Proverbs
4:20-23 My son, be attentive to my words; incline
your ear to my sayings… For they are life to those who find them, and healing
to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs
of life.
Over the last few decades medical research has
focused on the way the brain influences our behavior. Childhood misbehaviors
have been treated with drugs like Ritalin. Mood swings, once seen as a result
of a bad day at work, are treated with antidepressant medications or natural
herbs. There is a growing sense among doctors, psychologists and psychiatrists
that the real cause of behavior is the brain’s chemical make-up. Today, alcohol
abuse is a disease, not the result of poor choices or behavior.
As Christians, we must struggle to make sense of
these medical findings and theories in light of the truth of Scripture.
Biblical theology is our lens through which Christians are to interpret all
such scientific research and their findings. The facts of Scripture give us a
starting point from which to begin our understanding. We are created by God as
a unity of spirit (heart) and body.
