Thoughts On Depression: Part II
Here in the next chapter we see Paul carrying his
theme, dealing only with the objective truth, not subjective circumstances (which
he is about to talk about). And by that I mean, Paul is not giving them a
suggestion. He is not telling them what “ought to be” but really isn’t possible
until we get to Heaven. He is not telling them this is one of many options, but
is instead telling them what must be, and by implication, what should never be
(despair). And we see this even through verses 1-3, which might at first be
overlooked as they are “historical,” when in fact they add to the point.
“Stand firm in the Lord…” What does this even mean today? If we apply the thinking of the modern church to this statement, it cannot possibly mean what Paul intended, as “standing firm” implies a struggle which we must resist. The “modern church” (as I so politely title it) claims, through the “prosperity gospel” side, that we are never expected to face trials from God, but only the devil. Any struggle we get is purely from Satan, whereas God only wants the “best” for us here and now, and herein we see the desperation of the false teacher to make God our magical genie. But is it true? Must God fight against the devil in order to provide the “prosperous life,” or does He Himself cause distresses to fall upon us? Though the devil, or even simple life circumstances, might cause a good deal of struggle in our lives (and yes, even our bodies), where do these gain any authority to cause such pain to us? Has it ever crossed our minds, in the midst of the struggle, that perhaps it is God who causes this? “Heaven forbid!” one might respond (which is an interesting comeback). “Where would you get such a thought?” The answer? Job.
“Stand firm in the Lord…” What does this even mean today? If we apply the thinking of the modern church to this statement, it cannot possibly mean what Paul intended, as “standing firm” implies a struggle which we must resist. The “modern church” (as I so politely title it) claims, through the “prosperity gospel” side, that we are never expected to face trials from God, but only the devil. Any struggle we get is purely from Satan, whereas God only wants the “best” for us here and now, and herein we see the desperation of the false teacher to make God our magical genie. But is it true? Must God fight against the devil in order to provide the “prosperous life,” or does He Himself cause distresses to fall upon us? Though the devil, or even simple life circumstances, might cause a good deal of struggle in our lives (and yes, even our bodies), where do these gain any authority to cause such pain to us? Has it ever crossed our minds, in the midst of the struggle, that perhaps it is God who causes this? “Heaven forbid!” one might respond (which is an interesting comeback). “Where would you get such a thought?” The answer? Job.
Before Job’s life went “down the drain” (as they say… or do they anymore?), we see a picture in Heaven. The great hosts of Heaven stand before God, and the devil himself is included. When asked where he has been (by God Himself), he responds “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” Now, some might automatically think “Satan is looking for someone to torment!” Which is somewhat true, but look at the next question. “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Who asked this again? God. Let’s put this into perspective then: God is suggesting the devil (the adversary!) torment Job, and particularly because Job is so upright! But this cannot be, right? The devil responds by essentially saying “He is only so good because you’ve given him so many good things. Take them away and he’ll forsake You.” But note how he says it will come to pass in verse 12: “But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Can he possibly mean that God would destroy all that Job has, including his family (seen the latter part of the chapter)? The Lord does not rebuke him, but instead affirms what he claims by giving him authority to do as he claims. “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” (vs. 12) In other words, take all that he has, simply don’t hurt him. “But his health wasn’t taken, see?” one might respond. Ah, but the health is taken…
Again there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present
himself before the Lord. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’
Then Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From roaming about on the earth and
walking around on it.’ The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant
Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man
fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity,
although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.’ Satan answered
the Lord and said, ‘Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his
life. However, put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he
will curse You to Your face.’ So the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your
power, only spare his life.’”
– Job 2:1-6
And so we see God do what many today might consider “unthinkable,”
that is, taking away Job’s health through the devil himself, leaving him only
his life, which some might consider worse, because he only gets to experience
the pain all the longer. And so Job goes through what many could never
describe, indescribable pain and suffering, and that by the permission of God. Why?
“Why would God allow such a thing?” For the same reason He allows us to suffer
and lose all that we have. They are called “trials” not simply because they are
painful, but they also are used to prove whether we truly believe what we
claim. I may say “I love Jesus!” all I want, but this means nothing if it is
never proven. Jesus Himself affirms this in many passages, such as Matthew 16:24-26,
where He says “If anyone wishes to come
after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For
whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My
sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world
and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Do we think this is a vague, general statement, or a specific requirement? If
you are not willing to suffer what Job did for the cause of Christ and His
Gospel, you are not worthy of Him, and should turn away, otherwise it will only
be the worse for you in the End (2 Peter 2:21).
And so here we see Paul telling the Philippians to “stand
firm in the Lord,” because they expected the trials they have faced and would
face even further (and they, Paul, Silas and the Philippian Christians, did
face them, as seen in Acts 16:6-40). And Paul refers to these Christians as his
“joy and crown,” thinking highly of them because they stood firm in the faith,
not giving into despair. And he urges specific members of this church to live
in harmony in the Lord (vs. 2), because these two had “shared” in his struggle
for the Gospel, along with many others. Paul even clarifies (with certainty, I
might add) that they are some who will be found to be the Lamb’s Book of Life
(imagine being told by an apostle such a thing!).
And adding to this, he states something that makes the
modern “Christian” cringe, because it seems to simple, and yet impossible (save
for a select few), and so unrealistic: “Rejoice!”
Now take careful note, as this is very
important: This is a command. The effort is seen to make this clear, as he
reaffirms it, saying again “rejoice!”
This is not a suggestion, nor is it vague. It is a clear, undeniable command. “Ah,”
some may respond, “but back then they didn’t know about the physical condition of
depression, and so this does not apply to that.” Oh really? Has it ever occurred
to any that, perhaps, there is a reason that it is impossible to find an exact
Greek or Hebrew parallel to the word “Depression” as far a physical condition
is concerned? Either the writers of the Scriptures (who were directly inspired
by the eternal Holy Spirit) were
ignorant of such bountiful knowledge that we now possess, or perhaps when Paul
says “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I
will say, rejoice!” he is commanding it, regardless of our physical
condition? Again, you cannot ever find a justification for depression in the
whole of the New Testament, nor can the Old Testament be used to defend it,
since it was a “shadow of the things to come,” which the New Testament reveals
to be Christ and His Gospel, who appointed these apostles for the sake of preaching
the Word and writing these Epistles, and which distinctly command us to “Rejoice
always!” There are not given exceptions nor excuses, and the command is both
repeated and implied throughout the whole of the New Testament. And yet, for
some reason, this doesn’t matter to Christianity today. Instead, we write these
off as impossible commands that are never truly expected of us all the time, but are instead passive
suggestions which we must adhere to from time to time. But you will never find
this in Scripture. You can find it in modern philosophy, and even science, but
if you cannot truly prove your stand through the Scripture of God, but instead
find the exact opposite throughout the New Testament, you are to disregard or
reinterpret the other information, because the Scripture is the mold, not the
jello.
To be continued in Part III
Good post, looking forward to the third part. :)
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