A Christian Perspective On Britney Spears Announcing She Is An Atheist

Recently, in an audio recording on 60 Minutes Australia, pop singer Britney Spears announced that she is now an atheist. Her reasoning for this new faith change was this:  

"God would not [have allowed] that to happen to me if God existed. I don't believe in God anymore because of the way my children and my family have treated me."

The first thing that I would like to say is that there is no such thing as a true atheist because Romans 1:18-33 is perfectly clear that God has revealed Himself to all people in such a way that no man has a defense for not worshiping Him. However, there are some things about this new revelation about Spears concerning mental health that many people really should consider. These points are: 

1) The way people treat one another can have a devastating impact one's mental health 

And 

2) As the Body of Christ, we need to do better in demonstrating love towards one another 

Studies have consistently shown that we are relational beings and the scriptures say the same thing. When God said that it was not good for man to be alone, it demonstrated that man was made a social creature. The implications of this is that words actually do hurt us, contrary to the old childhood saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me". Since we understand this fact, those of us who are Christians should make extra caution to show more love to one another because we do not want to be the reason a brother or sister in the faith is destroyed. Jesus tells us that our love for one another is how the world will know we are His disciples. He did not say that out doctrinal purity or superior morality is how the world will know but our love for each other is how the world will know. How has the Church as a whole fulfilled this task? 

Britney Spears has lived a rough life due to mental illness and the mistreatment of others and now she is revolting against the God she knows exist. It breaks my heart that there was not any good Christian examples in her life who can show her the true love of Christ but I know that God is good and God is just. She will be held accountable for her rebellion against Him unless she repents and places her faith in Jesus Christ. However, we as Christians need to be lifting her up in prayer and if we have the opportunity to ever run into her we need to share the love of Christ with her as we should be doing with every soul we encounter on this side of heaven. 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 

Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Please Check Out The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry

10 Things Every Christian Needs To Know About Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a very complex mental disorder and there is a lot of ignorance surrounding it too. In this blog I will give you ten facts that everyone needs to know concerning this disorder in the hopes that it will eliminate the stigma against it. However, before I do that I think a brief history of the origins of schizophrenia will suffice. The first recorded breakthrough of the discovery of Schizophrenia came in the 19th century from a doctor named Emil Kraeplin. He was the director of a psychiatric clinic at the university of Estonia. He originally used the term Dementia Praecox, or premature dementia. Even though his work was not finished, his discovery did begin to start to distinguish this disorder from other clinical mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder. Eventually, along came a man named Eugan Bleuler who would coin the term Schizophrenia after building upon Dr. Kraeplin's work. 

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These ten facts I will be sharing with you about Schizophrenia are not exhaustive and these are not the only facts either. However, these facts I feel are the most important for people to understand. If you or someone you know struggle with Schizophrenia, you will do well to keep these facts in mind. If you do this, then you will understand how this disease needs to be treated. After you read these facts, please comment below any other facts you should be shared. 

1) Schizophrenia Is Not Multiple Personality Disorder (AKA Disassociative Identity Disorder) 

This is probably the most commonly misunderstood fact. I have run into so many people who seem to confuse Schizopherenia with DID and I have to constantly correct them. At one time, the two were thought to be the same but in modern times we understand that these two are two entirely different and distinct mental disorders. We should not confuse one for the other anymore. People with Schizophrenia do not typically have multiple personalities. 

2) Schizophrenia Is On A Spectrum 

This is also a very important fact for people to remember because Schizophrenia does not affect all people the same exact way. Some of us only get paranoid while others only have hallucinations and delusions and some others will experience both. Some of us also have a mood disorder, such as depression or bipolar, combined with our schizophrenia. No two people with schizophrenia are quite alike. 

3) Schizophrenia Is Not Demonic 

This is probably the most infuriating fact that needs to be addressed because so many Christians seem to be under the impression that Schizophrenia is demon possession rather than a chemical imbalance in the brain. I understand that those who want to believe this nonsense are doing so because they want to spiritualized everything, but not everything needs to be spiritualized. We live in a broken and fallen world and because of that our bodies and brains are subject to decay. The idea that Schizophrenia is demonic is found nowhere in Scripture and it stems from the Roman Catholic Church. It is actually quite remarkable how much the biblical authors went out of their way to distinguish what they understood as "madness" from what they recognized as demon possession. 

