Health

Intro

Our world spends trillions of dollars each year on health. It is one of our greatest assets because it makes a huge impact on how we experience life. So, what does the Bible say on the topic? The first thing we should acknowledge is that the Bible was never written as a comprehensive textbook on health. However, it does have many helpful insights scattered throughout – wisdom from a God who wants us to live our healthy best. Let’s explore some of these together.

Question: How important to you is your health?

Exploring the Scriptures

Genesis 2:7; John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 | Why look to God for wisdom about health?

A healthy mind

Philippians 4:4-13 | What principles do we find here for healthy minds and emotions?

A healthy diet

Matthew 19:3-8 | Although this dialogue isn’t about diet, we find in Jesus’ words a helpful principle for interpreting Scripture. Namely, that God’s “plan A” for living is found in the Bible’s description of the Garden of Eden (before sin). It also points out that God sometimes makes less-than-ideal allowances to guide his people as they navigate the challenges of a broken world.

Genesis 1:29-30 | What was God’s “plan A” diet for his newly created human beings?

Genesis 7:1-5, 9:1-3 | What allowance did God make to this diet? Why might he have done this?

Note: This story is where we first hear about God’s distinction between clean and unclean animals. It seems God gave this distinction as a guide for people as they begin eating meat.

Leviticus 11:1-19 | What animals does the Bible say are “clean” (acceptable for eating)?

A warning about alcohol

Galatians 5:22-23 | One of the “fruits of the Spirit” is self-control. Why might self-control be valuable in the life of a Christian? What impact does alcohol have on self-control?

Ephesians 5:18 | Why might alcohol and the Holy Spirit be spoken of side-by-side in this verse?  

Proverbs 23:29-32 | What warning does Proverbs give us about alcohol?

The Gift of Jesus

When Jesus walked this Earth, he spent lots of time healing people. This tells us that Jesus is cares about our health! He wants us to be healthy because he loves us and wants us to live well. He is our creator, and this means he is supremely qualified to guide us how best to live.

Living It

Discuss: What have you found most appealing/ challenging from what we’ve discussed today? 

Decide: Is it your desire to follow what God has shown us about healthy living?