What’s Good for What Ails Us?

Humanity has a universal illness and doesn’t know the cure. But God has aliment for our ailment.

At first glance at the previous sentence, you might think the same word was used twice. With a closer look, you see the less common word aliment was used, which means that which gives nourishment or that which sustains.

An old saying might come to mind from the traveling hawker of snake oil or the town bartender: “It’s good for what ails you!”

A great deal of human concern and resources are spent on the subjects of sickness and health. In a web search, just the word illness brought up 39 million web page results. By contrast, searching the word health brought up a whopping 939 million web results! People everywhere are looking for remedies for what ails them.

The universal ailment

What universal ailment does humanity have? Curing this sickness is a very important reason Jesus Christ came to the earth.

As Jesus sat to eat in the home of a public official named Levi Matthew, He was soon surrounded at the table by many other people of bad repute. He found a teaching moment to make a point.

Mark recorded in his Gospel account: “And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, ‘How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance’” (Mark 2:16-17).

Do we have need of a physician of the sort Jesus was talking about? His role as physician and healer is so much a part of His ministry both then and now, that He is often considered the Great Physician. But His healing power went beyond just curing crippled bones and damaged organs. What ails humanity most is the “crippled” condition of human lives without a close relationship with God. Sin—breaking God’s perfect law—is killing us.

Part of Christ’s mission was “to preach good tidings to the poor; … to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1). Christ referred to this in Luke 4:18 where the word gospel is used for glad tidings or good news. Christ came to declare the glad tidings of a way of life that brings healing on so many levels—physical, emotional, social and spiritual.

The cure

Now, what is the aliment or remedy for all humanity? We all need the help of a “spiritual physician.” Christ’s message gives the necessary cure for what ails everyone: Repentance and faith.

Jesus Himself said to those whose zeal for God needs a boost—a spiritual shot-in-the-arm: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:18-19).

That repentance must be accompanied by faith—a firm belief in God and His plan to reward those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). God even gives us this faith that saves us from eternal death (Ephesians 2:8).

God and His Son are very serious that they want all humanity to have abundant life on all levels, with the most vital area being our spiritual health. To those who believe His words, keep His words, and who put their trust in Him, Christ says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:20-21).

Repentance and faith—the combination is good for what ails us all! Read more about repentance and faith in “Baptism, Commitment and Recommitment” and “The Four Enemies of Faith.”

Chris Moen and his wife, Angela, live in Massillon, Ohio, where he serves as the pastor for two congregations of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.