Biblical Faith and Depression

Saved and Bound

Foreword

The author of this essay* is certainly not qualified to teach. He will never have that gift in a local church (Ephesians 4:11-16). However, in the general context of Colossians 3:16 he hopes his knowledge and opinions will be useful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16, NET Bible

If you don't agree that the Bible is the final authority in our local churches, you may find this work challenging.

Life is short,
Death is sure,

Sin the cause,
Christ the cure.

Maybe you don't know much about the Gospel message. What does it really mean to believe in Christ and be "saved"? In a way the Gospel message is bittersweet, like life itself. Arguably, it's best summed up in this quote from John 3 in the Bible:

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him...The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

If you believe Christ's Gospel message you will have eternal life and be delivered from God's anger.

God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself...we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
From 2 Corinthians 5

* AI was not used.

* * *

1: I Have Had Enough Troubles

Bible Reading:

Psalm 88 (Christian Standard Bible)

1 Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out before you day and night.
2 May my prayer reach your presence; listen to my cry.
3 For I have had enough troubles, and my life is near Sheol.
4 I am counted among those going down to the Pit. I am like a man without strength,
5 abandoned among the dead. I am like the slain lying in the grave, whom you no longer remember, and who are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit, in the darkest places, in the depths.
7 Your wrath weighs heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have distanced my friends from me; you have made me repulsive to them. I am shut in and cannot go out.
9 My eyes are worn out from crying. Lord, I cry out to you all day long; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Will your faithful love be declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Will your wonders be known in the darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?
13 But I call to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer meets you.
14 Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 From my youth, I have been suffering and near death. I suffer your horrors; I am desperate.
16 Your wrath sweeps over me; your terrors destroy me.
17 They surround me like water all day long; they close in on me from every side.
18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me; darkness is my only friend.

* * *

Here in the UK the NHS website offers the following definition of depression:

Depression is a low mood that can last a long time, or keep returning, affecting your everyday life. The psychological symptoms of depression include:

continuous low mood or sadness
feeling hopeless and helpless
having a low self-esteem
feeling tearful
feeling guilt-ridden
feeling irritable and intolerant of others
having no motivation or interest in things
finding it difficult to make decisions
not getting any enjoyment out of life
feeling anxious or worried
having suicidal thoughts or thoughts of harming yourself

Sadly, these symptoms sometimes affect those who call themselves Christians. They are mentally injured. A major cause of my depression was a hyper sensitivity to aggravation and anxiety. My dark moods were triggered by the following:

unexpected loss and grief
watching loved ones suffer and die
irritating and persistent distractions
severe loneliness
sleeplessness
endless problem-solving
illnesses and pain
doctors, dentists, hospitals, etc.
all kinds of authority
bad choices
contention
threats
confrontation
fear of the unknown

From time to time some of these would fuse together in a rush, or over time stack up in suffocating layers to the point where I could barely make it through the day. Some nights I went to bed wishing the morning would never come. My fragile mind was pushed to the edge of despair—or so it seemed to me. To be honest, there were a few times when I lost control and ended up on the floor. Nobody but God saw it, but others on the street probably heard it. I wasn't always screaming on the inside.

My smothering gloominess didn't always have a clear cause, but it was at its worst when I lost my wife and father one year after the other. I was traumatized by the finality of the two deaths and the suffering that preceded them. I was devastated by the sudden absence of love, comfort and companionship, and I was convinced that I should never be in love again. (I still am.) Bizarrely, I remember thinking over and over again, if there was such a thing as a button on the wall that would make me vanish forever, I would press it hard, no hesitation—just selfishly say goodbye to everything.

If there was such a thing as a button on the wall that would make me vanish forever, I would press it hard

This oppressive mental condition seemed to be a lot more than the broken spirit we read about in the Bible, Psalm 51 for example (see part 2 below). Most of the time I wasn't offering to God a broken and humbled heart, that's for sure. I saw life itself as my enemy and despised it intensely. I was falling apart and often hiding my misery behind a mask. Acting in this way is very stressful. For various deeply embedded reasons, or for no clear reason at all, this mental instability still threatens me today. Sometimes I'm uncomfortably close to that dark, threatening place.