4) Schizophrenia Can Lead Us Into Sin, But It Does Not Excuse Our Sin 

I understand that this statement can get me in some hot water with some of my more strict Christian brothers and sisters, but please hear me out. I am not by any means justifying sin. We have no excuse before God for our sin and rebellion against Him. However, Schizophrenia can provide the context for certain sins. For example, if I honestly believed that the CIA was watching my every move and that if I left my bed they would blow my house up, then I would not leave my bed. Laziness is a sin, but my delusion led me into that sin. 

5) Schizophrenia Can Be Managed Primarily Through Medication And Counseling 

I know that psychiatric medication and secular counseling is anathema in certain Christian circles, but people with Schizophrenia certainly do need them. It is actually very dangerous to tell us not to take medication and see a therapist because without them our illness will increasingly grow worse until we are either dead or in prison. 

6) Proper Diet And Exercise Can Help Symptoms 

It is a proven fact that with a proper diet and plenty of exercise, it will make it easier for us to manage our symptoms, but these should never replace medication and counseling. 

7) Schizophrenia Is Usually Hereditary And  Rarely Caused By Drug Abuse 

It is a known fact that Schizophrenia is passed through generations and some professionals have even speculated that it is passed through the mother's side of the family. Schizophrenia can be caused by excessive drug abuse, but it is not typical. 

8) Stress Exacerbates Schizophrenia Symptoms 

It is vitally important for those of us with Schizophrenia absolutely need to remain in low-stress environments. The reason for this is because stress often caused our hallucinations and delusions to become worse. 

9) On MRI Brain Scan, A Schizophrenic Brain Looks Significantly Different From A Normal Brain 

This is important because it proves that Schizophrenia is solely a brain disease. It is not some spiritual entity or force. It is a medical condition that needs to be treated medically. 

10) Hallucinations And Delusions Are Not Always Negative 

I often hear people question why our hallucinations and delusions often seem negative, but this is not always the case. There are many instances where our voices are friendly and are just providing commentary about our daily activities. There are other occasions where our delusions cause us to believe we are better than we are. Sometimes we even believe our hallucinations and delusions are causing us to be more in touch with the spirit realm. 

I hope that this blog has helped you better understand Schizophrenia and I hope that you will pass this on to someone else. Next time you come across someone with Schizophrenia, maybe you will keep these ten facts in mind as you communicate with them. 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 

Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check Out The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry

What Does It Mean That God Is Forever Pleased With Christians?

Many Christians deal with intense feelings of shame. They feel shame over their past or even current sins they commit. In this blog, I will be discussing how God is pleased with us so we do not need to feel ashamed. However, I would like to distinguish guilt from shame. The Holy Spirit convicts us of guilt when we sin in order to drive us to Christ. But, shame is a tool from the devil that is designed to destroy us. In Romans 1: 18-19 we read, 

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them" 

This text is a picture of the entire world. Every human being born into this world is born into sin because of our forefather Adam. This is the exact reason why the wrath of God is coming upon us because of our active rebellion against Him. If God would have chosen to leave us here, He would be perfectly good and perfectly just and perfectly loving. However, the Lord has not left us here. God came down as a man (Jesus Christ) in order to take the punishment that we deserve upon Himself on the cross and then He rose from the dead three days later. It is because of His resurrection that all those who are in Christ are new creations. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read, 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come" 

This is literally true for all who call upon the name of the Lord. It is not poetry! Since we are in Jesus Christ, we are no longer defined by our sin or even our past, but instead we are defined by who we are in Christ. 

In Matthew 2:16-17 we read of Jesus' baptism. In this account it says, 

"And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him, and a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased'." 

