And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Mark 7:20-23
In ancient times, the Greek physician Hippocrates, often referenced as the Father of Modern Medicine, wrote, “We must treat the patient and not the disease.” In a more modern update of the same idea, Canadian doctor Sir William Osler, one of the founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital, said, “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” While there are sicknesses and diseases that primarily affect the outside of the body, the vast majority of the physical symptoms of disease that we see and feel are rooted in something that is inside the body. Understanding that truth encourages doctors to look for the actual cause of the problem rather than focusing on the outward presentation. No amount of treatment of symptoms can cure the underlying problem. It must be addressed directly.
The same principle applies to our spiritual health and well-being. The things that appear outwardly are only a reflection of what is going on in our hearts and minds. All of us are born with a sinful nature, so our natural bent is to choose wrong rather than right. But that problem and all the actions that result from it cannot be treated by trying to stop the evil acts that are outwardly visible. The only effective and lasting treatment must start from within. We cannot change our hearts or our nature no matter how diligently we try, but God offers a new beginning to those who come to Him in faith. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
