Originally Posted by
fuego
You know, I thought of this comment when posting the thread below. The article is basically talking about Christians, but it does talk about how he Bible talks about a particular way of thinking that is "mentally ill."
http://livingfaithforum.com/forum/sh...ns-1-John-Fenn
In particular this part, generalizing what he said about Christians to just rejecting sound Biblical teaching in general.
When he starts outlining the symptoms of an emotionally ill Christian, he starts here saying they reject this teaching. The steps towards emotional or mental illness begin, and are first seen here, with the rejection of common sense and a logical understanding of what it is to walk with Christ and godly relationships. Paul is talking about relationships in these first 2 verses, and people who reject common sense, social skills and wisdom when dealing with others. Strained relationships, or withdrawing from relationships, are the first sign of a person on a path towards emotional or mental illness.
What most Christians understand as common sense and logical, they take issue with. They have other ideas, other 'voices' telling them to reject such things in favor of their own thoughts on the matter.
As we will see later, Paul identifies arrogance and stubbornness as major traits of someone emotionally ill.
Romans 1:22, 28
(21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
(22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
(28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
This is an interesting translation...
Romans 1:28 (28-32) Wuest
And even as after putting God to the test for the purpose of approving Him should He meet their specifications, and finding that He did not, they disapproved of holding Him in their full and precise knowledge, God gave them up to a mind that would not meet the test for that which a mind was meant, to practice those things which were not becoming or fitting; being filled with every unrighteousness, pernicious evil, avarice, malice, full of envy, murder, wrangling, guile, malicious craftiness; secret slanderers, backbiters; hateful to God, insolent, haughty; swaggerers, inventors of evil things; disobedient to parents, stupid, faithless, without natural affection, merciless; such are those who, knowing the judgment of God that these who practice such things are worthy of death, not only habitually do the same things but also take pleasure in those who practice them.
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