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The Gospel of Good Health 2.docx
1. The Gospel of Good Health
God gave us the healthmessage fora reason
BY MARK A. FINLEY
In the newlyformedUnitedStatesatthe endof the eighteenthcentury,the youngnation’spresident,
George Washington,wasfatallyill.One doctordrew 14 ouncesof bloodfromthe president’sveinsin
the mistakenbelief thatwhenafeverrises,the bestthingtodoisto take overheatedbloodoutof the
body.Whenthat didn’twork,Washington’sphysiciansdrainedevenmore blood.Inthisweakened
conditionthe presidentbeggedhisdoctorstolethimdie inpeace.Hisdeathoccurred onDecember14,
1799, at hisMount Vernon,Virginia,estate.He was67 yearsold.
Thisstory givesusan ideaof the state of medicine inthe earlyUnitedStates.Infact,bythe mid-1800s
thingsweren’tmuchbetter.Some commonmedical proceduresincluded(believe itornot!) the use of
mercuryto cure disease;prescribingalcoholtohelppatientssleep;tobaccoasa remedyforailinglungs;
and,of course,the time-testedprocessof cuttingopenveinsandbleedingpatientsof whatwe now
knowisa fluidessentialforhealth—blood.
Thiswas the medical environmentinwhichGodraisedupthe Seventh-dayAdventisthealthmessage.It
was sorelyneededformanyreasons,notjusttocorrect some of the unscientificmedical practicesof the
time.
Let’sexamine fourreasonswhythe LordinHis mercygave His people the healthmessage toshare with
the world,andwhy itremainsrelevantforustoday.
HealthierLives
God gave us the healthmessage because He wantsusto live healthier,happierliveswhile livingonthis
earth.Thisprinciple isillustratedinJesus’healingof the paralyticinMatthew 9:1, 2: “So He got intoa
boat,crossedover,and came to His owncity.Thenbehold,theybrought toHim a paralyticlyingona
bed.”1Notice that “they”broughtto Hima paralyticlyingona bed.The paralyticdidnotcome by
himself.Don’tmissthiscrucial point:The New Testamentcataloguesabout30 separate casesof healing;
inmore thanhalf of themthe sickdidnot come to Jesusbythemselves.Somebodywasconcerned
enoughtobringtheirlovedone toJesus.
Jesusisthe true source of all healing.Inthe use of rational scientificmethodswe create anenvironment
inwhichhealingcantake place,but the One whohealsthe bodyisthe One whocreateditin the first
2. place.Whetherwe use natural remediesortwenty-first-centurycutting-edge technology,we donot
heal—Jesusdoes.
Verse 2 continues:“WhenJesussawtheirfaith...” Faithisnot justsomethingcognitivelybelieved;
rather,it’ssomethingthat’sseenwhenit’stranslatedintoaction.It’sreal;it’stangible.The fullsentence
inScripture reads,“WhenJesussawtheirfaith,He saidto the paralytic,‘Son,be of good cheer;yoursins
are forgivenyou.’”The manishealed,andJesusdeclares:“Be of goodcheer.”Notonlywas the paralytic
physicallyhealed,hissinswere forgiven,andJesusencouragedhimtobe of goodcheer.Inotherwords,
Christwas sayingtothe man, “My desire foryouisto live ahappy,abundantlife.Yoursicknesshas
robbedyouof enjoyinglife inall itsfullness.Ihave givenyoubacknotonlyyourhealthbutlife inall its
richness.”That’sthe same thingJesuswantsnotonlyfor usbut for the people we come incontactwith
inour dailylives.
One of the primaryreasonsGod hasgivenHispeople the healthmessageistoenable themtoenjoylife
to the fullest.It’snotsome legalisticrequirementtocause people tofeel oppressedbyall the things
theyhave to do or cannotdo. The healthmessage isgivenbyalovingGodso that you andI can live an
abundantlife andshare that life withthose we meet.
Linkto the Mind
God gave His message of healthsowe can know Himin all Hisfullness.There’sanintimate linkbetween
our physical,mental,andspiritual health.Jesusoftenspoke of physical healingandforgivenessinalmost
the same breath,such as inthe storyof the paralytic.
Many timesinthe NewTestamentJesustoldthose whomHe healedtogoand sinno more.On other
occasionsJesusfirstforgave,thenhealed.ThistellsusthathealingfromJesusisrestoration—physical,
mental,andemotional.Sinhasleftitsdeadlytoll onall aspectsof ourlives.The gospel istorestore men
and womenwholly tothe image of God.There isa strong mental andspiritual componenttothe health
message.Ourphysical bodies,ourmental states,andourspiritual livesare all intimatelyconnectedto
one another.
The brain,for instance,isnourishedbythe quality of the bloodtransportedtoitthroughveinsand
arteries.The HolySpiritspeakstousthroughour brain.Whenwe’re continuallyinactive,the bloodthat
passesto the brainisn’table tofullyoxygenate it.We canalsoimpairourhealthinotherways that
negativelyaffectourbrain,suchas eatinga high-fatdiet,whichdamagesthe qualityof the bloodthat
nourishesthe brain.Whenwe live suchunhealthful lifestyles,itbecomesmuchharderforthe HolySpirit
to “reach” us.Our mindsare unable tounderstandasclearlythe promptingsof the HolySpirit.
