Medical doctors and science: have they gone beyond their remit?

Medical doctors and science: have they gone beyond their remit?

I truly believe so!

Does the Bible speak well of doctors (physicians)? In the Old Testament they were only able to embalm a dead body (Gen.50:2) and they couldn't even heal good king Asa's feet (2 Chron.16:12). In the New Testament they are mentioned some six times (Matt.9:12, Mark 2:17, 5:26, Luke 4:23, 5:31, 8:43) and this in an entirely negative context, as contrasted with the Saviour's healing mission; "healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people." Matt.4:23. His success rate was nothing short of  one hundred percent! In Col.4:14, Luke is mentioned as "the beloved physician", but this commendation was not said for his abilities as a doctor (in the natural, his ability would be the same as the rest), only that he was a constant and faithful companion of Paul's on his missionary journeys. Luke would have been addressed as "the beloved shoemaker" if that were his occupation.
"And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any." Luke 8:43. Is it any different today? Does it not appear something of a lottery whether or not men and women gain any brief respite from their ailments from their visits to doctors surgeries? But, when the woman "touched the border of His garment: immediately her issue of blood stanched." Luke 8:44, such was the power of the Physician! People feel they have to do something, for example; it is a fact that people die when they do have chemotherapy, they also die if they don't, and vice versa. Those that have undergone chemotherapy who receive the "all clear" will never know whether or not they would have survived without this 'treatment', yet no doubt they will believe their 'survival' or remission, rather, was entirely due to the course of action they undertook. Every man, woman, and child that has ever lived, and will yet live, has a precise appointment with death that cannot be circumvented. The time appointed and the circumstances thereof are fixed in God's eternal counsels; "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure." Isaiah 46:10. "It is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb.9:27a), on this verse Dr Gill writes;
"Not a moral, or what is commonly called a spiritual death, nor an eternal one, but a corporeal one; which does not arise from the constitution of nature, but from the sin of man, and God's decree on account of it, by which it is fixed that men shall die, and how long they shall live, and when they shall die; so that they cannot die sooner nor later; all things antecedent to death, which lead on to it, and issue in it, are appointed by God, and so death is itself, with all its circumstances; men's days can neither be lengthened or shortened either by Christ himself, or others: and this statute and appointment of God concerns men, not angels, and reaches to all men, wicked and righteous.."*

Is it not a sad and sorry sight to behold, when you see very old and frail people making regular visits to their Medical Doctor's (MD) in the vain hope that they will somehow come up with a course of medication/drugs to cure them, or an "elixir of youth" as it were, to reverse their aging process? for that is what they are really looking for, otherwise why visit physicians? Much is made these days of "progress" in the field of medical science and technology, yet, where is it? Is man any nearer to "cracking cancer" today than he was 100 years ago? Cancer, along with all other forms of diseases will daily claim their victims until the grand consummation. The pharmaceutical giants (or should we say the corporate sorcerers?) continue to rake in the money from governments worldwide, getting ever richer on the promise of a false dawn that will never appear. In Matt.9:12 the Lord said to the Pharisees "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.", and who isn't sick? all outside of Christ are sick, yet they know it not! (Isaiah 1:5-6). None would apply to the Physician, unless "the Father which hath sent Me draw him." John 6:44. and it is here, on this pivotal point that the great controversy on salvation in the Church of Christ ever rumbles on-why choose him? why not her? why me? and on it goes! but, on this, here I digress.

I recollect reading an article in the New York Times some years back that had a profound effect on me (March 16th 2003) as written by Dr Lisa Sanders MD (she was one of the 99 freshmen present in the white coat ceremony); the freshmen as they were inducted into medical college were told by the dean, "We know that half of what we teach you here will be wrong, but unfortunately we don't know which half!"

"There is no new thing under the sun." as the preacher of old said.

