Medicine

In Australian Christian Churches, ‘We believe that God wants to heal and transform us so that we can live healthy and prosperous lives in order to help others more effectively.’ But what if we are not well and have been prescribed medicine or some other kind of treatment? The answer is simple: Unless you are certain beyond any doubt that you should ignore the advice of your health professional, take her or his advice. But, before you undergo a treatment or take medication, pray for its effectiveness.

I honour those who have devoted their lives to medicine or one of the allied health professions. I believe that what we have learnt about the human body, sickness and wellness, is an element of God’s ‘common grace’. What humanity lost when Adam and Eve sinned is being redeemed, in part, by our unfolding knowledge of wellness and sickness. It is a blessing to all of humanity, hence the expression ‘common grace’. Antibiotics and immunisations are evidence of common grace. They have freed millions from death or morbidity.

It is our privilege as Christians to live in divine health and prosperity, but the fallenness of the world means that sometimes even mature Christians, who believe in healing, end up in a doctor’s surgery. Praise God for doctors! Praise God that the curiosity and creativity of humankind leads us to better knowledge and leads us to interventions that can help us heal.

Yes, we should pray and believe for healing. But, we should never feel condemned for visiting a health practitioner. And health practitioners can be satisfied that they are in God’s plan for redemption of humanity from the ravishes of sickness and disease.