Discovering God’s Laws through Nature: Medicine and Faith

How many diseases exist in humanity? If we include rare diseases, there are approximately 10,000 types. Among them, how many have treatments developed? Only around 500.

Although the number of developed medicines is very small compared to the number of diseases, the benefits these medicines bring to humanity are immense. It is estimated that during the Joseon Dynasty, the average lifespan of kings was 47 years, while that of commoners was in the 30s. By 2023, however, the average life expectancy in Korea had reached 83.6 years. Since the 20th century, with the development of agriculture, especially medicine and pharmacology, human health has greatly improved. So how do medicines actually work?

Discovery of Medicines

Records of medicines can be traced back to ancient times. From ancient Egyptian records around 3500 BCE to Chinese records around 2700 BCE, both the East and West have documented the use of plants as prescriptions. The use of medicinal plants continued until the 18th century. In the 19th century, with the Industrial Revolution, science advanced, and modern pharmacology began to emerge.

People discovered that the milky sap obtained from immature poppy fruits, when dried, produced opium, which had analgesic and sedative effects. German scientist Sertürner studied how opium produced these effects. He isolated and purified its active component, morphine. From morphine onward, humans have isolated medicinal compounds from many plants and developed them into drugs. Even today, developing medicines from the active components of plants remains a crucial method.

The most representative anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving drug, aspirin, was developed by isolating a compound called salicylic acid from willow bark, which had been widely known for thousands of years, and slightly modifying it.

Humans have not only used plants but also developed drugs from various natural sources. The earliest antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered by Fleming by chance. He found that penicillin could inhibit the growth of staphylococci that caused pneumonia.

Since then, with scientific advancement, people have developed new synthetic drugs not derived from natural sources, greatly contributing to the treatment of human diseases.

How Medicines Work

So, how do medicines work? Not all medicines have the same mechanism of action, but most work similarly using a “lock-and-key” model. To open a locked lock, one needs a key that matches the lock exactly. Similarly, for a drug to act, it must encounter a specific protein. Our bodies contain numerous proteins. Drugs must be designed to bind to the specific proteins related to the disease being treated. Here, the protein associated with the disease is the “lock,” and the drug that fits it is the “key.” Just like a key must match the shape of a lock, the drug is designed to fit into the protein’s “pocket.” The more compatible a compound is with the protein pocket, the stronger it binds. Thus, even a small amount of drug can have maximum effect.

Let us explain in more detail the mechanism of drugs classified as antagonists. Our bodies have biomolecules that bind to proteins, and proteins function normally only when combined with these biomolecules. Proteins can also have functions that cause disease. By blocking the protein’s function, the disease can be treated. To do this, a substance with stronger binding ability than the original biomolecule is needed. This is how the drug works. In other words, the drug is composed of substances that bind more strongly than the biomolecule, occupying the same protein pocket. The stronger-binding drug competes successfully with the biomolecule, preventing the protein from interacting with it. This blocks the protein from causing disease, producing the therapeutic effect.

The Prescription for All Problems — Faith in the Word

How many problems does a person face in a lifetime? Large and small problems, including daily psychological challenges, are countless. We want to solve them, but how many can we truly resolve? Even problems we think we’ve solved may not be fully resolved. What humans can do is only to partially address problems within human limits.

Someone has provided a complete solution that transcends human limits. The Bible says that Jesus took upon Himself our sorrows and sufferings. Any problem we face is no longer ours but Jesus’. Jesus says He has already solved these problems. So, what is the problem we face now? The issue is not with Jesus but with our thoughts being intertwined with the problem. In our minds, it may seem that Jesus has not borne or solved it.

The correct prescription for solving problems in our lives is not our own thoughts but God’s Word. Just as a medicine must be stronger than the original biomolecule to affect a protein, when our thoughts compete with the Word, the Word pushes aside the thought and combines with our heart. This achieves complete healing. The root solution to all problems lies in combining our hearts with the Word that says, “These problems have already been solved.”

