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Life seems to be filled with “either/or” situations. In the realm of politics, sports, entertainment and even religion, choices must be made that are non-negotiable. You either “love it or “hate it”, “use it or lose it”, either “take it or leave it”, either “heads or tails”. No matter how hard you seek for the middle ground, you may discover that there is no wiggle room, no gray area, no way out of the either /or decision.

The Bible also records numerous circumstances where people were implored to either “serve God or mammon”, either “be for God or against God”, either “choose blessings or curses”. Indeed, many principles in the Bible required one to be decisive and choose between either “good or evil”, “Heaven or Hell”, “life or death”, “the narrow way or the broad way”. Thankfully, God in His infinite wisdom did not require that healing for the physical body be an “either/or” alternative.

Healing is one area of Scripture where God gives a “both/and” opportunity. We know from the Word of God that He described several methods of Healing that are available to the Christian. The Bible records that one may use music, the laying on of hands, speaking the Word of God, rebuking sickness, casting out evil spirits or confession of faith to bring healing to the sick.

There is another method, however, God gives that many consider a contradiction to their faith in Jesus as the Healer. It is the use of medicine while they are exercising their faith in God for their healing that creates a dilemma for some. Thankfully, the use of medicine, coupled with prayer, is not given in an “either/or” context. Let’s go to the Greek Text and extract some Gospel Gold on this subject.

In James 5:14 the apostle writes, “Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him anointing (Gr. aleipho, SC 218) him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James deals with a recognized, biblical method of recovery for the sick in this text. The word for anointing here is not the more common word (Gr. chrio, SC 5548) which refers to a spiritual or symbolic ceremonial application of a drop of oil on the forehead of the recipient. The word under our consideration (aleipho) is a salubrious word meaning, “To rub down, rub in, to cover in grease, to apply ointment copiously to the body.” This was a common practice in preparing athletes for competition or treating certain ailments in early times.

The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle James, tells the Church that God has endorsed a method of Healing that combines both prayer and medicine. Historians tell us that olive oil was one of the best medicinal aids available in ancient times. Medical science was limited in those early years and people had only a few remedies they could use. Therefore God, whose great heart of love wants His people well, identified the use of medicine as an acceptable aid in the pursuit of a healthy life for the believer.

It should be noted here that, according to Genesis 17:10-27, God commanded Abraham to perform a surgical procedure upon himself and all the males in his family. The Covenant God offered Abraham required circumcision which can only be accomplished by surgery. Nothing but surgery would meet this requirement God demanded of Abraham. The instituting of God’s Covenant with the “Father of faith” required faith in God AND a surgical procedure for it to be ratified.

Since God has always been keenly interested in the health and well being of His children, He did not exclude the use of medicine from the life of the Christian. Neither did He encourage the use of medicine to the exclusion of prayer. James did not say the taking of medicine “would save the sick and the Lord would raise him up.” He stated it was the “prayer of faith” that Christ would honor in behalf of the sick (James 5:15).

In keeping with the original context, this passage is seen as a “both/and” not an “either/or” means of procuring healing. The prayer of faith can have a positive effect upon the medicine by lessening the side effects and providing relief while Christ is producing recovery. Medicine was never intended to be a replacement for prayer but it could be used as an aid to the suffering while they prayed for their healing.

In the text James was not telling the Elders of the Church to apply a “drop” of oil on the forehead of the sick. Unfortunately, that is how many Christians interpret this Scripture today. They see it exclusively as a ceremonial activity with no medicinal value attached to the oil. It is a common sight to witness many believers carrying their little bottles of oil with them to “anoint” the sick. It would be more biblically correct to provide a bottle of aspirin, insulin or penicillin and then pray with them for their recovery. The Church has changed God’s Word from the “aleipho” James taught into a “chrio” of ceremonial observance.

The Apostle informed the early believers that it was permissible to use the best medicine that was available and pray over the sick. Prayer and medicine can work together to bring recovery to the sick. Medicine is not an enemy of the Divine Healer. Too many Christians feel condemned in their hearts when they need to take medicine. They believe they have compromised their faith in Christ as their Healer when they resort to the use of medicine. Many have be taught that it must be either faith or medicine but not both! It is quite liberating to discover that God does not demand that one forsake medicinal aid while continuing to trust Christ for healing.

The Holy Spirit wants God’s people to be free from this condemnation and realize that suffering pain does not strengthen your faith. Pain is not a panacea! Thank God you have His permission to “take a pill and pray.” Remember Christ’s words; “What God hath joined together let not man put asunder.” While we know He was not addressing this subject of combining medicine and prayer, the stated principle still applies to anything God has conjoined as He did here in this text from James. Medicine and prayer are not adversaries.

James infers you should take the best medicine you can get and pray. This is not the only way but simply one of the ways recorded in the Bible for you to receive your healing. It is a method our Lord has endorsed because He wants you well (3 John 2).
We have barely scratched the surface on this subject. There’s far more you can explore…happy digging in the Gold Mine.

****A Personal Word to Our Readers from Dr. Frazier****

There are great insights to be derived from the study of the Greek New Testament. Each month I will endeavor to share a nugget of truth from the Book of Truth, God’s Eternal Word.

These will be concise and should not intrude into your time or opportunity to explore the richness of the vein from which they were extracted. That is for you and the Holy Spirit to excavate together. These nuggets are just to let you know where to begin the digging, if you so desire. They are NOT designed to be an exhaustive commentary providing all the answers on the subject. The Spirit will guide you in how deep to dig. The Greek will be presented in a way that is easy to understand (transliterated) and easy to verify (“SC” refers to Strong’s Concordance). With a little help you can check the assayers report for yourself. So, pull out this shiny, new nugget and see where it leads you. Please feel free to share your questions, observations or insights with me and our readers.

Website: http://www.donfrazier.com

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