why did paul not heal epaphroditus

PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30Some Bible scholars have asked the question, why was Paul not able to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? 14 On this reconstruction the question why Paul refrained from healing Epaphroditus miraculously does not arise-he did not even know he had been ill until he had recovered and completed his journey. The next two letters that Paul wrote are the two letters to the Corinthians. Epaphroditus had made a 600-mile journey from Philippi to Rome, an 80-day journey on foot round trip, which was fatiguing, to visit the apostle Paul. 3:2) to the Apostle Paul, but He had not yet revealed the entire message to him. Paul says, No. life, it was mercy to me. ii.) Having seen the pattern of truth regarding the gifts, we need to ask, why did the gifts cease at this time? I have hid them in my heart. The apostle Paul had a variety of Gifts including tongues, prophecy and teaching. If I walk down the street and I get a word of knowledge for someone, it is 1. There are very many Christian workers who never get their due of recognition and welcome from their brethren, and there are many who get far more of both than belongs to them, and both they and the crowds who bring them adulation would be freed from dangers, which can scarcely be over-stated, if the spirit of Paul's warm-hearted praise of Epaphroditus were kept in view. honor him. We must not leave unnoticed the beautiful self-abnegation which sends off Epaphroditus as soon as he was well enough to travel, as a gift of the Apostle's love, in order to repay them for what they had done for him. "lovely or charming." What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? (Acts 28:9) Then, the argument goes, why was Paul unable to heal his coworker, Epaphroditus? First, let us review Epaphroditus mission. It is also hard to identify with Timothy who was a duplicate of Paul, he's no easy He is a co-worker, it's speaking of common effort, diligence. In AD 60, Paul was imprisoned in Rome, and for the next two years, he lived under house arrest ( Acts 28:30-31 ), encouraging local churches via letters written from prison. distressed because you had heard that he was sick." Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.. We have no reason to suppose that Epaphroditus took part with Paul in his more properly apostolic work, and the fact that the purely material help, and pecuniary service which most probably comprised all his 'ministering,' is honoured by Paul with these lofty designations, carries with it large lessons as to the sanctity of common life. It was his brethren who were exhorted to receive their own messenger back again 'in the Lord with all joy, and to hold him in honour.' What we do know for sure is that Epaphroditus illness was so severe that he almost died (v. 27). jesus also was moved with compassion many times.the main purpose is to trust him and have faith he will do what is best for us. ' (Matt. Epaphroditus' service to Paul was a spiritual priestly function. Testament, 20 of them refer to physical sickness. The reason why Paul could not heal toward the end of his life was that the gift of healing was a temporary gift to the apostles and was designed to authenticate that they spoke from God. means: "to abase, naturalize, to make of none effect, of no reputation." January 23 2014 Report Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. However, God, who can do things as He chooses, chose not to immediately heal Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus had nearly died in bringing the Philippians' gift to Paul in Rome, but God spared the apostle from great sorrow by healing him. 1:22) so God gave them signsamong the Gentiles!in order to provoke Israel to jealousy (Rom. The first 6 of Pauls letters can be fit into the Book of Actswe can read Acts and then read Pauls letters and we can see where Paul was when he wrote these letters. 0 Responses The word "longing" is epipotheo, it The reason why Paul didn't heal Trophimus is because he no longer had the 'gift' of healing. This . (Phil. The word "gladness" is chara which means: "joy." at after carefully weighing the facts. 14:30-33). Honestly, because the power to heal didn't originate from within Paul. 32, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991), 120. Spam, February 08 2023 There is healing today, but there is no gift of healing, there are no divine healers. There is no gift of healing today but God still heals sometimes. When is the last time that this happened to you? There is no record in Scripture of any of the sign gifts operating in any of the letters that Paul wrote after the end of the Acts period, and it is clear that the gift of healing had ceased since Paul could no longer heal even his closest co-workers after the close of the Book of Acts. Although many people have concerns about the cost of healthcare, the vast majority of people in our culture still have access to antibiotics and other medications that can cure ailments that were almost certainly death sentences only a few decades ago. That was one less thing Paul had to be concerned about (2:26-27). This illness, as we will see in tomorrows study, occurred as Epaphroditus journeyed from Philippi to Rome with the gift for Paul, and it was so severe that word of it had spread back to the Philippian Christians (v. 26). If we are going to Today God no longer gives the gift of healing, and there are no healers. But we should not think that God Himself no longer heals! But neither does it say Paul attempted to heal him and failed. soon meaning: "together with" and stratiotes meaning: "soldier." In verse 25, we have a description of Epaphroditus. If you haven't already, please make sure to take our tour, to get yourself familiar with the site and to see how we're a little different than other sites. It is not confined to I find the denial of Divine Healing today interesting. 