Is Anxiety a Sin? Understanding Anxiety and Sin

Only four hours of sleep a night. Nightmares every night. Lack of concentration. But no one ever knew. I appeared to have endless energy and was praised for waking up at 4:00 a.m. to do a Bible study. So, surely I was just being holy, not anxious, right? And if I am waking up at 4:00 a.m. to do a Bible study, surely I am not sinning, right?

Due to the trauma I experienced in childhood, my brain learned to do what was necessary to stay safe: do not stop; keep going. It was ALWAYS going, even when I slept. If I stopped going and going, if I slowed down, I felt, and I did not like those feelings. I was not consciously aware I was doing this from age nine into adulthood. I did not realize that my praiseworthy behaviors (boundless energy, waking up early, being the life of the party, etc.) were actually defense mechanisms trying to keep me safe. The outcome for me was anxiety and depression. And I was not sinning. I was trying to survive.

Understanding what anxiety is and why it may manifest will hopefully lessen the stigma of anxiety. Additionally, may be it will provide individuals with compassion for themselves and when working with those struggling with anxiety.

 What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a buzz word in our society today. To take society’s meaning is to define anxiety as anything that causes me to feel out of control, nervous, unsettled. However, anxiety is so much more than that.

Some symptoms of anxiety are trouble concentrating, difficulty sleeping, irritability, negative thoughts, racing heart, stomachache, and trembling. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it provides some idea of visceral responses we have when we experience anxiety. We need to note, though, there is an antecedent to these visceral responses.

Anxiety can result from trauma, stress, health issues, death of a loved one, genetics, environmental factors, thyroid issues or be a component of depression. Within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) seven main categories of anxiety disorders are listed and under the main categories are subsets of disorders. While listing and explaining all those is beyond this writing, what can be said is anxiety is real and is happening in us and in those we care for.  And sometimes the experience of anxiety is within our control and sometimes it is not.

 Is Anxiety Sin?

The church and mental health have experienced a tumultuous relationship throughout the ages. And while that relationship has become less strained, there are still differences with which the church and those in mental health may disagree. Why mental health conditions impact an individual is still one of those matters.

First, defining sin is necessary. The biblical definition of sin is deviating from obedience to God’s character and will. It is described as a “transgression of the law of God and rebellion against God” (Baker, 2024). When considering whether anxiety is a sin, it is beneficial for people to ask themselves or when helping others, “Is it a willful disobedience against God? Is it rebellion against God?” If not, then the anxiety is not a sin.

LifeWay initiated a study through Baylor University. Their research is published in the article "Demon or Disorder: A Survey of Attitudes Toward Mental Illness and the Church” which discovered that three out of ten church attendees who sought assistance from their church for themselves or a family member with a mental condition experienced "negative interactions" that were adverse to psychological treatment. Negative experiences that were often mentioned included being abandoned by the church, having church officials compare mental illness to the activities of demons, and being told by church leaders that their mental illness was caused by personal fault (sin). Women were substantially more likely than males to indicate that the church ignored their mental illness or advised them not to seek psychiatric therapy (Grcevic, 2018). Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon event to occur within the church. Although the church is often the first line of defense for those suffering, most clergy have little to no counseling training. Therefore, many clergy will appoint a spiritual reason for the anxiety and may even deem it a sin.

However, if we are not careful, our anxiety can become a sin not because we are feeling anxious, but because we have chosen to live outside of God’s will. Maybe we try to assume control of something that is not ours to control, have chosen to place our trust in something other than Christ, or may be willfully disobeying Christ. Again, it is not the anxiety that is the sin, but rather a symptom of the sin.

Below are four reasons anxiety may occur. While this list is not exhaustive, it may offer some insight as to why anxiety is not a sin as well as why it may be present within someone.

 Reasons Anxiety May Occur

 1)    Our own actions

I was a high school English teacher for almost ten years. One of my favorite readings to teach was Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The demise of Lady Macbeth was one of the most fascinating scenes. While her mental capacities spiral downward rapidly, it is due to her own hand. As the doctor notes in Act 5, “Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles; infected minds to their deaf pillow will reveal their secrets.” Lady Macbeth’s own actions supplied her anxiety as she tried to force her husband upon the throne.  

 While we may not be trying to put anyone on the “throne,” we may be committing actions that are “unnatural deeds” that do not honor Christ. One of the affects of doing so is the natural consequence of being anxious. We may be anxious because we fear lies will be uncovered, our manipulation will be called out, or our control will be taken away. Because of our own actions, anxiety becomes a byproduct. However, the feeling of anxiety is not the sin, but the symptom. The actions committed, the rebellion against God’s truths and ways is what is the sin.

 2)    Genetic pre-disposition

Advances in science have provided us with mounds of evidence for how the brain perceives events and can relay information to our brains, even in the womb. This evidence has also shown that the brain can be wired to be anxious.  

Twin studies have shown that there are receptor genes and binding proteins that are involved in the genetic predisposition for anxiety. Additionally, a longitudinal study has revealed that there is an “overlap between childhood and adult mental health disorders” (JACAP, 2022). About forty percent of a person’s risk for anxiety was due to genetics; environmental factors contributed to the rest.

 No sin is evident here. Only the results of living in a fallen world.

 3)    A natural emotion

Our brain has an alarm system, the Limbic system. It compromises of several components that are beyond this discussion; however, what is relevant here is the purpose of the limbic system which is to keep us, or those around us, safe.

For instance, if you have a child or animal, you watch them closely to make sure they do not cross the street without you or an adult. But has your child or animal ever tried to do so without you? How did you react? Did your heart-race? Did you spring into action? Were you shaking? That was your limbic system at work. And, you raced into action to ensure the safety of your child. No sinning, just responsible parenting and caring.

The brain is built to survive, to keep us alive. Anxiety sometimes lets us know we are in danger or someone around us may be in danger. This is a God-given emotion to help us be aware of our surroundings and to protect ourselves and those we love. This is not a sin. Rather, it is a gift God has given us to keep His children safe.

 4)    Trauma

Trauma has been defined as anything that overwhelms the brain’s ability to cope. When someone has experienced something so overwhelming, it is natural for someone to experience anxiety, fear, and more until the person can reach a place of regulation again. Additionally, if the trauma was severe or compounded, the person may have a prolonged trauma response which may take months or years to heal.

Anxiety produced from trauma is a not a sin. How can it be? Often traumatic events happen outside of the person’s control. He or she is not a willing participant in whatever the event is or was. Therefore, a person is not willingly be anxious, but rather the brain is in a constant state of survival which may result in anxiety.

Final Thoughts

Jesus offers us many truths for overcoming anxiety; however, in none of those statements does he call anxiety a sin. Yet he provides us direction to overcome anxiety when it occurs. There are reasons we experience anxiety; however, we have an opportunity to lessen its impact when we examine our hearts and can identify the reasons for the anxiety.  Once we understand the reason, we can work towards taking every thought captive (I Corinthians 10:5) and thinking on things above (Colossians 3:2).

References

Baker, L. (2024)

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/sin/can-worrying-become-a-sin.html

 Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (DOI:10.1016/j.jaac.2021.11.035).