Philip G. Ney, MD, FRCP (C)
God made all creatures with natural healing regenerative processes. Healers of all kinds can do no more than assist in that healing process. For that reason, God-fearing physicians should always give credit where credit is due, and thank the Great Physician for:
- The natural recuperative powers He has built into all creatures,
- The unexplainable (miraculous) but timely interventions of healing,
- The skill and resources available to physicians to assist their great Mentor.
When I was a young physician, I took pride (Lord forgive me) in sewing up wounds. I seemed to be able to do it very well. Gaping wounds left only a thin scar. However, for all my skill and pride, I had to admit that at best, I only brought the edges of the wound together. It was the Great Physician who made the wound heal. Wound healing is a process we still know little about.
Regenerative / Degenerative
The regenerative process is very powerful, and needs very little assistance. Sometimes the assistance, particularly certain biochemicals that some physicians prescribe too quickly, can interfere in the natural process. The most common, saddening process in the world is loss, resulting in grief. Grieving is a natural process, not unlike sleep. If a person will go fully through it, they awaken with refreshed mind and heart, and hope for the future. Unfortunately antidepressants keep the person from feeling the acuteness of the grief, thereby prolonging the grieving process. Not infrequently, antidepressants result in a pathological grief which often results in depression, thereby justifying the physicians’ giving the antidepressant.
As the body of every creature ages, degenerative process eventually overtakes the regenerative process. Yet all those who have Christ’s Spirit within them can keep growing and maturing, even as their bodies fall apart. Their spirit doesn’t need a good body. In fact, the preoccupation with having a good body usually interferes with spiritual development. You can’t take a good body to heaven. A wise, mature spirit is eternal.
Beginnings
The event that results in a human being is a unique, three-way fusion. Egg, sperm and spirit come together instantaneously. It is an amazing occasion, very much like the big bang that created the universe. This “three-fuse” is an absolutely unique event. It marks the beginning of every individual. It also points to how to define their end. The question whether in vitro fertilization or cloning can result in a humanoid without a spirit must be addressed. Gerald Schroeder believes that before God breathed into Adam the breath of life, there were humanoids, possibly Cro-Magnon which had the same cranial capacity of modern man[1]. Clones may not have a God-given spirit, but are humanoids which could easily be manipulated, used for evil and then dispensed with.
Endings
As the infusion of spirit by God marks the beginning of a human life, so their spirit’s departure marks the end of their human life. To ensure humans had the optimum opportunity of finding their Saviour and knowing their Lord, God created a tenacious bond between body, soul and spirit. No one can separate these (kill a human) without God’s permission, for humans are created with awesome dignity. They are God’s masterpiece. Each human is created in God’s image. .”For You have made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor.”[2] It is only by realizing the magnificence of mankind that we can see the terrible tragedy of the dehumanization that results from and in child mistreatment and abortion.
When a person’s spirit is no longer with them, there is no difficulty to shut off machines, then to keep, care and provide nutrition to the body as it withers and dies. Since it is not possible now to know precisely when the spirit departs, we must err on life’s side. Our challenge is to find ways to detect when the spirit leaves. Maybe we could see a blip on a continuously running EEG at the moment the person’s spirit leaves them. We know this will happen after the person has clearly told God to take their spirit. There is no need for Christians to clutch their earthly life when they know that their spirit is going to the Author of life. But those who have known only the reality of their body will cling desperately to it. To them, letting go is a terrifying experience.
Dying With Humanity
In three gospels, Jesus dismissed his spirit. It so impressed the centurion that he smote his breast and said, “Surely, this was the Son of God!” [3] He had seen many agonizing, lingering deaths, but he had never seen a man dismiss his spirit. When at the point of death, Christians, who are all those with Christ’s Spirit in them, also have the privilege of dismissing their spirit. This will enable them to avoid the end struggle. When they realize that there is no possibility that their bodies will continue or recover, they can ask God to take their spirit. They formally dismiss their spirit, thereby dying with all their humanity. Having dismissed their spirit, it is now God’s timing when that event will happen. I believe it is a definite and discernable event.
Instead of desperately clinging to their disease-ridden, pain-wracked body, Christians can die freely, even joyfully. Recent research has discovered that even with the best of care and pain relief, the point of death is most often an intense, stressful struggle, indicated by a high level of catecholamines in the blood. Christians need to know they can avoid that fear-filled struggle by simply believing and saying something like this, “Dear Jesus, into your loving hands I commit my spirit. Exactly when is up to you. I’m holding the ticket you gave me, and I’m expecting a fast ride. If you don’t mind, make it comfortable.” When some Christian hasn’t or is unable to pray their own commitment, their friends or relatives could. They would have to be careful about the timing but might pray, “Thank you Lord for our mother, and the love you gave us through her. We believe she would like to leave us now. We have agreed it’s a good time to go. We have finished worldly business with her, reconciled all round and said goodbye. So mighty Saviour and Lord, we commend her spirit into your care. Please let us know when she leaves so we can shut off these expensive machines.” Now Christians can look forward to finishing their business, packing up, saying goodbye and traveling on to their eternal home
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