Also, in Galatians 4:4-7 we read, 

"But when the fullness of time has come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sins, God has sent his spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, 'ABBA Father!' So you are no longer a slave, and if a son, then an heir through God" 

In these two texts, we clearly see that just as God is well pleased with Christ, so is God well pleased with all who are called sons of God because of who we are in Christ. It is precisely this reason why the apostle Paul can tell us in Roman's 8:37-39, 

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" 

We can see here that nothing in all of creation will ever separate us from God's love for His people. Nothing will ever change this fact because God's word never changes. The Lord is forever pleased with us no matter what we do or say because of our standing in Christ. As a matter of fact, we even have the promise that God is currently working out everything in our lives for our good (Romans 8:28). 

I pray and hope that this blog blesses and edified all who read this. We can trust the Lord because He is always for us not against us. Please leave a comment below 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

Christian Response To Freud’s ID, Superego, and Ego Theory In Psychology

If you have had any kind of training in the discipline of Psychology, the chances that the name Sigmund Freud has come across your radar are very high. Freud is a very controversial figure in Christian circles because of his anti-Christian and sexualized views on the human nature. However, not everything Freud has taught was anti biblical. I believe that although he was an unregenerate man, he did have some keen insights into the human mind. But for those of who aren’t aware of who Sigmund Freud is, I will briefly explain him. Freud is considered to be one of the fathers of Psychology and Psychiatry, although his theories no longer are considered in modern Psychology and Psychiatry. I believe he was a Jewish man raised in the 1800’s but later rejected his Jewish heritage and all religion altogether and he even actively spoke against religion too. 

Anyways, so one of his theories that seems to hold any weight, at least scripturally is his theory on the ID, Superego, and Ego. What? Before I elaborate on this please let define what these terms mean. First off, Freud’s theory said that the human psyche is structured into three parts that are all developing at different stages in life and these three parts are systems and not parts of the brain. I will now tell how Freud defines these these three parts and then I will give the Christian Perspective On this theory. 

ID: Freud said that this is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories. 

Superego: Freud said that this is our moral conscience of how we know right from wrong. He would say this tries to restrain the ID. 

Ego: Freud said that this is the realistic part that mediates between the desires of the ID and the Superego. 

As I have already said, I believe that there is some validity to this theory and so let’s see what scripture says. If we turn to Galatians 5:19-20, we will read, 

“Now the works of the flesh are evident:  sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these” 

This certainly sounds like a descriptions of Freud’s ID! Then, when we turn to Romans 2:14-16 we will read, 

“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my Gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” 

Now, this is Freud’s Superego! It’s pretty remarkable how the Apostle Paul spoke about this thousands of years before Freud came onto the scene. As for the Christian Response, I don’t believe we as Christians should be attempting to mediate between our ID and Superego. Actually, according to Paul in Galatians 2:20, 

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” 

And also, 

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” 

As Christians who have been given a new nature in Christ, we are not to live in such a way that gratifies the ID, or flesh. But instead, we are to live as if we are dead to sin and alive in Christ. This means we must daily deny our desires every day in every moment. This is difficult work and honestly it is only possible to do if we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit. If we try to do this on our own strength we will fail. Philippians 2:12-13 tells us, 

“...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” 

The Holy Spirit is what gives us the desire to do God’s will and it is the Holy Spirit who causes us to fulfill God’s will too. This is why the process of sanctification is Monergistic, not synergistic. 

Thank you for reading my blog and I hope that you were edified. Please leave your comments below. May the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet

Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Please check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry website: https://www.christcenteredmentalhealth.org/

My Testimony Of How Jesus Christ Saved A God-Hating, Mentally Ill Rebel

When I say that I share a personal affinity with the Apostle Paul, I am not in any way saying that I am on his level nor am I implying that I am exactly  like him. I have never murdered any Christians in an attempt to wipe out the Christian Church. However, I can definitely relate to him  in the sense that I used to despise His people. I hated Christians because I openly hated Him. But, I am getting ahead of myself right now. My story starts in London, England on June 17th, 1988. I was born to Ching Chu Sarchet (Later to be named Ching Chu Claus) and Brian Sarchet. I don’t know anything about their marriage because my parents divorced when I was two-years-Old and I was raised by my mother. My mother and father and later my stepfather all had no religious affiliation, however my mother was raised Buddhist. She did her best to raise me to practice some Buddhist rituals such as anscestral rites but then she would also take me to Chinese Christian Churches too. My childhood was very tulmutous but it did have some good times. I was always very close to my mother because she was my best friend. 

