Do I have to repent for my depression?

So is it a sin to have depression?

Looks like I'll have to be taking a different course than most for they're saying NO. And yet I see little scripture or none to support their position.

First I do accept that things can be going on in our physical body which can lead to say depression. A visit to a doctor having blood work and various things could be of benefit. Maybe for some there are chemical imbalances going on or other things that can be adjusted. But keep in mind humanity didn't have those treatments for thousands of years? Does that mean that civilization had no choice but be depressed? I think not.

And what does one mean "having depression"? There's a difference between being tempted to think along a certain way and actually locking into those thoughts for continual mediation. It's not a sin to be tempted. If it was Jesus would have committed sin. Matt 4:1-11 He didn't! So being tempted to be a certain thing or yield to a certain thing is not sin. It is sin however if one does so for everything not of faith is sin. Rom 4:23

As I say I know a lot on here seem to want to imply depression is a total clinical thing but I think we're leaving the word of God in saying that. That would mean all the scriptures and methods God has outlined in scripture, one could speak of the Psalms or many other places, encouragements and things one should do to overcome depression really don't mean anything. Well seeing God's encouragements DO MEAN something by refusing to act on God's instructions....then in that context how could it not be sin? Unbelief or refusing to act on the word grieves the Spirit of God and the Bible is filled with examples of this being shown to be true.

boxman144 said:

Look at this video:

It makes me anxious and I know that I'm not good enough because I haven't been resisting my sins and when I do my sin it temporarily takes me out of my depression and it's like a drug. I won't specify my sin because I don't think the mods will let me but I'm addicted to my sin and I'm trying to get my sins gone but I know I'm going to Hell now.

Click to expand...

Multiple people here have told you to stop watching fear mongering trash like that. Yet you still do. Why?

Redwingfan9 said:

As for depression, is it sin?

Click to expand...

No; it's an illness.
Not having any interest in, or being able to appreciate, things, apathy, lack of feelings and motivation are all symptoms of this.

If your eyesight was deteriorating and you couldn't read Scripture, would you repent of it?
No; you'd see an optician/doctor and get it fixed so that you could read once again. If you had a broken arm, would you repent of not being able to write a Christian journal? No; you'd wait until it healed, and maybe find other ways of journalling in the meantime.

Celticroots said:

Regarding praying for help and not getting an answer, God put psychiatrists and psychologists here for a reason.

Click to expand...

And no offence but I think one needs to be very, very careful in accepting this as always being true. It all comes back to what are they saying to a person. Col 2:8 says,

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8

Redwingfan9 said:

The answer is that yes you do need to repent. Every activity in our lives that is done apart from God or not for his glory is sin. Even activities that aren't sin can be sin if not done for his glory.

As for depression, is it sin? Not being content with what God has given you and worrying about things certainly is sin. So yes, you need to repent of it. Could it be the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain? Yes. I would encourage you to see a doctor and ask if there's a low dose antidepressant he can prescribe you.

Click to expand...

He doesn’t need to repent of anything. Depression is a disease.

Bobber said:

So is it a sin to have depression?

Looks like I'll have to be taking a different course than most for they're saying NO. And yet I see little scripture or none to support their position.

Click to expand...

I see no Scripture to say that M.S, cancer and Covid19 exist; that doesn't mean that they don't.

Bobber said:

First I do accept that things can be going on in our physical body which can lead to say depression. A visit to a doctor having blood work and various things could be of benefit. Maybe for some there are chemical imbalances going on or other things that can be adjusted. But keep in mind humanity didn't have those treatments for thousands of years? Does that mean that civilization had no choice but be depressed? I think not.

Click to expand...

Well actually, yes.
If someone had had a chemical imbalance and was clinically depressed, they would have no choice in having feelings of despair, lack of motivation, apathy etc etc - depression produces those symptoms, and more. You might as well say, if someone had the measles would they have a choice about getting spots?
If depression wasn't recognised and there were no treatments available, the person would likely have been dismissed as moody/pessimistic/morose/lazy or something else.

Bobber said:

As I say I know a lot on here seem to want to imply depression is a total clinical thing

Click to expand...

