Why church is a hospital for sinners

“The church is a hospital for sinners and not a museum for saints” - Timothy Keller.

One of the common misconceptions about the church is that it is for holy people. So, many people are afraid or hesitant to go to church. They seemed to think that they were not worthy enough to attend church.

However, if you go to church, you will see people who are lonely, depressed, and even those with addiction problems. It means people in the church are not holy but like everybody else. 

They are the people who need help and healing from someone who is all-powerful. It is a hospital for sinners.

Why is the church a hospital for sinners?

Let us look at the story of Jesus Christ and a tax collector named Levi. In Luke 5:27-32, Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his booth after he left the town. Jesus told him to follow him and be his disciple. Levi, without hesitation, got up, left everything, and followed him.

Later, Levi hosted a banquet in his home with Jesus as his guest of honor.  He was with other tax collectors, and Jesus ate with them. But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples: Why did Jesus eat and drink with the sinners?

In verses 31 and 32, Jesus answered them, “Healthy people do not need a doctor-sick. People do.” He added that he has come not to call those who think they are righteous but those who know they are sinners and must repent.

The story depicts that Jesus Christ regarded sin as a sickness and emphasized that He came for the sick people because they needed a doctor.

Thus, Jesus Christ deemed himself our master physician to heal us from our sickness (sins).

The church is a hospital for sinners where our master physician would heal the wounds of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual illnesses. 

It is where we could check in and leave healed or on the road to recovery.

What happens in the hospital

Since we noted that the church is a hospital for sinners, let us look at what happens in a hospital. 

Honestly, the hospital is one of the most inconvenient places to stay. No one wants to go to the hospital if they are given a choice. If we are sick, we worry about two things when we go to the hospital: our healing process and our bills.

But let us understand the hospital's healing process and how these are connected to the church.

Healing Process

We must understand that for us to get healed, we need to get hurt. The same is true in the church. To recover from our sins, we will need to undergo a painful process. 

Admission Process:

In the hospital, they would have to admit you to observe you. You would also take some medical tests to determine your disease. This process also happens in the church. Our pastors are God-appointed doctors who keep and take medical examinations to know our diagnosis. 

Jesus Christ, our master physician, has given them the license to discern and know what needs to be healed from us.

Operation Process:

The operation process in the hospital is painful and uncomfortable but necessary for our healing. In the church, God operates our hearts, minds, and souls to free us from the bondage of addiction and sin.

Ezekiel 36:26- 27 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.  And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

Medically speaking, a heart transplant is not something comfortable. It is one of the most crucial surgeries. There would be a lot of painful processes for you to recover with a new heart. 

As God gives us a new heart and replaces the stone heart, the process will be painful and would even have a point where we could question His ways. Nevertheless, He does it for our recovery.

Medication process

Depending on the hospital, not all hospitals give their patients delicious food. Moreover, the medicines we need to take are not not tasty. Most drugs are hard to swallow, but we have to take them to be in good shape.

The same is valid with God’s words. In the church, pastors or preachers will preach God’s words that are sometimes hard to swallow. They are not delicious to enjoy because it is sometimes painful to hear the truth. Nevertheless, we need to listen to those words for our healing.

Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

More so, God’s discipline is not something we like at first. But, once we obey, we would see that it is for our own sake that He corrects us. 

Hebrews 12:11 says. “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Thus, the result of taking medicines, regardless of their taste, is having a peaceful harvest of righteous living.

Be with other sick people

You are not the only one who needs healing in the hospital. People go to the hospital because they are all sick. So, do not expect to be with entirely healthy people in the church. They are not perfect. 

Some could have mild or severe conditions. You could meet people with serious illness, depression, or hopelessness. Some may also have some contagious diseases like spreading rumors in the church.

However, we should not focus on them but focus on our master physician who will help us heal from our disease to nurse others. We must pray for them and encourage one another as we are on our way to healing.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 says, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”

Take vitamins or maintenance

Once you leave the hospital, there are some cases where the doctors will advise you to take medicines for your maintenance or vitamins to avoid getting sick again. 

In the church, our pastors or church leaders will advise us to read our Bible daily as our vitamins and maintenance. As we devote ourselves to God’s words, it will protect us from enemy works and give us nutrients to fight against temptation.

Besides, advertisements of drugs always remind us that “if symptoms persist, consult your doctor.” We could also consult our pastors to mentor and help us heal from our sins.

Jesus Paid it all

The reality is the more we stay in the hospital, the higher we pay. The more medication and operations they do to us, the higher our bills get. 

However, the good news is that Jesus Christ paid for it all. So, we are free to go to the church for our healing process because Jesus Christ has already brought the price. 

We have nothing to worry about since the cost of our sins was paid in full when Jesus Christ died and was resurrected from the cross.

Colossians 1:13-14 says, “ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”