Featured Personal responsibility and mental illness

Friend you have no reason to justify your condition, we all have troubles which beset us. Not all mental conditions are sin problems and I know number of good Christian people like yourself who, because of a condition outside their control, take medications to help. There is nothing wrong with this and you should never ever doubt your fidelity to the faith.

Be encouraged and know you are clearly better than which attempts to encumber you. As I have seen you're a genuinely fine believer who contributes much to your local community and has a good word here. You have no reason to have to justify yourself to rhetoricl brutes who have nothing good to say.

 

It is probably best just to consider the source and take their words at their actual value. Which is zilch. I have no idea where such people get the gall to opine in such a way. Shame on them.

 

amen!

and amen!

 

Brother, the ones who are truly mentally ill are those who show no remorse for the cruelty they heap on others.

I agree with PIJ here, when the condition is out of your control and you seek help, and take it, you're doing great things. Hold your head up high, brother. God will bless you for the ministry you're working here, your words, although it may be unbeknownst to you, may help someone who is hurting and struggling with their own illness and you may have given them the courage to seek the help they need.

 

And I "amen" Sissy's "amens".....:laugh:

 

Issues of the mind are due to our own making and need confession and forsaking.
http://z13.invisionfree.com/Christian_Group/index.php?showtopic=4

 

You will never provoke me into name calling again. That was about my lowest moment on Baptist Board. However, that does not stop me from saying exactly how I feel about the theories, opinions and ideas you put forth about depression, mental illness, and the treatment of those conditions.

Based on Scripture, the Spirit in me, and just basic human decency, I consider your ideas to be one of the cruelest, meanest examples of how one human being can treat another human being.

Instead of name calling, I am going to pray, because the ideas presented forth here go way beyond disagreeing about a theological argument.

 

Prayer is good, but saying we were provoked is just another way to justify, even if only in part, sin when looking for an excuse as to why we do things. Total responsibility is never taken until no reason for the wrong is given except admitting personally having an evil heart in that particular area as a pure heart cannot be provoked (Mat 12:35). Anything evil we do comes from within (Mat 15:19).
Even though you or some others might not like it, based on scripture all bad behavior (behavior contrary to God) comes from within, from the heart (Mat 15:19). Drugs can offer a level of control for the outward actions of an individual while masking the real problem the heart, but confession and forsaking sets one free, not drugs. Drugs cover, and confession and forsaking sets free.
I have said before if anyone can show me scripture where it even suggests that some mental illness causes a person to do things contrary to God (sin) and those things are to be overcome through chemical means I will change my view, but to date no one has done so. Every account in the bible where anyone could be diagnosed by the mental health standards of today as having a mental illness the sin comes first, not the other way around. If there is mental illness which shows itself by wrong behavior then it is because of indwelling and un-confessed sin. I do think that what it means to confess is greatly misunderstood and adds to the problem. It is not enough to admit or even battle we have a problem in a certain area. Unless we are willing to take full responsibility that the sin we are confessing and battling is really us and not because of some outside source, pressure or anything else including so called sin nature we will never overcome. The person can take one of three routes. Continue to act out those sins, control them with drugs and mask the real problem or confess and forsake the sin and that is a theological issue.
Our hearts are evil to the core and until we are willing to admit that the things we do are the real us there is no hope of healing. How many of us have done something and then set back and are shocked at what we did saying to others and ourselves "I cannot believe I did that"? The reason we cannot believe it is because we hold ourselves higher then we ought. We deny the truth about ourselves and when we see what we are really like we are shocked and try to cover the truth up.
Jer. 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
We have in fact adopted the way of the world to deal with sin instead of the way of God. We all battle sin and if drugs were the answer to slow or stop the sin we commit then we all need to be on drugs. However the bible calls for confession and forsaking and offers no other venue. It is about faith and believing what we are told by God’s word or believing what the world tells us.

 

The whole post is baloney. All I need is the parable of the Good Samaratan, if I had no other parts of Scripture avaliable.

 

Brother, he seeks to rile you up so you lose your temper and then he proves his ill conceived point. It's best to report him for rudeness and harassment and then put him on ignore so you're not subjected to his intolerance anymore. This is what he does, to many many here on various topics. I've found life is much sweeter when I ignore what he writes.

 

When one has a chemical imbalance in the brain, would it not be a sin to withhold medical help from that person? Is it not a good thing for the person, the family, and the Lord be so honored?


By your post you consider any "bad" behavior sin.

Here are some examples of "bad behavior" that you, and any general public figure in modern society, would label sin. God had other purpose and other reason.

