{"id":36979,"date":"2012-02-28T19:25:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-29T01:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=36979"},"modified":"2024-11-28T17:50:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T23:50:05","slug":"is-it-a-sin-to-take-medicine-to-consult-a-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-a-sin-to-take-medicine-to-consult-a-doctor\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It a Sin to Take Medicine? — to Consult a Doctor?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Bill Crews
\nvia\u00a0Guardian of Truth XXXV: 11, pp. 321, 343-344, June 6, 1991<\/a>\n

Some churches have been in the news lately. These are those who take the position that to treat our physical illnesses in any other way than faith in God and prayer to God is wrong and sinful. They think it a sin, they think it an indication of a lack of faith in God, to consult a doctor and to take medication, or to receive medical treatment. Their honesty or sincerity is not in question here, but their handling of the Scriptures is!<\/p>\n

The New Testament does not teach that miracles of healing are available to all believers throughout time. Such miracle-working was of temporal duration and designed to confirm the truth being taught and to produce faith in that truth. On the miracles of Christ and their purpose read John 2:11,23; 3:2; 5:36; 6:26-27; 10:24-25,37-38; 20:30-31; Acts 2:24. On the miracles of the twelve and others read Matthew 10:1,5-8; Luke 10:1,8-9; Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:3-4; Acts 8:5-6,13; 9:33-35, 40-42; 13:11-12; 14:3; I Corinthians 13:8-10. The word of the Lord was revealed and confirmed; it does not need to be, and it will not be, revealed again or confirmed again.<\/p>\n

If the purpose of miracles of healing was to alleviate the physical suffering of believers and was available to any believer who had sufficient faith, we would not read about such as the following: Paul had some kind of infirmity that caused him great suffering; three times he earnestly prayed that it might be removed, but it wasn’t! (II Corinthians 12:7-9) Epaphroditus came to Paul in Rome and became gravely ill, but Paul who had miraculously healed so many did not miraculously heal him (Philippians 2:25-30). And Paul who had miraculously healed so many left Trophimus at Miletus sick (II Timothy 4:20).<\/p>\n

Certainly, we are taught to have faith in God, to trust in God, and to pray diligently. We are even to pray for those who are sick (I Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6; III John 2).<\/p>\n

