MH page 113

Sickness, suffering, and death are work of an antagonistic power. Satan is the destroyer; God is the restorer.

Sickness and suffering originate from an adversarial destructive power, whereas God is the source of restoration. This is a theological explanation of the origin of evil and suffering, not a medical or empirical assertion.

The words spoken to Israel are true today of those who recover health of body or health of soul. “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26 .

Scriptural authority affirms God as the healer of human health. The paragraph consists of a direct biblical quotation used for spiritual encouragement.

The desire of God for every human being is expressed in the words, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2 .

Divine will desires human prosperity and bodily health alongside spiritual well-being. This is a scriptural text expressing divine desire for human well-being.

He it is who “forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies.” Psalm 103:3, 4 .

God's attributes include forgiveness, healing of disease, and the preservation of life. The paragraph quotes biblical psalms to illustrate theological attributes of God.

When Christ healed disease, He warned many of the afflicted ones, “Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.” John 5:14 . Thus He taught that they had brought disease upon themselves by transgressing the laws of God, and that health could be preserved only by obedience.

Disease can be a consequence of violating divine laws, and ongoing health depends on obedience. Retains the moralized theological teaching linking specific suffering to moral transgression without introducing a standard epidemiological claim.

The physician should teach his patients that they are to cooperate with God in the work of restoration. The physician has a continually increasing realization of the fact that disease is the result of sin. He knows that the laws of nature, as truly as the precepts of the Decalogue, are divine, and that only in obedience to them can health be recovered or preserved. He sees many suffering as the result of hurtful practices who might be restored to health if they would do what they might for their own restoration. They need to be taught that every practice which destroys the physical, mental, or spiritual energies is sin, and that health is to be secured through obedience to the laws that God has established for the good of all mankind.

Health is recovered and preserved through obedience to divine natural laws, and destructive habits undermine physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The paragraph combines spiritual instruction regarding sin and divine law with empirical observations about lifestyle practices affecting health.