The year was 1920, and young newlyweds Earle and Josephine Dickson were enjoying their life together. However, they had one small problem. Josephine hadn’t yet mastered her many new cooking and housekeeping duties, so she burned or cut her fingers while preparing meals.

Although they carefully wrapped these wounds using cotton balls and gauze, the method was cumbersome and inconvenient. Earle, who was employed at a surgical-dressing manufacturer, began thinking that there must be a better way to care for Josephine’s minor injuries.

So he cut small squares of gauze, covered them in a thin fabric known as crinoline and placed them on strips of adhesive tape. The little bandage squares worked quickly and easily on cuts and scrapes. Soon thereafter Earle shared the invention with his employer, who considered it innovative and highly practical.

What began as a simple idea in the home of newlyweds soon became Band-Aid® Brand Adhesive Bandages, the world’s first self-adhesive dressings for small wounds, produced by the Johnson & Johnson Company.

Ancient and modern wound care

Today self-adhesive bandages are a staple in medicine cabinets and first-aid kits. What’s more, they hold an important place in the legacy of dressing and medicating injuries. An article titled “The History of Wound Care” relates:

“One of the oldest medical manuscripts known to man is a clay tablet that dates back to 2200 BC. This tablet describes, perhaps for the first time, the ‘three healing gestures’—washing the wounds, making the plasters and bandaging the wound” (The Journal of the American College of Wound Care Specialists, April 19, 2012).

In ancient times plasters, which refers to medicated wound dressings, included ingredients such as oil, honey, vinegar and wine, which offered some protection from infection. The famous Bible story of the Good Samaritan describes how he used oil and wine to treat and bandage the wounds of a man who had been attacked, robbed and left for dead (Luke 10:34).

Beyond those early methods, many of the greatest advances in injury care began taking place in the 20th century. Today there are more than 5,000 wound-care products including semipermeable films, spray-on and foam dressings, advanced honey dressings and many others.

Treating physical injuries properly is critical in aiding the body’s natural healing processes. However, it’s imperative to address another aspect of wound care, which centers on often unrecognized spiritual injuries.

Isaiah 1:6 declares: “From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.” God through Isaiah was speaking figuratively of the dreadful spiritual condition of the people of Israel. Yet this scripture applies equally to all former and current human societies.

The deficient human condition

Men and women the world over are tormented by severe spiritual wounds that need bandaging and healing (Proverbs 17:22). People afflict one another through acts of selfishness, violence and abuse, which ignite anguish, heartache and despair. But why does this appalling circumstance exist? At its core is the proclivity of people to decide for themselves what is right and wrong—under Satan the devil’s deceptive, malicious influence (Proverbs 14:12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

The Bible reveals that God gives every person the “spirit in man,” which imparts to the mind everything that facilitates human knowledge, creativity and achievement (1 Corinthians 2:11-12). Yet even with this spirit, the human mind is limited and incomplete (Romans 8:7). It’s incapable of godly love or higher spiritual comprehension (1 Corinthians 2:10).

Although people have a narrow, often superficial ability to believe in and appreciate God, they of themselves are incapable of comprehending His breathtaking purpose in creating humankind (Psalm 8:5-6). Also, while they can obey God’s commandments at least in the outward letter of the law—for example, not stealing, lying or murdering—they are unable to truly obey the weighty spiritual intent of the commandments (1 Corinthians 2:14; Isaiah 55:8-9).

This deficient human condition results in most people having little or no interest in spiritual matters (Romans 3:11; Ephesians 4:17-18). It also prompts actions motivated primarily by selfishness, deceit and arrogance, generating wretched emotional and spiritual wounds (Jeremiah 17:9; Galatians 5:19-21).

The result of this egregious situation is portrayed in a passage in which people figuratively grasp what is happening to them: “Therefore justice is far from us, nor does righteousness overtake us; we look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness, but we walk in blackness” (Isaiah 59:9).

Writing bitter lessons of failure

But why has God permitted this? The answer is summarized in Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” This means that nothing spiritually durable can be constructed unless the Creator is involved.

In creating human life, God gave people freedom to govern themselves. Throughout history they have designed, built and operated their own political entities, economic systems and religions. But all such structures have failed. Why? Because God was excluded from their plans or labors (Proverbs 14:12). The result is the suffering, tyranny, wickedness and poverty that have afflicted humanity since the Garden of Eden.