Everyday life brings tension and trouble. Nobody escapes for long. It can seem like life fights us every step of the way, even in the small things. Some of our struggles can be very severe and prolonged. My pastor used to tell us, “It's the nature of life to have storms.” How right he was. There are many reasons for these storms.

Some of us know from awful experience that nothing complicates our lives like people. Throughout our lives only a few will be lovingly treasured and remembered. But it's a big ask loving and forgiving those we just can't be bothered with. Spiteful people at work, or some of those among family and friends, can make our lives miserable for years. Other difficulties that tear at our lives are often caused by the bad choices we make and our lapses into sinful behaviour. Have you been damaged by these?

Sin and its consequences are a huge problem for many believers in our local churches, including those in leadership. It has always been this way. Sin causes a weight of oppression that can shatter the mind and choke out the vital hope of faith. A broken mind stifles faith and opens the door to further messy behaviour, and that in turn oppresses us even more.

On and on it goes. Like a lost soul wandering around in circles in the dark, many get caught in a damaging cycle of irresponsible compromises, addictions, sudden mood swings, meltdowns. Eventually they are crushed by feelings of hopelessness, and unfulfilled hope is soul-destroying.

There are true believers not that far from us who are almost suicidal because they have been trapped in a downward spiral of self-destruction, futility and misery. It's likely they have no spiritual covering because they don't attend a local church. Some can't open up and share the mental mess they are in, or they have convinced themselves that there's no point because no one cares.

May I humbly offer some advice based on tough experiences? If you belong to Christ, make sure you have fully understood what it means to hate sin. You might think that's obvious, but some people have never fully grasped the seriousness of sin. Others have a compromised conscience and can't see their sinful behavior for what it is. So take the time to familiarise yourself with what the Bible teaches about sin.

Simply put, sin is doing what God says is wrong. Your very thoughts can be sinful (consider Matthew 5:28), so it pays to scan the Bible to see what God commends and detests. Keep in mind that sin and all the ways of self—your flesh and its deeds—are contrary to His righteous, holy nature.

Make sure you have fully understood what it means to hate sin

Sin has sharp teeth that can tear your life apart. Don't toy with it. Put sin to death in your life. Take it seriously, and when it heads in your direction, run as far from it as you can. If you stumble, even in the little things, turn away quickly from your wrongdoing and trust God for his loving favour and restoration. Because you are secure in Christ, you will be fully forgiven.

The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness follows your direct confession to God. No one can do it for you. Take the time to read 1st John 1:9 in context. Also read Psalm 107. Can you see yourself in it? I certainly can. Don’t end up in chains, sitting in darkness and gloom because you rebelled against God’s commands and despised His counsel.

You may have already experienced how sin can make you emotionally uptight. More serious sins can shatter your world and will probably hurt family and friends around you. Sinful rebellion often results in deplorable hypocrisy—a double life—and can lead to a ruined reputation that tarnishes Christ's name (consider Philippians 2:9). Those who claim to follow Christ must learn to recognise sin in its early beguiling stages. Don't wink at it. Stop it dead and reach out for help if you need it.

Dishonourable desires, the passions of your flesh, can quickly rise up to fight your integrity. The urges of your lower nature will always be ready to "battle against" your soul (1 Peter 2:11, NET). When fully grown, sin is a powerful corrupting force that will hold you back in your walk of faith with Christ. The consequences of wrongdoing will vary, but you will surely reap what you sow:

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8, Amplified Bible

Think too about these Bible verses:

Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James 4:17

If our hearts don’t condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive whatever we ask from him because we keep his commands and do what is pleasing in his sight.

1 John 3:21-22

Don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30

Regardless of how the white coats professionally define depression, this is what it means to me: I felt deeply oppressed. In my life experience the word oppression seems to make more sense to me than depression. When my mind was disjointed or crushed, it seemed there was always a dark oppressive shadow lurking ahead, or a sinister enemy lying in wait around the next bend on life’s road. In this condition, on life's demanding journey, my faith would shrink and become powerless. My potential in Christ was often on pause. When depressed believers are trapped and passive, their faith will surely shrink.

When depressed believers are trapped and passive, their faith will surely shrink

Chemicals in pills didn't work well for me. That's the way it is with some people. Others seem to be helped a lot. Naturally speaking, it's a mistake to glibly dismiss the importance of medication as some do. I was on and off antidepressants several times without any clear effects one way or the other. In fact, I came off them much too quickly on three occasions. That's no boast, but it made no tangible difference to my mental health. Doctors tell us that we would feel that bit worse without them. Well okay, but I'm not convinced that applies to everybody.

