How can someone that is saved be depressed?
I asked Jesus to save me along time ago but Idont know im depressed, how can someone that is saved be depressed?
How do you know you're saved? What is Depression? I'll try to explain what the bible says about these things, and simply ask more questions. Feel free to comment below if you have questions or comments.
First, you say that you asked Jesus to save you long ago. Why did you do that? Was it based on a feeling or was it a true sense of sorrow for your sins and a heart of repentance. I don't know your heart and I don't know if you are saved, so to make sure I will address you as if you weren't.
Understand that the bible says that God will Judge us all on the last day. We could die any time. Today. Tomorrow. Or in 30 years. The bible says that is appointed unto man once to die, then the judgment. So the question on that day of Judgment is will you be found innocent or guilty.
God will Judge based on His 10 commandments. If you have ever told a lie, God sees you as a liar, and Revelation 21 makes it clear that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. If you have ever taken anything that is not yours you are a thief in God's sight. If you have lusted, you are an adulterer in God's pure eyes. If you have hated, you are seen as a murder in your heart.
God's standards are much higher and greater than ours. So much so that we can do nothing to get to heaven. In fact the bible says that All have fallen short of the glory of God.
So what then shall we do? If God sees us as lawbreakers who have broken His Holy Law, the 10 commandments, what are we going to do on the Last Day? Because He will certainly find all of us guilty and he certainly deserves to cast all of us into the lake of fire.
The fact is, God gave us life, air to breathe, food to eat, an earth to live on, others to care for and be with, and yet we still sin against Him. If you break the rules of a Country, you no longer have the rights of a citizen when in Jail. You can't vote or hold office while in jail. You don't have freedom in jail. In the same way, when we break God's laws we make ourselves enemies of God, awaiting Judgment.
The bible says there is NOTHING we can do to be saved. We can't say 7 prayers a day to be saved. We can't kiss a statue to be saved. We can't eat bread and wine or confess to a priest or anything like that to be saved. We are not worthy of heaven in any way.
But knowing that, and knowing that we make ourselves enemies of God when we break God's law, God did something amazing for us so that we won't have to suffer the Justice that we all deserve.
Do you know what that is? God came down as a man in the form of Jesus Christ and lived the one and only perfect life. He never lied, stole, lusted, hated, or anything that we have done. Then he went to His death on the Cross as a payment for your sins and my sins. The only reason He went to die was because you and I lied and stole and lusted and hated and disobeyed our parents. Knowing that Jesus died for us anyway.
Jesus suffered the punishment that both you and I deserve for breaking God's law through being beaten and the agony on the cross. But then he resurrected on the third day and now lives in Heaven.
So the bible says ALL of your sins have been paid for. Past, present, and future. Every single one. God is that big that He can forgive you of all of your sins... BUT... God requires that we repent of those sins. That means turn from the sins. Despise the sins and desire not to do them any more. We must hate everything that caused Jesus to die on that cross. Then when when turn from our sins, we turn to Jesus, who is so loving and kind and pure and great, to have saved such bad people as you and I. And we embrace Jesus with thanksgiving for having saved us, and he hold on to Him for, not dear life, but eternal life.
Then we can go to heaven, not for being good or worthy people, but for being bad people forgiven by a Good and loving and Holy God. When you are saved, you will be born again in spirit. Your sins will start falling away, because you realize that every time you sin, it Hurts God, and since you love God, you wouldn't want to do anything to hurt God.
Now as a Christian
If you are a Christian, and you struggle with depression, then let me suggest this.
Depression is a sin. You are depressed because you are looking at your own needs and wants and desires and you are seeking your own pleasure and in that you are quite unfufilled. Depression is a form of pride in that you desire others to feel compassionate on you and you feed on that, but what does depression lead to? For many it leads to drinking, drugs, seeking pleasure, and eventually it could lead to suicide. Depression, like pride, is a powerful attack of the enemy and we're all suseptible to it.
How does one overcome depression? Simple. Get your eyes off yourself, and look at Jesus who died for you. He died for YOU! Don't you realize that? Stop the sin of unbelif and believe it. Yes you are pathetic and sinful and all that. But guess what. So am I. So is everyone! So that is no excuse.
