrine departs from orthodoxy.

• The Biblical Response – what Scripture actually teaches.

• Pastoral Reflection – hope for those confused or hurt by this message.

If you’ve believed these teachings, you’re not alone. Many sincere Christians have, and many are still wrestling with guilt and disappointment. This series is not written to mock or belittle anyone. God is not cruel. He does not withhold healing because your faith is weak. He is sovereign, wise, and good. Sometimes, He heals miraculously. Sometimes he doesn’t. But we know that he is always working for the good of those who love Him, even when we can’t see what that good may be. 

What to Expect

In the coming weeks and months, we’ll walk through God Wants You Well one chapter at a time, testing each claim by Scripture. We’ll begin with Wommack’s first chapter, “Miracles Confirm God’s Word,” and examine whether miracles really do confirm the Word of God today. I have a lot of other “irons in the fire” regarding my writing, but I will endeavour to get some posts out every couple of weeks; sometimes it may be longer in between posts, other times less. 

Ultimately, I write this series because I’ve seen the damage first-hand that this teaching causes, particularly in people I love, and I just can’t stand by and watch Wommack twist scripture and give false hope to people, damaging their trust in our perfect Saviour and the sovereignty of our good God. I have also experienced personally the peace that comes when we rest in God’s sovereignty rather than through our own striving. My prayer is that these posts will help my loved ones, and yours, find that peace as well.

Soli Deo Gloria