Photo Attribution: “Sad” by Joe Penna; CC 2.0
Introduction:
Over the years I have read many articles and books by well-known Christian authors and pastors who are involved in the practice of Christian counseling and are even connected to certain Christian counseling organizations. The resources I am referring to have basically argued that mental illness is a “social construct created by secular doctors and psychiatrists,” and therefore is not biblical.
So, they reason, when a person is depressed, they are really just experiencing sadness, and to attempt to treat it medically is a lack of faith in the power of God. When a person has anxiety, they are really just experiencing worry, and to treat it medically is a worldly answer to a spiritual problem.
I think the motive behind the authors of these resources, for the most part, are good: these authors usually try to demonstrate that Scripture is sufficient for every area of life. However, I believe that treating mental and/or emotional illnesses as only, or even primarily, a spiritual problem is both overtly unbiblical and extremely hurtful for those who suffer with mental illness.
Total Depravity Means TOTAL Depravity:
The Bible clearly teaches that all of humanity is totally depraved. This does not mean that every person is as completely wicked and evil as they have the potential to be, it simply means that sin has affected every area of our being, including both our souls and our bodies.
Total depravity means that nothing operates as God originally meant for it to. My spiritual desires are affected and warped by sin. My intellect is warped and affected by sin. And, more specifically for our purposes, my body has been affected and warped by sin.
Why do I get the flu, have headaches, joint pain, indigestion and many other physical ailments? Why do you have migraines, heart problems, infections, kidney stones and diabetes? We experience these things because we reside in physical bodies that have been “marked and marred” by sin. Paul commented on this specifically when he said:
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is
being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16, ESV).
Our outer shell is wasting away. Our bodies do not work correctly, they fall apart and rebel against us at the worst times. While we are still in this fallen world, we live in bodies that are wasting away.
In Romans 8:22-23, Paul wrote:
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (ESV).
Along with all of the rest of creation, we anticipate the day when Christ will return and give us our new, redeemed, resurrection bodies. But, until the day Jesus does return, we will live in a body that does not function as God had originally designed. This INCLUDES our BRAIN, which is a “key, central, integral part of…[our] body, [which] will not function correctly [either].” Chemicals are prone to become imbalanced. Serotonin will not be properly absorbed and/or distributed. Synapses will misfire. Our brains, just like every other part of our bodies, are subject to illness.
I would even go so far as to argue that if we truly believe in total depravity, then mental illness must be accepted as a biblical reality. If we believe that sin has affected every part of our body, including our brain, then it should come as no surprise when our brain malfunctions. We are not surprised when we catch a cold; why should we be surprised if someone experiences mental illness? To claim that depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and every other mental and/or emotional disorder, are purely spiritual in nature is to ignore the fact that we are made up of both body and soul.
Mental illness is not something invented by secular psychiatrists. Instead, it simply goes hand and hand with living in a fallen, sinful world.
Testimony and Advice:
Treating mental illness as only a spiritual disorder is extremely hurtful, and potentially dangerous, to those who suffer with mental illness because it points to the wrong, or at the very least, incomplete remedy.
Let me get very personal for a moment. For over two decades I have suffered with chronic, generalized and panic anxiety disorder (as well as depression). I routinely experience a restricting sensation in my throat and chest, bursts of unaccounted for adrenaline surges, light-headedness, numbness in my extremities, and a feeling in the pit of my stomach almost as if I have been directly punched there. For me, the anxiety being connected to something tangible, something that I am specifically worried about, only happens on rare occasions. The vast majority of the time the physical symptoms I experience are not at all connected to any conscious worry. I’ll be typing away on my computer, researching something, or reading a book, not thinking about anything really, when a surge of anxiety suddenly comes over my entire body.
At those times, I do NOT need to be told “don’t worry.” I do NOT need to be told to “exercise more faith in God’s promises.” I do NOT need to be told to “snap out of it” or “get over it.” I do NOT need to be told to “just hang on.” I do NOT need to be told to “just let go.”
What I need, as do all of those who struggle in a similar area, is understanding, support, empathy and encouragement to persevere. I need reminding that, even in the midst of seemingly unbearable suffering, Jesus is with me. I need reminding that my “light and momentary afflictions” (although they do not feel light or momentary) are bringing about an eternal result of glory. I need to be encouraged to, as I once read, “press into Jesus.” And, JUST AS IMPORTANT, I need to be connected to someone, like a doctor, who can help me deal with, and work through, the physical aspects of anxiety.
Here is the sad reality: even if my thinking is biblical, faith-saturated, and God honoring, my physical symptoms of anxiety are most likely not just going to disappear. Why? Because most of the time the primary problem is physical. Something is not working properly in my brain which then causes me to experience the physical symptoms of anxiety.
Conclusion:
When relating with Christians who suffer with anxiety, depression, PTSD or any other type of mental and/or emotional illness, we need to view and treat them as whole people. We need to treat people as both body and soul. Do they need to repeatedly exercise faith in God’s promises? Of course. But, they also need to deal with the physical aspects of mental illness as well. Doctors are gifts from God who can provide help to those who struggle with mental illness.
We need to look at mental illness just as we look at every other kind of illness. When a person lives with chronic back pain, they will probably be tempted to doubt God’s goodness at some point. We can help them by encouraging them that God is good, and that he cares for them. But, we can also help them by taking them to the best back specialist we can find.
If we are going to be effective in how we care for fellow believers who suffer with mental illness, we need to recognize that mental illness is a reality. We are not just souls. Instead, we are a complex combination of soul and body. We need to be sure we address both the soul and the body in our quest to assist our hurting brothers and sisters.
This was a guest post from Dr. Jeff Hagan.
Jeff is an ordained Christian minister with over 23 years of ministry experience. He has attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Luther Rice Seminary, Tyndale Seminary and a handful of other institutes as well. He has earned several degrees including the Doctor of Christian Education and the Doctor of Theology.
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