Article #11 on Psychology
Mental Health According to the Bible?
Being a sinner is a mental health crisis that is normalized in society. Sinners are mentally and emotionally addicted to sin! Such a condition should never be called “healthy” (Job 15:15-16). It is a sickness of the soul that needs to be healed. It is a disease of the mind that has a cure.
“They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” – Jesus Christ (Mark 2:17)
Sinners habitually enjoy the things that God hates. This is called “enmity” in the Bible (Rom. 8:6-8). Essentially, sinners are mentally and emotionally alienated from God. They have eyes, but they can’t see! They have ears, but they can’t hear! This is the worst kind of sensory deprivation.
“For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” – Matt. 13:15
We are talking about the sensory deprivation of sheer godlessness. Theologically, this is called total moral depravity. God is here, but He isn’t being known. God is light, but the common people are sitting in darkness. This is a mental and emotional godlessness.
“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” – Ephesians 4:18-19
In such circumstances, sinners need to read the Bible and pay attention to their conscience. You have heard that we have been created in the Image of God? Our conscience makes us different than the animals. The animals aren’t sinners. They are amoral because they don’t have a conscience. Our conscience is a mental reprover that makes us morally conscious, and therefore we have the unique ability to know God (Rom. 2:13-15). If you ignore the mental reprover then the mental illness of being a sinner only gets worse. God speaks through the conscience as a mental reprover. If you reject the light, then your wandering in darkness will only get worse. Beware! It is possible to be given over to a “reprobate mind” according to the Bible (Rom. 1:28).
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” – Rom. 1:28-32
Sinners feel guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety when they sin against God. This is the work of our conscience. These feelings should not be ignored or disregarded, or else the problem will only get worse. Our conscience helps us feel our need for God! Our conscience helps us feel our need for salvation!
“Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” – Eccl. 2:17
God is not a sinner. God does not want people sinning in a mental and emotional condition of godless happiness. God wants sinners to feel their need for Jesus Christ! Feelings of guilt, shame, fear, and anxiety are the unpleasant consequences of sinning against God. Sin is poisonous to our mental health (1 Cor. 15:56). We sin, because we are sinners! Self is the problem (Rom. 3:9-20). Consequentially, self-esteem is not the solution. You need to die to self! This is the preaching of the cross.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Cor. 1:18
“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” - Mark 8:34-35
“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” - John 12:25
If you are feeling mentally ill due to sin, then you need an appointment with the great Physician. In other words, you need to take a spiritual journey to Mount Calvary! This is how Jesus Christ saves people. The cross is an instrument of execution. Nothing of yourself will survive the cross! You must come to an end, and only then will Christ begin. We are talking about repentance and faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ leading to a new birth experience (John 3:3).
Salvation is a miracle! It is entirely the work of God in the human soul. Realistically, it is a mental and emotional resurrection from the dead. The killing of the cross is for a resurrection! “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17). The Creator has power to transform lost and hurting sinners into new creatures. Everything has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.
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