At Prepared Patriot Nutrition, we’re unashamedly Christian, and our belief that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God provides the foundation for all our beliefs, including our philosophy of nutritional therapy. Today we want to talk about The Christian Philosophy of Nutritional Therapy.
How Do We See Physical Health Addressed in the Bible?
- Man, animals, plant life – indeed, everything that exits – was created by God, and He declared it good (Genesis 1).
- God originally designed man so that he wouldn’t die of natural causes. Adam and Eve were only subject to death after the Fall (Genesis 3). Everything they needed to live healthy lives was available to them in the creation.
- At creation, seed-bearing plants and fruit trees were given to man as food (Genesis 1:29-30 NLT): Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.”
- It seems likely that animals were an original part of the human diet (Genesis 1:28), at least after the Fall (Genesis 3:21, 4:4, 7:2), but there’s no doubt that meat was authorized as food after the Flood (Genesis 9:2-3 NLT): “All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables.”
- The Fall not only had a negative impact on man but also on the plants and the land (Genesis 3), and yet men still lived very long lives after the Fall, often reaching into the hundreds of years (Genesis 5).
- Even after the Flood, men still lived long lives compared to now (Genesis 9:28, 11:10-32).
- God’s Law requires stewardship and husbandry of the soil, forbids mixing of seeds, and explicitly links sin with degradation of the land [1][2].
- The Ten Commandments are succinct summaries of broad principles, and while “thou shalt not murder” is stated negatively, it also places positive requirements on us.
- Regarding what is forbidden in “thou shalt not kill,” the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q 136) summarizes [3]: “The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense; the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful and necessary means of preservation of life; sinful anger, hatred, envy, desire of revenge; all excessive passions, distracting cares; immoderate use of meat, drink, labor, and recreations; provoking words, oppression, quarreling, striking, wounding, and whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.”
- Regarding what is required in “thou shalt not kill,” the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q 135) summarizes [3]: “The duties required in the sixth commandment are, all careful studies, and lawful endeavors, to preserve the life of ourselves and others by resisting all thoughts and purposes, subduing all passions, and avoiding all occasions, temptations, and practices, which tend to the unjust taking away the life of any; by just defense thereof against violence, patient bearing of the hand of God, quietness of mind, cheerfulness of spirit; a sober use of meat, drink, physic, sleep, labor, and recreations; by charitable thoughts, love, compassion, meekness, gentleness, kindness; peaceable, mild and courteous speeches and behavior; forbearance, readiness to be reconciled, patient bearing and forgiving of injuries, and requiting good for evil; comforting and succoring the distressed, and protecting and defending the innocent.”
- The Bible lists several herbal remedies: figs, nard, hyssop, balm of Gilead, and mandrakes [4].
- Wine and oil are mentioned for their medicinal value (1 Timothy 5:23, Luke 10:33-34, Proverbs 31:6).
- Leaves contain medicine (Ezekiel 47:11-12 and Revelation 22:2 certainly mean much more than this, but they do not mean less).
- Man is a harmonious spirit-body dichotomy. Man bears the Image of God (reason and purpose), but considered in his corporeal aspect alone, is mammalian living chemistry [5].
- Biblical healing is most assuredly holistic (Psalm 32:3, Proverbs 16:24, Proverbs 17:22, Proverbs 18:14). The condition of the spirit and the body mutually impact one another [6].
- All things belong to the Lord, even our bodies, such that Christian ownership is more akin to designated stewardship (Deuteronomy 10:14, Job 41:11, Psalm 24:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 10:26).
Are There Curses for Unfaithfulness?
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 lists curses for violating God’s covenant, and it reads like a description of the West today [7]. It is important to note that the realization of God’s temporal curses are just as practical as the realization of His temporal blessings. In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “give us this day our daily bread”, and while God is the ultimate Author of that blessing, it is made manifest through the actions of the farmer, miller, baker, trucker, grocer, and the money we earn through our labors. It is the same way with curses. The man-made plague of glyphosate is no less a curse than a plague of locusts. Human causes are just as much an aspect of judgment as natural causes.
In addition to the loss of our children, demographic replacement, loss of inheritance, loss of legacy, and loss of wealth, a surprising number of the curses listed in Deuteronomy 28 are related to land, weather, food, and health. When God is rejected, as our society has done, we should expect corrupted food, disease, and fertility problems throughout society.
Of course, the proper response to judgment isn’t to embrace the judgment, but to embrace the Judge. The knowledge of how to avoid or mitigate these curses should be considered a special grace to His children, suffering in common society with those who have rejected God’s covenant.
Knowing What The Bible Says About Health, We Believe The Following Are Logical Conclusions:
From these Biblical principles:
God designed both man and the food required to maintain his continued existence. Therefore, unadulterated natural food is perfectly engineered by a single Mind to meet all of man’s requirements for normal health and sustenance.
While synthesized medicines aren’t necessarily wrong, it is normal to assume that plants and animals generally contain the medicines and nutrients necessary for healing.
Outside of trauma or exceptional plagues, natural, nutrient-dense food contains all that is normally needed for good health.
Diets that call for exotic or out-of-season foods, or extremely unbalanced concentrations, may be required to heal diseases, but shouldn’t be required for normal healthy living.
At least in part, sin brings illness through nutrient-deficient land and food. Industrialized agriculture is one way this is realized.
This knowledge is revealed to God’s people in His Word so that they may mitigate the ill effects of temporal judgments on common society.
High-quality food and nutritional supplementation should be the customary path to preventing and curing illnesses.
We must be good stewards of our bodies because they are ultimately the Lord’s, and we are responsible to Him for their maintenance.
Sources:
[1] Fick, Gary W. (December 2005). FARMING BY THE BOOK: Food, Farming, and the Environment in the Bible and in the Qur-án. Cornell University (https://ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/handle/1813/2550/FARMING%20BY%20THE%20BOOK.doc;sequence=1)
[2] Rushdoony, R. J. (1972). The Institutes of Biblical Law. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company. (https://chalcedon.edu/resources/books/the-institutes-of-biblical-law-volume-1)
[4] https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13002-019-0338-8
[5] Clark, Gordon H. (1992 2nd Ed). The Biblical Doctrine of Man. (https://www.trinitylectures.org/biblical-doctrine-of-man-the-p-50.html)
[6] https://biblereasons.com/medicine/
[7] https://biblehub.com/nlt/deuteronomy/28.htm
