I've heard it once said that the Gospel is scandalous. The reasons why the Gospel is so scandalous are twofold: one is because it says there is only one way to be saved and the other is that it does not matter what you've done because salvation is still available to you. As people with mental illness, we are not excluded from the simple Gospel message. But what exactly is the Gospel? There are many takes on what the Gospel is and many of them are wrong. Many professing Christians do not even know what the Gospel message is. Some think that it is simply praying the "Sinner's Prayer" while others think that it is all about doing good things for others. Neither of these is the Gospel. So, what IS the Gospel then? In this blog, I shall discuss what the Gospel is, but I will tailor it specifically for people with mental illness. The reason why I am doing this is because I want people with mental illness to believe in the correct message of the Gospel. Many people with mental illness have a faulty understanding of what the Gospel really is. I shall be breaking the Gospel message down into three parts: The Fall, Redemption, and Final Hope. My hope is that after you read this blog, you will walk away with a better understanding of the Gospel message and be filled with the hope of salvation. Please do not think that your mental illness will excuse you on the Day of Judgement because it most certainly will not. Mental illness may provide the context for sin, but it never excuses sin. For example, one who is clinically depressed may lay in bed all day. Their depression is causing them to be lazy, but laziness is still a sin. We will all stand in judgment before the Thrice holy God. As Hebrews 9:27 says,
"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment"
On that day, all of our sins will be exposed and we will be found to be naked before God. Our justifications and excuses will not work before the God who knows us better than we know ourselves. But, I digress. The Gospel comes from the Greek word "Evangelio" which means "Good News". It is a word that was used in wartime. When an army won a war, someone would bring the good news of victory back to their camp. It was a message of celebration. If this sounds like I am saying the Gospel message is about victory in war, well, that is exactly what I am saying. To fully understand what I am getting at, I must take you all back to the beginning.
The Fall
In Genesis 1, we read that God created the whole cosmos and everything in it. He created all of the planets and stars in the universe down to the very last atom. He created all the animals and creatures on the earth. Then, The Lord created human beings, as the pinnacle of His creation. Genesis 1:27 tells us,
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"
Men and women together image the one Holy Triune God of creation. Then, in Genesis 2, we read how the Lord placed man in the Garden of Eden to work it and tend it. In verses 15-17, we read,
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die"
Adam was commissioned to be a Prophet, Priest, and King over creation. As a Prophet, he was to consecrate creation to God. As a priest, he was to dedicate creation to God. And as a king, he was to lead creation in a royal procession in worshiping the Lord. If Adam had fulfilled his obligation, then he would have ushered in the New Heaven and New Earth right then and there. Sadly, this is not what happened. In Genesis 3, we read about how the serpent was the most crafty of all the creatures that God had made. The serpent came to Eve in the garden to tempt her. In verses 1-7, we read the following,
"He (the serpent) 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 the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree 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 that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, knowing good and evil.' So when the Woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took from 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 and made themselves loincloths"
There are a few things in this text that I'd like to point out. First, the serpent originally questioned God's truth claim when he asked if the Lord said for them not to eat any of the trees in the Garden. This is the devil's tactic. He will ask us a question to get us to doubt God's truth. The next thing was Eve added to God's word when she said that they were not to even touch the fruit on the tree in the middle of the Garden. Our natural default setting is to be legalistic, which means to live by the law instead of by grace. After Eve answered the serpent, the serpent outright denied, or contradicted, God's truth with a truth claim of his own. The devil is constantly trying to deceive us with lies and half-truths. At that very moment, Eve had a choice to make. She could either choose to trust God's truth claim or trust the serpent's truth claim. Every time we are faced with a temptation to sin, we are faced with this dilemma as well. Unfortunately, Eve chose to believe the serpent's truth claim, and when Adam decided to follow his wife's decision, he plunged all of creation into sin, along with all of us. As Romans 5:12 and 14 says,
"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned...Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was the type of the one to come"
Also, Romans 3:23 tells us,
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
As you can see from these two texts, we all are sinners because of our being born in Adam. God is perfectly good and just to punish sins and since He is holy, sin cannot be in His presence. If the Lord had left us in this predicament, He would still be holy, good, loving, and just. However, the Lord has not left us in this position. Which leads me to my next point.