Not totally clinical; it might be reactive, after a bereavement, redundancy or whatever. Left untreated, it could become clinical.
Elijah most likely had reactive depression - after the exhausting, and exhilarating, experience on Mt Carmel, Jezebel threatened to kill him.

Bobber said:

but I think we're leaving the word of God in saying that.

Click to expand...

The Bible doesn't describe all illness and conditions in detail, and some not at all; that is not its purpose.

Bobber said:

That would mean all the scriptures and methods God has outlined in scripture, one could speak of the Psalms or many other places, encouragements and things one should do to overcome depression really don't mean anything.

Click to expand...

The problem is that the word 'depression' is overused; people say "I feel depressed" when they might just be fed up, tired, disillusioned or their faith is being challenged.
I am pretty sure David would not have been able to say "praise the Lord O my soul" if he had been truly depressed, rather than just down in the dumps. Depression has been described as a black, heavy blanket; you can't see anything or even think rationally; that's what it does.

Bobber said:

And no offence but I think one needs to be very, very careful in accepting this as always being true. It all comes back to what are they saying to a person. Col 2:8 says,

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8

Click to expand...

Ridiculous. Would you not see a doctor if you had a physical illness? Of course not.

Seeing mental health professionals is the advised course of action for anyone suffering from depression or other mental health issues. To do otherwise is damaging to the OPs health.

Psychiatrists and psychologists are perfectly reasonable. Are some better the others? Absolutely. But discounting them all together is dangerous.

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

Your depression may or may not be sinful! Many things can affect our emotions, and we are called to live above our emotions and by the Word. Joy is a character quality and not a feeling, so one can be in the throes of a depression and still live in the Joy of the Lord.

Battling emotions is hard, for we are used to living by our emotions, but fight the good fight against them. How you feel is not how God views you! Learn to trust in the Word and Gods Opnion of you ( He views you as perfected and is now making you what He sees you as).

If the depression is caused by a traumatic event (like the death of a loved one or a loved one leaving etec.) , then a short term round of being on an anti-depressant may help you. This would calm your emotions while you deal with the trauma. I am a board Certified Christian Counselor so I have had experience. But above all I will pray, for this is one of our most powerful weapons along with the Word of God!

Many things affect how we feel. Lack of sleep, having some food that disagrees with us, for a woman every 28 days , having a bad day at work. We cannot control what comes our way, but we can learn to control how we respond. If your depression is because you have become ensnared in wrong thoughts about you or because of a besetting sin- you do not need to repent. You need to do 1 John 1:9 acknowledge the sin before God so He may cleanse and forgive you in your experience and keep doing the work of ridding you of the unrighteousness. If you stumble 100 times ( and I pray you don't) Go to your loving Father 100 times and acknowledge- He is faithful!

May God allow you to rise above your emotions and live in JOy which cannot be affected by anyuthing on this earth!

Strong in Him said:

No; it's an illness.
Not having any interest in, or being able to appreciate, things, apathy, lack of feelings and motivation are all symptoms of this.

If your eyesight was deteriorating and you couldn't read Scripture, would you repent of it?
No; you'd see an optician/doctor and get it fixed so that you could read once again. If you had a broken arm, would you repent of not being able to write a Christian journal? No; you'd wait until it healed, and maybe find other ways of journalling in the meantime.

Click to expand...

There's more to this issue than just illness. Depression has both physical and spiritual elements and is therefore quite different from a broken arm or a laceration.

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

Sounds like your "friend" needs to read the book of Job.

Redwingfan9 said:

There's more to this issue than just illness. Depression has both physical and spiritual elements and is therefore quite different from a broken arm or a laceration.

Click to expand...

I disagree.
But I've just realised this is the Christian advice forum and debate is not allowed.
If you start another thread in General Theology, I'll write an answer.

Celticroots said:

Seeing mental health professionals is the advised course of action for anyone suffering from depression or other mental health issues.

Click to expand...

I never said don't see them! I said be very careful accepting what they say is always true.

To do otherwise is damaging to the OPs health.

Click to expand...