In His perfect wisdom our Maker has permitted people to write these tragic, bitter lessons of disaster and failure. He wants them to come to the unmistakable conclusion that without Him, their own way of living results in painful spiritual wounds and death (Jeremiah 10:23). He has therefore activated a plan to show them how they can avoid those consequences through honoring Him and obeying His living laws (Matthew 22:37; Matthew 19:17).

Many traditional Christians believe, however, that the commandments God gave the Israelites in His covenant with them on Mt. Sinai were flawed and that Jesus Christ came to abolish them. But Jesus said exactly the opposite (Matthew 5:17).

Although there was a flaw in that covenant it was not with the commandments. “But God found fault with the people and said: ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah’” (Hebrews 8:8, New International Version, emphasis added).

The trouble was with the Israelites’ hearts and minds—with their thinking and attitude (Numbers 15:39). They could have obeyed, at least in the letter of the law, but they didn’t have a heart to do so (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). The same condition afflicts people today.

The missing component revealed

Is there a solution to this dilemma? Yes! God’s purpose and plan is to provide all human beings with a critical missing spiritual component that will make them complete (Romans 8:14). What is this divine component? It is the essence of God’s own mind, power, righteousness and holiness, described in Scripture as the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:11).

Joining the human spirit with God’s Spirit can empower a person to replace damaging thoughts and attitudes with a strong, sincere willingness to love and obey God and care genuinely for others (Romans 8:5-8; 2 Peter 1:4). In giving people His Holy Spirit, God begins the process of healing their spiritual wounds (Psalm 147:3).

But He has not yet activated all elements of His plan! God is not bandaging all spiritual wounds or offering His Holy Spirit to most people at this time (Romans 11:8). He is allowing the vast majority to remain spiritually blind (Romans 11:25).

Jesus Christ made this fact plain when His disciples asked Him why He used parables to teach the people. He replied that only they—His true followers—were permitted to know the “secrets of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11, NIV), but the others were not (Matthew 13:13).

Why didn’t Jesus heal the people’s minds and hearts immediately? Wouldn’t it have been good for their spiritual wounds to be cleansed and bandaged? The answer is that they were not yet ready for God to call them (Matthew 13:14-15). Was God being unfair? No, because He has a marvelous plan to eventually give every person who has ever lived or will live the opportunity to know Him and His way of life (Romans 9:14-15; 2 Peter 3:9).

Everyone will be given an opportunity

Every person who has died without having had access to God’s Spirit will be resurrected as a physical human being and offered that divine gift (Hebrews 8:10). “Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live” (Ezekiel 37:13-14). In God’s blueprint for spiritual healing and salvation no one will be left behind except the incorrigibly wicked who reject the offer of salvation.

But for now, He is calling only a few people to escape the darkness of this world (John 12:46; 1 Corinthians 1:26-27). Upon repentance, baptism and the forgiveness of their sins, God gives them His Holy Spirit. This begins the process of healing their spiritual wounds so they can pursue a fresh, new life of service to God and fellow man right now and in His coming Kingdom (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 5:10).

Prior to conversion, the people God calls into His Church have suffered the consequences of living in this world of sin. Feeling the pain of their spiritual injuries, they’ve needed bandaging and healing (Hebrews 12:12).

But just as it takes time to heal physical wounds, the same is true for spiritual injuries, since the penalties of sin can sometimes have long-term effects. Divine healing of a Christian’s past sinful ways requires that he or she exercise deep faith and patience while building a steadfast relationship with God through Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:12; Jude 1:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Spiritual darkness will end forever

Throughout their lives Christians must bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). While fulfilling this responsibility, their own pain subsides as they are spiritually renewed. As this occurs they look forward with eager anticipation to the awesome future period when all other people will have their spiritual wounds soothed, bandaged and healed beginning at Jesus’ second coming (Ezekiel 34:16; Malachi 4:2).

They will all be offered full, divine knowledge of God and His ways. God says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

When that day arrives, the spiritual darkness that has enslaved humanity throughout history will finally come to an end (Isaiah 29:18). All people will be offered the vital missing component of God’s Holy Spirit so their spiritual wounds can be bandaged and healed completely.

But for now, God is calling only a few. Indeed, He may be inviting you to be part of His Church. Will you answer His call so He can begin bandaging and healing your spiritual wounds? He awaits your answer!