Christ taught that few find the way that leads to life (Matthew 7:14), and although many are called to faith, it is few who are chosen (22:14). So it's likely your therapist or doctor is in the majority—spiritually dead. He or she could never understand that so-called depression will cause sharp pangs of self-reproach that are unique to those who are born again. And it's fair to say that believing doctors would cross a line professionally if they shared biblical truth with patients.

In mainstream healthcare contexts, what mental health program, or how many therapy sessions with counsellors, would ever meet any deep spiritual need? It’s impossible. Very few professionals know what “spiritual” really means. The rest won't care, and that's understandable—their focus needs to be elsewhere. (Consider John 3:5-8 for insight into the spiritual realm.)

Medication can't mend those who feel guilty and unhappy because their faith in Christ is faltering and ineffective. Drugs for our brains won't enable us to enjoy a deep and victorious faith in Christ. Chemical changes won't defeat doubt and lead to spiritual growth and godly zeal. Our prayer life won't thrive because of antidepressants. For that we need a surrendered life and the work of the Holy Spirit.

There is no spiritual connection between fixing problems of the mind and nurturing a person's faith so that he can experience an ongoing communion with Christ. On the contrary, mental therapy and medication may encourage us to have confidence in the flesh and to become lovers of self, pleasure and the things of the world.

Mental therapy and medication may encourage us to have confidence in the flesh

Will faith be more productive because our brains have been medicated and our minds trained by unbelieving counsellors? Is it guaranteed that our daily walk of faith will be strengthened because we become healthy in body and mind and have no big problems to stress over? Is there a link between our natural condition and our spiritual potential? No. In fact, weakness and adversity in the believer's life can become a source of strength. For example, consider the full implications of 2 Corinthians 12:6-10.

It would be wonderful if feeling good made it more likely I would thrive spiritually in Christ. But how can that be? There's no doubt that feeling good lifts and soothes the soul (self). But my "inner man" won't be touched. In fact, good feelings and a heightened positivity may work against my spiritual needs which are wholly faith-based. Believers need to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in their inner being:

I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19

True spiritual direction and healing always draws us closer to Christ. We must intentionally abide in Him, for without Him we can do nothing (see John 15:1-8). We are spiritually alive in Him, whereas those who are spiritually dead can have no relationship with Him at all, and therefore cannot offer the spiritual guidance and insight we need. They are spiritually blind (2 Corinthians 4:4) and are unwittingly led by a different power (consider Ephesians 2:1-10).

Do mental health fixes encourage future dependency on Christless solutions? When people's lives are one again upended in all kinds of disruptive contexts, when they are desperate, addicted, suffering from panic and paranoia, when they are overcome by anger issues, or are spiritless and overwhelmed by pointlessness—it’s then they will want to reach out for medication and return to the comfort of therapy as soon as possible.

This should concern us, but it's not to suggest that serious conditions never need professional intervention. On rare occasions some people are a danger to themselves or others. The point I'm making is this: genuine believers must acknowledge the sufficiency and provision of Christ in their lives through the work of the Holy Spirit according to God's written Word.

I'm sure there are Christians who would tell us that they were greatly helped by medication and counselling. They were able to deal with damaging issues in their history. It equipped them with practical strategies for managing daily life. It turned their lives around and enabled them to prioritize their beliefs and enjoy expressing them once more. They were able to return to church life and are now actively involved each week.

In what way does God's living truth transform our experience?

But in the first instance, even from the point of their salvation on, wouldn't Christ himself have been enough? Wouldn't Christ have been an ongoing source of strength and mental stability? Or is this an insensitive and tactless way to express biblical truths?

2nd Timothy 1:7 (below) is God-breathed revelation. What should depressed Christians make of it? How can they apply it to their daily lives? In what way does God's living truth transform their experience? What about Isaiah 26:3-4? By faith these truths can be powerfully active within all those who belong to Christ (consider Hebrews 4:12).

God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

2 Timothy 1:7, Amplified Bible

You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace [Lit peace, peace, a Hebrew idiom of emphasis], for it is trusting in you.