8 Responses Though Paul had the gift of healing, he did not heal this individual. Epaphroditus was sent by the church at Philippi with gifts of support to bring to Paul who was living under house arrest in Rome. on Phil no. So the writing of 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be placed into Acts 18 during Pauls ministry in Corinth, and that makes them the second and third letters that Paul wrote. But then He tells them that even while they were doing these things, He had never ever known them. If they wanted to So, please don't tell me that Divine Healing ceased. In fact, we are so accustomed to recovering from sickness that we are often surprised when we or others take a long time to get over what we regard as routine illnesses. The name later came to mean: Maybe you can't preach or teach, maybe you're not a leader or an administrator, but you can My legs were swollen and my body was a mass of pain. And, again, in places where we would have expected Paul to mention the sign gifts, he is silent. "Epaphroditus is here to do what you can't do because you're so far away.". The Jews sought after signs (1 Cor. goddess of luck. 19:28). Which apostles did Paul see while he was in Jerusalem after his conversion? 13:1-2) and states that the Lord Jesus had revealed to him (1 Cor. means: "to throw down a stake, to roll the dice." So, to sum up what we have seen so far, from Acts 9 through Acts 28 we read of the earlier ministry of the Apostle Paul and find that during these years he wrote 6 of his 13 letters. Timothys return from Macedonia mentioned in Acts 18:5 is also reported in 1 Thessalonians 3:6. destruction and desolation. What to do? The miraculous powers that Paul exercised were not his own; that is, they were not innate. Therefore, this thinking is the key to our relief. Again, we have no indication whatsoever that healing was his "right" or something which he could "claim." . He was sent there to serve Paul And as for the gift of healing, we read of a co-worker of Paul's, Epaphroditus, who fell seriously ill during this time (Phil. This 19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. It is here in Ephesus during Acts 19 that Paul wrote 1 Corinthianssee I Corinthians 16:19. He was in the first place Paul's helper in the Gospel, and his faithfulness there is set forth in a glowing climax, 'My brother and fellow-worker and fellow-soldier.' But the promise that He gave to Paul is still our promise today in the dispensation of grace: My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. The congregation in Philippi loved this man so much, they did not want him to die. He was sent by them, he was their two to his relationship with the Philippian church. It is a compound word from The gifts were all in operation all through the Book of Acts period and are mentioned in the letters written during that time, but the Lord had revealed that the sign gifts were going to cease at some time in the future. This study focuses on that questionwhen did the sign gifts cease? Why didn't Paul just heal Epaphroditus? And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20). This is a self-less man. history, used all through the LXX to refer to the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant and the be-shem omro)? Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. life, the same effort and we have the same enemies. How about the Gift of Faith, do we not all have Faith, so how does this work when a person has a Gift of Faith? In Acts 17, Paul, on his second apostolic journey, came to Thessalonica and preached there. Before the end of the Book of Acts, during the Acts period, and in the letters written during the Acts period, the Lord had only revealed part of the dispensation of grace (Eph. He was a man of courage-- anyone who would offer himself as the personal attendant of a The But when we turn to the letters written after the Book of Actsthe 4 Prison Epistles, and the 3 Pastoral Epistles, we find that the sign gifts either arent mentioned at all or we seeas with the gift of healingthat they were no longer operating in Pauls life. where it ends for many, they are brothers, but not for Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus did not invoke a certain claim to be healed or visit someone with the gift of healing. parabolani, the gamblers. "But God had mercy on him" -- God spared him from death and any time that God spares a life Hello Uche Ogu, welcome to BHSE, glad to have you with us! The Lord does the same thing for us today, although the little blessings He provides often go unnoticed. Those who work in the tape ministry are my It has an interesting In his low, nervous state, barely convalescent, the thought of home and of his brethren's anxiety about him was too much for him. He wasn't a teacher nor preacher that we know of. In the days of the Early Church there was an association of men