Get up and get serving. Get off your own throne and get on your knees with the rest of us. A new season is at hand, and God is doing great works all around.
If your conscience condemns you, then fall on your face before God almighty and repent. Give Him your concerns, because your back wasn't made to bear them. Let Christ control you and give you orders, never let it be the other way around.
Be passionate for your Lord who gave His Life for you. Shower in the Love he has shown you, and give to Him the burdens of your soul.
Open the Word and Read. Be renewed in the Psalms and do not fear the pains of life. Did you know that All but one of the disciples died a horrific death on account of Christ. Paul and Peter in Acts were Rejoicing after being beaten for the sake of Christ.
God's Grace is ALL Sufficient. Come before the throne of God as a sinner and be a Child. Come before God broken and be healed. Come before God weak, and be strong. Come before God's throne. Worship Him. Praise Him. Love Him. Fall before Him because He is So pure and So holy.
Depression, What Depression? When you worship the God of the Universe for All He has done for you... How can you be depressed?
To Him be the Glory and Honor and Blessings Forever Amen.
How do you know you're saved? What is Depression? I'll try to explain what the bible says about these things, and simply ask more questions. Feel free to comment below if you have questions or comments.First, you say that you asked Jesus to save you long ago. Why did you do that? Was it based on a feeling or was it a true sense of sorrow for your sins and a heart of repentance. I don't know your heart and I don't know if you are saved, so to make sure I will address you as if you weren't.
Understand that the bible says that God will Judge us all on the last day. We could die any time. Today. Tomorrow. Or in 30 years. The bible says that is appointed unto man once to die, then the judgment. So the question on that day of Judgment is will you be found innocent or guilty.
God will Judge based on His 10 commandments. If you have ever told a lie, God sees you as a liar, and Revelation 21 makes it clear that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. If you have ever taken anything that is not yours you are a thief in God's sight. If you have lusted, you are an adulterer in God's pure eyes. If you have hated, you are seen as a murder in your heart.
God's standards are much higher and greater than ours. So much so that we can do nothing to get to heaven. In fact the bible says that All have fallen short of the glory of God.
So what then shall we do? If God sees us as lawbreakers who have broken His Holy Law, the 10 commandments, what are we going to do on the Last Day? Because He will certainly find all of us guilty and he certainly deserves to cast all of us into the lake of fire.
The fact is, God gave us life, air to breathe, food to eat, an earth to live on, others to care for and be with, and yet we still sin against Him. If you break the rules of a Country, you no longer have the rights of a citizen when in Jail. You can't vote or hold office while in jail. You don't have freedom in jail. In the same way, when we break God's laws we make ourselves enemies of God, awaiting Judgment.
The bible says there is NOTHING we can do to be saved. We can't say 7 prayers a day to be saved. We can't kiss a statue to be saved. We can't eat bread and wine or confess to a priest or anything like that to be saved. We are not worthy of heaven in any way.
But knowing that, and knowing that we make ourselves enemies of God when we break God's law, God did something amazing for us so that we won't have to suffer the Justice that we all deserve.
Do you know what that is? God came down as a man in the form of Jesus Christ and lived the one and only perfect life. He never lied, stole, lusted, hated, or anything that we have done. Then he went to His death on the Cross as a payment for your sins and my sins. The only reason He went to die was because you and I lied and stole and lusted and hated and disobeyed our parents. Knowing that Jesus died for us anyway.
Jesus suffered the punishment that both you and I deserve for breaking God's law through being beaten and the agony on the cross. But then he resurrected on the third day and now lives in Heaven.
So the bible says ALL of your sins have been paid for. Past, present, and future. Every single one. God is that big that He can forgive you of all of your sins... BUT... God requires that we repent of those sins. That means turn from the sins. Despise the sins and desire not to do them any more. We must hate everything that caused Jesus to die on that cross. Then when when turn from our sins, we turn to Jesus, who is so loving and kind and pure and great, to have saved such bad people as you and I. And we embrace Jesus with thanksgiving for having saved us, and he hold on to Him for, not dear life, but eternal life.
