What does it mean “by His stripes we are healed.” Is it solely physical healing or is there a much deeper meaning we often forget?
Peter includes that verse from Isaiah 53:5 in his first letter to the church. “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’”
The Greek word for “healing” is “iaomai.” It has multiple meanings: restoration of bodily health, deliverance from demonic oppression, mending of broken hearts and the ultimate cure for sin’s damage. It never appears as a merely medical term but as God’s gracious intervention that reaches body, soul, and spirit. It reverses the curse that was introduced in the Garden of Eden. [Genesis 3]
As Peter uses the word, he applies it to the atonement. He refers to our healing as a completed fact. The spiritual cure for “our sins,” was finished by Jesus on the cross. It is ours now and it is ours forever.
We should never limit “by His stripes we are healed,” to only physical healing. From my perspective, the healing Christ Jesus has accomplished in removing my sin, my guilt, my shame … and the continuing healing of my attitudes and actions (enabling me to overcome fear, anger, arrogance, etc.) … is far greater than any healing of my pitiful physical ailments.
Would I welcome physical healing? Certainly. But if it never comes, I have experienced so much more “by His Stripes.” Amen&Amen