Flee Immorality

I Corinthians 6:15-18 "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For, 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body."

The anemic Church of Common Morality feebly recommends fleeing sexual immorality, then counsels that you approach it with a condom in hand, tacitly teaching that flight from that immorality is not possible.

Medicine Without the Word

Matthew 4:4 "...It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

Medicine is sustenance of the same sort (though of lesser necessity) as is bread. To try to live by medicine without the Word of God is destined for frustration and failure.

The Longevity of Righteousness

Prov. 16:31 "The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in a way of righteousness."

Longevity is related to righteousness.

Pursue Wisdom

Prov. 9:10 - 11 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you."

Do not send young people off to college to pursue a degree if they do not have the beginning of wisdom. Is a fool in possession of a degree and much data more useful than one without?

Saving Life

Bernard Cohen produced what he calls a “catalog of risks” [found here] in which he tries to put the various risks life has to offer into order according to their “riskiness.” He uses the method of years of potential life lost which he terms “lost life expectancy.” The results of his work are eye-opening, revealing the narrow mindset medicine has developed. For example, a person who lives an alcoholic lifestyle on the average lops 4 thousand days (about 11 years) off of his life. If a counselor were successful only 5% of the time in seeing an alcoholic changed, he would save as many years of life as would the medical profession if the medical profession were able to save all burn victims, or all poisoning victims. If the counseling were an effective instrument in getting people out of poverty by means of getting them back to work, and was effective only 3% of the time, the counseling would save as many years of potential life as would be saved by eliminating all deaths by motor vehicle accidents if the relationship that poverty has with mortality is causal.


Excerpts from Physician and Pastor: Co-Laborers