QUOTE FROM A NOVEL:
My conviction is, that, near or far off, in ourselves, or in our ancestors --- say Adam and Eve, for comprehension's sake --- all our ailments have a moral cause. I think that if we were all good, disease would, in the course of generations, disappear utterly from the face of the earth.

What a remarkable concept! I had read this story several times and obviously overlooked this gem. All of Christianity is pretty much in agreement that disease and death were a result of the "fall" in the Garden of Eden. But what if Adam and Eve weren't kicked out of the garden because they had sinned, but rather because they continued to sin? And this started the pattern of sinning that they passed on to future generations.

Disease, then, is directly connected to practiced sin --- whether outward or hidden. Does that mean that a person's sickness is an indicator of personal sin? The greater the sickness, the more sin present? I don't believe that it works like that, but even the medical community has proven a strong correlation between a patient's attitude and their recovery process.

Jesus speaks of our actions being the result of what is in our hearts. In John 9, when encountering a blind man, his disciples asked him who had sinned, causing the man to be blind --- the man or his parents? Jesus replied that neither were responsible for his condition. I've always been somewhat troubled by the interpretation that the man was born blind so that many years later Jesus could heal him.

However, if I look at it more closely, I see that disease, in general, reigns, just as sin flourishes in the world. Jesus could have easily healed everyone, so why didn't he? Because the good news is that healing will come when our hearts are healed. Physician, heal yourself! (Luke 4:23)

We must stop looking for the feel-good, showmanship healing miracles that are so widely touted. The real healing is within us --- the special gift that God bestowed. When we truly become good and obedient children, sin will begin to wither and die. Evil will have no place to take root and cannot survive. Amazing!