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The Historic Faith
Scripture Topic Guide

Bible Verses About Whether Sickness Is Always Caused By Sin

Early Christian teaching is mixed: sickness was sometimes linked to sin, but it was not treated as always caused by sin. Origen says plainly that not every sin is a sickness and does not collapse every illness into personal guilt, while the Gospel of John keeps Jesus from blaming the man born blind or his parents.

At the same time, writers like Irenaeus, Cyprian, and Tertullian sometimes connect illness or weakness with sin, especially when they are reading passages like John 5:14, James 5:15, or 1 Corinthians 11:30. The strongest overall pattern is that early Christians could see some sickness as tied to sin and judgment, but they also knew some sickness had another purpose, such as revealing God’s works or calling for prayer and healing.

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Key Passages

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How to Study Whether Sickness Is Always Caused By Sin

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Start with the clearest command or anchor text Read the primary passage in context before building doctrine from supporting references.
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Scripture Map

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32 references

Foundation Texts

John 9:3 primary

Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Jesus explicitly rejects blaming this blindness on sin.

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

Most direct warning-after-healing text.

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Direct command to pray over the sick.

Supporting Passages

There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

Psalm links bodily trouble with personal sin.

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Adds prayer and possible forgiveness.

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

Shows a category of sin that leads to death without saying all sickness does.

And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

Used by some writers to connect sickness with moral failure.

But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the LORD hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.

For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.

Scripture passage attached to the early Christian evidence page.