Does Medicine Negate Faith in a Healing God?

The bible addresses a lot of issues that affects us today, thousands of years after and there is always the tendency for some to take extreme sides on these issues. Today, we would be looking at the subject Medicine Vs Faith. Does medicine negate faith? I have heard some people insist that because of their faith in God, they would have nothing to do with medicine or even hospitals. Some others are of the opinion that healing days are over and God is no longer in the business of healing. Let’s take a look at what the bible says

In the bible, we see that the physical does not negate the spiritual and vice versa

A great example is when God was leading the children of Israel through the wilderness. Several times, they had to face their enemies and even though God had led through the red sea and wrote many miracles before them, they still had to fight. They would have their troops go out to fight and as they fought, God would be working in the background to ensure the battle was in their favor.

Exodus 17 is an interesting read. Exodus 17:10-11 “So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. ¹¹ As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning…”

Joshua and his troop were in the physical warring against the Amalekites and Moses was upholding them in prayer. It would have been disastrous if instead of fighting, Joshua and the entire troop stood behind Moses lifting their hands. It also would have been disastrous if Joshua and his troop were fighting without Moses lifting them up in prayer. So we see how that the physical doesn’t negate the spiritual. Both of them work together.

With this premise, does medicine negate faith?

Does medicine negate faith? Let’s dig deeper into the bible… God created herbs and all the things in this world that is used to make vaccines and medicine. God is the one also who gave the wisdom to humans to discover them. How then can it be that subscribing to these things God has provided proves your lack of faith in Him?

In Genesis 17, God gave instructions to Abraham about circumcision. My friends, that in itself is a surgical procedure through minor. We see how God cannot be possibly against these things.

Again, we see another example in Numbers 21:4-9 when the children of Israel sinned and there was an outbreak in their midst. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent for the people to look up to and life would return to them. God could have healed them all at once but he asked them to look and live. All who looked, lived and those who didn’t die. Again, I ask how can it be that subscribing the things God has provided proves your lack of faith in Him?

We see several instances in the bible referring to medicine, some analogy, some actual;

1 Timothy 5:23 – Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

Isaiah 38: 21 – Isaiah had said to Hezekiah’s servants, “Make an ointment from figs and spread it over the boil, and Hezekiah will recover.”

Jeremiah 8:22 – Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?

Jeremiah 46:11 – “Go up to Gilead to get medicine, O virgin daughter of Egypt! But your many treatments will bring you no healing.

Yet another example is the story of the good Samaritan Jesus told in Luke 10:30-37. He helped clean his wounds and took him to an inn to be looked after and was commended of Jesus.

“Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds…”

In conclusion, we would examine a part of James 2.

James 2:14-18, “¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds….” 

You can pray for that brother who lacks food and yes God provides, He would provide through you, me or someone else. God is a healer and there is no doubt about this. We have heard stories from the bible days and even till today, we hear testimonies of the healing arm of God. However, we do not neglect the physical. God created medicine, doctors and gave them the wisdom with which they operate. When you are sick, you have faith in God because indeed, healing comes from God, not doctors. God is not against the wisdom and good sense of medicine. Hence, as you use your drugs and take precautions, let your faith be fixed on God the healer.

We have heard stories from the bible days and even till today, we hear testimonies of the healing arm of God. However, we do not neglect the physical. God created medicine, doctors and gave them the wisdom with which they operate. Click To Tweet

What would God have us live during the COVID-19 pandemic…

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, don’t neglect common sense. We see in the bible how self-isolation was a part of how God led the Israelite on handling people with contagious diseases (Leviticus 13, 14, Numbers 5, Deuteronomy 23). There are many more instances and like previously stated, God is not against common sense. So as we trust God to heal our world of this pandemic, we must ensure as children of God, we play our part. Wash your hands regularly, don’t touch your face and when possible, please isolate yourself. We trust God that this wave of sickness would soon pass over us.

Read next – How I know Coronavirus (COVID- 19) is NOT from God