However, my mother has put me through a lot but later I would find out she suffered from a mental disorder called schizoaffective disorder. Schizoaffective Disorder is Schizophrenia mixed with a mood disorder such as Bipolar or Depression. She never once acknowledged her mental illness nor did she ever desire to seek treatment for it either. As a result, her mind slowly detoriated to the point where at the end of her life all she did was talk to her voices in her head and smoke cigarettes. But, she did live a full life because she managed to marry three times and even ran her own martial arts studio at one time and she traveled the world too. Anyways, I digress. 

One summer on my 13th birth year, I was staying with my sister Virginia and her husband Ben for a two week vacation and they took me to their church. I do not remember much about the sermon but I do remember at the end the pastor gave an alter call and my sister asked me if I would like to give my life to Jesus. I did not yet understand what that meant but I thought that she wanted me to do that so I said yes for her sake. So we approached the alter and the pastor came up to me and led me in the Sinner’s Prayer. As we were praying that prayer, I snuck a peak at my sister and seen her crying. I did not understand why she was crying because I thought this is what she wanted! Even though I didn’t fully understand what was going on, I believe that it was at this time the Lord took ahold of my life and led me on the path towards a sold out life for Him. 

One night after I returned home to my parents I remember I was eavesdropping on a phone call between my mom and a 9–1-1 operator and she was requesting an officer come by to give her and I a lethal injection. I didn’t know exactly what a lethal injection was at the time but I knew it had to do with dying. I decided at that moment that I wanted to die with my mom so I spoke up and told the dispatcher exactly that. She immediately sent out an officer at that moment. The officer eventually took my mom and myself to the local Colorado Springs, Colorado crisis center where we were both eventually put in mental hospitals. I was sent to Pueblo State Hospital and she was at a hospital called The Lighthouse. 

Eventually, I was sent into foster care where I was in the house of a man and woman named Randy and Carolyn Lugenbeel and all of a sudden I was around seven or eight other guys! This was a shock to me because I was used to being the only child so it took me a long while to adjust. In God’s sovereign providence, He made sure I was put into the custody of godly foster parents who always treated me well. However, this was the time my own hallucinations began. I would Frequently see a giant fly laughing at me. My depression really started to take affect too and I was eventually put on antidepressants. These did nothing for me, except cause me to gain weight. 

At the age of fifteen, I was sent into my biological father’s custody in California. I admit when I heard he lived in California, I had high hopes for a luxurious lifestyle because at the time I really glamourized California, but I was in for a rude awakening. My father lived in an old trailer that was dirty with my younger brother and two dogs. My half brother may have been younger than me but he was more mature than me and stronger than me so I instantly began to look up to him as if he were my older brother. I wanted to look, act, and dress just like him, which eventually got on his nerves. Needless to say, him and I would get into a lot of arguments which would end with him wanting to fight me and I would always back down. My father would frequently instigate us to fight each other. My father also kept boxes and boxes of pornographic magazines around the trailer where we had easy access to them. This is where I had my first experience looking at the naked female body and I became obsessed. My father also tried to get my brother and I to drink alcohol at one time he too. 

Eventually, my Depression came back because I started comparing myself to my brother. I literally felt inferior to him in every way. It was during this time I decided to attempt to take my life. After that failed and I came home from the hospital, I decided to start cutting my arms. The rush I felt when I cut my arms was exhilarating! Eventually, I was sent back to the hospital, where my father visited me and called me “f*kin stupid” in front of the whole hospital. I decided at that moment to tell the staff that if they sent me back to him I will run away. The staff notified CPS and since the State of California did not want to deal with that they sent me back to Colorado. I eventually went back to Randy and Carolyn. 

