Miracle Healing in the Church of God

The true Church of God believes all that Jesus taught and practices a way of life based on His foundational instruction. The Christian faith embraces the inspired teachings of the apostle James, who says that by praying by faith, sick people can be healed. The Christian faith teaches that God is the ultimate healer, but this gift must be cultivated.

The Bible is full of first-person witness accounts of the work of God. The Book of Acts, for example, tells how Jesus’ disciples lived and preached. Other accounts in the New Testament relate firsthand accounts of physical supernatural events. Paul wrote epistles about these supernatural events.

In the fifth century, the Church recognized many “saints,” persons who were known for their high faith, and whose prayers had the power to heal the sick. Many serious Christians fled urban corruption, but those who were in need of healing sought the prayers of these “desert fathers,” who were often reticent to pray for their own healing.

Healings began as rare and uncommon. In the Middle Ages, the primary purpose of prayer for the sick changed from compassion to proving the holiness of those praying. During this time, the anointing of the sick with oil became a sacrament, which worked only for the sick and in danger of death. In the twelfth century, this practice was renamed extreme unction, which was reserved for those in immediate danger of dying.