Is It a Sin to Take Medicine? — to Consult a Doctor?<\/a><\/p>\nBut what about refusing treatment?<\/p>\n
I know a few cases where a person dying of cancer was offered treatment, but that treatment had no hope of a cure. It might extend life a few more months, but it came at cost of pain and a severe decrease in the quality of life because of the radiation and chemotherapy. I’ve known several people when faced with those choices decide that they would rather enjoy the short time they have left on earth than suffer just to stay here a short while longer. It isn’t so much a refusal of treatment as a refusal to take a course that doesn’t actually improve life or significantly extend life.<\/p>\n
However, to refuse a treatment that offered a hope of a cure would be a different matter. For example, contracting pneumonia and then refusing to take the antibiotics that would likely eliminate the disease is basically putting God to the test. It would be similar to walking off of a cliff and trusting that God will prevent me from being injured. But that idea was soundly renounced. “Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'”<\/em>” (Matthew 4:5-7). Man is not in the position to put God to the test.<\/p>\nWhen we die is in God’s hands, but we still do what we can to either cure or minimize the suffering. As Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick<\/em>” (Mark 2:17). When you are sick, you should seek the help of a physician. Whether you will be cured is up to God, but we still do the small things that are available to us. Just as man is expected to work for a living (II Thessalonians 3:10), but to also remember to thank God for the blessing of food on his table (Matthew 6:11), so should a man in all his life do what he is able to do and then lean on His God to make up for all his inadequacies.<\/p>\nThere is a time to live and time to die, but there also is a time to heal (Ecclesiastes 3:2-3). God scolded the Israelites for not seeking out healing for those sick among them. “The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them<\/em>” (Ezekiel 34:4).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"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 will make them better, I’m…<\/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,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[911,645],"class_list":["post-46340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-medical-practices","tag-medication"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20402,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-wrong-to-deny-service-to-someone-who-is-obviously-in-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":46340,"position":0},"title":"Is it wrong to deny service to someone who is obviously in sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 9, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to start a small photography business but I'm worried about 'clients'. What if a homosexual couple wants me to photograph a 'couple's shoot' for them? I believe that I would have to decline. However, a photographer in New Mexico was sued for discrimination against a lesbian couple.\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":26755,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-dont-a-lot-of-christians-accept-homosexuals\/","url_meta":{"origin":46340,"position":1},"title":"Why don’t a lot of Christians accept homosexuals?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If the main Christianity rule is 'Love thy neighbor,' why don't a lot of Christians accept homosexuals? Answer: For the same reason, we don't accept murders, liars, thieves, and other sinners while they remain in their sins. Christians understand that sin is harmful to the sinner and those around\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":56175,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-faith-of-toleration\/","url_meta":{"origin":46340,"position":2},"title":"The Faith of Toleration","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Todd Chandler via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 8, No. 7, July 2008. Right and Wrong ... Fewer People Like to Think in Those Terms or Listen to Those Who Do. The business of drawing lines is risky and a quick way to get labeled judgmental, self-righteous, or hateful. So, a more\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/WrongWay.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20143,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-we-refuse-to-study-with-someone-who-is-in-an-adulterous-marriage\/","url_meta":{"origin":46340,"position":3},"title":"Should we refuse to study with someone who is in an adulterous marriage?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 12, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My question is this: When studying with someone who is not in the Lord and they have remarried and their first marriage was ended and not for fornication or death; is it right to refuse that person study unless they leave their present husband since their first marriage wasn't\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":20038,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/im-obsessing-over-my-sinful-thoughts-what-can-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":46340,"position":4},"title":"I’m obsessing over my sinful thoughts. What can I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello. I am a member of the church of Christ and have been for a while now. However I have been plagued by many tormenting, fearful, and bad thoughts on a daily basis. I have talked to many doctors, psychiatrists and church counselors who chalk it up to anxiety\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":24665,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-know-god-wont-forgive-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":46340,"position":5},"title":"I know God won’t forgive me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You said to a person on your website: \"But if you didn't reject those thoughts, but instead focused on them and considered them, perhaps even wondering if you could get away with it, then you have stopped resisting Satan and giving in to sin. 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