\"\"The New Testament does not teach that it is wrong to seek or receive medical attention. Healing herbs and medicines are a part of God’s creation — remedies that he made available to man. Medical practitioners are but drawing upon the knowledge and wisdom that God made available and but cooperating with and using the great laws of nature that God authored. God has given us bodies that have remarkable defenses against diseases and wonderful resources that attack diseases and work to heal injuries. He has provided a host of elements and procedures that can be discovered and properly used to prevent, alleviate or cure human suffering of all kinds. It is not a lack of faith or trust for men to utilize these. Consider the following:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. No condemnation of medical remedies can be found in the Bible (this is not an endorsement of “quack” doctors or “quack” remedies; nobody is ready to defend any but ethical practitioners and proven remedies).<\/li>\n
  2. If surgery on the human body is inherently wrong, why did God require circumcision of the male descendants of Abraham (Genesis 17), and why did he choose what we now know from a medical standpoint to be the best time (the 8th day)?<\/li>\n
  3. Many of the laws that God gave to the Israelite nation, besides being tests of their faith, have proven to be the wise thing to do for the protection of man’s physical health. Dr. R. V. Bingham authored the book,\u00a0The Bible and the Body<\/em>, in which he “enumerates six laws designed and instituted of God to ensure Israel’s national health”: “Sanitation, preventing infection (Deuteronomy 23:14); Sterilization, guarding against contagion (Leviticus 11:32,39,40); Quarantine, isolating infectious disease (Numbers 5:4; 31:22-23); Hygiene and Dietetics (Leviticus 11; 19:7; Numbers 11:19-20); Physical Culture; each Israelite, even the priest, worked his own lot (Deuteronomy 16:16); Recuperation, the seventh day and the seventh month reserved for rest.”<\/li>\n
  4. The Bible mentions a number of plant products that were used by the people for medicinal reasons, and such use was not labeled sinful: aloe, anise, balm of Gilead, caperberry, cummin, figs, fitches, gall, mandrake, myrrh, ointment, olive oil, rue, saffron, and wine.<\/li>\n
  5. To alleviate his affliction with boils Job sat in ashes and scraped his boils with a potsherd (Job 2:7-8).<\/li>\n
  6. Isaiah prescribed a cake of figs be laid upon Hezekiah’s boil (II Kings 20:7).<\/li>\n
  7. Physicians are referred to in such places as Job 13:4; II Chronicles 16:12; and Jeremiah 8:22. Employing the services of such physicians is not condemned. When Jeremiah wrote: “Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?<\/em>” we can be sure that God was not drawing upon a figure that he regarded as sinful. It was not wrong to use balm. It was not wrong to employ the services of a physician.<\/li>\n
  8. If the use of medicine for the healing of the body was sinful, God would not use such a figure in a good sense as he does in Proverbs 17:22. “A cheerful heart is a good medicine.<\/em>” Compare also Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:2.<\/li>\n
  9. Jesus said, “They that are in health have no need of a physician; but they that are sick<\/em>” (Luke 5:31). Again, this was an illustration of a point (see v. 32), but Jesus would not use a practice that was sinful as an illustration of an important spiritual point.<\/li>\n
  10. Jesus taught a parable in which he depicted a man rendering medical aid to a victim of a robbery (the “good Samaritan” poured oil and wine on the wounds of the injured man and bound up those wounds). He also said to the innkeeper, “Take care of him.” See Luke 10:29-37.<\/li>\n
  11. Paul commanded Timothy to resort to a medical remedy (to stop using water and to use a little wine) for his stomach’s sake and for his frequent infirmities (I Timothy 5:23).<\/li>\n
  12. Paul refers to Luke as “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14) about 10 years after he is first referred to in the inspired record (Acts 16:10). It could not have been a sin for a man to work as a physician. Luke was a sometime companion of Paul and wrote two New Testament books, Luke and Acts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To be sure, both medicines and physicians are limited in what they can accomplish (yet, it stands to reason that there are still many undiscovered remedies and many unknown procedures — the science of medicine is always in a state of growth and improvement), but it is not sinful for a Christian to either consult a physician or to take medication. Yes, he should pray unto God and trust in God. And no, he should not exalt men above God.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    by Bill Crews via\u00a0Guardian of Truth XXXV: 11, pp. 321, 343-344, June 6, 1991 Some churches have been in the news lately. These are those who take the position that to treat our physical illnesses in any other way than faith in God and prayer to God is wrong and sinful. They think it a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[858,911,645],"class_list":["post-36979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-doctors","tag-medical-practices","tag-medication"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35816,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-mother-is-dying-because-she-wont-take-her-medication-and-says-god-will-heal-her-what-do-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":36979,"position":0},"title":"My mother is dying because she won’t take her medication and says God will heal her. What do I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, My mom is a cancer patient and recently she had a liver transplant. She went through multiple surgeries and has to take medication every month. But one day she decided not to take any medication and stopped going to appointments altogether. She put her life in God's hand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46340,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-refusing-medical-treatment-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":36979,"position":1},"title":"Is refusing medical treatment a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I know that assisted suicide is sinful because it is taking matters into your own hands, but when is it a sin to refuse medical treatment, or is it sinful? I'm not talking about those who refuse it because they are going to keep right on praying that God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16655,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-was-healed-but-i-never-benefited-from-it-because-my-daughter-abuses-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":36979,"position":2},"title":"I was healed but I never benefited from it because my daughter abuses me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I took seriously ill six and more years ago and found the sickness and its diagnosis a mystery. The doctor I attended is a Christian and as such up until I got this sick was guilty of having prescribed to me not once but twice the wrong medication, the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31504,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-jesus-promise-in-john-1412-that-miracles-would-continue\/","url_meta":{"origin":36979,"position":3},"title":"Does Jesus promise in John 14:12 that miracles would continue?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does Jesus promise in John 14:12 that miracles would continue? Answer: \"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father\" (John 14:12). In this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43473,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-taking-prescription-medication-without-a-prescription-will-this-keep-me-out-of-heaven\/","url_meta":{"origin":36979,"position":4},"title":"I’m taking prescription medication without a prescription. Will this keep me out of heaven?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was baptized in a nondenominational Christian church at the age of ten. I fully believed and accepted the message of Jesus Christ and the cross. I backslid at fifteen, had a series of sexual perversions happen to me, and started to use drugs. I have been struggling with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45717,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-breast-reduction-surgery-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":36979,"position":5},"title":"Is breast reduction surgery wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi brother Jeffrey, I hope you are doing fine. I am a member of the Lord's church and I'm in my late 40s. I am concerned about a decision I have to make regarding breast reduction surgery.\u00a0Does Romans 14.23 apply to me? \"But he who doubts is condemned if\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36979\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}