Is It Faithlessness to Take Medicines While Believing God for Healing?
1) Direct Answer
No. Taking medicine while believing God is not faithlessness. God is the Healer; medicine is only a help. Keep your faith in God, use what help is available, and give Him the glory.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- “I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). Healing is God’s work.
- Hezekiah: God said, “I will heal thee,” and yet commanded a poultice of figs to be laid on the boil (2 Kings 20:5–7). Promise and means walked together.
- The Good Samaritan poured in oil and wine to treat the wounds (Luke 10:34).
- “Luke, the beloved physician” was honored among the saints (Colossians 4:14).
- Paul counseled, “Use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23), showing Scripture recognizes medicinal help without endorsing excess or drunkenness.
- The prayer of faith shall save the sick (James 5:14–15). The oil is a sign; God does the healing.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- You see, a doctor can set a bone, but only God knits it. Medicine can fight infection, but only God gives life and restoration. So using medicine doesn’t replace faith; trusting medicine instead of God does.
- If it were unbelief to use means, why did God direct a poultice after promising healing to Hezekiah? The issue is not the fig; it’s the God who heals.
- Keep your confession: after prayer, hold to God’s promise regardless of symptoms or prescriptions. Don’t throw away needed aids to “prove” faith unless the Lord has clearly delivered you. Faith is obedience to God’s Word, not presumption.
- Walk clean and sober. Scripture condemns bondage and excess. Be led by the Spirit, not ruled by any substance.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, God heals; means are servants. Keep your eyes on Christ, use what helps are at hand with a clear conscience, and testify that the Lord is your Healer.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
63-0627 §38
Now God heals in many ways. A doctor asked me not long ago, said, "What's your opinion of medicine, Brother Branham?" I said, "Well, God is the only one that can heal, sir." I said, "The Bible don't lie, and the Bible said, 'I'm the Lord heals all your diseases.'" I said, "The Bible can't lie." I said, "God heals by medicine, God heals by love, God heals by understanding, God heals by care, God heals by prayer, God heals by miracles. The whole thing: God heals. That's all there is to it. He's the healer." We haven'...
It is I, be not afraid
61-0213 §9
If your local doctor couldn't help you, you'd have a right to go to a specialist. And if the specialist can't help you, then let's go to the specialist of specialists, Jesus. That's why I'm here: not to take the doctor's patient, but to pray for the doctor's patient, God's child and my friend. That's why I'm here. Now, medicine does not heal. We all know that. There's no medicine that claims to heal. Doctors don't claim that. Medicine is an aid to nature; God is the healer. There's never been anyone healed by medic...
Taking sides with Jesus
62-0601 §118
Anybody that's sensible will do the same thing. People can't understand that medicine is sent of God. Why, brethren, if it's not, it's of the devil. Sure it is. God is where medicine won't reach. Certainly. Medicine is of God. "Well," you say, "I know a lot of doctors that's..." Oh yes, and I know a lot of preachers that's the same way too! It's not the man that's handling it, it's what it is. I know a many men's handled the Word of God don't believe in divine healing, don't even believe in God. Right. But they han...
He cares. Do you care?
63-0721 §29
And I hope that each of you get that, especially you people that's to be prayed for, that's so uncomfortable this morning, with maybe troubles that doctors cannot touch. And we believe that doctors help people. I believe that God heals by medicine. God heals by surgery. God heals by understanding. God heals by love. Just a little love goes a long way. Let somebody be all upset, and just show them you care for them. See? God heals by love. God heals by prayer. God heals by miracles. God heals by his Word. God heals!...
Why?
60-1126 §33
Now, we notice that sometimes we can give a patient penicillin for pneumonia, it'll kill the germ. And then sometimes we give it to another, and it kills the patient. You can't be too sure about it. I was talking one time, making expression how that medicine did not heal; medicine is only an aid to nature---when I was interviewed at Mayo's. That's what they told me. Cut your hand. Medicine don't heal your hand. You put medicine on it to keep it clean while God heals it. God builds tissue. Medicine doesn't build tis...