Introduction:

Question  :  Why do we need a clear theology of Health?

Answer :  Health is important in the life and mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Prayer Thought:

Last Day Events p. 45 -  Seventh-day Adventists have been chosen by God as a peculiar people, separate from the world. By the great cleaver of truth He has cut them out from the quarry of the world and brought them into connection with Himself. He has made them His representatives and has called them to be ambassadors for Him in the last work of salvation. The greatest wealth of truth ever entrusted to mortals, the most solemn and fearful warnings ever sent by God to man, have been committed to them to be given to the world.--7T 138 (1902).  {LDE 45.2}

I. From the Pen of Inspiration:

In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the Word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import--the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels' messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention.--9T 19 (1909).  {LDE 45.3}

The Lord has made us the depositaries of His law; He has committed to us sacred and eternal truth, which is to be given to others in faithful warnings, reproofs, and encouragement.--5T 381 (1885).  {LDE 45.1} Gen. 6:2, 5, 13

Evidences  :

1.     The amount of time Mrs. EGWhite, the prophetess of the Church, spent in writing counsels and testimonies to the Church regarding health.

A.   Health Classics:  as considered by the church:

a.    Ministry of Healing

b.    Medical Ministry

c.    Counsels on Diet and Foods

d.    Counsels on Health

e.    Temperance

f.    The Story of our Health Message

B.    Sections and Chapters found in:

a.    The Testimonies for the Church

b.    Evangelism

c.    Christian Service

d.    Selected Messages, 1 & 2

e.    Counsels to Teachers

f.    Welfare Ministry

g.    Testimony Treasures

h.    Colporteur Ministry

i.     Gospel Workers

j.     Testimonies to Ministers

k.    The resources the Seventh-day Adventist Church is investing in Health work.

3 M’s of Health Management

                          1. Manpower

                          2. Materials

                          3. Money

2. Resources on Health Services (This information was taken since 1998)

a.    Total Workers Worldwide                                      -136,539

Total health care institution workers                      -  59,006 (43.22%)

Far Eastern Division (Asia Pacific Division/SSD)

           Total workers                                                    -  16,997

           Total Health Care Institution workers                         -  5,885 (34.62%)

b.    Denominational Assets                                           

Total Assets                                                          -US$ 13,075,905,201

Total Health Care Institution Assets                      -US$  4,805,016,874

c.    Health Care Institutions

Sanitariums and Hospitals                    -148

Retirement Homes                              -  92

Clinics and Dispensaries                      -354

                                                                       594(exclude 35 food industries)

3.  The important role that health would play in the end-time spread of the gospel message:

“I wish to tell you that soon there will be no work done in ministerial lines but medical missionary work.” CH 533

“You will never be ministers after the gospel order till you show a decided interest in medical missionary work, the gospel of healing and blessing and strengthening. Come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty powers of darkness, that it be not said of you, "Curse ye Meroz, . . . curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord." Judges 5:23. . . .”  {CH 533.2}

“We have come to a time when every member of the church should take hold of medical missionary work”. Call to Medical Evangelism and Health Education, p. 10

The Great Commission

The Saviour's commission to the disciples included all the believers. It includes all believers in Christ to the end of time. It is a fatal mistake to suppose that the work of saving souls depends alone on the ordained minister. All to whom the heavenly inspiration has come are put in trust with the gospel. All who receive the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men. For this work the church was established, and all who take upon themselves its sacred vows are thereby pledged to be co-workers with Christ.  {DA 822.2}

4.    It is called for by reason and logic:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. 1Pet. 3:15

SDA        – Seventh-day Adventist – the name of the church

Theology  - came from two Greek words;

                          Theos       - God, supreme being

                          Logos       - study, word – John 1:1-5, 14

-      The study of God in relation to man.

Health     - World Health Organization definition of Health

—  Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

-      Seventh Day Adventists definition of Health

—  Health is a dynamic process by which every faculty of man (physical, mental, social and spiritual) is perfectly developed, used and enjoyed, in harmony with his environment, for the glory of his Creator.

-       Functional Definition/description of Health

—  If a person can do anything to the maximum according to the capabilities he/she has, then he/she is considered healthy.

