Is Going to a Doctor Biblical?
Today I had a conversation with X who had a couple of medical problems. Not just simple ones, but as in: GO SEE A DOCTER, NOW! Anyway, he had been suffering from this for years, it did not get better, (lately much worse) he had prayed about it, and it did not go away, and now the question was: what should he do now? So my logical counter question was: what does the doctor say?
And then it turned out that he had never been to a doctor for it. (period) But why don’t you go to a doctor (with the serious complaints you now have)???? And here it comes: at his church they told him that it was not Biblical to go to a doctor and that his faith would heal him. OK… then we have a problem because what does the Bible say about medication and doctors?
Luke (you know, one of the Apostles who walked the earth next to Jesus) was a doctor. Luke was part of “Jesus His team”:
Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.
Colossians 4:14
Paul (you know, one of the Apostles who walked the earth next to Jesus and who had also received the gift of God to heal) did not heal his friend Timothy, but gave this advice to his best friend:
No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
1 Timotheüs 5:23
In Luke 10 we read the parable that Jesus himself gave about the Good Samaritan. It also contains (repeat, this is what Jesus said) an example of good care when someone is sick:
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 10:34
In Matthew 9 we see that the Pharisees are, once again, trying to trap Jesus with a false question in a false issue and there we literally see Jesus saying this:
But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Matthew 9:12
Jesus did not condemn the use of doctors and ‘earthly remedies’, on the contrary. Correct, Jesus performed many healing miracles while on earth, but these were to show people that he was the promised Messiah. (Luke 4:18) So the purpose of those healings was not primarily healing, but proof that He had Divine power and is God.
If we delve further into the Bible we see that doctors are mentioned about 12 times, one of Jesus’ “team members” was a doctor, THE Paul did not heal (although He did have that gift) his friend, but prescribed medication, etc etc etc …
The next question was: on what Bible verse does your church base your decision not to go to a doctor? His response was that 2 Chronicles 16:12 says that going to a doctor is not good. So, I asked him if he did study this verse himself, and his answer was: No, I never study bible verses. So, OK, let’s look and let’s do study that verse:
In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
2 Chronicles 16:12
The real, biblical explanation, in context, is not that it is a problem that Asa (who was snot such a great and God gearing king, on the contrary when you read the whole chapter) went to a doctor, but that even though his illness was very serious, he did not ask for help from God, but only(!) help of the doctors. Asa entirely ignored God in this issue, that is the sin spoken of there. We should seek God’s help and seek appropriate medical treatment – not instead. That is the correct Biblical interpretation. We must ask God for help, but that does not exclude the help of doctors. That’s what this verse, again in context, says. And nothing more, and certainly nothing less.
And with that, this issue was resolved and X indicated that he would go to a doctor with a good conscience.
Finally, we advised him to study his Bible himself and not to just believe everything someone says… in his case it is not only of great physical importance, but also of great spiritual importance. We hope and pray that he is still in time… for both issues…
So yes, seeking help from a doctor is biblical, and always do seek God’s help, in every situation.