HEALTH, n. helth. [from heal.] That state of an animal or living body, in which the parts are sound, well organized and disposed, and in which they all perform freely their natural functions. In this state the animal feels no pain. This word is applied also to plants.
1. Sound state of the mind; natural vigor of faculties.
2. Sound state of the mind, in a moral sense; purity; goodness.
There is no health in us.
3. Salvation or divine favor, or grace which cheers God's people. Ps.43,
4. Wish of health and happiness; used in drinking.
Come, love and health to all; an elliptical phrase, for, I wish health to you.
I completed a word study on this term in 2009 because natural health has been a passion of mine. Word studies are a great way to get a deeper meaning out of something and to be able to search God's Word. Researching the Scriptures helps you find the Biblical purpose and origin of any term or subject that you are studying. So, as I defined those key words that are underlined above, I then researched the Scriptures. These are just a few things that God says about health in His Word:
- Gen. 2:7 - "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
- Matt. 10:28 - "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
- 1 Cr. 6:19 - "What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
After this research, you are able to reason through what has been shown to you and relate it to your life. The whole process of this is called 4-R'ing (research, reason, relate and record). In conclusion, this is what I came up with in regards to "health":
"Health begins with God forming us and breathing life into us. There is an internal and external aspect to our health that affects each other. God gave us our body and formed it perfectly to function as it needs to live. God also gave us a soul to complete our living body. Our bodies can be healthy or it can be sick, determining how we take care of it. We have a choice. It is seen how God cares about us by looking at how He formed us perfectly and how everything works together as it should. It's important that we take care of what He has given us. We must take care of our physical bodies as well as our soul."
I encourage you to do a word study of your own on any topic that interests you. Through that, God will show you so much as you "commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established." (Proverbs 16:3)