and women called the primary reason for Epaphroditus being there was to minister to Paul's physical needs. The context gives us an interesting miniature of the last, and pathetic glimpses into the private life of the Apostle in his imprisonment, and it is worth our while to try to bring our historic imagination to bear on Epaphroditus, and to make him a living man. 2. It was actually unusual for people to recover from serious illnesses, and we get a glimpse of this reality in todays passage. necessity, that which is lacking." impact our society, if we are going to be effective in our evangelism, we need to quit selfishly 28 Therefore I am sending him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and that I may be less anxious. Clarify That will tell you what an answer is. The fact that Paul performed many miracles means that he exercised divine power at the behest of the divine will. When he recovers, Paul sends him back to Philippi For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. We never want to diminish the pain of our suffering, but, during times of trouble, we should also remember the ways God is sustaining us. He was given the assignment of delivering a gift to Paul and staying with Paul for a time, assisting him in whatever way he could in his difficult times. We may further note the intensity of Paul's sympathy. No, the answer is that God's program had changed. Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a financial gift, and was there to minister to Paul in any way that he could; do his laundry, carry messages, or do what ever Paul needed. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. The normal word Epaphroditus doesn't deserve to live and I don't deserve to have such a It is used again in: Paul says that he used his own hands to meet his physical needs. We have work to do, In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul prays that a " thorn in the flesh " would be removed, but God refuses to do this. Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? There would be many ways of serving the captive, looking after his comfort, doing his errands, procuring daily necessaries, managing affairs, perhaps writing his letters, easing his chain, chafing his aching wrists, and ministering in a thousand ways which we cannot and need not specify. Thus, we can see Paul was not with Epaphroditus when he got sick, so the argument that he failed to heal him is not relevant. Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus is one of us, which makes his example very powerful and very convicting to us. 1. This word is only used two other times in the New Testament, both of them of Christ 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. Most of us do the opposite of Epaphroditus, we regard our life as a thing so precious that it is to others. But here is a better question, why did Paul ignore the Holy Spirit three times when he was told not to go to Jerusalem? Hebrews 11:6 we are taught: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 2:25-30) and Paul no longer had the gift of healing, and was no longer able to heal as he did only a few years earlier in Acts 28:9. The Philippian church would not have trusted a novice with We can make some deductions about Epaphroditus from what we see in this passage. In his letter thanking the Philippians, Paul makes a point of telling the church that Epaphroditus recovered (Philippians 2:27), and that he would return to them soon. of the church. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 0 Responses Have you taken the tour of our site yet? 1:7)no church had more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit than the Corinthian church, yet Paul says that he spoke in tongues more than all of them (1 Cor. Likewise in 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul has to leave behind his co-worker Trophimus who had fallen sick on the last journey. But when Epaphroditus fell sicknear to deathPaul was no longer able to heal him because the gift of healing had ceased to operate. On the contrary, Paul considered him his "brother," "fellow-worker," "fellow-soldier," and "their apostle and servant" (2:25). Was it perhaps meant to ask for a clarification of my own comment ? The close of the Book of Acts was also the close of Gods dealings with the nation of Israel for now nearly 2000 years. Why did she weep? 25 But I [Paul] thought it necessary to send to you [Philippians] Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need; 26 since he has been longing for all[2] of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. In When Paul gives Timothy and Titus instructions regarding the choice of men to be elders in the churches, Paul says nothing about the desirability of these men having a gift such as prophecy, or healing, or other sign gifts (see Titus 1:6-9 and 1 Tim. The gift of tongues, prophecy and knowledge during the Acts period were only in partthey were incomplete, they did not communicate the full knowledge that the Lord had to reveal. What evidence is there the writer of Revelation was aware of the apostle Paul? The letters are also arranged by lengthRomans is longest and is first, then the Corinthian letters, then Galatians, etc. He and all his brethren are gone, but his name lives for ever, and Paul's praise of him and of his work outshines all else remembered of the city, where conquerors once reigned, and outside whose walls was fought