Isaiah 26:3

In Christian therapy provided through a local church, the counsellor's private relationship with Christ is vital. Church leaders will recognise how important it is that their therapists, of all people, are spiritually mature. Counsellors should also be grounded in the fullness of Scripture and be able to use it accurately. Scripture is God-breathed and authoritative like nothing else. Properly shared it is profitable, corrective, enabling and perfecting (consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Those who go for Christian mental therapy need counsellors who are humbly walking in the light and in the Spirit. Can they maturely impart the mind and transformative wisdom of Christ? Spiritual maturity and wisdom are crucial in the local church. Stop here to consider 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 and Galatians 6:1. The spiritually mature are needed to instruct the weak and explain "spiritual things to spiritual people" (1 Corinthians 2:13, CSB).

In our modern age it's widely accepted that we should turn to healthcare services to treat our mental illnesses. But Christians should remember that faith is strengthened and "renewed" in our "inner person" (consider 2 Corinthians 4:16, CSB) throughout times of weakness, adversity, persecution, and God’s loving discipline and correction. Affliction should be used to reinforce our relationship with God and strengthen our hope in Christ (consider Psalm 119:67; 75). Here is a pathway from troubles to reassuring hope:

Affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:3-5

Our many weaknesses, afflictions and trials can be used to keep us from going astray. They are a good teacher! God's discipline is very real and very good for us, although we may wonder about that at the time. It is corrective, forming Christ-likeness within us, step by painful step. We need God's discipline. We must learn how to use adversity to enrich and strengthen our faith in Christ.

Depression is a potentially serious faith issue for those who have trusted in Christ. They are very special. They are a new creation and have a unique identity: they are the children of God; they are the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit; in local churches they are the body of Christ on earth; they have been rescued from the mire of their sins and sinful nature; they have been delivered from the devil's world; they have been saved from God's coming wrath.

I cannot escape the straightforward biblical truth that having this identity, my faith should bring inner strength, hope and reassurance to my day-to-day experiences. When this doesn't happen, there is something in the way.

No matter how black your past, according to God's Word, the following is your present truth. How do you realise your purpose and peace in Christ? Christ-centred godliness should be great gain when it's accompanied by contentment. I should be content in my weaknesses and in whatever circumstances I find myself. Christ gives his peace to me.

Peace comes to those who do good in Christ. The kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. There is joy and peace in believing. God brings peace not confusion. The fruit of the Spirit is joy and peace. The peace of God which surpasses all comprehension should guard my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.

There is joy and peace in believing. God brings peace not confusion

These are all truths from the Bible. At the risk of repeating myself over and over, what medication can offer a fraction of all that? What unbelieving doctor or counsellor would have a clue what all that even means? They would consider it religious mumbo jumbo. But an abiding contentment in Christ will stand firm against oppression and the dark clouds of emotional heaviness that so often burden our minds.

There is a big difference between belonging to Christ and actively and willingly abiding in Him as He taught us. Without him we can do nothing. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. But surely in a unique way He makes his home in us when we willingly abide—remain—in Him, when we are consciously and deliberately under the control of his Spirit. It is then we are transformed by His presence within.

Self must be denied. You must put your hand to the plough and not look back. The old man, the wayward impulses of your fallen nature, the works of the flesh—these must be identified and spiritually subdued in Christ. You must remain in Him by his Spirit. He empowers you to overcome self and to defeat sin.

Do we really believe that through Christ we can do whatever it is he has called us to do, even in our bleakest of days? Through those severe trials that aren't our fault, do we believe that the mindset of the Spirit within us is continually life and peace?

There is yet another dimension to the pressure true Christians experience. In this present evil age we must always remember that we have an active spiritual enemy. We must take to heart the truth of Ephesians 6. True believers will always experience a struggle against the spiritual forces of wickedness. This cannot be avoided.

These days I seldom look at Christian literature, but recently I read the following by Vance Havner:

Satan and his legions are out to disable the body, deceive the mind, and discourage the spirit. Some he devours as a roaring lion. Some he leads astray as an angel of light. Others he besets as the accuser. He attacks through morals, through the mind, through moods.

Have you read Ephesians 6 recently? This passage teaches something very different to the Hollywood fantasy rubbish that distorts and obscures spiritual truths. We are wrestling with "evil, spiritual forces" that are "in the heavens."