And it can also be extremely detrimental not taking seriously, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col 2:8

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

OP, that "friend" who is telling you that you are demon-possessed and whatnot is using some old time kind of reasoning for your depression. It is now known that depression is a medical condition.

You can always take solice and find relief in the lord. My experience has taught me that volunteering my time, even just giving someone a ride to church or wherever, come an hour early and straighten up the chairs or books or get whatever they need to set up, I have stayed after and watched the kids so they're mom's can talk to sweep up and take out trash at the end.

All of these things have brought me great joy upon completion. Things like calling a friend, not to say how bad you feel but to ask about them, their family, and reminisce about fun times. The conversation always makes it back around to how you are doing, at those times when things are black, if asked I confess that emotion to someone but also say "Though I am in the darkness right now, THe Lord know my suffering and he will make a way out for me>"

Just saying things like that out loud can help the negative minefield of thoughts feel some hope for a day when I feel better. I know I'll feel better at some point, I need to hold on to it when it happens and give prayers of gratitude for it

God does want you to be happy but he doesn't drop happiness on our heads, we have to go out and find an activity or a subject we like and do it often and be around positive people as much as possible. Happiness rubs off from others in a tight group.

All this stuff is things you can do if you see this as a medical or a spiritual condition. Some get medication to aide then but it's no cure take it from someone who's taken it all. Mostly it's positive actions and positive people that bring us happiness. A study said of all the people they studied who were happy, more than any other reason was they get to follow their conscience. It makes sense, you do good, you feel good

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

Do you repent when you catch the flu ? Ive been depressed, came outta of nowhere. It wasn't something I did

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

Depression is a removal of emotional response to life because we cannot cope.
It is a safety mechanism so we can still function but emotional interaction is shut down. It is odd that emotional close down is pain that will not go away. But maybe the question we always ask in our hearts is, is it safe? And if the answer is I do not know, that closes us down.

Now there are chemical reasons for close down and psychological reasons.
My answer to this problem is a de-stressing approach. It is working out from where we are to areas were we are comfortable and safe. Like a child exploring the world, things can be simplified and rebuilt, from the ground up. Exercising faith alongside this can help. Jesus is with us in our hearts here today, where we are. In Him we have the eternal future of security and support.

What we often discover is some event happened or situation that took away our coping and positive strategies and it all cascaded into depression and being overwhelmed. The stepping out in faith, building up knowing we are in Jesus is the beginning of something new.

God bless you

ViaCrucis said:

That's not how depression works. Depressive episodes can have triggers, but they can also just come out of no where. Depression is a medical condition.

-CryptoLutheran

Click to expand...

The OP said he is depressed.
Try to understand that.
I did.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.
2Co 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
1Pe 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings..
Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
It is the denying of our own will that we must repent of: If we lack faith, then we must needs more abundantly submit to and rely upon the Word of God, seeing that faith comes only by hearing the Word of God.
As for grief and misery: the Lord Jesus Christ was also a man of sorrows.

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

You need better friends. This one is leading you astray.

Sin requires repentance. Depression is not sin. It doesn't require repentance. It does require counseling.

boxman144 said:

I've been depressed for a while now. Everything just feels dark. I feel guilty for being happy.

So I finally talked to a fellow Christian about it and he told me that I have to repent for those thoughts.

Do I? I know it's bad but am I commiting sin for being depressed?

He said "I urge you to depart from such mindsets asap and repent of those kinds of thoughts, especially from feeling sorry for yourself for those things of the past or whatever is driving those kinds of feelings.

He also said it is a very UNGODLY thinking pattern and is the result of demonic forces working in my life.

I don't necessarily feel sorry for myself, I just feel like everything is bleak and drab, and I've been praying and praying and praying for help and no answer.

Click to expand...

No, you don't. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. There's an entire book of the Bible dedicated to depressive thoughts (Lamentations). Being a Christian doesn't mean we will feel constant happiness. Sometimes it's a huge struggle. We still struggle with our personal demons.

But in the end, it's about recognizing the One who is good.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." - Revelations 21:4

"They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." - Psalms 126:5

I take comfort knowing that no matter how painful things are, at the end, I will find nothing but rejoicing. And believe me, depression is a huge struggle for me as well.