Later, my caseworker and guardian ad litem wanted to try to send me into the custody of my sister Virginia but when that failed, I felt utterly alone and rejected by everyone. I felt as if no one loved me and so I decided that the only way to get people to love me is by making them think I was a hero. So I decided to set a fire inside my foster home. I thought if I could rescue everyone then they would love me. As a result, I wound up in a juvenile detention center and later a youth treatment center for two and a half years. 

During this time, the Lord really was with me because even in detention He made sure I had some godly influence in my life. However, it was during this time that I was diagnosed with Bipolar Type 2 Disorder. I felt an immediate shame and anger. I was ashamed to be labeled as mentally ill and I was angry at my mom. But then later that anger turned towards God. I couldn’t understand why God would give me a mental illness. I knew I couldn’t do anything to Him so I decided to take out my anger on His people. I would go to the Wednesday night Bible study to play “stump the teacher” where I would intentionally ask him questions I knew he couldn’t answer in order to make him look foolish. I would make fun of and ridicule my peers who were Christian and I even would speak blasphemies against God. It was during this time, I suffered a delusion where I believed I was the antichrist and I would see a hallucination of a man named Tom. Tom would Frequently tell me to do things to get me in trouble with the staff. I also started cutting myself again. I also developed bisexual attractions too. 

After I got out of the treatment center at the age of 19, I had to go to a group home. This also was the Lord’s providence because at the time I was institutionalized for so long that I wouldn’t have made it very long if I was out on my own. The group was a former church in Canon City, Colorado so it still had a cross imprint above the front door and across the street was a church with a huge cross in its front yard. So every day when I would go outside or inside I would see the cross, which would annoy me. I ended up hating God even more while I was there. One time I yanked the Bible out of a staff member’s hands and ripped it up and threw it back at him. And I even manipulated a mentally disabled boy into snorting laundry detergent too. My hatred for God and people knew no bounds, but God was patient with me. Eventually, I was able to move out into my first apartment. 

One day I remember I was on the porch of my apartment complex when the Mormons came to visit me. I knew nothing about the Mormons at the time but I decided to study the Bible for the sole purpose of refuting them. However, the Lord used that point to draw me to Himself and I finally surrendered my life to Him. I started to attend a local Vineyard Church and I got plugged into a home Bible study where I made some connections with people whom I communicate with to this day. 

The Lord eventually led me into studying apologetics which in turn led me to Reformed Theology and now I attend a Reformed Presbyterian Church with my beautiful and supporting wife. 

I have recently been diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder Bipolar Type 1 but I am on the right medication that helps keep me stable. Through everything The Lord has been a faithful Father to me and He has proven His word to be true in my life. Romans 8:28 is my life verse because I now realize that all things do truly work out for the good of those who loved God. These days, I am a mental health advocate in the Body of Christ and I founded the Christ-Centered Mental Health ministry where we focus on bringing the Gospel to the mentally ill community while educating the Church on mental health awareness. My mom and stepdad have passed away but I had the privilege of leading them to the Lord before they died so I fully expect to be reunited with them one day. My biological father and I are not close but we still talk from time to time. I don’t hold any anymosity towards him but I do pray for his salvation all the time. God is good. The Lord has taken some one who was once a blasphemer and pursecutor Of His people and turned him into a sold out defender of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who loves the Lord as much as he can. My life isn’t perfect by any means but I look forward to His return when I will reign with Him on the New Heaven and New Earth where there will be no more sin, sorrow, suffering or death. What a glorious time that will be! Soli Deo Gloria! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 

Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check Out The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry: https://www.christcenteredmentalhealth.org/

watch the full version of my testimony here

What Is True Love?