II. The Creation of Man and the Etiology of Disease

A.  Pre-fall: What health was at the very beginning?

1.     Gen. 1:26-27 – “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 

In Hebrew image is “tselem”      -outward resemblance, Gen. 5:3

                                                  -personality

                                                  -rationality, Isa. 1:18

                                                  -authority

In Hebrew likeness is “damuth”  -righteousness

                                                  -holiness

                                                  -character

                                                  -to be like, Col. 3:10

The IMAGE – “The Son of God is the expressed image of God”  Heb. 1:3

       Physical, mental and spiritual likeness of God’s creation

When Adam came from the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. "God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image--the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase. {Ed 15.1}

       “Reflected Creator’s Glory”

Adam and Eve had received endowments not unworthy of their high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in form, regular and beautiful in feature, their countenances glowing with the tint of health and the light of joy and hope, they bore in outward resemblance the likeness of their Maker. {Ed 20.2}

2.    Gen. 2:7 - And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 

3.    Gen. 1:31 - And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, [it was] very good.

Everything was perfect in its kind; every creature met the goal appointed by the Creator, and was equipped to accomplish the purpose for which it was created. The application of the term “good” to everything God had made, and the repetition of the word with the emphasis “very” at the close of creation with man as its crown and glory, indicate that nothing imperfect had come forth from God’s hand.” 1SDABC 217, 218

If Adam, at his creation, had not been endowed with twenty times as much vital force as men

now have, the race, with their present habits of living in violation of natural law, would have become extinct. At the time of Christ's first advent the race had degenerated so rapidly that an accumulation of disease pressed upon that generation, bringing in a tide of woe and a weight of misery inexpressible.  {3T 138.2}

As Adam came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of noble height, and of beautiful symmetry. He was more than twice as tall as men now living upon earth, and was well proportioned. His features were perfect and beautiful. His complexion was neither white, nor sallow, but ruddy, glowing with the rich tint of health. Eve was not quite as tall as Adam. Her head reached a little above his shoulders. She, too, was noble--perfect in symmetry, and very beautiful.  {3SG 33.2}

4.    Gen. 1:26, 28 - And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…  have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 

5.    Gen. 2:8, 9 - And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.  And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 

Obedience the condition of Life – Gen. 2:16, 17

God made them free moral agents, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of His character and the justice of His requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience. They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy angels; but before they could be rendered eternally secure, their loyalty must be tested. At the very beginning of man's existence a check was placed upon the desire for self-indulgence, the fatal passion that lay at the foundation of Satan's fall. The tree of knowledge, which stood near the tree of life in the midst of the garden, was to be a test of the obedience, faith, and love of our parents. While permitted to eat freely of every other tree, they were forbidden to taste of this, on pain of death. {PP 48.4}

“He breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live”. Gen. 2:7, TEV

III. God’s Preparations before the Creation of Man

1.     Light – And God made the two great lights, the greatest light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule at night.  Gen. 1:3-5

2.  Water – Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water….Gen 1:6-8

3.  Food-Nutrition  - Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit… Gen. 1:11

After the preparation…

4.    Air – God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life… Gen. 2:7

5.  Rest – God had finished His creation on the sixth day and on the seventh day he rested… Gen. 2:2, 3

6.  Work – Exercise – The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it… Gen 2:15

7.  Temperance, self-control, and trust in God. Gen 1:29

A.  Fall:  What was the result of Sin?

1.     Gen. 3:1-6 - ….You must not eat the fruit from the tree that is in the midst of the garden, and you must not touch it or you will die. But Eve was deceived by the serpent and eat the fruit of the tree.

2.    1Tim. 2:14 – And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of God, and this was what led to her fall. In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected the opportunity of learning what is truth. Notwithstanding the sophistry of Satan to the contrary, it is always disastrous to disobey God. We must set our hearts to know what is truth. {PP 55.2}

There was nothing poisonous in the fruit itself, and the sin was not merely in yielding to appetite. It was distrust of God's goodness, disbelief of His word, and rejection of His authority, that made our first parents transgressors, and that brought into the world a knowledge of evil. It was this that opened the door to every species of falsehood and error.  {Ed 25.2}

       What brought sin (the original sin)?

                Distrust of God’s goodness

                Disbelief of His words

                Rejection of His authority

       Intrapersonal brokenness – within a person

       Interpersonal brokenness – outside a person

       Social brokenness is the result of this two problems.

       What brings restoration (the original man)?

                Trust His goodness – the opposite of Distrust

                Belief on His words – the opposite of Disbelief

                Acceptance of His authority – the opposite of rejection

A.  The Result of Sin – Gen. 16-19

Disobedience brought unhappiness, hardship, difficulties and finally death.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.  Rom. 5:12

Adjustment to be Made

1.     Gen. 3:18 – vegetables were added to the diet of man.

Gen. 1:29 – man’s original diet – grains, nuts and fruits.

Gen. 1:30 – vegetables and grasses reserved for animals.

2.    Gen. 3:19 – man’s exercise was intensified.

3.    Gen. 3:19 – man become subject to death.

4.  Divine likeness marred. “But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death.” {Ed 15.2}

5.  The Deterioration of Man. “The days of man would be shortened by his own course of sin; he would deteriorate in physical stature and endurance and in moral and intellectual power, until the world would be filled with misery of every type. Through the indulgence of appetite and passion men would become incapable of appreciating the great truths of the plan of redemption.” {PP 67.3}

“The length of our days is seventy years – or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” Ps. 90:10

B.  God’s Plan for Man’s Restoration – Gen. 3:15 – God made man knows the plan of redemption.

1.     The Divine Purpose - By infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized--this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life.  {Ed 15.2} Love, the basis of creation and of redemption, is the basis of true education.

