On Being a Christian Medical Professional
For the Christian in the medical profession, many aspects of his or her life will remain the same after coming to faith in Christ: he will continue to evaluate his patients, diagnose illnesses, and prescribe treatments, etc. Christianity does not change our circumstances or surroundings; those things remain exactly as they were.
But one thing faith in Christ will always do—it will change us. The scripture tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV). Now, in what sense is this true? It is true in the sense that the Christian sees everything differently—he has what the great pastor and missionary Jonathan Edwards described as “…those new dispositions, and that new sense of things, that I have since had,” after becoming a Christian.(1) It leads to powerful change in one’s life and outlook:
Two men look out through the same bars;
One sees mud, and one the stars.
— F. Langbridge
How does this inner change manifest itself in the life of, say, a Christian in the medical profession? How will this “new sense of things” affect his or her medical practice? Unfortunately, according to a recent study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, while physicians are more likely to attend church services than those in the general population, they are less likely to consciously make efforts to apply their religious beliefs to other areas of life.(2)
Recently I came across a book by Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a man who was trained as a physician, but later answered a call to preach the Word of God. He continued, however, his interest in medicine with regular reading of the medical literature. In his book, Healing and the Scriptures, he lists several points concerning the life of the Christian physician. Of course, these principles apply to those in other disciplines as well, both inside and outside of healthcare. Today we will consider just a few these, and apply them to the Christian medical professional.
The Christian Medical Professional will…
…pursue the glory of God in all that he does. The Christian medical professional conducts his life according to a new standard. It affects his attitude to his work and to whatever else he is doing. He says, “Everything I now do, I will do to the glory of God.” This is a biblical command: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). Again, we read in Colossians 3:23, 24: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”
…seek to maintain balance and perspective in his life and profession. “The greatest danger which confronts the medical man is that he may become lost in his profession,” Lloyd-Jones writes. “As a one-time medical man who still loves the profession and the men and women who belong to it…I beseech you not to allow the profession to make you forget yourself, that you are a man, and not merely a doctor.”
…keep a close watch on his life and doctrine. Paul warned young Timothy, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16). The Christian medical professional must certainly heed this advice. Lloyd-Jones warns that this is especially important for the physician, who often has a “proneness to objectify everything, or in other words, to take a ‘detached view’. I suppose that this is to some extent inevitable. If a medical man were continually to allow himself to be affected emotionally by every case he meets, it is fairly clear that he could not continue long in practice. Breakdown would be inevitable. He therefore has to put up something of a protective barrier. He must not feel anything too deeply. He must protect himself and his own sensitivity against the assaults which are constantly made upon him by the troubles and worries of others – especially, perhaps, by the fact of death. While that is all perfectly understandable, it does however lead to a particular danger. It becomes a fixed habit of mind. The doctor has so objectified himself that he never faces up to himself and to his own life at all.(3)
…attempt to see his patients through the eyes of Christ. The patient will be regarded as a soul, as a human being who is in trouble and needing help. He will give his best to his patients. Dr. Lloyd-Jones writes:
What is it, therefore, that the doctor needs at this point? Clearly he must have a true view of man. At this juncture mere knowledge of medicine is not enough. He must know what man—the whole man—really is. He must know the meaning and nature of life. He must have clear views about death. These are bare essentials… And I would not hesitate to assert that it is only a man who is a Christian who conforms to this ideal and who possesses this knowledge.(4)
The Christian physician will consequently have a more holistic and deeper understanding of his patients. He will no longer see them as just a body, or a mere diagnosis (e.g., the “gallbladder” in Room 5, or the “M.I.” in the cath lab, etc.). Instead, he now makes a more conscious effort to see them as a soul, a fellow human being created in the image of God and in need of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
…resist the pull of ambition and greed. Some physicians suffer from affluenza—a disease of the heart that tends to afflict those who have tasted some measure of financial and worldly success. But Jesus warned his followers in Luke 12:14, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And again, “You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24). Again, Dr. Lloyd-Jones warned his physician listeners,
Men have lost the true concept of what a living man is, and have taken to thinking of themselves in terms of possessions and success . . . Yet, surely our true riches consists in peace of conscience.(5)
…approach ethical issues from a biblical perspective. As technology continues to develop and expand into the world of medicine, so do the ethical challenges. The Christian medical professional must seek to address ethical issues from a biblical perspective.
These problems which I have mentioned – contraception, abortion, euthanasia and the rest of them – are not really medical problems but theological problems pure and simple. They are moral, ethical and ultimately theological. What decides these issues is your view of man and of life, your view of death, your opinion about what may or may not happen after death.(6)
There are many more aspects of the Christian life which apply directly to those in the medical profession, but these should provide adequate food for thought on this day after Christmas. Let me challenge you to consider these and other ways in which your faith in Christ should impact your medical practice. Readers who are not in the medical profession will certainly notice that these principles can easily be applied to virtually anyone seeking to honor Christ in any field of endeavor. It is my view, however, that those in the medical profession are afforded a particularly useful opportunity to serve God through their profession. May God help each of us not to squander the opportunities we are given, but to maximize all to the glory of God and our Lord Jesus Christ!
(1) Jonathan Edwards, Personal Narrative, accessed at: http://edwards.yale.edu/images/pdf/personal.pdf
(2) Curlin et al. “Religious Characteristics of US Physicians”. J Gen Intern Med 2005; 20.
(3) D.M. Llloyd-Jones, Healing and the Scriptures, Nashville: Oliver-Nelson, 1982, pp.13,14.
(4) Ibid., p.46.
(5) Ibid., p.17.
(6) Ibid., p.134.