In a previous blog, I presented a compelling case establishing how unbelievers are incapable of real genuine love according to the Bible. However, the question that should be raised is “Well, what is real love?” As I have said before we live in a culture that uses the word “love” very flippantly without regard for its actual meaning. We say we “love” just about anything or anyone these days. Although, we use the word all the time in our language, many of us do not even have a proper knowledge of what love is while at the same time we idolize the concept of love. Many in our culture seem to think that love is only mere emotion and others seem to believe that love is some kind Of ubiquitous force that is “bigger than the two of us”. My concern in this blog is to present what God’s word says real love is and that is what I intend to do here. Pastor Voddie Baucham once said, 

“Biblical love is an act of the will, accompanied by emotion, that is directed onto its object” 

Love, according to biblical standards is first and foremost a choice not emotion but that doesn’t mean it is devoid of emotion. The text that I would like to cover in this blog is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. I am sure you’re familiar with this passage but I think we should look at it again with fresh eyes and then I will break it down for you afterwards. I would like to note that as I am going through text, you may get discouraged because you will realize that you don’t love the way God says you should love. That is perfectly fine because for those of us who are in Christ there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). We need to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ because as God He perfectly embodies exactly what love truly is. As we keep our focus on Him, and let the Holy Spirit sanctify us, we will naturally become more loving. Anyways, so 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says, 

“Love is patient; love is kind, Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 

I will now expound on each of these point by point: 

•Love Is Patient 

Real love requires us to always remain calm in every and all circumstances and to make every attempt to see the other person’s perspective as more important and valid than our own. 

•Love Is Kind 

Real love requires us to never speak a mean word to another, either out of anger or joking. Actually, real love requires that we never get unrighteously angry towards another. 

•Love Does Not Envy 

Real Love requires us to always consider others as more important and more deserving than ourselves. 

•It Is Not Conceited 

Real love requires that we always remain humble and teachable in all circumstances. 

•Does Not Act Improperly 

Real love requires us to always behave in an appropriate manner and with honesty and integrity in all circumstances Coarse joking and crude humor really has no place in real love. 

•Is Not Selfish 

Real love requires us to sacrifice ALL our needs and desires for another person. Love demands us to consider others as much more important than ourselves and that we never think more highly of ourselves than we ought. 

•Is Not Provoked 

Real love requires us to always maintain self-control and never lash out in anger. We should never be prone to unrighteousness anger. 

•Does Not Keep A Record Of Wrongs 

Real love requires us to always be quick and ready to forgive another regardless of whether or not they ask for forgiveness. 

•Finds No Joy In Unrighteousness, But Rejoices With The Truth 

Real love requires us to never be happy with sin and will never encourage nor lead one into sin. The whole “ride or die” mentality is not real love. 

•Bears All Things 

Real love requires that you continue to love another regardless of of circumstance. 

• Believes All Things 

Real love requires you to look to the best in another  person at all times and never to focus on their negative traits. 

•Hopes All Things 

Real love requires you to always remain optimistic about the other person and the future. 

•Endures All Things 

Real love requires that you continue loving no matter regardless of how you are treated. 

•Love Never Ends 

Real love requires you to remain consistent in your love. You shouldn’t be loving one day and then take a break the next day. Love needs to remain consistent. 

I know this sets the bar really high and it’s meant to show you that absolutely none of us actually fulfill this standard perfectly. I know I sure don’t. However, this is why we all need Jesus Christ because as the man who is fully God He demonstrated for us exactly what real love is when The Lord took our punishment upon Himself on the cross. Afterwards, the Lord rose from the dead in order to give us new life in Him. Anyone be trusts in Jesus Christ will become a new creation with a new heart and desires. Only then will we be able to love people and love God the way we were created to be. 

I hope you found this edifying to you and I thank you for taking the time to read this blog. Please leave your comments below. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless you all! 

-David Lee Chu Sarchet 

Christian Mental Health Advocate 

Check Out The Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website: https://www.christcenteredmentalhealth.org/

Do Unbelievers Love People?

