Medicine Sinful?

It is written:

“Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.” (Isaiah 38:21)

There are those in the world who teach that Christians should not use medicine to help in the healing of the body and mind. Some go so far as to teach that all drugs are sinful.

However, everything which God made was good (Genesis 1:31). Even though the Creation is under a curse due to the sins of mankind (Genesis 3:17-19), God’s Word teaches that medicines may be used for healing where there is legitimate need. Notice that God here instructed Isaiah how to create medicine to help heal king Hezekiah. In the same way, the Bible teaches us that medicine used for legitimate medicinal use is a gift from God (Luke 10:34; James 1:17; 1 Timothy 5:23). What Scripture condemns is the abuse of drugs for recreational reasons (cf. Proverbs 23:29-35; Ephesians 5:18).

The following quotation from Ken Johnson is helpful to consider:

“The ancient church fathers taught the opposite. They said medicine is not demonic and herbs were created by God for the use of men. This following quote is from the Old Testament Apocrypha but was often quoted among the ancient church fathers for its wisdom. “Honor the physician with the honor due him, according to your need of him, for the Lord created him; for healing comes from the Most High, and he will receive a gift from the king… The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible man will not despise them. Was not water made sweet with a tree in order that his power might be known? And he gave skill to men that he might be glorified in his marvelous works. By them he heals and takes away pain; the pharmacist makes of them a compound. His works will never be finished; and from him health is upon the face of the earth… And give the physician his place, for the Lord created him; let him not leave you, for there is need of him. There is a time when success lies in the hands of physicians, for they too will pray to the Lord that he should grant them success in diagnosis and in healing, for the sake of preserving life. He who sins before his Maker, may he fall into the care of a physician.” Sirach 38:1-2,4-8, 12-1 5””. (Ken Johnson, Ancient Paganism, 109-110 (Kindle Edition))

In our zeal to stand for the Word of God, let’s not go to an extreme of condemning the innocent.