3. EllenWhite makesthispointinan1881 AdventReviewandSabbathHeraldarticle:“Letnone who
professgodlinessregardwithindifference the healthof the body,andflatterthemselvesthat
intemperance isnosin,andwill notaffecttheirspirituality.A close sympathyexistsbetweenthe
physical andthe moral nature.. . . Wrong habitsof eatingand drinkingleadtoerrorsinthoughtand
action.Indulgence of appetite strengthensthe animal propensities,givingthemthe ascendancyoverthe
mental andspiritual powers.”2
God has givenusthe healthmessage sothatamong otherthingswe can have clearminds,enablingus
to draw closertoHim inprayer andBible study.He wantsto protectus fromconsuminga dietthatwill
destroythe healthof ourbodiesanddeadenourspiritual impulses.Goddoesn’twantusto be so
stressedfromoverworkandthe lackof physical exercise thatwe have foggybrainsandsluggish
thoughts.He desiresthatwe have clearmindssothat we can hearHis voice speakingtousthroughHis
HolySpiritand HisWord—thenourheartswill be intune withHisheart,and our mindswithHismind.In
short,He wantsus to knowHimmore fully.
Preparingforthe Comingof Jesus
The giftof goodhealthhelpstoenable ustobe readyforthe comingof Jesus.Here’swhere the
Seventh-dayAdventisthealthmessage isunique.Althoughmanyof ourspecifichealthpracticesare
taught byothers,Adventistsendorsehealthfullivingforahigherpurpose—tohelpprepare peoplefor
Jesus’secondcoming.
Healthisnot an add-onto Jesus’teachings,butanintegral partof His last-daymessage.The apostlePaul
affirmsthisin1 Thessalonians5:23: “Now maythe God of peace Himself sanctifyyou completely;and
may yourwhole spirit,soul,andbodybe preservedblamelessatthe comingof our Lord JesusChrist.”
Adventistsbelievethathumanbeingsare anintegratedunit:physical,emotional,mental,andspiritual.
What affectsourphysical healthaffectsourstate of mind.Whataffectsour state of mindaffectsour
physical health.Whataffectsourmental andphysical healthaffectsouremotional health.Whataffects
our physical,mental,andemotional healthaffectsourspiritual health.
Healthful lifestylepracticesopenthe mindsothatthe HolySpiritcan take full control andprepare the
whole personforthe comingof Jesus.Inthiswaythe HolySpiritcan empowerustosurrenderourlives
fullytoJesus.It’simpossibletoobtainsalvation bydietorexercise;salvationcomesonlythroughthe
grace of JesusChrist.WhenHisgrace permeatesourlives,however,we consecrate everyaspectof our
4. beingstoHim inpreparationforHissoonreturn.The healthmessage ispartof His last-daymessage of
giving“glorytoHim” inthe final generation.3
More Effective Witnessing
The healthmessage enablesustobe the mostpowerful witnessespossible forJesusaswe approachHis
return.Many people willneverbe reachedthroughadirectproclamationof God’sWord. But whenwe
approach themwithkindness,love,andunderstanding,whenwe sympathize withthemovertheir
struggleswithhealthissues,doorsare openedtothe medical missionarythatare not openedtoone
whoproclaimsthe gospel only.
AgaininMatthew9 we read: “Astheywentout,behold,theybroughttoHima man,mute and demon-
possessed.”4Mark8:22 tellsus,“He came to Bethsaida;andtheybroughta blindmanto Him.” Again
and againmedical missionariesbroughtpeople toJesus.
EllenWhite wrote,“Nothingwill opendoorsforthe truthlike evangelisticmedical missionarywork.”5
The Ultimate Goal
What thenisthe ultimate purpose of medical missionarywork?It’scertainlytogive uslonger,healthier
livesanda more intimate relationshipwithJesus.Butitalsoprovidesuswithopportunitiestoshare
Jesuswithothers.Aswe provide hydrotherapytreatments,encourage smokingcessation,share the
benefitsof ahealthful diet,we are towatchfor momentsinwhichwe can tell of the Creator’slove and
His longingtodevelopaclose relationshipwithHischildrenandalwaysreflectHisgrace.
There’sa difference betweenmedical missionaryworkandprovidingonlyhealtheducation.We are
medical missionarieswithataskto accomplishfor Jesus.We are much more interestedinthe soulsof
menand womenthanwe are inmerelyhelpingthemtolive afew yearslongeronthisearth.We want
themto live eternallywithJesus.
If love forothersleadsus to workas a health professional—physician,dentist,healtheducator—orto
share the benefitsof healthful livinginmore simple wayssuchaswithcookingschoolsandsmoking-
cessationprograms,thatsame love shouldcompel ustointroduce otherstoJesus,the true health
restorer,ourfriendandSavior.