What impact will these hidden cosmic forces of darkness have on someone whose mind is rarely renewed, who is winking at sin, who shows no interest in the authority of God's Word, who is being wooed by the ways of the world, who has been spoon-fed at church meetings for decades?

Hollywood fantasy rubbish... distorts and obscures spiritual truths

In this world we will face many severe trials and difficulties, but He has overcome and we are in Him. Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).

Under the direction of God's Spirit the apostle Paul described what abiding looks like in a fully surrendered life that suffers the hardest of trials. He wrote:

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that Jesus’s life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh…

Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

From 2 Corinthians 4

Take time today to think deeply about things that are eternal. Set your mind on things above. Do it often. How can the bitter ways of depression defeat us when we are living in full, unbroken fellowship with Christ?

2: The Pain of Hypocrisy and Rebellion

Why we need "integrity in the inner self"

Bible Readings

Psalm 51 (Christian Standard Bible)

1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.
2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge.
5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt.
10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God— God of my salvation— and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Galatians 5:16-25 (Christian Standard Bible)

Walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things — as I warned you before — that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

* * *

The Bible is overflowing with divine instruction. It teaches born again believers God’s will and fully explains how they must think and behave. Christians belong to Christ and are His representatives in this world. But when God’s people turn away from Him, even for a short time, they are allowing self and their flesh—their fallen nature—to get the upper hand. Nothing good will come from that. When we mess up we drag ourselves down and can no longer walk in God's ways.

Those who have been badly hurt by Christian hypocrites, both privately and through a local church, know there can be no excuse for disgraceful behaviour. Nobody can get away with blaming others, or the pervasive inclinations of their flesh, for their awful sins. The Bible makes it perfectly clear where the blame lies. There are strong words about guilt:

Each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.
James 1:14-15

Given enough time the rebellious Christian hypocrite will bring shame and all kinds of miseries down on his own head. One thing surely leads to another—he may well end up feeling oppressed and mentally disturbed (or depressed). He will probably drag others into the mess he has made. He may find himself impaled on crushing dilemmas that keep him mired in uncomfortable compromises. In this sombre state his thoughts may turn to self-harm.

The root cause of his pain is found in his fallen nature

The root cause of his pain is found in his fallen nature that surfaces from deep within. The believer's flesh is an in-built force that would pull him away from God’s will. Rather than denying himself and keeping his hand to the plough, he is enticed by sin and the world. Instead of hungering and thirsting for righteousness he is compromised by the works of the flesh. Consider carefully what Jesus has taught us:

“For out of the heart come wicked thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, adulteries, thefts, false testimony, slanders, murders, acts of greed, destructive wickedness, as well as lying, indecent conduct, envy, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (based on Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:20-23, from various translations).

Can this really be true of those who belong to Christ? Galatians 5:16-25 confirms the ongoing contention that exists in the believer's nature. From time to time we may experience an intense conflict between the righteousness that pleases God and the works of the flesh that would suppress godly zeal, pollute our thinking and make the devil’s world around us an attractive place to live.

Those who struggle against the ways of the flesh are not the same as those who habitually practise them. The ongoing practising of the works of the flesh will keep people from inheriting God’s kingdom. A similar list of fleshly behaviour is found in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Those whose lives are characterised by these practices "...will not inherit God’s kingdom." That point is made twice to drive home God's unyielding rejection of sinful behaviour.

Fundamentally the distinction here is a matter of identity. Those who habitually practise such deeds are shut out. But in verse 11 we see how our radical new identity in Christ intrinsically changes our behaviour and thinking: "And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified ['set apart for God, and made holy,' (Amplified Bible)], you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." It is this new life and identity in Christ that cause the contention we read about in Galatians 5.

Psalm 51 also illustrates the damage that’s caused when we are overcome by the impulses of our fallen nature and rebel against God. It's all about a shameful separation between God and the man He had chosen to serve Him (see 1 Samuel 13:14). It's about a broken and humbled heart that experiences God's righteous displeasure against sin. But it also emphasises the cleansing of God's forgiveness and the joyful restoration that follows the crushing weight of separation, guilt and sorrow.

