There are some Christians who believe that seeking medical attention is demonstrating a lack of faith in God. In the Word-Faith movement, consulting a doctor is often considered a lack of faith that will actually prevent God from healing you. In groups such as Christian Science, seeking the help of physicians is sometimes viewed as a barrier to using the spiritual energy God has given us to heal ourselves. The logic of these viewpoints is sorely lacking. If your car is damaged, do you take it to a mechanic or wait for God to perform a miracle and heal your car? If the plumbing in your house bursts, do you wait for God to plug the leak, or do you call a plumber? God is just as capable of repairing a car or fixing the plumbing as He is of healing our bodies. The fact that God can and does perform miracles of healing does not mean we should always expect a miracle instead of seeking the help of individuals who possess the knowledge and skill to assist us.
Physicians are referred to about a dozen times in the Bible. The only verse that could be taken out of context to teach that one should not go to physicians would be
2 Chronicles 16:12- “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.
What people usually misunderstand from the above verse is that it was wrong for Asa to have consulted physicians, but actually the real issue was “he did not seek help from the LORD first. The above verse does not condemn the approach to physicians. But it does condemn the fact that for Asa God was second resort in his sickness and not the first. So point is even when visiting a doctor, our ultimate faith is to be in God, not the doctor.
There are many verses that speak of using “medical treatments” such as applying bandages (Isaiah 1:6), oil (James 5:14), oil and wine (Luke 10:34), leaves (Ezekiel 47:12), wine (1 Timothy 5:23), and salves, particularly the “balm of Gilead” (Jeremiah 8:22). Also, Luke, the author of Acts and the Gospel of Luke, is referred to by Paul as “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14).
Mark 5:25-30 relates the story of a woman who had trouble with continual bleeding, a problem that physicians could not heal even though she had been to many of them and had spent all of her money. Coming to Jesus, she thought that if she but touched the hem of His garment, she would be healed; she did touch His hem, and she was healed. Jesus, in answering the Pharisees as to why He spent time with sinners, said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12). From these verses one might sift out the following principles:
1) Physicians are not God and should not be viewed as such. They can surely help, but there will be other times they will themselves fight the boundaries of medical science
2) Seeking physicians and using “earthly” remedies are not condemned in Scripture. In fact, medical treatments are viewed favorably. Its as per the plan of God. He does not despise it so should we.
3) God’s intervention in any physical difficulty should be sought (James 4:2; 5:13). He does not promise that He will answer the way we will always want (Isaiah 55:8-9), but we have the assurance that all He does will be done in love and thus in our best interest (Psalm 145:8-9).
So, should Christians go to doctors?
God created us as intelligent beings and gave us the ability to create medicines and learn how to repair our bodies. There is nothing wrong with applying this knowledge and ability towards physical healing. Doctors can be viewed as God’s gift to us, a means through which God brings healing and recovery. At the same time, our ultimate faith and trust is to be in God, not in doctors or medicine. As with all difficult decisions, we should seek God who promises to give us wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5).
What we really need to understand is God in his divine power has given wisdom and knowledge to humans to perform healing via faith and by skills. Both are ways of God. There is no doubt. However what we humans make mistake is when we put our faith completely on Doctors and forget the fact that God is the one who provides. Our eyes should always be upon the Lord and other things will follow as he answers when people seek him.
Also on an different perspective God always sees how you handle and take care of your body. Work and Faith go hand in hand. So if my body is sick God sees what efforts you take to get fit. As the bible says
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” -1 Corinthians 6:19
Once God sees you are willing to take care of your body by doing the right thing using medicine or habits or realize your mistake which made you sick the first place. Once your efforts are evident the Miraculous and supernatural power of God will surely come through.
Affirm Truth 