The prophet walked naked throughout the city in view of the public including children. You would call it sin; however, to his credit, he was following God's command.

The king danced naked in the streets to the shame of one of his wives. You would call it sin; however, to his credit, he was doing it with the approval of God.

The judge locked the door behind him, murdered the king, and escaped by climbing over the balcony. You would call it sin; however, to his credit, he hid the knife and slew the king as God commanded.

The king was told that he would go crazy; and, after a season, recover. You would claim it was because of some sin he had committed; however, to his credit, GOD called it good.​

The list could go on, but these few are given to show that not all of what YOU would view as sinful is what GOD views as sinful.

Where in the Scriptures does it say that a person CANNOT take medications for chemical imbalance of the brain?

It doesn't.

What YOU desire to label as "sin" may very much be the gift of God.

God ordained the medical arts.

God used apothecaries even in establishing and anointing the priests and temple(s).

Christ healed using (in at least one occasion) minerals and elements that were what some would consider dirty dirt and spit. Could he have just spoken and the healing taken place? Of course; but, that wasn't His choice. Rather, he used earthly materials, elements, minerals, and chemicals.

There are conditions that God places into a person's life and living that God ordains, for God's purpose, and for God's glory.

Your bold assertion that "all bad behavior is sin" is unscriptural.

You are the one who has condemnation upon your own head and at your door.

 

My son is a diabetic and if his blood sugar is too high or too low, it affects his thinking. He becomes irritable and emotional. His diabetes is not the result of his personal sin. It's the result of being born into a fallen world and a pancreas that doesn't work right.
But according to FAL, his emotions cannot possibly be affected by anything physical. It must be some sin in his life.

And yet he wants to judge the hearts of others. Now THAT is sin.

 

John,

You are ABSOLUTELY correct.

There are some who consider it truth that the Bible has all the answers. But that is false. The Scriptures teach by principle. The law was but a teacher to be used by children not yet matured and brought to Christ.

There are some who consider that if you don't live by faith, then it is sin. But that is erroneous teaching; for that same person will eat, bath, dress, sleep...

There are some who consider medical needs to be only what can be seen, or viewed. Yet, without technology much of what is now proven was once conjecture at best.

You are fortunate that there are helps that bring glory to God in that others may see your testimony and get help, too. James said to "count it all joy."

Paul reflected on the same aspects with both his physical and emotional state in the letters.

In the last 50 years (give or take a few) we have seen tremendous progress in health issues that 100 years ago, folks could only wish they had the ability. Just the ability of Cscans, MRI, EKG, EEG... and the host of blood tests are just the beginning.

It is human nature to be generally frightened and call evil what one does not understand or uncomfortable.

I have seen more empathy and sympathy shown by adults for a child who broke their finger than for a child who is autistic or schizophrenic.

I have seen more empathy and sympathy shown by adults for the person who is addicted caffeine than for those who "self medicate" through alcohol, marijuana, cocaine...

I have seen adults laugh at the continual high risk behavior of children and adults and claim such is just like their dad, uncle, grandfather... not realizing that such is a pattern of behavior can actually be an indication of seeking emotional highs to make them feel "normal." The same "highs" that lead to sexual excesses.

I have witnessed the most good and Godly shipwreck - damaging family, friends, assemblies, businesses, testimony... because they bought into the lie that all that is needed is "confession for sin" and not realize that God provided a way of escape through the medical "gift of healing," in which those who are supposed to be so Godly, shun and call wrong.

Certain pastors ignored for years sound medical advice to only see their own children bring shame and disgrace to the ministry because they considered medical help unnecessary.

 

Commenting in ignorance on issues of the mind is sin, especially when it is a veiled attack on the originator of the thread.

 

Excuses, excuses, when will we ever stop with the excuses? Blood sugar does not make a person sin. Sin comes from the heart, Mat 15:19. Your son may feel heightened emotions, but God has promised;
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

What you are making claim to is like a man who claims his lust levels are low until some woman walks by showing skin or she bends over and shows cleavage. Just another excuse for not dealing with the real issue, our evil hearts. That is nothing but the old Flip Wilson skit "the devil made me do it" repackaged to a different look. Your son does not have to allow the emotions to overtake him any moor then a woman with PMS has to become impossible to live with.

 

First off that has not happened. Everything I have said is backed up with scripture, something no one else can do. Second do you have scripture to back up your claim about sin or are you adding to scripture? My bible says to him who knows to do and does not it is sin, not what you just claimed.