通过自然发现的神的法则

药物与信心

 

人类有多少种疾病？如果将罕见疾病都计算在内，大约有一万种疾病。其中开发出治疗药物的疾病有多少种呢？只有五百种左右。

虽然药物开发的数量与疾病的数量相比非常少，但药物的开发给人类带来的好处却不可胜言。据推测，在朝鲜时代，帝王的平均寿命是47岁，平民的平均寿命是30多岁。而截止到2023年，韩国的人均预期寿命已经达到了83.6岁。步入20世纪以来，随着农业的发展，特别是医学和药学的发展，大大改善了人类的健康。那么，药是如何发挥药效的呢？

 

药物的发现

有关药物的记载，可以追溯到公元前。从公元前3500年间古埃及的记录，到公元前2700年间中国的记录，东西方都有利用植物作为处方的记录。这种药用植物的使用一直延续到了18世纪。进入19世纪之后，随着产业革命的兴起，科学也相应地得到发展，近代药学也开始萌芽。

人们认识到，将未成熟的罂粟果实割伤后获得的液体，进行干燥后制成鸦片，那么这种鸦片具有镇痛、镇静的效果。德国的杰尔图尔纳研究了这种鸦片是如何产生效果的。他将单一的有效成分进行分离、提纯，这就是吗啡。从吗啡开始，人类从很多种植物中分离出了药物成分，开发成为药物。直到现在，利用植物的有效成分开发药物，仍然是非常重要的药物开发方法。

最具代表性的消炎止痛药阿司匹林，就是人们从数千年来人人熟知的柳树皮的功效出发，将从中分离出来、名为“水杨酸”的化合物稍加变形后开发制成的药物。

人们不仅取材于植物，还开发出了来源于多种天然物质的药物。最早的抗生素青霉素，是弗莱明偶然间发现的。他发现，氯霉素能阻碍引发肺炎的葡萄球菌的生长。

此后，随着科学的发展，人们开发出了非来源于天然物质的新药，为治疗人类疾病做出了贡献。

 

药物是如何发挥药效的？

那么，药物是如何发挥药效的？并不是所有药物都具有同样的作用机质，但大部分药物的作用机质都是相似的，即通过“锁——钥匙”的模型来完成。若想打开锁着的锁，就需要一把与锁的模样一样的钥匙。同样，为了使药物发挥作用，必须让它遇到特定的蛋白质。我们身体中存在多种蛋白质。人们需要设定药物，使之与需要被治疗的疾病相关的特定蛋白质相结合。在这里，需要与药物相结合、需要被治疗的疾病的蛋白质就是锁，与之相匹配的药物就是钥匙。就像钥匙要与所对准的锁的形状相同一样，药物被设计成为能进入到特定蛋白质的口袋（pocket）部分的样式。就像把手伸进口袋一样，越是适合蛋白质口袋的化合物，与蛋白质的结合力越强。因此，很少量的药物就能发挥最好的效果。

让我们更加详细地说明一下被归类为拮抗剂（antagonist）的药物的作用机质。我们身体里有一种和蛋白质相结合的生物物质，而蛋白质只有与这种物质结合在一起，才能正常发挥功能。可蛋白质中也有与引发疾病相关的功能。只要阻碍这种蛋白质的功能，就可以治疗疾病。为了达到此目的，就需要有比跟蛋白质结合的生物物质拥有更强结合力的物质。这就是药物作用。也就是说，向特定蛋白质的口袋中注射由“比原本相结合的生物物质结合力更强”的物质所组成的药物。这样，生物物质与药物就会在同一个口袋中进行结合力竞争，而结合力更强的药物会占据优势，蛋白质就不能与生物物质相结合了。这将阻碍蛋白质引发疾病的功能，从而产生治疗疾病的药效。

 

一切问题的处方——相信话语

一个人一辈子会遇到多少问题？大大小小的各种问题，包括每天遇到的心理问题在内，绝不在少数。我们很想解决问题，但我们能解决的问题有多少呢？我们认为已经解决了的问题，真的解决了吗？人类所能做的，就是在人类的极限范围内，将这些问题变成不完整的状态。有人提出了超越这种人类极限的完整解决方案。

《圣经》上说，耶稣担负了我们的忧患和痛苦。我们遇到的任何问题，都不再是我们的问题，而是耶稣的问题。耶稣说，他已经解决了这些问题。那么，我们现在面临的问题到底是什么呢？问题不在于耶稣，而是在于我们的想法跟问题结合了。在我们的想法里，会觉得这个问题耶稣好像没给背负，没给解决。

解决我们生活中遇到的问题的正确处方，不是我们的想法，而是神的话语。就像为了治疗疾病，人们需要研发出比原来跟蛋白质结合的生物物质具有更强结合力的药物一样，当我们的想法与话语争战时，话语会推开想法，与我们的心结合。这样，就能达到完全的治疗。所有问题之解决的根源在于，与“这些问题已经得到解决了”的话语相结合。