Redemption
"...and are justified by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith" -Romans 3:24-25
Over 2,000 years ago, God came down as a man to take the punishment that we deserve upon Himself on a bloody Roman cross. Jesus Christ did not have to do this, but He chose to lay down His life for the sake of the elect because He loved us. The gift of salvation is completely free. Those who are saved, are saved by His grace alone. As Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us,
"For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast"
It is because of this free gift found in Christ that we can be freely justified by His grace (Romans 5:1). This means that no matter what we do we are no longer condemned for our sin (Romans 8:1). What wonderful news is this? Our mental illnesses cannot prevent us from this salvation that is found only in Christ. As a matter of fact, the more we sin, the more grace covers our iniquity. As Romans 5:20 says,
"Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more..."
This does not mean we can keep on living in sin because as Paul says elsewhere, how can we go on living in sin after we have been made alive in Christ? However, when we do sin, there is no longer any condemnation because of what Christ has done on our behalf. I said earlier that sin provides the context for sin. For this reason, many people with mental illnesses live in great shame. Well, beloved, please let this news sink into your hearts and minds. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are truly under God's grace and not under the law's condemnation. So, is this the only hope that we have in Christ? If it were, this truth would be enough, but wait, there is much more.
Final Hope
"So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it raised a spiritual body" -1 Corinthians 15:42-44
As you can see from this text, what awaits those of us who are in Christ is a great resurrection of the dead. At this time, we will be given new physical bodies, which are not subject to death and decay. What this means is that there will be no more mental illnesses because our bodies, and minds, will be restored. The great resurrection is our final hope where God will make all things new. As Revelation 21:1-4 tells us,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and 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, 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"
At the great resurrection, God will make His dwelling with us on the New Heaven and New Earth, where there will be no more suffering because there will be no more sin. Our minds will no longer have the deteriorating effects of mental illness. We will no longer deal with anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, delusions, multiple personalities, or any other effect of mental illness that we experience right now on this earth. Isn't this amazing news that makes you want to worship God?
I hope that this blog helps you better understand the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is our only hope in this life and the next. Nothing else really matters. If you have not submitted yourself to the Lordship of Christ, I urge you to do so right now. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. You could die in the next five minutes. Today is the day of Salvation. Do not let it pass. Repent and believe the Gospel. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and 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
"And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment"
On that day, all of our sins will be exposed and we will be found to be naked before God. Our justifications and excuses will not work before the God who knows us better than we know ourselves. But, I digress. The Gospel comes from the Greek word "Evangelio" which means "Good News". It is a word that was used in wartime. When an army won a war, someone would bring the good news of victory back to their camp. It was a message of celebration. If this sounds like I am saying the Gospel message is about victory in war, well, that is exactly what I am saying. To fully understand what I am getting at, I must take you all back to the beginning.
