08/14/2026
Are Health & Wholeness Included in the Atonement? | So You Don’t Believe Healing Is in the Atonement Because…?
In this continuation of our series on the *Doctrine of Healing**, we examine the biblical case that healing is included in the finished work of Jesus—and tackle one of the most common objections: **“What about Paul’s thorn in the flesh?”*
We begin in **Isaiah 53**, written approximately 700 years before Calvary. Isaiah describes Jesus bearing both our **iniquities and our sicknesses**:
“Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains…”
“And by His stripes we are healed.”
Then in **Matthew 8:16–17**, after Jesus physically heals the sick, Matthew specifically connects those healings to Isaiah’s prophecy: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”
This raises an important truth: *God’s covenant promises transcend time.* Jesus was healing people in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy before He physically went to Calvary. In the same way, Abraham believed God and righteousness was credited to him long before the historical event of the cross. God had already revealed Himself as *Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals.*
So why do many churches believe strongly in salvation through the atonement but hesitate when it comes to healing?
One of the most common answers is **Paul’s thorn**.
Was Paul’s Thorn a Sickness?
In **2 Corinthians 12**, Paul describes extraordinary visions and revelations, including being caught up into the “third heaven,” or Paradise. Because of the abundance of these revelations, Paul says:
“A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me…”
Notice what Paul actually calls the thorn: *a messenger of Satan.*
Scripture never explicitly says Paul’s thorn was a chronic illness.
When we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, we also find “thorn” imagery elsewhere in the Bible. *Numbers 33:55, Joshua 23:13, and Judges 2:1–3* use similar language to describe *people who harass, oppose, hinder, and create obstacles for God’s people.*
Paul also says this messenger was sent to *“buffet”* him—a word carrying the idea of striking repeatedly or beating with the fist.
And Paul certainly experienced that kind of opposition. Throughout his ministry he was persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, falsely accused, opposed by religious leaders, and repeatedly confronted by people attempting to hinder his calling.
So what exactly did the messenger of Satan do to Paul?
Scripture does not tell us every detail. It may have involved persecution, hostile people, temptation, demonic harassment, physical attacks, or other forms of satanic opposition. But that is very different from assuming *God gave Paul a chronic sickness and refused to heal him.*
Paul asked the Lord three times for the messenger to depart, and God's answer was:
*“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”*
Rather than God refusing to heal a disease, we see Paul learning that God's grace and power were sufficient to overcome relentless opposition. His enemies could attack him, but they could not prevent him from accomplishing God's purpose.
This leads to an important question:
*Would the Father place upon Paul—or refuse to remove from Paul—something Jesus bore for us in His atoning work?*
Paul’s thorn should not become the small piece of Scripture we use to dismiss the mountain of biblical evidence revealing God as healer.
Isaiah says Jesus bore our sicknesses.
Matthew connects Isaiah directly to physical healing.
Jesus healed the sick throughout His earthly ministry.
God revealed Himself as *Jehovah Rapha—the Lord who heals.*
And Paul’s thorn? Scripture identifies it as *a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him—not a sickness God gave him.*
📖 *Scriptures referenced:*
Isaiah 53:4–6, 11
Matthew 8:16–17
Genesis 15:6
2 Corinthians 11–12
Numbers 33:55
Joshua 23:13
Judges 2:1–3
Romans 8:26
Romans 15:1
*The question remains: If Jesus bore both our sin and our sickness, why would we receive one benefit of the atonement while rejecting the other?*
Are Health & Wholeness Included in the Atonement? | So You Don’t Be...
