The Meal That Heals

The Revelation Of The Atonement

our names written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Salvation includes redemption for the whole man: body, soul, and spirit. God is concerned not only about our spiritual well being, but about our physical and emotional wholeness as well. This is clear in the following Scripture: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 God wants us both holy and whole (Hebrews 12:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:23). The common New Testament Greek word for whole is holos, meaning altogether. It implies being sound in body, soul, and spirit or, as we would say today, completely healthy. The whole man consists of the body (physical), soul (emotional), and spirit (spiritual). A physically strong yet emotionally unstable person is not completely whole, and neither is a person who is spiritually strong yet physically weak. It is the will of God to keep our tri-part being (body, soul, and spirit) preserved until such time that our life is complete or until Christ returns, whichever comes first. Some people say, “We are all going to die sometime and when it’s time to go, we are going to go and nothing can change that.” Scripture does not support such a fatalistic view; instead, the Bible indicates that prayer can cancel the assignment of death. King Hezekiah was told he was going to die but, as the king earnestly wept and prayed, God added fifteen more years to his life (2 Kings 20:6). Miriam, the sister of Moses, was stricken with leprosy but Moses interceded and the Lord spared her life (Numbers 12:13). The Bible also asks this question in Ecclesiastes 7:17: “Why shouldest thou die before thy time?” This indicates the possibility of departing this life too early. Paul said that many in the church at Corinth were “weak, sick, and many slept”. Paul used the word slept or asleep to describe the condition of a believer after death (1 Corinthians 15:51, 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 1 Thessalonians 5:10 ). The Scriptures make it clear that a person can die before his or her appointed time. Accidents, criminal acts, and sickness are three darts whose sting can spread the

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