The Fall
In Genesis 1, we read that God created the whole cosmos and everything in it. He created all of the planets and stars in the universe down to the very last atom. He created all the animals and creatures on the earth. Then, The Lord created human beings, as the pinnacle of His creation. Genesis 1:27 tells us,
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them"
Men and women together image the one Holy Triune God of creation. Then, in Genesis 2, we read how the Lord placed man in the Garden of Eden to work it and tend it. In verses 15-17, we read,
"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die"
Adam was commissioned to be a Prophet, Priest, and King over creation. As a Prophet, he was to consecrate creation to God. As a priest, he was to dedicate creation to God. And as a king, he was to lead creation in a royal procession in worshiping the Lord. If Adam had fulfilled his obligation, then he would have ushered in the New Heaven and New Earth right then and there. Sadly, this is not what happened. In Genesis 3, we read about how the serpent was the most crafty of all the creatures that God had made. The serpent came to Eve in the garden to tempt her. In verses 1-7, we read the following,
"He (the serpent) 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 the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree 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 that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, knowing good and evil.' So when the Woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took from 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 and made themselves loincloths"
There are a few things in this text that I'd like to point out. First, the serpent originally questioned God's truth claim when he asked if the Lord said for them not to eat any of the trees in the Garden. This is the devil's tactic. He will ask us a question to get us to doubt God's truth. The next thing was Eve added to God's word when she said that they were not to even touch the fruit on the tree in the middle of the Garden. Our natural default setting is to be legalistic, which means to live by the law instead of by grace. After Eve answered the serpent, the serpent outright denied, or contradicted, God's truth with a truth claim of his own. The devil is constantly trying to deceive us with lies and half-truths. At that very moment, Eve had a choice to make. She could either choose to trust God's truth claim or trust the serpent's truth claim. Every time we are faced with a temptation to sin, we are faced with this dilemma as well. Unfortunately, Eve chose to believe the serpent's truth claim, and when Adam decided to follow his wife's decision, he plunged all of creation into sin, along with all of us. As Romans 5:12 and 14 says,
"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned...Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was the type of the one to come"
Also, Romans 3:23 tells us,
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."
As you can see from these two texts, we all are sinners because of our being born in Adam. God is perfectly good and just to punish sins and since He is holy, sin cannot be in His presence. If the Lord had left us in this predicament, He would still be holy, good, loving, and just. However, the Lord has not left us in this position. Which leads me to my next point.
Redemption
"...and are justified by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith" -Romans 3:24-25
Over 2,000 years ago, God came down as a man to take the punishment that we deserve upon Himself on a bloody Roman cross. Jesus Christ did not have to do this, but He chose to lay down His life for the sake of the elect because He loved us. The gift of salvation is completely free. Those who are saved, are saved by His grace alone. As Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us,
"For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast"
It is because of this free gift found in Christ that we can be freely justified by His grace (Romans 5:1). This means that no matter what we do we are no longer condemned for our sin (Romans 8:1). What wonderful news is this? Our mental illnesses cannot prevent us from this salvation that is found only in Christ. As a matter of fact, the more we sin, the more grace covers our iniquity. As Romans 5:20 says,
"Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more..."
This does not mean we can keep on living in sin because as Paul says elsewhere, how can we go on living in sin after we have been made alive in Christ? However, when we do sin, there is no longer any condemnation because of what Christ has done on our behalf. I said earlier that sin provides the context for sin. For this reason, many people with mental illnesses live in great shame. Well, beloved, please let this news sink into your hearts and minds. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are truly under God's grace and not under the law's condemnation. So, is this the only hope that we have in Christ? If it were, this truth would be enough, but wait, there is much more.
Final Hope
"So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it raised a spiritual body" -1 Corinthians 15:42-44
As you can see from this text, what awaits those of us who are in Christ is a great resurrection of the dead. At this time, we will be given new physical bodies, which are not subject to death and decay. What this means is that there will be no more mental illnesses because our bodies, and minds, will be restored. The great resurrection is our final hope where God will make all things new. As Revelation 21:1-4 tells us,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and 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, 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"
At the great resurrection, God will make His dwelling with us on the New Heaven and New Earth, where there will be no more suffering because there will be no more sin. Our minds will no longer have the deteriorating effects of mental illness. We will no longer deal with anxiety, panic attacks, hallucinations, delusions, multiple personalities, or any other effect of mental illness that we experience right now on this earth. Isn't this amazing news that makes you want to worship God?
I hope that this blog helps you better understand the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is our only hope in this life and the next. Nothing else really matters. If you have not submitted yourself to the Lordship of Christ, I urge you to do so right now. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. You could die in the next five minutes. Today is the day of Salvation. Do not let it pass. Repent and believe the Gospel. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog and 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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