Is There a Conflict Between Divine Healing and Medicine? (2 page)

The Greek word "pharmakeia" is translated as "sorcery" in the above verses.  Because this word "pharmakeia" meant at that time "the use of medicine, drugs and spells." Some have become fearful that any use of drugs, such as in modern medicine, is sorcery. This would be pretty frightening if it meant that taking two aspirins for a migraine headache was enough to cause you to not inherit the Kingdom of God. It would hardly be consistent with the gracious God that Christ reveals for someone having a serious heart attack who receives medical help to survive would be excluded by God from inheriting the Kingdom. This negative view of God can't possibly be right.

We need to look a little deeper at this word. It appears in several places in the New Testament and is translated as "sorcery" or "sorcerer" in modern versions of the Bible but never as "medicine" or "physician."

Vine's Dictionary
of New Testament Words says this about this Greek word:

The use of drugs, whether simple or potent, was generally accompanied by incantations and appeal to occult powers, with the provision of various charms, amulets, etc., professedly designed to keep the applicant or patient from the attention and power of demons, but actually to impress the applicant with the mysterious resources and powers of the sorcerer.
[2]

These "
sorcerers" that Paul is describing were involved in pagan religious practices and calling on false gods for spiritual power. These sorcerers were creating intoxicating drugs with the purpose of entering the spirit world through visions and hallucinations. They provided these intoxicating drugs for others to do the same thing.  This is, of course, similar to people taking drugs today to get "high."  Since the passage lists "drunkenness" as a sin of the flesh, it fits that taking drugs to get intoxicated perhaps could be considered "sorcery." However, modern drugs - taken for the purpose of intoxication - do not seem to often have the element of pagan worship attached. Likewise, the word "sorcery" follows the word "idolatry" in the verses above and they are certainly related. In this case, "pharmakeia" means the use of intoxicating drugs and spells to practice an idolatrous pagan religion.

It is fairly obvious that Paul drew a distinction between what Luke was doing as a physician and what sorcerers were doing.  It is also clear that Christ was making that distinction. The Jewish doctors in the First Century were not practicing sorcery. They were healers. Doctors today are not practicing sorcery any more than doctors were in the First Century.

The modern word "pharmacy" being "borrowed" from this ancient Greek word centuries later does not mean that modern creation of drugs and modern use of medicine is sorcery. People go to doctors today to get well or to stay well. People do not go to doctors today to obtain intoxicating drugs to enter the spirit world.

Medical doctors are not calling on false gods to heal people and most doctors are not spiritually oriented at all. Most have no interest in the spiritual realm. While the modern word "pharmacy" does come from the same Greek word, it is reasonably certain that you will have difficulty finding a modern pharmacy that has medications on hand that have the purpose of allowing you to enter the spirit world through hallucinations and visions. It is also reasonably certain that you will have trouble finding a physician that will write you a prescription for a drug so that you can enter the spiritual realm.

The idea that someone going to a doctor with a sinus infection - who receives an antibiotic to deal with the infection - is involved in sorcery and the doctor himself is a sorcerer is simply ludicrous. Just because someone borrowed this Greek word in more recent times to describe a place to obtain healing medications- a pharmacy - does not mean that it is the same idolatrous pagan thing that Paul was describing.

Words, over long periods of time, do obtain new meanings and new usages. Despite the same Greek word being the root, the meaning of the word has changed in modern times. A "pharmacy" is not involved in a practice of pagan worship of false gods. It exists to aid physicians in healing their patients. It does not exist to aid sorcerers in the practice of idolatry.

To illustrate, the Olympic Games were originally Greek athletic contests. These contests were held to honor the false Greek gods such as Zeus. To say now that when an athlete participates in the Olympic games that they are involved in the worship of false gods simply because these contests originated that way would be simply unreasonable. It is the present spiritual content of a practice (and not its origin) that makes it righteous or evil. The athletic contest remains but the honoring of false gods has completely disappeared over the centuries. Likewise, the use of medicine remains but its connection with pagan idolatry has long disappeared and was never a part of modern western medicine.

There is no relationship between the Greek word for
"sorcery" and the Greek word for "physician" in the New Testament. They do not appear together in any passage. The New Testament does not say anywhere that physicians are practicing sorcery. The Greek word translated "physician" in the New Testament is "iatros."
[3]
  It comes from the root word "iaomai" which means "to heal."
[4]
  In other words, in the Greek New Testament, the word for "physician" literally means "healer." 

The root word "iaomai" is found 26 times in the New Testament. In most of these texts, this Greek word refers to Christ healing the sick. This Greek word - that means "to heal" - never refers to something evil. In other words, when the New Testament speaks about physicians, it uses a word that comes from the same root word that is used repeatedly in describing the supernatural healing in Christ ministry. The writers of the New Testament could have used the Greek word for "sorcerers" but chose to use the very positive Greek word that means "healer" to describe those involved in medical practice. This is very significant. Those that teach or suggest that doctors are practicing sorcery are simply wrong. 