The joyful restoration that follows the crushing weight of separation, guilt and sorrow

Some may hesitate to say that true believers are capable of rebelling against God. Some may disagree that those who are handed over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5) can in time be fully forgiven and restored, and can someday testify with an authority that will correct others who sin and rebel.

Whatever our opinions may be, the behaviour of those who insult God's grace should lead us to consider the obligations of salvation and the fullness of forgiveness. Recklessly disregarding God's commands ultimately brings into sharp focus all the disciplines of faith we are taught about in Scripture. The faith we live by fully defines how we think and behave. It should affect every area of our lives all the time.

You may take the view that the defiant sinful behaviour you see in others simply proves they never truly belonged to Christ—theirs was an empty profession, a shallow and emotion-driven commitment that is so often associated with altar calls and the like. You may be convinced that the rebellious, who previously attended church faithfully, and claimed to follow Him, are those who are now trampling on the son of God (see Hebrews 10:29; 31).

You may conclude that those who are so clearly entangled in sin have fallen away from God's grace and cannot now be renewed to repentance (consider the contrast between Hebrews 6:4-6 and 12:1). Perhaps you believe it's wrong to apply the likes of Psalm 51 in the Old Testament to God's saints in the church today, His chosen people who have been born again, who are secure in Christ, who have the Holy Spirit living within.

Let's ask a couple of important questions: can those who are held in Christ's hand deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth (see Hebrews 10:26-27)? Can they fall away into everlasting punishment? Many believe that those who are born again may fall into serious sins that tear up their lives.

However, because they belong to Christ they will not be able to sin indefinitely. Habitual, deeply ingrained sin will be impossible (consider the implications of 1 John 3:9 below). Habitual sin is not consistent with the new identity they received when they believed in Christ. After all, they are no longer spiritually dead. They are not lost in sins.

Everyone who has been born of God does not sin, because his seed remains in him; he is not able to sin [CSB note: or, to keep on sinning], because he has been born of God.

We are convinced that those Christ saves are securely held by the Son and the Father (John 10:27-30). In keeping with the teaching of God's Word we believe that the spiritually mature, who are genuinely born of God, cannot practise sin. And of course, those who do continually practise wrongdoing cannot inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21).

Persistent and wilful wrongdoing will not define the saint’s lifestyle because sin is contrary to the will of the Holy Spirit who lives within. An ongoing sinful lifestyle would be at odds with the indwelling holy nature of Christ.

An ongoing sinful lifestyle would be at odds with the indwelling holy nature of Christ

True believers have a new nature, a new self that has replaced the old self. God expects them to willingly and actively remain in him, to be obedient in Christ according to His teaching, and to allow Him to purify their thinking and behaviour. This process is their sanctification. God's people are called to steadfastly follow his ways according to His Word. This is essential for righteous living.

Take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires...be renewed in the spirit of your minds...put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

Ephesians 4:22-24

You have been set free from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification—and the outcome is eternal life!

Romans 6:22

Those who are born again cannot live without God's words (Matthew 4:4). God's living and powerful truth judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12-13). Those who don't believe, those who are worldly, those who are merely churchy and religious, and those who are blinded by false religion, will be unable to experience the transforming authority of God's Word in their lives. And they will wonder why we need to spend so much time thinking deeply about His written, breathed-out revelation.

Some of them will even openly question the Bible's sufficiency. But don't let them keep you from thinking deeply about God's Word. Don't listen to their blinkered opinions and unbiblical arguments. Be steadfast in your allegiance to Bible truth. Have an attitude of heart like Moses. He understood that following God's instructions led him into a deeper relationship with God Himself. We get to know him through His truth (consider 1 Corinthians 2:16).

“Please teach me your ways, and I will know you…”

Exodus 33:13

“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent — Jesus Christ.”

John 17:3

Those who are spiritually mature in Christ could never make an idol out of the Bible, as some falsely claim. When used properly the Bible leads true believers into a close walk with Christ Who is the Word, Who is the truth, Who said, “Your word is truth.”

“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

John 17:17

The entirety of your word is truth.

Psalms 119:160

Those who are permanently characterised by sin, who are driven to practise it according to their sinful nature, are those who belong to a world that is totally under the control of the evil one (read 1 John 5:18-19). In every way their lost condition defines their identity. It's the essence of who they are. It’s who we were (1 Corinthians 6:11).