It should be remembered that drugs are mentioned in the Bible, 'masked' as it were, by the English word sorcery, which comes from the Greek word pharmakeia, from which the word pharmacy originated, from whence people obtain their so-called 'medications'! (see Gal.5:20 (witchcraft), Rev.9:21 & 18:23). Witchcraft and sorcery are words that evoke images of old hags with pointed hats mixing herbs, spices, dead rats, and what have you, in a great boiling cauldron casting curses as they go! And is it any different in today's 'sanitised' pharmaceutical world? for the same results are produced-mind altering drugs! People without faith, and to a lesser extent those with little faith are heavily reliant upon drugs. It is reported that "Scotland has the highest number of drug related deaths in Europe and the numbers are continuing to rise at an alarming speed." (BBC News 17/07/19). It is not just illegal drugs that is the cause of these deaths and suffering, the report highlights prescription drugs as being a significant factor. This report makes depressing reading; David Liddell, of the Scottish Drugs Forum;
"We estimate around half of those on methadone (heroin substitute)** are on too low a dose, so what is happening for individuals is they are then forced to top up on street drugs. Thats fuelling the poly-drug use problem that we have and leading to deaths as a result."

I have witnessed unbelieving elderly relatives who right up to the very last cling to the vain and sad hope that their MD's would somehow defeat death on their behalf, but alas, as always, their hopes were in vain, for "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" Heb.9:27.
The particular relatives in question, my wife and I would on many occasions witness the Truth to them, yet I believe it was to no avail. Let us remember that the Gospel of Christ has the effect of hardening hearts as well as softening them: "For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: to the one we are the savour of death unto death;and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?" 2 Cor.2:15-16. (my emphasis). Some words never escape your memory; I recollect a Pentecostal preacher saying "how can you get through to a fence-post?" True-we can't! it is only God's Holy Spirit alone that can do it. Only God's Holy Spirit can savingly lead a sick (even 'healthy' sinners are sick!) sinner to the great salvation through the blood of the Master Physician. The Physician Himself said "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Mark 2:17. The AV is correct on "the physician, for the RV changed it to "a physician". As if any old physician could do what He does! All others "are all physicians of no value." as Job exclaimed! (Job 13:4). The word physician is only mentioned Eleven times in the AV, and the one other place it occurs that I haven't mentioned is in Jeremiah 8:22, where Dr Gill observes correctly that "Christ is the alone physician". Yes, prophets in the Old Testament pointed sinners to the coming Redeemer in the-one Church of Christ in all dispensations.

What then is the remit that physicians in our day operate within?
They would tell you that there is none-for boundaries (in their view) are being constantly extended.
In my opinion, they can do no more than embalming, setting broken bones, stitching and healing wounds, applying soothing ointments, treating severe burns, amputations, and very basic surgery. These things, and no doubt some more, they can do with a high rate of success, but when compared to the Physician their best efforts are as abysmal as trying to kill an elephant with a child's toy water pistol!
There was a time in our nation when Christian Physicians were allowed to point their patients in the direction of the Master Physician, but alas, no more, if they were to do so today, they will find themselves struck off the medical register.

Each Christian has to make up his own mind as to how far he should go with man's devices. As Christians grow in faith they will learn to seek God's will on how to deal with matters pertaining to health and well-being through prayer. Each of us has the personal responsibility to use medical help according to our understanding and our faith-not someone else's. And God's word tells us "whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Rom.14:23.



*Dr Gill goes on to write about two notable exceptions, Enoch and Elijah, yet, if these saints are the "two witnesses" in Rev.11 then even these two saints will be appointed to die before being resurrected (see Rev.11:7-11).
The Scripture also teaches that there will be those saints who will not taste death, for at the Lord's Second Coming "we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them (those who were dead in Christ-v.16) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.." 1 Thess.4:17. Those alive at His Coming will be "changed" see 1 Cor.15:51-52.

**Back in 1979-80 I was prescribed methadone to help me with my heroin addiction. By rights I should have sunk further into the abyss, but thanks be to God in Christ for His saving grace He pulled me out of it, though at the time I knew it not.