Part 1

Martyn Lloyd Jones, who had the distinction of being both a pastor and a medical doctor, pointed out the need for great discernment in this area when helping people:

Many Christian people, in fact, are in utter ignorance concerning this realm where the borderlines between physical, psychological and spiritual meat. Frequently I found that such [church] leaders had treated those whose trouble was obviously mainly physical or psychological, any purely spiritual manner; if you do so, you not only don’t help. You aggravate the proble

The Christian Warfare, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976), 206-208.

There are other people as well who were spiritual yet fought regularly with and against depression:

C.H. Spurgeon

(from Spurgeon’s Lectures to His Students)

Fits of depression come over the most of us. Cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of iron to whom wear and tear work no perceptible detriment, but surely the rust frets even these; and as for ordinary men, the Lord knows and makes them to know that they are but dust. Knowing by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited therewith at seasons by no means few or far between, I thought it might be consolatory to some of my brethren if I gave my thoughts thereon, that younger men might not fancy that some strange thing had happened to them when they became for a season possessed by melancholy; and that sadder men might know that one upon whom the sun has shown right joyously did not always walk in the light.

Note: Spurgeon goes on to cite 10 reasons for depression in ministers:
1. God’s Preachers Are Still Frail Humanity
2. The Preacher’s Work Has Much to Try the Soul
3. The Loneliness of God’s Prophet Tends to Depression
4. Preachers, by Lack of Exercise and Recreation, Tend to Melancholy
5. God Allows Fainting After Great Victories Lest We Should Be “Exalted Above Measure”
6. Burden and Weakness Are Given to Humble Us Before Great Tasks
7. Failure to Take Regular Periods of Vacation and Rest Promotes Fainting and Weariness
8. The Inevitable Blows of Betrayal, Slander, Criticism Depress God’s Best Preachers
9. God Allows a Minister’s Troubles for His Glory
10. Victory in Trouble Possible for God’s Man.

While these qualities may be concentrated uniquely in the life of a pastor, they are not life situations that are unique to minister alone.

Jonathan Edwards

In A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, Jonathan Edwards connected physical disease of the brain with mental suffering and depression (Works of Jonathan Edwards [WJE]; New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959. Volume 2, pg. 157).

The Apostle Paul

– during his time ministering to the people of Ephesus, Paul dealt with a deep depression.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired [lit. “no passage,” In other words, no earthly reason for hope or the possibility of life itself]. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death [This was a technical term that indicated the passing of an official resolution. The idea is what would/could be the only solution for this situation Paul finds himself? The answer was “death.”]. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Paul was describing the darkness of depression and the depth of despair that he felt. If you have ever wrestled with depression you can well understand the sentiments of Paul. Embedded within Paul’s story is the golden thread of God’s grace to uphold him through His understanding of who God is (implicit) and the prayers of the people of Corinth.

Therefore, we can see that the issue of depression should not be viewed simply as a spiritual weakness on the part of the Christian and the remedy is simply to “have more faith.” While it may be true that more faith is needed by the Christian, to view this as the “catch-all” remedy is to perform spiritual malpractice.

Part 3, we will consider a particular process in which to better determine if depression is spiritual (psychological) or physiological with accompanying suggestions for dealing with depression.