Love is such a popular word in our culture. Everyone throws around the “L Word” so Frequently that it has almost lost its meaning anymore. People say they “love” their spouse and they “love” their cat and they “love” their car. However, when you ask these same people what exactly is love and very few people will be able to give you a cogent answer. Some people think that love is a feeling. These people talk as if one can be “in love” one day and then the next day they may “fall out of love”. Other people define love as some kind ubiquitous force of nature. These people talk about love as if it is something that just overwhelms an individual and at that moment they may act irrationally. Romantic comedies are notorious for portraying this version of love. However, what exactly is Love? Well, God’s word gives us a completely different picture of what love actually is. In a later blog, I will talk about how the Bible defines love but for the sake of this blog, I will focus on whether or not Unbelievers are even capable of the kind of love that God defines is love. In order to do this I will use the Heidelberg Catechism as my guide. In Lord’s Day 2 it says, 

Q. Can you keep all these things (referring to the law) perfectly? 

A. In no wise, for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbor 

Now, my question for to consider is this: if this is true for a regenerate believer who has been born again of the Spirit, how much more true is this of the unregenerate who does not have the Spirit of God? 

However, I know that you probably want to see what Holy Scripture has to say on this subject. Very well, then, let’s turn to 2 Timothy 3:1-5 which says, 

“But understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, nor loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people.” 

If this isn’t enough for you, let’s read Romans 1:28-32 which says, 

“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, coveteousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practiced them.” 

In just these two texts we see that the Apostle Paul is describing all of humanity but especially the unregenerate. As we can see the unregenerate are not capable of actual real love as defined by God. What is this love? As I said earlier, I will talk about that in my next blog, but for now it will suffice for me to share with you the scripture that most famously talks about what real and genuine love is. Later I will expound on this text though. The text I am referring to is 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and it says, 

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.” 

As we can clearly see that the unregenerate are characterized as being the exact opposite of what God’s word defines love to be. In other words, Unbelievers do not love anyone nor are they capable of loving anyone. As a matter of fact, Unbelievers hate everyone, including their own family and friends. Why do Unbelievers have such a strong hatred for human beings? It is because they know that human beings are made in the Imago Dei and they hate God Himself. I fully understand that this is a hard pill to swallow because it’s difficult to think about how one’s own unbelieving family and friends hate them but it is what is clearly taught in Holy Scripture. Does this mean that unbelievers are incapable of doing nice things for people? Absolutely not! Unbelievers do nice things for people all the time. However, even when they do nice things for someone, the charitable act is always tainted by a heart full of wickedness and hate for the person and they only do nice things for people for recognition either from their friends and family and/or their overall society.  For example, an unbeliever can help an old woman across the street and that seemingly innocent act is good but at the same time the unbeliever is secretly hating that old woman. The only reason that unbeliever may be helping her is so that later he can relate that story to his family and they can tell him how much of a wonderful person he is. If it was not for the Holy Spirit restraining the evil hearts of man, that unbeliever would just as quickly murder her in cold blood. 

You may ask me, then, how should we then respond to our unbelieving friends and family who hate us? Fortunately, both Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul answer this question for us. In Matthew 5:44-45 Jesus says, 

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” 

And Paul takes this thought further in Romans 12:14-21 when he says, 

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them... repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to what is honorable in the sight of all... Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay’ says the Lord’. To the contrary, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink, for by doing so you will heap burning coals onto his head’. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

You may ask me now, “If unbelievers hate everyone, does this include my psychiatrist and psychologist”?  Well, according to God’s word, yes it does if they are not saved. However, this shouldn’t discourage you from trusting them to treat you well though. I say that you can trust your mental health professionals to still provide you with good service for mainly two reasons. The first reason is because the Holy Spirit is currently restraining the evil in their hearts so that they cannot unleash all their hatred all at once. Since they have the Natural Law written on their hearts and minds, they are still capable of knowing what is morally right and wrong and how to live according to what is right. The second reason you can still trust them is because as selfish individuals they care immensely about their pocketbook and their own reputation. This means that they will do their best to offer you good service in hopes that you in turn will give them a good review and that will keep people coming to see them and thus continue earning them a paycheck. I know this sounds bleak but until the Lord Jesus Christ decides to regenerate their hearts that is where they are at, but this is why we should be all the more eager to share the Gospel with our mental health professionals! 

Thanks for reading this blog and I hope that this has been a blessing to you. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 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: https://www.christcenteredmentalhealth.org/