“Though a grace believer, one of my brothers recently denounced the medical profession’s ability to help those suffering from mental illness. He denounces any form of medication. He said that he believes only our beloved physician, Jesus Christ, could heal such ‘defects of the spirit.’ This man has suffered terribly all his life. Can you tell me please, is this his own belief or one that the BBS would also endorse? He will listen to you and I beg you to enlighten all of us.”

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Paul instructed Timothy:

“Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (I Tim. 5:23).

The apostle clearly wanted Timothy to use a little wine for medicinal purposes to ease the problems he was having with his stomach—and to treat his other afflictions. Paul himself was ministered to by Luke, “the beloved physician,” who attended to the apostle’s eye infirmity (II Cor. 12:7-10; Gal. 4:13-15 cf. Col. 4:14; II Tim. 4:11). We too should avail ourselves of whatever is at our disposal to address the particular health issues we are facing. God would have us to be judicious in preserving our health.

We would highly recommend that your brother seek out medical attention as soon as possible. Many times the chemical messaging of the brain is merely malfunctioning. Like diabetes, many mental disorders are often successfully treated with medication. This should be done in conjunction with the assistance of a godly pastor who can provide the needed spiritual support. The counsel of the Word of God at such times is indispensable. With God’s help, we are confident that your brother can live a productive and fruitful life for the Lord. The apostle says in II Corinthians 1:3:

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

Surely God has been merciful in allowing medical science to understand more fully the complexities of the human body, which is a demonstration of the wonders of His handiwork. Therefore, we believe it is prudent to utilize this mercy to relieve our pain and suffering. It is indeed true that Christ is still the Great Physician; and sometimes, He does intervene to heal our infirmities (Phil. 2:27). But today in the administration of Grace, this is the exception, not the rule. More often than not, His grace is sufficient (II Cor. 12:9).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

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