Because of having confidence that Christ will heal the sick supernaturally, I would have everyone receive healing in that way. However, the reality is that I cannot reach everyone
with the help that they need. Many are confused on the issue of healing. Many will have difficulties receiving healing without significant help from a person who is fully equipped to minister to them. There is much traditional and legalistic thinking on healing today that interferes with people receiving supernatural healing. Thankfully, for the sake of these people, the Bible does not discourage receiving healing using natural means.

The Apostle Paul offered a principle in his letter called First Corinthians that pertained to the nature of food offered to idols. This principle has application as we consider natural medicine. Paul wrote:
Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and all it contains. (1Corinthians 10:25-26)

Meat sold in the meat market in Paul's day was often left over from the pagan sacrifice of animals. Paul said a Christian could eat this meat without asking if it was involved in pagan worship. The reason was simple and powerful. Paul said: "For the earth is the Lord's and all it contains." Despite the fact that the meat had been used in an evil practice, it still came from an animal that was created by God and was owned by Him. God retained ownership of all created things even if they are being used for evil at times. The meat could be eaten because it came from God and was still owned by God.

God is creator and owner of both the natural and the supernatural. Just because God heals supernaturally doesn't mean that the natural medicines that He has placed in His creation now belong to the devil. The natural realm still belongs to God despite its misuse at times by the world's fallen system.

Both Old and New Testaments indicate that we should seek all
reasonable and godly means - both natural and supernatural to receive healing. Here are a few things that reveal that natural healing was completely acceptable to God and not considered sorcery in the Bible.

Job was afflicted by boils. Here is what the Bible says:
Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. (Job 2:7-8)

Job was aware that boils needed to dry out. He scraped the sores so that they would drain and he sat in ashes which would have dried out his sores.

God speaks through the Prophet Jeremiah of the "Balm of Gilead." It was apparently an effective natural remedy. Jeremiah writes:
 

Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored? (Jeremiah 8:22)

God connects the work of a balm - a natural remedy - and the work of a physician with the restoration of "health." God expects that balm and physicians ought to produce health. Obviously, God did not think that physicians were sorcerers or the use of a natural remedy to be sorcery.

In another situation, the Prophet Isaiah said this to King Hezekiah who was dying of a serious infection which had formed a boil:

"Return and say to Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD. And I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for My servant David's sake. 'Then Isaiah said, "Take a cake of figs." And they took and laid
it on the boil, and he recovered. (2 Kings 20:5-7)

God healed Hezekiah and did it through what appears to be a natural remedy; a cake of figs was laid on the boil. All true and lasting healing comes from God whether natural or supernatural. In some cases, like this one, it may be difficult to distinguish a natural healing from a supernatural healing.

Paul told Timothy to use a little wine medicinally. Paul wrote:

No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. (1Timothy 5:23)

Despite Paul having much supernatural healing in his ministry for Christ, he did not think that it was wrong for Timothy (or anyone) to use a natural means to promote health. Medical research in our day has shown that a small amount of wine daily is very good for the digestive system, the heart and overall health. (However, too much wine will damage health.)

Luke recorded Christ telling a parable of the use of wine and oil to treat an injured man. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Christ said:
"But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him (the wounded man); and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10:33-34)

Christ speaks in a very positive sense of common natural care of a wounded man. In this parable, the Samaritan is the only one who does the right thing. If Christ was negative about natural healing, He would not have included natural healing methods in this parable. The alcohol in wine is antiseptic. It will clean a wound and kill microbes that can cause infection. Wine will also coagulate blood, soothe the wound and promote faster healing.

The Risen Christ spoke to the arrogant Church at Laodicea in the Revelation and used a reference to a natural remedy. Despite the fact of Christ correcting their arrogance and using figurative language, He refers to this natural remedy in a positive way. Christ says that they need "eye salve to anoint their eyes" that they may see. 

I advise you to buy from Me... eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. (Revelation 3:18)

We have already mentioned the woman with the issue of blood having access to many physicians in Jerusalem. Despite their inability to help her, Christ does not correct her for seeking help from them. We have also mentioned that Luke, the companion of Apostle Paul, was a practicing physician. Paul does not indicate that Luke was involved in sorcery. Natural means to healing were not condemned by God. In fact, He created these natural means by placing these healing substances in nature. Would it be logical for us to believe that God would place these healing substances in nature and then condemned those who used them of practicing sorcery? No reasonable person would come to this very odd conclusion. God did not accidently place these healing substances in nature. It was His good intention that humanity would be able to receive help in this manner.