a battle that decided for a time the fate of the world. He healed every sick person on the Island of Malta in Acts 28. The word of God is God. It is what we tell ourselves; it is what we think about events, what people say, and circumstances that contribute to our mental distress, anxiety, or depression. We are not to fear people, they can't hurt you. the heathen threw out the bodies of their dead and fled in terror. act to follow either. Asked January 21 2014 theological term "kenosis.". Let us hope he got safe back to his friends, and as Paul bade them, they received him in the Lord with all joy, the echoes of which we almost hear as he passes out of our knowledge. Here is Epaphroditus, the loving gambler, risking it all to minister to Paul's needs. The Lord does not deny that they had done these things. Timothy, whom we looked at last week, was a gifted preacher and The sign gifts were no longer operating at the time that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles. Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV). life like it is something they deserve. Amen. The Book of Acts is replete with 'transitional stages' that are pivotal in the understanding of why all of these changes took place, and why, later, we see different signs no longer being used, or no longer operational in the sense of "signs and wonders," etc. goddess of love. The gift of healing had ceased to operate, along with the other sign gifts. No one was more charismatic than Paul, yet the Lord revealed to him that those sign gifts were going to cease: whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away (1 Cor. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? Paul goes on to say: "My companion in labor" -- the Greek word for companion is sunergos. Philippians had heard that he was sick. The problem with the death of a believer is that the separation hurts. That implies that all which the Philippians' ministration lacked was their personal presence, and that Epaphroditus, in supplying that, made his work in a real sense theirs. Paul put the needs of the Philippians ahead of his own. with his life to serve Christ and man. 16:23). What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? All our information about him is contained in this context, and in a brief reference in Chapter iv. In believing the word of God, you have to. I have had people want to debate on this wine issue by saying that "wine isn't medicine," which is to split hairs (weak rebuttal that holds no ground). Epaphroditus was ministering to Paul physically; he brought him a his return to Philippi. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. They had prophesied in Jesus name, they had cast out demons and done miracles in His name. In other words, he is suggesting to use "medicine." 3:1-10). Self-talk is what we tell ourselves in our thoughts. someone who would represent the church well. The purpose of the gift of healing was not to keep Christians empty ourselves to make ourselves of no reputation. feel bad because he is sick. someone's concern for your condition? But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow (v. 27). Philippians 2:25-30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV). This is not a rebuke, it literally means: "to complete your service to me." And in the Acts Epistles we read of the gifts operating in the churches that Paul founded. A trustworthy member of the congregation at Philippi, Macedonia, who was sent with a gift to Paul, then a prisoner at Rome (c. 60-61 C.E.). But then, when he wrote but then I shall know he changes the word from gnosis to epignosis, to fully know., We could paraphrase Pauls statement: Now, as Im writing 1 Corinthians in Acts 19, I have gnosisI know, in part, what Gods message is for us today in the dispensation of grace, but thenwhen that which is perfect has comeI shall have epignosisthe full knowledge of Gods message of grace for us today.. This is the only other New This is the last letter written during the Book of Acts. 2 Cor. What have you risked to meet someone's needs? Spam, November 06 2014 However, by that time, those gifts had ceased, because the "signs and wonders" were to the Jews; the laying on of hands for healing and the gift of tongues had become unnecessary. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. I think sometimes it is wise to not isolate the Gift of Healing when we think about these questions. 12:9). . He says, "We have the same We need to know and be 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul teaches us: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. Paul's physical needs, it was spiritual. We need to be sustratiotes, fighting together. he was sick. In Acts 21:33 Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, and would spend the next 5 years in prison, right through the end of the Book of Acts. That makes Galatians the earliest of Pauls letters. The ministry is people! Many were saved, but Paul was driven out of town. Epaphroditus emptied himself and Paul tells the Philippians to Epaphroditus was willing to risk it all and Paul said to hold him in the highest regard. Many say that Epaphroditus was homesick. the most complete healing is when we are taken home. Epaphroditus appears to have been a tremendous help to Paul, and somehow, possibly as a result of caring for Paul (Philippians 2:30), Epaphroditus gets sick and nearly dies. The word "considered" is hegeomai. Actually, suppose we regularly cultivate and entertain slights against us or the deeper personal affronts. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Spam, March 20 2018 Since then till now I have not allowed the healing scriptures to depart from me. 12:9). 1:14). plague-stricken city; and by so doing they saved the city, at the risk of their lives, from and thine often infirmities. Because the tomb was empty! the proclamation of the gospel effective. Since this book never appeared as Continue Reading, Under the Law of Moses, Gods people in Israel were told And he wrote to the Corinthians about the gift of healing that was operating in their church during the Acts period (1 Cor. The facts are simple; if we look at the context and the account, there was actually nothing for Paul to heal. (Many of these 'teachers' are a part of the 'Word of Faith' movement, the Properity Gospel crowd, et al, that teach that positive confession is necessary for having what you want or "claim," and they teach that if you do not get healed, or if you get sick or have any sort of malady, this means that you don't "have enough faith." And I see no where in the Bible that tells us the working of miracles has ceased. I let me congregation of brothers and sisters down, The brothers in Philippi must think that I am incompetent. The news reached Philippi in some round-about way, and, as it appears, the news of his illness only, not of his recovery. sometimes that may be a spiritual healing , but they will be healed. for a possible gain. So Paul with rare abnegation sent him away at once, though Timothy was to follow shortly, and accompanied him with this outpouring of love and praise in his long homeward journey. There was no reliable way of getting these to Paul but to take them, and so Epaphroditus faced the long journey across Greece to Brindisi and Rome, and when arrived there threw himself with ardour into serving Paul. The word "send" is pempo. I think that in our day the church has lost the ergos, the work, toil, or effort that we should be Bible scholar J. The next letters Paul wrote are the two letters to the Thessalonians. they also may know the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ." Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. messages, or do what ever Paul needed. Galatians was written soon after Paul returned from that first journeysoon after Acts 14:27. titles. We'd like to help. means: "to intensely crave, desire greatly." It means: "messenger or sent one." 11:23; 15:3; Gal. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit did not want someone healed or raised from the dead, no amount of effort by Paul could do so. gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in that 1:2) and Titus (Tit. During this time he wrote the three letters known as the Pastoral Epistles, because these letters were written to Pauls co-workersPastor Timothy and Titus. Let me give you a little background: Paul is in prison at Rome, under house arrest, Paul used this word in: It is a strong inward desire for the Philippians. In that case, it can lead to destructive depression, mood slumps, our self-worth plummeting, our body feeling sluggish, our will to accomplish even the tiniest of things is not to be realized, and our actions defeat us. (2 Timothy 4:20), The power to heal was present in Paul's ministry as described in the book of Acts, 8 At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mothers womb, who had never walked. Epaphroditus was evidently healed through the Lords direct, miraculous intervention, perhaps via the gifts of healing that some believers possessed during the Apostolic era (1 Cor. I equally agree that it's always according to God's will. ministry. That which is perfect had come and so the sign gifts had passed away. Shortly after the end of the Book of Acts, while he was still a prisoner, now in Rome, Paul wrote four lettersthe prison epistles: Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians. His level of sacrificial service becomes very instructive to us. to meet someone's need? He has no hesitation in describing the work done for himself as 'the work of Christ,' nor in using, as the name for it, the word ('service'), which properly refers to the service rendered by priestly hands. Philippians 1:25, and note), was not, it seems, continuous; both were exercised only in accordance with the revealed will of God and on occasions of especial moment. Arranging Pauls letters in the order that he wrote them allows us to see the pattern of truth that is found in the Word of God: The sign gifts were operating in Acts and in all of the Acts Epistles: Galatians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Corinthians and Romans. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? The Apostle's heartfelt eulogium upon him shows two phases of his work. Whether we are well or sick, whether we are like Epaphroditus or like Timothy, we can always claim this promise from the Lord that His grace and strength are sufficient for us. Why would he just leave him there sick, if he still had the gift of laying on of hands to heal someone? You won't die prematurely, so go ahead and take some hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour Thanks! In fact, in 1 Timothy 5:23, look what Paul recommended: Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake

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