Luke the physician and Divine Healing

Joined: Jun 27, 2012 Posts: 19 Status: **Offline**

I did a count on the number of times Luke used the words heal, heals, healing, healed in his gospel and in Acts. He uses these words 27 times in Luke all but once referring to physical healing by divine means, only once for "medical" healing and that was a negative reference to their failure, and once for spiritual healing which can include physical healing in the meaning of the word as well.
In Acts he used these words 12 times: 11 for divine healing and once for spiritual healing, and again NEVER for "medical" healing.
He used the word whole meaning saved and healed from disease once in Luke for divine healing. He never used it for "medical" healing anywhere. The word whole meaning made well he used once in Acts and never to refer to "medical" healing.
The word saved meaning healed from sickness Luke uses once in his gospel referring to divine healing.
There is no Bible evidence to indicate Luke practiced or believed in anything but divine healing. In fact the evidence above indicates divine healing is what Luke believed and practiced, not "medical" healing.

Luke 8:43New King James Version (NKJV)

43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,

This is the ONLY place Luke uses heal to refer to the physicians and this is a NEGATIVE reference. No where does he refer to their healing as positive and ALWAYS uses the word for divine healing.
Now as to the use of drugs for healing as presented by Luke. In Acts 8:9-10 it mentions a sorcerer. It is clear that by definition they used drugs to cure. He repented and stopped doing that. Luke did not defend the use of drugs but presented it as sin.
Here is what the Bible says about the same term Pharmakon/pharmakia which is translated as sorcery. The Greek means primarily use of medicine, drugs, spells, then poisoning, then sorcery according to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Bible Words The same word is used in Revelations 9:21, 18:23. In the Greek Septuagint in Ex. 7:11, 22; 8:7, 18 Isaiah 47: 9, 12. No where in the Bible is this word EVER used in a positive way that would suggest a believer should be using this magical poison. The Greek word *sorcery in Acts 8:9 is mageuo which means "used sorcery" according to Vine's. It is clear that sorcerers used drugs. *Sorceries in Acts 9:11 is magia in Greek which is plural for the magic art or sorcery which includes the use of drugs.
Acts 19:18-19

New King James Version (NKJV)

18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced *magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.

* Magia-The magic art which used drugs.
Again the use of drugs is presented by Luke in the context of sin that is repented of.
The point is that Luke may have used drugs and even "accidentally" killed some people. When he received the light on divine healing he repented and stopped using poison. ALL drugs are POISON and harm the body in any amount. Luke became a powerful witness to and practitioner of divine healing. In fact Luke uses the word heal to mean divine healing more than any other gospel.