They are without Christ and without hope. They live according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in all those who are disobedient (Ephesians 2:1-2).

They live according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air

In contrast, God's redeemed have a new Christlike nature and understanding. By the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit they have become new creations. They have been born again by hearing and believing God's powerful words, His message of truth (see 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Romans 10:14). God drew them to Christ to be saved from future judgment and terrible wrath.

Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

As we have seen, this new life and identity in Christ create an inner battle that didn't exist before. Unavoidably, in the life of the true believer there is always a clash of natures when the inclinations of the flesh and the ways of the Spirit pull in opposite directions. The sinful nature and the holy character and desires of God's Spirit will cause a conflict within. Even the ups and downs of life can exacerbate this contention.

The ongoing Christlike fruit of the Spirit in our lives stand against all those deeds of the flesh that would otherwise rise up from our sinful nature (read again Galatians 5:16-17). But when we foolishly flirt with the inclinations and practices of our godless nature, as David did, we won't be able to walk freely with God and please Him. The righteous, pure character God has been developing within us will become less attractive to us, and less influential. We will no longer be inclined to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14).

True godliness that honours Him will be suppressed by the uncleanness that always follows sinful thinking and behaviour. If true believers willingly disobey God and give in to sinful practices, just like David in Psalm 51, eventually they will be crushed by guilt and hounded by painful regret. They will surely suffer the Father's loving discipline (Hebrews 12:10-11). Eventually, just like David, when their lives are messed up and unclean, when their spirits are crushed, they will humbly seek out God's forgiveness.

When they are deeply sorry for their sin, and have felt the ongoing pain of consequences, they will be fully cleansed and restored through His loving favour. God is just. He will see their repentance and forgive them (read 1 John 1:7-2:2). Then, when they walk again with God along His righteous paths, when they keep in step with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:24-25), they will certainly not carry out the desires of the flesh. When they let the teaching and instructions of Christ live richly within them (Colossians 3:16), they will honour God in their behaviour and thinking.

We can be sure that in each local church there are those who know from personal experience what it means to rebel against God. But they were restored through God's undeserved favour. In love He drew them back, forgive them and now they are whiter than snow in His sight (Psalm 51:7). These ex-rebels, if I may call them that, can now humbly shine their light with an authority that was forged through long, bitter struggles with the destructive power of sin.

He drew them back, forgive them and now they are whiter than snow

Those who were so painfully conscious of their former rebellion and sin, have learned the hard way that God always desires integrity in the inner self. Although they allowed themselves to be defiled by what had risen from deep within them, as Jesus explains in the Gospels (see above), they have now been taught God's wisdom by his indwelling Spirit. They no longer offend His Holy Spirit by their conduct and thinking. They have renewed their hearts. They have been cleansed.

Psalm 51 teaches us that those who have been forgiven and washed clean from their crushing guilt will rejoice in the soundness of their salvation. They will be sustained by a willing spirit that desires to serve God faithfully. Their former depravity and bitter experiences with sin will motivate and equip them to warn others about the ruinous dangers of rebellion. Ex-rebels can make very good teachers!

Each local church needs those who were once rebellious. In your assembly don't make the mistake of marginalising those God has restored, no matter how dark their past has been. Can you be less loving and forgiving than your heavenly Father? We all must recognise the high standards demanded by Christ. (Consider Matthew 6:12; 14, Luke 6:27, 15:11-31, 17:3-4, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13, and so on.) Yes, in some ways they must be disqualified from service and leadership, but nevertheless their former rebellion can serve as a warning to others who recklessly play with fire.

Spiritual leaders who prayerfully watch over their souls can see them mature in Christ (Hebrews 13:17). They will recognise that those who have been rebellious can influence other believers who are toying with sin. Those who were once rebellious can speak authoritatively into the lives of those who are being compromised by worldliness, bad choices and secret sinful behaviour.

Ex-rebels are especially equipped to teach the rebellious God's ways. They are bound by a solemn motivation. They understand the terrible pain and regret that wrongdoing brings. The black stain of sin that had saturated their lives had separated them from God's presence, instruction and strength. They know by experience that the rebellious person has turned his back on God's faithful love.

The saint who is falling into sin needs to experience God's abundant compassion in Christ.