Psychosis is a real thing – even in the Church. Psychosis is a condition that affects the way your brain processes information. It causes you to lose touch with reality. Some in the Church have lost touch with the reality of Christ.
I received a call from someone who told me that he didn’t have the assurance of salvation and that he didn’t feel saved. I asked him if he had confessed Jesus as Lord and if he believed in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. He affirmed he did and told me he was recently baptized at his church but he still didn’t feel saved and was without assurance. This is spiritual psychosis. He has lost touch with the saving reality of Jesus Christ. He told me that his pastor told him that unless he had the assurance of his salvation, he wasn’t saved.
I was reluctant to do so, yet I said that I disagreed with what his pastor told him. His salvation wasn’t dependent upon his feelings of assurance but upon the Assurer of his salvation—Jesus. I used a couple of analogies to show him what I meant.
What if your mother called you and said that she didn’t have the assurance that she was your mother. I know, she wouldn’t do that, but humor me. Following the pastoral counsel you received, you’d have to say, “Well, if you don’t have the assurance that you’re my mom, then you’re not my mom.” Hmmm – that sounds weird. You wouldn’t do that. You would seek to assure her that she is your mom. “But I don’t feel like I’m your mom. I don’t have that assurance in my heart.” This frustrates you because you’re not sure how to relate to someone having a break with reality. (Now you know how we pastors can sometimes feel lost in what people say to us!) You let her know that she’s your mom whether she feels like it or not. You assure her that you’re assured whether she’s assured or not. Facts are stubborn things and it’s an unchangeable fact that she’s your mom.
Or maybe you find yourself on my boat and I require that you wear a life preserver. After a bit you tell me that you don’t have the assurance that your preserver will actually keep you afloat in case you wind up in the water. I assure that it’s a quality vest and it is being properly worn – there’s nothing to worry about. “But I don’t feel like it will save me.” It doesn’t matter how you feel – your feelings won’t affect the performance of the preserver. Let’s imagine the worst – the boat capsizes and we’re thrown overboard and find ourselves floating, being upheld by our life preservers. Can someone in this situation panic, though they are safely kept from drowning? Sure.
“But I feel like I could slip below the water at any time.” Except that you’re not. “I don’t feel like I’m safe right now.” Except that you are.
Do people panic though they are safely protected and preserved? Yes, human nature being what it is, sometimes feelings are not persuaded by facts. Can someone who is secure in Christ feel like they are not secure? Yes. Is that an indication that they are not secure? No. It’s an indication of spiritual psychosis – a break with reality.
Honestly, dealing with a spiritual psychotic can be an exhausting thing in that they locate their security in how they feel about their salvation and not in Him who has saved them. Somewhere along the line they received the message that their feelings are of greater authority than Jesus Christ. They’ve come to trust their feelings more than the promises of God. Can part of this be due to spiritual warfare – the lies of the enemy? Absolutely! Can part of this be attributed to spiritual immaturity? Sure. Can part of this be traced to bad teaching? Unfortunately, yes.
Regardless of the roots of spiritual psychosis, we always point to Jesus and the finished work of the cross and the empty tomb. Listen – your mom is still your mom even if she doesn’t think she’s your mom. That life preserver will keep you afloat even if you think it won’t keep you afloat. Jesus secures your salvation even if you don’t feel secure. Your salvation is dependent upon the finished work of Christ and your finicky feelings can’t change that. If psychosis is a break with reality, getting reconnected to the reality of Jesus will bring peace to your soul.
Good news – I received a message from the man who called me. He wrote that his soul has come into the peace of Christ because he is now leaning on Jesus and not on his feelings. Praise the Lord!
Another good one sir!