Biblical Counsel for Medical Choices

FrontLine Volume 33 • Number 1

According to the Bible, sin and death are inextricably linked. Paul tells us, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Rom. 5:12). With death, sin brought a whole flood of decay, disease, and disability. We cannot always trace particular diseases to individual sins, but there are particular diseases that result from specific sins. The fact is that the malfunctioning of our bodies would not have occurred unless we were sinners.

As a rule, God wishes us to push back against the natural results of the Fall. We uproot weeds from our fields, we irrigate deserts, we domesticate animals, and we eradicate pests. In so doing, we exercise our God-ordained dominion to heal part of the damage that sin has done to the created order.

We also look for ways to mitigate the damage that sin has done to our bodies. We pay attention to nutrition and sanitation. We do exercises and stretches for strength and mobility. We investigate substances that will support or restore health. We study ways of removing or repairing injured parts of the body.

In short, we believe that the practice of medicine is one of the ways in which we can rightly seek to relieve some of the suffering that human sin has caused. Even though we may deliberate which treatments are most effective, we see medical advances as good. This is the theme that Brett Williams addresses in his article.

Nevertheless, medicine, like any human invention, can also be used for evil. Therefore, it is not an unqualified good. Christians must make wise moral choices about their use of medical technologies and procedures. These choices force us to ask difficult questions, and our authors offer guidance through some of the most difficult of those questions.

May we employ medical insights to enhance or hinder fertility? David De Bruyn examines that issue. What should Christians think about cosmetic surgery? Ryan Martin offers biblical principles to help us. Should we use vaccines that have been tested on stem cell lines derived from aborted fetuses? Michael Riley shows that this issue is more complicated than we might guess. What does it mean to die, and are we saving life when we prolong the dying process? Mark Stuckey offers insights from a medical and Christian perspective.

Two other questions are worth addressing. Given the current state of medicine, should a Christian go to work in a medical field? Todd and Ruth Kilburn answer that question. How should we evaluate theories about conspiracies in the medical field—and in other areas? Mark Snoeberger gives us biblical tools that will help.

We have tried to make this issue of FrontLine practical, thoughtful, biblical, and interesting, but we do not pretend to have offered the final word. While we have not addressed all the questions that arise in medical ethics, we have tried to select the ones you are most likely to face. May God help you to evaluate these issues wisely.

Kevin T. Bauder

Features:

Should We Heal or Pray? A defense of modern medicine
Brett Williams

Does the Bible offer any support for the modern practice of medicine?

Christian Choices and Reproductive Technologies
David De Bruyn

Our discussion involves the most vulnerable members of our society: unborn children.

Cosmetic Surgery in a Plastic Age
Ryan J. Martin

The Bible’s silence about modern cosmetic surgery does not mean that we may do as we please.

Christian Ethics, Abortions, and Stem Cell Lines
Michael P. Riley

A basic principle of Christian ethics is that Christians are never permitted to do evil. This remains true even if that evil might accomplish some other good.

The Ethics of Death
Mark W. Stuckey

During the past century some medical treatments have blurred the line between life and death.

Want to Work in Healthcare? Here’s what to expect
Todd and Ruth Kilburn

What answer can we give to those who suggest that before long, Christians will not be able to work in healthcare with integrity?

Conspiracy Theories in the Church Today
Mark A. Snoeberger

Who is most vulnerable to conspiracy theories? And how may we counsel people overtaken by them?

Departments:

MAILBAG

ON THE HOME FRONT

HEART TO HEART
A Daughter’s Duty and Delight: Women Caring for Widows
Holly Huffstutler

AT A GLANCE:
Trusting God’s Character
Layton Talbert

WITH THE WORD TO THE WORLD:
Eight Hindrances to Answered Prayer
Jim Tillotson

REGIONAL REPORT

CHAPLAIN’S REPORT
Please Pray for Our Chaplains
Kevin Schaal

EVANGELIST’S PERSPECTIVE
Biblical Principles to Enrich Our Daily Living
Jerry Sivnksty

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