Personalized Medicine and a Personal Savior (Matthew 11:29-30)

Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pneumonia was a disease that was diagnosed by clinical signs and symptoms. Physicians knew it was an infection of the lungs but were limited in their understanding of the causes. Now with increasing sophistication utilizing microscopes, laboratory tests, radiological imaging, and tissue cultures, we know that there are many infectious causes of pneumonia including bacteria, viruses, and parasites. In fact, our sophistication has grown so that by examining additional molecular studies of the patient and lung tissue, one can discern who is at risk for certain types of lung infections, potentially leading to prophylaxis and avoidance of situations that may predispose to infections. Much progress has similarly been made in neuropsychiatric disorders. With molecular and genetic mapping, it is becoming increasingly clear that disorders such as autism and schizophrenia are really multiple diseases that present with seemingly similar clinical manifestations. Our current state of knowledge for these neuropsychiatric disorders is similar to where our knowledge was at the beginning of the 20th century with pneumonia. We know the protean clinical manifestations of the disease but are only now discovering that there may be a myriad of causes.

This new era of medicine has been termed personalized medicine. The ultimate goal is to tailor the therapy for each patient, no longer relying upon a crude sledgehammer of broad spectrum antibiotics or medications to treat the disease but now treating with the precision of a surgical scalpel or laser beam aimed precisely at the unique characteristics of the disease in each individual.

Like medicine, reading and studying God’s Word may be as superficial or as deep as you are seeking. For some who are only interested in reading the Bible as a work of literature, you can study the historical sites and characters and chronicle the stories. Your knowledge will be as superficial as our understanding of pneumonia was in the 19th century. But if you are seeking to understand the Bible as God’s plan of salvation for you, the depths and complexity are limitless! The characters and stories will be personalized and through God’s revelation, you will see how it all applies to your life. We understand that Jesus Christ is not a bookshelf religion of rituals and rules but an intimate and personal relationship with a living God. Much like our knowledge of medicine is becoming personalized, the knowledge of God becomes personalized.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
Romans 1:20

Dare to dig deeper than just recognizing the Bible characters and location. Man is so motivated to explore the intricate molecular mechanisms of disease leading to ever more complex biological pathways in his quest to cure disease. And yet, when it comes to his eternal destiny, does man explore this with an equally ardent fervor? Shouldn't man be searching for answer to sin and suffering? Like each new discovery of medicine that takes us closer to understanding the disease, each layer of discovery of God will lead us to seek Him even more. But we do not do this alone. A personal Savior awaits your journey. He is a living and mighty God who created this entire world and put into place all of biological pathways that lead to life. We may never understand all of these pathways but the only pathway we need to find for ourselves is the one that leads to accepting and believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was resurrected.

The beauty is this message of the Good News…

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.
Acts 2:21

The simplicity is Jesus’ invitation to us…

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Matthew 11:29-30

The complexity, and the deepest most profound layer, is simply accepting by faith and continually trusting in this gift of mercy and grace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Dare to dig deeper and seek a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

AMEN!