October 2008
Personal Health

Title of the month: How does the importance of physical health parallel the importance of spiritual health? (Part 2)

TIP: Health as Shalom. The Hebrew word Shalom is translated as “peace” 172 times out of 250 times in the Old Testament. But peace in this case means much more than the absence of strife. It is used in various contexts to express the idea of totality, completeness, soundness, welfare, well-being, prosperity, wholeness and harmony. It refers to every area of life: personal, mental, physical, corporate and national. In this sense, Shalom is probably the closest word in the Old Testament to health. Implicit in the word shalom and its verb form shalom is the idea of unimpaired relationships with God, self, others and nature. Shalom, therefore, incorporates and integrates the concepts of holiness and righteousness. In practice it means living a convenanted life, set apart for a morally committed existence in relationships accountable to God, self and others. To be healthy then includes being holy and righteous.

TIP: Health as Good. Understanding in this way provides a different perspective on well-being. While physical health is good, it is not necessarily the only good and certainly not the ultimate good. We do not deny that our physical infirmities are real or should be removed, but in some special circumstances they may actually make a contribution to our flourishing. It is interesting to note that some secular medical social scientists have also developed a health-within-illness perspective, which sees illness as an event that can accelerate human growth. Indeed, a healthy life includes an ability to cope with disease, suffering and death and to integrate them as part of one’s life. It is for reason that Paul thinks that his lack of physical well-being is more than compensated by his participation in the suffering of Christ. Many biblical figures and believers throughout church history have considered that their physical health could be sacrificed at times for the sake of God’s cause in the world.

TIP: Health and Responsibility. This multidimensional context for understanding health also suggests that we have a larger share of responsibility for our health that we often assume. When we think of health in a strictly physical and biomedical model, we tend to conceive ill health as an intrusion of a foreign agent (bacteria, virus) that breaks down part of the system (heart, liver) or as a result of some accident, matters over which we have no control. When we become ill, we adopt the sick role that largely exempts us from some or all of our responsibilities. A holistic concept of health reminds us that we are not that innocent. If we are determined to assault our bodies with tobacco, alcohol or a high-fat-diet, are we really innocent when we suffer from bronchitis, cirrhosis and coronary artery disease? Paul teaches that our body is God’s temple (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, II Corinthians 6:16), holding us responsible for some of its maintenance. In this regard social scientists have also highlighted personal responsibility by defining health as a personal virtue and a task that each person cultivates through self-awareness and self-discipline.

TIP: Two points of caution should be noted. First, personal responsibility does not mean that we must pursue health and well-being to the point of obsession. Contemporary society has become addicted to health. So to idolize health is to confuse God with his temple. Second, personal responsibility includes accountability not only to oneself but also to other people. An interpersonal and social understanding of health insists that we assume some responsibility for other people’s sickness. We all contribute to the social conditions in which we live. The gap between the rich and the poor, sexual permissiveness, media violence, consumer culture and environmental pollutions have adversely affected our public health. The line between personal and public health is not well demarcated. As a spiritual community, Christians must take to heart our share of social responsibility in health as an expression of our loving our neighbors.