Re: Stories like this
1Peter 2:
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed
here it is in the ESV
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
and the ASV
24 who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed
So as you can see in the above passage the context of healing is purely spiritual in nature. \"That we might live unto righteousness\"
This is taken from Isaiah 53:5
The \"healing\" in Isaiah 53:5 includes, in an ultimate sense, our physical bodies. We have been \"predestined...called...and justified\"--but we have not yet been \"glorified\" (Rom. 8:30). We have already received the gift of \"resurrection\" in a spiritual sense, being \"alive from the dead\" (Rom. 6:13) because \"God...when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ\" (Eph. 2:5).
But, we are still subject to sin (1 Jn. 1:8), sickness (1 Tim. 5:23) and death (until the Rapture, that is), and even Paul--who had raised Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:9-10)--was forced to tell Timothy, \"Trophimus I left sick at Miletus\" (2 Tim. 4:20). Also, instead healing him, he had to advise his protege in some practical arreas of health and wellness: \"No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach, and your frequent ailments\" (1 Tim. 5:23). Charismatics often explain their failures to heal by thrusting a guilt trip back upon the one who did not get healed, quoting Acts 14:9, where \"Paul...had seen that he had faith to be made well\" and Mat. 13:58, where it says Jesus \"did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.\" But, these cannot be applied to Timothy, because he certainly had whatever faith would have been required to receive a healing, which Paul acknowledged by saying, \"I am mindful of the sincere faith within you\" (2 Tim. 1:5). And yet, Paul did not heal him.
So, even though \"the signs of a true apostle were performed\" (2 Cor. 12:12) by Paul at times during his ministry, nevertheless even he was not able to heal everyone indiscriminately throughout his entire life, in the same way Jesus had been. This would not be the case, if miraculous physical healing was guaranteed to all of God\'s people even in this life. Rather, the Scriptures make it explicit that when such healings were being performed, \"the Lord...was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands\" (Acts 14:3). Such miracles of attestation to the authority of His representatives were granted \"according to His own will\" (Heb. 2:4), not the whim of the \"faith healer\". Now that the written word of God is complete, and the authority of divine revelation is self-authenticating in \"the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints\" (Jude 3), such verifying miracles are unnecessary--not to mention useless, since--to borrow from the language of Abraham--\"If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets [and the Apostles], they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead\" (Luke 16:31).
And so, even though we enjoy the benefits of spiritual healing and resurrection now, we are yet to partake of the fullness of our new life while the \"spiritual\" corruption of the flesh still clings to us (Rom. 7:18), and in the same way we are yet to partake of the fullness of our new life while the \"physical\" corruption of the flesh still clings to us (Rom. 8:23). We will experience the complete physical AND spiritual healing provided for in the atonement on that glorious day \"when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: \'Death is swallowed up in victory.\'\" (1 Cor. 15:54).