Changes

[[Apostle Paul|St. Paul]] says that we are called to glorify [[God]] in body and spirit, saying that our bodies are "members of Christ" ([[1 Corinthians ]] 6:15 NKJ). He goes on to say that "the body is… for the Lord, and the Lord for the body" (1 Corinthians 6:13 NKJ), and the "body is the temple of the [[Holy Spirit]] who is in you" (1 Corinthians 6:18 NKJ). Though speaking specifically of fornication and gluttony, St. Paul makes it clear that the sanctity of the body is imperative and inviolate, as in and through it we are joined to the Lord and become one spirit with Him. St. John Chrysostom says of 1 Corinthians 6 that the body was formed "that it might follow Christ as a Head, and that the Lord might be set over the body." Likewise, Irenaeus of Lyons asserts that "God will bestow salvation upon the whole nature of man, consisting of body and soul in close union, since the Word took it upon him, and adorned with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of whom our bodies are, and are termed, the temples."

St. [[John Chrysostom]] says of 1 Corinthians 6 that the body was formed "that it might follow Christ as a Head, and that the Lord might be set over the body." Likewise, [[Irenaeus of Lyons]] asserts that "God will bestow salvation upon the whole nature of man, consisting of body and soul in close union, since the Word took it upon him, and adorned with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of whom our bodies are, and are termed, the temples."  Specifically in reference to medicine, history has shown that the church does not reject secular medicine. [[Apostle Luke|St. Luke the Evangelist]], for instance, was known to be a physician (Col 4:14). Other [[saint]]s, [[Church Fathers|fathers]], [[hierarch]]s, [[patriarch]]s, and [[priest]]s were also known to be physicians by trade. The Church has always commemorated such physicians as [[Cosmas and Damian|Ss. Cosmas and Damianos]], Ss. John and Cyrus, and Ss. Panteleimon and Hermolaus, recognized for their theology and piety, as well as healing skills. In fact, St. [[Basil the Great]] blessed the use of secular medicine, saying that God worked just as much through the visible world as the invisible. Therefore, God’s grace is made manifest in the ability to heal through medicine just as much as through miraculous cures. Further, as long as the goal of pleasing God and tending to spiritual health remains primary, medicine is in absolute harmony with Christianity. It even makes us more acutely aware of God’s power. St. [[John Chrysostom]], as well, also stressed that those with the ability to relieve the suffering of others and save them from death had a responsibility to do so.