2.  The Divine Counsels - "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself In fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto Me hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Isa. 55:2, 3.

To appreciate the importance of this Divine counsel one must first fully realize that in the beginning God created man in His own image male and female created He them. Yes, in God's own image were they both to live forever as He Himself lives, never to experience pain or death.

To eat understandingly, "that which is good," and to keep well, however, is to eat only that which the Creator sanctified for man's use. "Behold," He instructed, "I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Gen. 1:29.

3.    Health Reformation -One of the most necessary steps for reform in this sin-cursed age is "health reform," especially in the big commercial centers of earth's so-called civilized habitations, because of the fact that there is where commercialized food products which do not contain the necessary elements and vitamins to keep up the human machine in a fit condition for its wonderful daily performance originated.

Let it be understood by all that our existence is dependent upon four indispensable fundamental facts each of which is subdivided into four undeniable factors.

I. The first of these fundamentals is the indwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and "whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John 4:15; 5:7.)

II. So, in the second fundamental which is the medium for obtaining the first group of factors, "there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." (1 John 5:8.)

III. The third fundamental fact embraces food, air, and water.

IV. The fourth fundamental fact consists of sunshine, exercise, and rest. As the two first fundamentals are spiritual, the last two are material -- the visible and the invisible.

These four groups of invaluable gifts make us complete in God's creation the same as the four directions of the compass, the four seasons of the year, the four periods of time (before noon, afternoon, before midnight, after midnight) complete the earth's mechanism. For the time being one may exist on the material while destitute of the spiritual (the light), but he can perpetuate his life no longer than can the flowers of the field -- they bud, bloom, then wither away. Therefore, as the material life when destitute of the spiritual withers away, so does the spiritual when destitute of the material. Hence, only the one who possesses all these God-given gifts is complete in God's creation, and though he may decease in the flesh as Christ did, he will be "quickened by the Spirit" which was in him. (1 Pet. 3:18.)

1.     Maintain Perfect Health - With a reasonable variety of fresh vegetables legumes, grains, nuts, and fruits, also milk and eggs or their equivalents, the vegetarian can easily balance his diet to supply all his body's needs. He should therefore not neglect to include in his diet as wide as possible a variety of such foods both cooked and raw, remembering that the latter are even more essential and more complete.

"If we plan wisely," asserts Inspiration, "that which is most conducive to health can be secured in almost every land. The various preparations of rice, wheat, corn, and oats are sent abroad everywhere, also beans, peas, and lentils. These, with native or imported fruits, and the variety of vegetables that grow in each locality, give an opportunity to select a dietary that is complete without the use of flesh-meats." -- Ministry of Healing, p. 299.

Why is it, though, that some strict vegetarians rather than improving their health and building up resistance against disease, often suffer from malnutrition and become even more susceptible to various physical ailments than before they gave up flesh foods? -- Because in most cases flesh food is discarded without supplementing the diet with a satisfactory substitute. Many have the mistaken idea that by merely increasing their intake of protein foods -- nuts, legumes, and grains, they adequately replace the deficiency. By so doing they do not at all replace the deficiency, but instead unbalance the nutrients. Ever remember that flesh is composed of about 80% grass and 20% grain. Biological experiments unmistakably demonstrate that animals cannot thrive on whole grain proteins divorced from the associated leafy plants. The health seeker must bear in mind that often the immediate result of an unbalanced diet is constipation, followed by rheumatism or arthritis, if not by other even more dreadful and destructive diseases. Balance your diet, and Nature will take care of the rest.

The truth that the substances in superior quality flesh are derived from grain and grass, approximately 20% of the former and 80% of the latter plainly demonstrates that flesh is adequately substituted only by the proportionate use of both grain and leafy plants. Be not misled. Your body needs both grain and vegetable proteins in exactly these proportions. Indeed, they are all essential, and man's constitution demands that for health and longevity there be neither a missing link nor a weak one in the chain of nutriments.

There is also another important lesson in the fact that just as the All-wise Creator did not bless any particular locality with all the riches of creation, but scattered and scientifically proportioned them throughout the earth. He has likewise carefully distributed the essential body-building and up keeping materials throughout the food kingdom, has not placed them all in one plant.

To maintain perfect health, therefore, be sure to make use of all the thirteen types of foods grouped below, and give them the proper proportions in your diet. Approximately 80% of your diet should consist of the first eight classes of foods (Group 1), and 20% of the second three classes of foods (Group 2). The last two classes of foods (Group 3) are seasonings for all foods.