That conversation has stayed with me. How many others in our churches carry the same confusion and shame? It forced me to ask: Are mental health struggles purely spiritual? How can the Church do better in talking about mental illness?
As I wrestled with these questions, I noticed some pitfalls that ministry leaders often fall into. Here are four pitfalls and how we can avoid them—and care for one another with greater wisdom and grace.
1 False Divide: Separating the Spiritual from the Physical
Mental illness defies simple categories. It includes conditions ranging from anxiety and depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Trying to separate the biological from the spiritual is not only impractical—it misses the point.
When it comes to mental illness, the church often mirrors the disciples in John 9:2-3—quick to ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
As Christians, we believe all suffering is ultimately rooted in the fall of humanity. Whether it’s cancer or depression, pain exists because the world is broken. But that doesn’t mean every experience of suffering is caused by personal sin.
If you break a leg, no one tells you to only pray about it. You go to the doctor. Even Paul advised Timothy to drink wine for his stomach (1 Timothy 5:23), offering a practical remedy alongside spiritual care. So why should we treat “mental” health differently than “physical” health?
The Bible was never meant to serve as a medical textbook. It doesn’t diagnose the causes of depression or anxiety—it points us to God in the midst of suffering. Yes, there’s often a spiritual component to mental health. But that doesn’t mean mental illness is always a sign of spiritual failure.
2 Misusing the Bible’s Language
Another source of confusion is the way we interpret biblical language—particularly when we expect it to speak with scientific precision. The Bible often uses phenomenological language, which describes human experience rather than an objective measurement. Phrases like “the sun rises” or “the ends of the earth” are not scientifically literal—they speak from the observer’s point of view.
In the same way, biblical references to the “heart” or “mind” are often symbolic, not anatomical. For example, Psalm 119:11 speaks of hiding God’s Word in the heart—not the literal organ, but a metaphor for deep devotion and internalized truth. Similarly, when Ezekiel 36:26 promises a new heart, it’s not referring to cardiac surgery, but spiritual transformation.
Problems arise when we take spiritual guidance and apply it rigidly to medicine. Verses like Philippians 4:6–7 (“Do not be anxious…”) or 1 Peter 5:7 (“Cast all your anxiety on him…”) are often quoted to imply that clinical anxiety or depression stems from weak faith or even sin. But are these verses referring to a mental illness or speaking to the universal human experience of worry and fear?
Reducing all mental illness to spiritual failure misunderstands and misapplies both Scripture and science. It strips away the depth and nuance of both—and leaves those who suffer with more shame than support.
3 Overlooking the Full Impact of the Fall
The fall didn’t just break us spiritually—it broke our bodies and minds, too. Every kind of suffering—emotional, physical, or spiritual—is part of life in a fallen world. Mental illness is no exception.
I strongly believe in the value of biblical counseling. Pastoral care is essential. But we must also recognize that the brain, like any other organ, can malfunction. Every broken bone, every cancer diagnosis, every panic attack and depressive episode is a symptom of life in a fallen world—evidence that we are not whole. There is a world of difference between spiritual discouragement and melancholy and clinical depression. Both matter—but they require different kinds of care.
Some people may indeed be overmedicated. Others are under-treated, suffering silently because they’ve been taught that needing medical help is a lack of faith. Both extremes are harmful. Two things can be true at once: someone may need prayer and a doctor. One does not cancel out the other.
We must be careful not to draw hard lines where the Bible does not.
4 Limiting How God Can Heal
It’s deeply concerning when pastors, without medical or clinical training, speak with authority on mental illness. A theology degree doesn’t make someone a neuroscientist or mental health professional. Many mental health issues have biological and neurological roots. We need humility to acknowledge what we don’t know.
And we need to broaden our understanding of how God heals. Could it not be that God works through doctors, therapists, and medication? Could the drug that helps stabilize someone’s mental illness be part of God’s provision—just like aspirin derived from the bark of a willow tree?
We do ourselves and others a disservice when we confine God’s healing only to what looks miraculous. Sometimes the miracle is a diagnosis, a prescription, or a trained counselor showing up at just the right time.
A Word to the Church—And Those Who Suffer
To pastors and church leaders: Speak boldly where Scripture speaks and stay silent where it doesn’t. Mental health deserves to be approached with grace, compassion, and humility. Our job is to walk patiently with those who are hurting—not to explain away their pain.
To those suffering from mental illness: Trust the Great Physician. Seek wise and faithful counsel—and don’t be afraid to call your doctor, too.
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