When it comes to the topic of mental illness, there are a plethora of different thoughts and opinions. Some people say that mental illness is fake while others say it is either demonic or the result of individual sin. Christians should always be concerned about what the Bible says about any topic. So, what exactly does the Bible say concerning mental illness, if it says anything at all? As it is, there is not any specific text that refers to mental illness. I know that sounds pretty disappointing to those of you who really want to know how the Scriptures address this very controversial issue. I wish that the Bible did say more on this, but I do believe that we can draw some inferences from Scripture without committing eisegesis. These inferences will help us to better understand how we view mental illness. This blog will attempt to do just that because I have seen a lot of ignorance concerning this topic within the Body of Christ. I do not say this with any animosity but out of love for the brethren. We do need to do better in this because it is pretty sad how the world understands mental illness better than we do.
The Fall
To talk about how the Bible wants us to view mental illness, I must take you back all the way to the beginning. In Genesis 1 and 2, we witness the creation of the cosmos and the creation of the first man and woman. Adam was put in the Garden of Eden to work it and cultivate it. He was there on a probationary period as a Prophet, Priest, and King. As a Prophet, he was to dedicate creation to God. As a Priest, he was to consecrate creation for God. And as a King, he was to usher in the New Heaven and New Earth by pronouncing covenant curses on the serpent. However, this is not what happened. If we turn to Genesis 3:1-7, we read the following,
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the Garden?' and the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of any trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die'. But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman seen that the tree was good for food, and it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths."
It was at this moment that sin came into the world because Adam chose to seek his own autonomy apart from God. I know you are probably wondering why I keep putting the blame on Adam and not on Eve. But, that is because whom the Scriptures ascribe the blame to. If we turn to Romans 5:12, we read,
"Therefore just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--"
Adam was our covenant representative and since he sinned, we all sinned in Adam. When he chose to rebel against the authority of God because he wanted to be his own authority, sin, and death spread throughout the whole world. For this very reason, the world and even humanity are subject to decay. Everything and everyone is dying because of Adam's sin. Sin has completely corrupted our entire being: heart, mind, and soul. We are completely messed up. The fact that our bodies are subject to decay is why we experience pain and all manner of suffering. It is not just our bodies, though, but our minds. This is where mental illness comes in because mental illnesses are the result of Adam's sin. Our minds are decaying and that is why we have Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, and other such illnesses. But, this does not mean that mental illness is not without its purpose, which leads me to my next point.
What is the purpose?
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." -Romans 5:3-5
As we can see, all of our suffering is building character and endurance in us which ultimately culminates in our hope, which does not disappoint us. I think of a goldsmith who needs to purify his gold. He will set the gold in the dead center of the fire to burn the dross and impurities off the gold. The end result is a clean and purified solid gold rock. In the same way, God holds us to the flame to purify us and conform us to the image of His Son. Sure, it does not seem pleasant for the time being but afterward we can be thankful. This definitely applies to mental illness too. As we go through daily life enduring the symptoms of our illness, God is using that to purify our hearts, minds, and souls. You can think of that next time you are feeling depressed or seeing hallucinations or feeling anxious. God is using all of that for our good (Romans 8:28) It is precisely the reason that God is using it for our good that we can rejoice in His sovereignty over all things, including our mental illnesses.
I sincerely hope that this blog helps you better understand how we should view mental illness in light of the Scriptures. Mental illness is a real thing and many people do suffer from it. We should never negate the suffering of those who deal with mental illness. It is because we live in a broken and fallen world that mental illness even exists. However, there will come a time when there will be no more mental illness. If we turn to Revelation 21:1-4, we read the following,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away"
I thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope this was a blessing to you. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
The Fall
To talk about how the Bible wants us to view mental illness, I must take you back all the way to the beginning. In Genesis 1 and 2, we witness the creation of the cosmos and the creation of the first man and woman. Adam was put in the Garden of Eden to work it and cultivate it. He was there on a probationary period as a Prophet, Priest, and King. As a Prophet, he was to dedicate creation to God. As a Priest, he was to consecrate creation for God. And as a King, he was to usher in the New Heaven and New Earth by pronouncing covenant curses on the serpent. However, this is not what happened. If we turn to Genesis 3:1-7, we read the following,
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the Garden?' and the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of any trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die'. But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman seen that the tree was good for food, and it was a delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths."
It was at this moment that sin came into the world because Adam chose to seek his own autonomy apart from God. I know you are probably wondering why I keep putting the blame on Adam and not on Eve. But, that is because whom the Scriptures ascribe the blame to. If we turn to Romans 5:12, we read,
"Therefore just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned--"
Adam was our covenant representative and since he sinned, we all sinned in Adam. When he chose to rebel against the authority of God because he wanted to be his own authority, sin, and death spread throughout the whole world. For this very reason, the world and even humanity are subject to decay. Everything and everyone is dying because of Adam's sin. Sin has completely corrupted our entire being: heart, mind, and soul. We are completely messed up. The fact that our bodies are subject to decay is why we experience pain and all manner of suffering. It is not just our bodies, though, but our minds. This is where mental illness comes in because mental illnesses are the result of Adam's sin. Our minds are decaying and that is why we have Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia, and other such illnesses. But, this does not mean that mental illness is not without its purpose, which leads me to my next point.
What is the purpose?
"Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." -Romans 5:3-5
As we can see, all of our suffering is building character and endurance in us which ultimately culminates in our hope, which does not disappoint us. I think of a goldsmith who needs to purify his gold. He will set the gold in the dead center of the fire to burn the dross and impurities off the gold. The end result is a clean and purified solid gold rock. In the same way, God holds us to the flame to purify us and conform us to the image of His Son. Sure, it does not seem pleasant for the time being but afterward we can be thankful. This definitely applies to mental illness too. As we go through daily life enduring the symptoms of our illness, God is using that to purify our hearts, minds, and souls. You can think of that next time you are feeling depressed or seeing hallucinations or feeling anxious. God is using all of that for our good (Romans 8:28) It is precisely the reason that God is using it for our good that we can rejoice in His sovereignty over all things, including our mental illnesses.
I sincerely hope that this blog helps you better understand how we should view mental illness in light of the Scriptures. Mental illness is a real thing and many people do suffer from it. We should never negate the suffering of those who deal with mental illness. It is because we live in a broken and fallen world that mental illness even exists. However, there will come a time when there will be no more mental illness. If we turn to Revelation 21:1-4, we read the following,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away"
I thank you for taking the time to read my blog and I hope this was a blessing to you. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
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