Then we can go to heaven, not for being good or worthy people, but for being bad people forgiven by a Good and loving and Holy God. When you are saved, you will be born again in spirit. Your sins will start falling away, because you realize that every time you sin, it Hurts God, and since you love God, you wouldn't want to do anything to hurt God.
Now as a Christian
If you are a Christian, and you struggle with depression, then let me suggest this.
Depression is a sin. You are depressed because you are looking at your own needs and wants and desires and you are seeking your own pleasure and in that you are quite unfufilled. Depression is a form of pride in that you desire others to feel compassionate on you and you feed on that, but what does depression lead to? For many it leads to drinking, drugs, seeking pleasure, and eventually it could lead to suicide. Depression, like pride, is a powerful attack of the enemy and we're all suseptible to it.
How does one overcome depression? Simple. Get your eyes off yourself, and look at Jesus who died for you. He died for YOU! Don't you realize that? Stop the sin of unbelif and believe it. Yes you are pathetic and sinful and all that. But guess what. So am I. So is everyone! So that is no excuse.
Get up and get serving. Get off your own throne and get on your knees with the rest of us. A new season is at hand, and God is doing great works all around.
If your conscience condemns you, then fall on your face before God almighty and repent. Give Him your concerns, because your back wasn't made to bear them. Let Christ control you and give you orders, never let it be the other way around.
Be passionate for your Lord who gave His Life for you. Shower in the Love he has shown you, and give to Him the burdens of your soul.
Open the Word and Read. Be renewed in the Psalms and do not fear the pains of life. Did you know that All but one of the disciples died a horrific death on account of Christ. Paul and Peter in Acts were Rejoicing after being beaten for the sake of Christ.
God's Grace is ALL Sufficient. Come before the throne of God as a sinner and be a Child. Come before God broken and be healed. Come before God weak, and be strong. Come before God's throne. Worship Him. Praise Him. Love Him. Fall before Him because He is So pure and So holy.
Depression, What Depression? When you worship the God of the Universe for All He has done for you... How can you be depressed?
To Him be the Glory and Honor and Blessings Forever Amen.
posted by D @ Friday, March 02, 2007
8 Comments:
At October 19, 2007,
Øyvind said…
Depression is an illness caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, not self-importance.
Stick to the things you know and stop spouting ignorance.
At October 19, 2007,
Anonymous said…
You know, that was quite a post...but there's one thing I don't understand. You never gave any scriptural basis showing how depression is a sin. Care to explain?
Also, what about the example of Jesus, who said "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, even unto the point of death" and was described in Isaiah 53 as "A man of sorrows, familiar with suffering."
www.theologyweb.com
At October 19, 2007,
D said…
Thanks for your comment. I'll simply leave a quick response. First, there is a difference between being sorrowful and being depressed, and the difference stems from the state of the heart.
Here are several definitions for depression:
1) A mental disorder marked by altered mood, this may occur daily with the addition of diminished interest or pleasure in most or all activities
2) A mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
What does the bible say about inactivity?
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
1Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
As for scriptural basis, the bible gives an explicit command to Christians...
Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
1Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always;
You can't rejoice in the Lord and be depressed at the same time. If you are "always" rejoicing, then you can never be depressed.
Understanding depression as a sin means that we can repent of the sin and move forward in the joy filled life that God requires of us.
Depression can ONLY happen when you're not fully surrendered to God.
At October 20, 2007,
Anonymous said…
I'm sorry, but do you even believe the non-sense you are spouting? This is what I got out of what you said:
"Blah blah depression, blah blah sin."
Apparently, you don't remember that man is not suppose to modify ANY part of the bible, your words contracdict the bible, so your argument is null and invalid.
Next time, try not to post something Mega-Gundam Retarded without actually knowing what you are talking about, ok Billy?
Good Billy, door's to your left, don't let it hit you on the way out.
At October 20, 2007,
Anonymous said…
D, Please listen.
In all fairness, I think you may be blending "sadness" with "clinical depression" in your thoughts. As safe-keeper mentioned, clinical depression is a chemical imbalance. It is no more a sin than any other chemical imbalance. I don't think you'd accuse diabetics of sin. I hope you wouldn't, at least.
