WHY IS IT WRONG TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION?

[Brian]

I know Pastor Gary asked the question of how can one refuse medical help and give the reason that it is "man's wisdom" and yet many of those SAME PEOPLE wear eyeglasses and maybe hearing aides or other common simple medical devices. I am quite sure that the main reason would be that if you seek healing from a doctor (man) then you are showing a lack of faith in the divine healing that comes from God through your faith. But it is a valid question, and now that it has been asked you can't just bury your head it the sand as if you didn't hear it. Man (or woman) up and step out in that same faith you claim to live by and give me your reason.
This is not a test or a trap to get you lured in to some attack session. I genuinely would like to hear your side of the story. Don't view me or Pastor Gary as the evil accuser that is at odds with everything you hold dear. I am not! And neither is he. But we are your brothers in Christ who have came to you directly and asked for an answer to why you believe what you do.

Keep in mind that there are far more things of a medical nature than you may realize off the bat. Of course there is the obvious things like eyeglasses and hearing aids. But then there are other things like fillings for your teeth or false teeth. What about wheelchairs or walkers for you little old ladies or gentlemen? People in the medical field research and design those things to better help in rehabilitation. Do you realize that your toothpaste goes through clinical trials to check for possible allergic reactions? The same is said for multivitamins or the tums or Rolaids you eat to get rid of that heartburn. If your a diabetic then there is a host of things you do to maintain a healthy life. And those comfy Dr. Shoels shoes.

Then there are the traumatic things that are similar to what just happened to one of those twins. What will you do if you get in a car wreck and your legs get cut off and your bleeding to death? Or if your shot in a hunting accident? And what of you war veterans? Anyone get shot on the battlefield and need to be stitched up?

You get the idea. Give me your reasons why those types of things are acceptable to God and your faith but others are not?
You can avoid my questions if you want but it's too late cause I already asked them, you will still have to reconcile in your heart how you can partake of those things and not the others.

God bless you

[Poimen]

Brian,

To my knowledge none of the individuals who practice their faith in that fashion actively post here, if at all. Just an FYI.

[Brian]

Brian,

To my knowledge none of the individuals who practice their faith in that fashion actively post here, if at all. Just an FYI.

Yea Chris I thought about that to but then I thought about the lurkers. There are alot of registered user and some of them HAVE to hold those views. Getting them to post is goona be near impossible but maybe I can at least make them think.

[TW]

Brian,

You pose some interesting questions. If I may let me offer my thoughts, observations and personal opinion here. First let me be clear that I believe ALL healing comes from God. I don't put God in a box and say that He can't use trained medical professionals to accomplish that healing. Conversely, I don't put God in the box that says that His healing only occurs in miraculous form. I believe that God is God, and that He will use whatever form of healing that suits His purpose. Personally I have had healing through medical intervention, and I have had healing through spiritual intercession. I have even had one instance where God used my healing to witness to the doctor.

In observing peoples response to healing I have seen a wide spectrum of beliefs. From the ones that believe that healing is instantaneous, only occurring with the laying on of hands and intercessory prayer to those that believe that such activities are a waste of time, and that medical attention is the only option. I find both extremes to be dangerous courses to follow. Just so everybody knows . . . If I am faced with a life threatening situation, pray for me (by all means please) but also call 911. This does not show a lack of faith on my part, but rather my willingness to accept God's healing in whatever manner He wishes to give it.


TW

[Brian]

Thanks TW, that is just about where I am in my beliefs about healing. I definitely believe in divine healing because I have seen it in my son first hand. His very life is a miracle. We have been told more than once by doctors that there was nothing more they could do, we trusted in God and He healed!

Here is another thought, what of the doctors in the medical field that profess Christianity? Are they liars? Deceived?

Christian Medical & Dental Association is a organization devoted to "being the "hands of Jesus" to needy people, CMDA seeks to fulfill His Great Commandment (Matthew 22:39; 25:36) and His Great Commission (Matthew 28:19)."

Nice!

[Full Quiver]

Jesus' blood = salvation
Jesus' blood (His stripes) = divine healing

There is no other name by which men can be saved except Jesus therefore it is simple to understand that there is no other name by which mean may be healed.

Doctors do not heal people. They treat illnesses to help aid recovery. If they healed then there would be no side effects, no days, weeks, months, years, of treatment for our illnesses, etc.

As JV pointed out our bodies are designed to "heal" themselves. I will call it regenerate. Doctors try and aid in that and many times fail. Jesus never fails in healing. he either heals or He doesn't. I won't pretend to know why he chooses to or to not.


When I chose not to seek medical attention I was strict about it. I didn't use so much as an aspirin for 9 years. No glasses, no dentists, no anti-septic sprays, etc.

