Let’s take a brief detour on the way to wise stewardship of wellness. I have said before, but can not emphasize too strongly that wellness is not a means of salvation. I am neither saved by my diet nor condemned by my diet, whatever it may be. So let’s look today at a particular passage regarding that idea.
Romans 14 considers the case in which one with strong faith will eat anything (including meat) and one who has weak faith avoids meat (it brings to his mind that the meat may have been sacrificed to idols). Please read the entire chapter to put the thought in context.
A key verse is Romans 14:2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Taken by itself, that verse would make it appear that my faith is weak, as shown by my avoiding meat, and that I am cautioned in the following verses not to judge those who eat meat. Romans 14:3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
Now is the time to say it again: what I’m saying has nothing to do with faith or salvation, but only with the stewardship of the resources God has put in my care. I do not judge anyone or tell anyone what to do or how to eat. What I am doing is sharing what I have found to provide a wellness benefit to me and to many others. I have already had my cancer; I have modified my diet expecting to prevent recurrence. Some who have not had cancer also choose the path I’ve taken with the expectation of preventing cancer. Research1 has demonstrated that animal proteins in the diet can serve as a switch for development of cancer. Absence of those proteins tends to keep the switch OFF. Including animal proteins tends to turn the cancer ON. (Processed foods and high fat foods also contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases of aging.)
I would gladly share with you my faith. I would delight to point to the scripture that says that Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and there is no other way to get to God but through Him (John 14:6). That is a matter of faith and salvation.
I would also gladly share with you what I’ve discovered about caring for this mortal body, keeping it healthy so that, as the years accumulate, I can be serving rather than be served. But that is a matter of stewardship, use of resources, not a matter of faith.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
(Scripture References from NASB)
1. T. Colin Campbell, PhD, The China Study, Benbella Books, Dallas: 2004, chapter 3
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1 comment:
Although I do not dispute the meat.org video, that is not my focus. I choose meatless for wellness. I do not quarrel with those who refuse meat to benefit animals, but I do not join their crusade. I have all I can manage to share the wellness benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle.
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