It is serious. Yes, I speak from experience. Telling somebody with clinical depression that it's due to their sin is EXACTLY the wrong thing to do. It's like trying to put out a fire with gasoline!
IT COULD VERY WELL BE FATAL!
Look at your Scripture references and picture sombody quoting 1 Timothy 4:3-5 (3Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.) to a diabetic.
That IS what you're doing if you are directing your references to a person who is clinically depressed. You're using Scripture that doesn't apply to the situation.
Please, please clarify or rethink what you've said here.
Please, please listen.
God bless you.
At October 20, 2007,
D said…
To Luke the Drifter:
If clinical depression can bring death as you say, then compare that to scripture...
James 1:15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.
If it is good to be clinically depressed, then clinical depression should lead to the spirit of life. Not death.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.
As a Christian, to be set free from depression, get serious about your relationship with God. Find good teaching and stay away from the worldly wise men who mean only to entangle you.
It is the world that is wrong when it tries to diagnose a sin as an illness. Drunkenness is a sin, not an illness. Pornography is a sin, not an illness. Overeating is not an illness, it is a sin. Doing drugs is a sin, not an illness.
Sins are crimes against God. When you're disobeying the first and greatest commandment by Not loving God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength, you are sinning. That's what clinical depression is. It is disobedience to the first commandment. If you were obeying the first commandment, then you wouldn't have time to be depressed, because you would spend all of your spare time in prayer, worship, witnessing, fellowship, bible study, and listening to preaching.
I stand by my point. Depression is a sin that needs to be repented of, and just like any other sin, it can be overcome by the Power of Christ. That I can testify to in my own life.
At October 21, 2007,
Anonymous said…
Thank you for your reply. Luke the Drifter, chief of sinners, salutes you.
To clarify one matter; I am not currently suffering depression. I did have severe clinical depression from 1983-1993. 1983 was some 16 years after I was saved. The whole time I had the benefit of the prayers of fine Christians. Like Job, I'm telling you there was no such sin in my life as you claim. I'm also telling you that God's method of finally healing me, as far as I can tell, was the use of St. John's wort, since nothing else changed as far as treatment or prayer was concerned.
D, I'm bewildered by your response. You made no "point". You asserted that clinical depression is a sin with some out-of-context Scriptures and went on from there.
You can't make James 1:15 do that. Try it with other examples of death; say a baby who dies in his sleep, for example. Vv. 13-15 show progression in an individual. Trying to stand it on its head isn't going to work because to do that, you have to start with death in general, not individually, lest you venture into the absurdity of the baby having sinned due to his desires, said baby perhaps also blaming God for it.
Romans 8 is about salvation as opposed to the condemnation of the Law.
Even if you had correctly used James 1:15 and Romans 8:2 (which you did not), can you explain how they apply to diabetics? Is diabetes a sin?
Do you understand that when I mentioned the possibility of fatal consequences, I meant that YOU could be the precipitating cause? Murder is a sin, not a disease. Do you want me to follow your logic to discover what pride or desires you must have to disregard such a thing? Do you really?
Do you realize that you SEEM to be pretending that I said it's good to be clinically depressed? Lying is a sin, not a disease. Shall I use your reasoning on this also?
Clinical depression is not a violation of the first commandment or any other. It is associated with a medically testable and measureable chemical imbalance. If you want to argue this, eisegetical ledgerdemain will not suffice. You need to refute the relevant medical data OR provide a list of which chemical imbalances violate which commandments, with Scriptural support. While you're in the Bible, you'll also need to show how your spiritual diagnostic abilities are superior to those of Job's "friends" or those of the disciples in John 9:1-3 even though they look the same. Answer Rayado's point also.
Of course you cannot.
I understand that you intend to be Scriptural and avail yourself of God's wisdom and that's commendable. Do you understand that I'm telling you that you're failing and possibly exposing vulnerable people to danger?
You'll most likely get the last word here, because if you reconsider, well and good. If you won't, it's on your head now. There's nothing left for me to do either way. In either case, I'll pray for God's best for you.
God bless you.
At October 22, 2007,
D said…
To: Luke the Drifter
You've made some good points. As for the last word, yours will stand for now.
Thanks for your concern and I'll pray for wisdom.
-d
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