[RaceRunner]

Brian,

Medical Knowledge, along with all the other knowledge it takes to survive (and even thrive) in this fallen world comes from the Tree of Knowledge Good & Evil.

Knowledge of how to build a telephone, car, rocket ship, x-ray machine, surgery, medicine, etc. comes from this tree.

Of course, God did create the Tree of Knowledge Good & Evil, but He commanded man not to touch it.

Why?

Because walking with Him (All Knowledge) in the Garden, and eating of the Tree of Life (Eternal) was all they needed to abundantly thrive.

But that was lost. Through satan's wiles....Man chose the immediate, and turned his back on the eternal. Man chose the wrong tree and gained the Knowledge of Good and Evil....but lost access to The Tree of Life and intimate access with God.

Today, through Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, the Saint of God can rest in the knowledge that we are not alone, and that we have hope of Eternal Life. Jesus Christ proved to us that He does have victory over sin, sickness and death, and He is the key to Eternal Life.

And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 1Jo 2:25

There can be a lot of suffering between our first breath and our last. Along with our body's natural healing capacity, we might also seek ways to cope...to alleviate the pain, symptoms, and tragedies of living in fallen, frail human physical bodies.

Although medical assistance might be sought to alleviate suffering...God ALONE heals.

Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being;

Ultimately, every man has a divine appointment with God...and sickness, pain and suffering falls on the just and the unjust in this fallen world.

But the Saint of God can always find rest by placing his ultimate Faith in the Sovereignty and Will of God, and not that of fallen man.

Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

1Co 2:5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Notice ALL of this...
Mar 11:22-26 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. (23) For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (24) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (25) And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (26) But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

[Brian]

There is no other name by which men can be saved except Jesus therefore it is simple to understand that there is no other name by which mean may be healed.

Doctors do not heal people. They treat illnesses to help aid recovery.

Ok Full Quiver I concede that I misspoke when I said that people seek "healing from a doctor", or that "doctors heal", but even if it is "treatment from a doctor" that someone seeks for while they are also praying for healing from Jesus those anti-doctors still have a problem with it.

[Full Quiver]

Brian, I was not addressing your words specifically but those of TW and from others in the other thread that say that God facilitates healing through doctors. God is God and he doesn't use doctors to heal people. If so, I'd like to see the Scriptural proof of such.

[dolfan]

FQ, I think you're putting to fine a point on it. But, where people who are not saved are healed, is it God who heals? I'll say yes. Aren't they His enemies and His wrath abides on them? Yes. Does His general provision of goodness to all people also include healing? Yes. If so, then how is their healing that you say comes through the stripes suffered by our Lord to pay for our sins then attributable to those very stripes if they are not also redeemed by them?

See, I think (and many good, conservative scholars, perhaps most) that the Isaiah reference to His stripes do not mean physical healing but to the healing of the separation of God from His people. I believe 1 Peter 2:24 is also supportive.

But, that's not to say that healing isn't part of God's provision. It is. And, He does heal His people according to James' instructions to pray for the sick. Jesus healed and forgave. So, please don't take my reading here to mean anything more than to say that the stripes of Jesus apply to those who are saved by Jesus. The physical healing of those who are not saved must not, I don't think anyway, correlate to those stripes directly.

God heals them, yes. I'd say He uses doctors and medicine to do it. He uses something -- that something being the other elements of creation (increased resistance to infection, etc.) -- and certainly He creates doctors. Rev. 4:11.

[paul]

dolfan wrote:

See, I think (and many good, conservative scholars, perhaps most) that the Isaiah reference to His stripes do not mean physical healing but to the healing of the separation of God from His people. I believe 1 Peter 2:24 is also supportive.

I would simply rephrase your quote as follows: (and a good many evangelical conservative scholars, perhaps most ). But the statement would not hold true if we included the conservative, pentecostal, charismatic scholars.

[RamboPreacher]

I praise God for the man-made-chemical drugs (that don't exist in nature) I had when I had kidney stones.

my healing came by the hands of man in surgical removal of the objects that my body produced. I praise God for their education to know what to to and how to do it.

[Pastor Gary]

This is really worth a good read.

http://ginx.com/-mtpF0

[paul]

While it is a good read, and I did read it, it is all touchy feely good spiritualization.

In all to many situation where life and death depend on the Prayers ( yes God ) but also someone standing in faith for the impossible, it takes more than analogies.

I do not discount any portion of the story. And I am sure that the revelation to her was very real. but I feel in many situations it takes more.

Healing is God's territory, no question, God is the healer not man, no question. God has his part but so do we. I feel we have left our part and think God onlly does His part once in a while. So many do not even think the God does His part any loner.

[n2jesus]

What a gift of insight she has and very articulate...And what a great impact having a gifted, loving father has made on her life...She is blessed!