IS DEPRESSION CAUSED BY SIN DIFFERENT FROM THAT CAUSED BY LOSING A LOVED ONE?
Yes. When depression is caused by sin, we not only experience a loss of self-esteem and a loss of control over the events surrounding the sin, but we also lose the peace of God in our lives. That can have a much greater effect than experiencing a loss of something legitimate, like losing a loved one. The loss of spiritual resources available to us as Christians is very significant when depression is caused by sin. So there is both a quantitive difference (intensity is greater) and a qualitative difference (the emotional pain is deeper). One might also say the loss of a loved one is likely to drive us back to God, whereas the depression caused by sin is likely to drive us away from Him. SHOULD A CHRISTIAN FEEL GUILTY ABOUT BEING DEPRESSED? Heaven forbid! One of the consequences of depression is increased guilt. That’s why so many feel guilty when they’re depressed. If the guilt gets out of control, it increases the depression, which is not healthy. Depression should be seen as something
