Is Worrying A Sin?

Is worrying a sin? A number of books and articles, ironically meant to help put our minds at ease, say that it is. Why is it a sin to worry? Because the Bible says not to and so it is a sin to do so, darn it!

Or is that so?

Where does this idea come from?

The idea that worrying is inherently sinful a disobedience of the commands of God could come from a variety of places. At least a handful of scriptures come to mind. Jesus in Matthew 6 talks about not worrying about food or clothing. Philippians 4:6 says "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Doesn't that settle it? The Bible says "do not be anxious,' so being anxious is itself a sin, right?

I do not think that this is the case. Don't get me wrong; worry is bad. But it isn't so simple as "the Bible says 'do not worry,' so worrying is sin. First of all, there is the matter of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. As the crucifixion loomed near, He did not hesitate to tell his disciples "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death" Matthew 26:38. Now, nothing had actually happened to Jesus yet. The context makes clear that what troubled Jesus was His impending crucifixion. He was anticipating what was to come. And despite no mention of suffering any physical trauma, we know He even was in agony and was sweating out blood (Luke 22:44). Now, how many of us have every been that stressed out by the prospect of a future event? Doesn't His reaction sound a bit like worrying? He certainly was anxious by any measure!

I should note that no matter how horrible the crucifixion was, we know that Jesus knew what was to come after. It's not like He woke up on the third day and was shocked to find Himself still alive again. Yet while He pray and cast His cares up to the Father, He didn't then take a deep breath and move on and try to think about something else. Instead, He sweat blood. It wasn't that He was worried that God wouldn't come through or that He wouldn't come out of it. Then again, how many of us, when stressed about work or a relationship or a family member with cancer, worry that God will not fulfill His promises to us, such as granting us eternal life? We don't. No amount of work stress makes a believer doubt that Jesus died for their sins. No amount of stressing over bills makes a believer doubt the resurrection of the dead. And Jesus certainly didn't lack faith in the Father! Jesus simply knew what was coming. If anything, the fact that Jesus was so, for lack of a better term, worried, only underscores His faith and courage. The fact that the terror of what awaited Him was not lost on Him, that it didn't just roll of his shoulder, but that it had that effect on Him - and yet He did it anyway - shows how profound His love for us must have been.

Biblical Hermenuetics

I have to take issue with the hermenuetic that says simply because the Bible phrases something in the imperative that to do otherwise is inherently sinful. That's not how communication works. And it is definitely not how encouragement works. And what are these passages meant to be if not encouragement?

We see this in every day life. For example, it's normal for a child to have been told by his or her parents not to worry many times while growing up. It's not so normal for that same child to then be put over their mama's knee if they are caught worrying.

If we take the wooden, legalistic approach to scripture that makes worrying a sin to other parts of scripture, we run into problems:

Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" So, the Bible commands us to rejoice, and to even do so always. But what about when the Bible also says "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15)? How can we rejoice always and yet also weep? Does the Bible contradict itself? Not according to this blogger! But commands to weep and commands to always rejoice contradict each other.

And what about when the same Paul who said "do not be anxious' and "rejoice always" also shared news of his friend Epaphroditus? It is written: "For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow" (Philippians 2:27). Paul was very upfront about how he would not have been rejoicing had Epaphroditus died, but he hardly sounds repentant or ashamed about it. Instead, He embraces it as a reminder of God's mercy to Him in that Epaphroditus pulled through.

Paul likewise showed no shame in telling the Galatians "I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain" (Galatians 4:11). Is that not sin while it is sin to fear that you will lose your job? While some may appeal to a difference between fear and worry, in this context, Paul's "fear" isn't an involuntary reaction to an external threat like one who is afraid at the sight of a wild beast. He is expressing emotional stress about an event that may or may not even happen, or was we might call it, he is worrying. For some reason, despite Paul knowing the gospel, he didn't "trust God" to deliver on a promise that God never made, and unashamedly expressed this in the midst of writing God-breathed scripture. The same is true for 2 Corinthians 12:20. Paul's fear also gets awkward, since Peter says "you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear" (1 Peter 3:6, emphasis mine). Context matters, and not everything is meant to be taken woodenly.

Not everything that is put forth in the imperative sense (i.e. do this, don't do that) is meant to be a commandment. Words of wisdom and words of encouragement can exist on their own. Rather than giving impossible and even contradictory commands, these words are meant to encourage us and to strengthen us spiritually, both for our sake and for the sake of serving God all the better.

We are told not to worry because God has given us reasons not to worry. Jesus said not to worry in the Sermon on the Mount because God cares about you and will sustain your life (and even when God stops, He will then turn around give you eternal life!). Paul said not to be anxious because we have Christ. It doesn't mean that our problems are gone, but that what we do have is so much greater that it puts things in a different perspective (similar to Paul's talk of "momentary, light affliction" in 2 Corinthians 4:7).

These words are meant to be encouraging. Do you know what happens when we turn them into commandments that can be violated whenever anyone gets a little stressed out? They become anything but encouraging! Instead, they serve to cause people to worry that they may be committing the sin of worrying!

If this statement that is phrased like a command is meant to be an all-around command that must be obeyed by all believers, we run into all sorts of problems. But this is not so when we start considering other possibilities. It seems to be that the point being made by Jesus and Paul and others was that there is never a bad time to remember the things of God that give us reason to rejoice. Even in times of great sadness, remember Jesus. Remember what God has in store for you. Remember the things that are worthy to rejoice about, and they will bring you comfort. Remember them every day, even in the hustle and bustle of daily life. They will bring joy and peace even when circumstances do the opposite. Don't lose sight of them, but remember them always to encourage you, not because to do otherwise is rebellion against God.

Should We Ignore Worry Then?

Certainly not! Worrying is still a bad thing, and in us who are inclined to sinning (unlike Jesus), it can lead to sins. We have the blessings of God, including the ultimate blessing of the cross, so that we don't have to be burdened. Jut because it isn't a cold legal requirement to not worry, such that any fear or stress or concern about the future becomes a sin doesn't mean that Jesus didn't say not to worry in Matthew 6, or that Philippians 4:6 didn't say not to be anxious. Those words are there for a reason. We have eternal life. We have the promise that if something happens to us, God is working it out for our ultimate good even if it is bad (Romans 8:28). In case there was any doubt about God caring about our concerns, Peter made sure to correct that doubt in 1 Peter 5:7.

Worry is not meant to be the mark of the Christian life, and worrying can be a sign of other problems. It can be a sign of a lack of faith, or of a lack of biblical knowledge (since the Bible is rich with encouragement that can assuage your worries). It can be a sign that you need to step back and remember the hope we have in Christ for eternal life. It's just that it isn't so simple as "it says 'don't worry' so ever having worry is disobedience!'" Someone should have told Jesus if that were the case...

If you do have worry, remember the encouragements of scripture. Remember that God loves you and Jesus died for you. Keep things in the perspective of eternity. And maybe take this as an opportunity for some self-reflection, for worry may be the warning signal to alert you to something that is keeping you from growing. And remember the one whom we live for: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Works Cited

New American Standard Bible (NASB). N.p.: Lockman Foundation, 1995. Biblegateway.com. Web. 6 Jun. 2011. <http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-American-Standard-Bible-NASB/>. 

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture is quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.