WHY CHRISTIANS • • •
BY M A R IO N H. NELSON, M.D.
S o m e o f t h e c o n f u s io n existing today regarding mental illness in the Christian is that people expect too much from their Christianity in this life. God makes many promses to the Christian but not all of them relate to this life. Many of them relate to the future heavenly life. So we must know what to expect from our Christian wealth, or we will be seeking something that God will not give now. i. Can we really expect to have perfect peace at all times in this life as a result of becoming a Christian? The answer is, “ n o .” Today there exists an erroneous idea that when one becomes a Christian every prob lem, physical or mental, material or spiritual, is supposed to vanish, leaving the Christian to live in a “ paradise on earth.” To the contrary, God has promised the Christian that in this life “ ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). A life free of tribulation and sorrow is promised us in the future heavenly life (Revelation 21:4), not in this life. Then exactly what advantages are there in becoming a Christian, as to living our everyday life here on the earth? There are many. A Christian has a loving heavenly Father, God the Father, who is ready to give help to any Christian who asks Him (Hebrews 4:16). He also has a King-priest on the throne in Heaven, God the Son, who “ ever liveth to make intercession” for them (Hebrews 7:25). In other words, a Christian still has problems but he also has a source of help for his problems that others do not have. Indeed, a problem is just the sort of situation where one can see clearly the practical, everyday benefits of being a Christian.
Paul, the apostle, at times was “ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (II Corinthians 6:10). Paul suffered want, yet he learned as a Christian to be content with whatever circumstances he was in (Philippians 4:11-12). The word “ content” means to have the needs of one’s soul satisfied. How could Paul be content in these distressing circum stances? He got help from God, who enabled him to be content (Philippians 4:13). Let us realize that we will have problems, distressing problems perhaps, in this life, but as Christians we also have an answer to our problems in the wisdom and power of God. There will be times when we will lose our peace of mind, but we can regain it by appropriating by faith the promises of God. II. Is there a set of spiritual rules that we can follow that will eliminate any turmoil or sorrow of heart in this life? The answer is “ n o .” Some have a false idea that there is a list of rules one can follow and obey, which obedience will guarantee immunity from any mental unrest. There just isn’t any set of rules that will guarantee this. There are some good rules for good spiritual health which, if obeyed, will bring freedom from much un necessary mental worry and unrest. However, even if one obeys all these rules, there will still be times when peace of mind will be disturbed. Obedience to the rules will enable the Christian to regain his peace of mind when it has been disturbed, but there is no way to avoid the storms of life. (continued on next page)
MARCH, 1961
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