There is perhaps no greater horror than that of dementia. The pain that this disease wreaks upon families, loved ones, and caregivers is incalculable. As Christians, we recognize this awful physical and mental disease as an unfortunate part of living in a fallen world. Unfortunately, pain is a part of life. Whether it is an affliction of the mind and body like a sickness, the emotional pain of broken relationships, or interpersonal sin, painful circumstances and trials are ordinary experiences.
Another unfortunate ordinary experience is a spiritual sickness that often goes undiagnosed. The illness in question is something I call spiritual senility. Spiritual Senility, like its physical counterpart, consists of memory loss and decreased cognitive ability. Spiritual senility is when a person forgets the truth of God’s Sovereign reign over all things for His glory and our good and, therefore, has a diminished ability to think clearly about their situation.
Spiritual senility has affected a wide swath of people across history. We see the sickness and its symptoms among God’s people in scenes such as the golden calf, the spies’ report, and the Exodus account. Why did the Israelites balk at taking the promised land when they had just seen God bring Egypt to its knees? Why did they complain about food and water when God had provided Manna from Heaven and water from the rock? Their momentary afflictions and circumstances made them forget Who God is and what He had done.
They are focusing on the seen rather than the unseen. This directly contradicts the instructions of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:17 (ESV): “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” Rather than remembering the eternal, they are focused on the momentary, and this has consequences.
Among those consequences are forgetfulness of God and His providential care. Instead of counting it all joy as James 1:2-4 instructs, they are counting it all sorrow. And we are no different. God instructs us to count it joy specifically because He knows our weak frame and the inevitable temptation to despair. One reason for this is that pain is a massive distraction. Our old sin nature will often rear its ugly head whilst in pain to distract us from the truths of Scripture. When walking through trials, or even unpleasant, difficult, and downright painful circumstances brought about as a product of living in a sinful world, most people, including Christians, just want the trial to end. We quickly forget the goodness of God and His tender, providential care demonstrated throughout the entirety of human history.
When we forget the glorious truth of Who God is and what He has done, our ability to think clearly about our situation and circumstances is diminished. Rather than remembering that God is sovereignly controlling all things for His glory and our good, we only think in terms of our own abilities and emotional responses. This manifests perhaps most evidently in the all-too-often desire for a “sign that it will all be okay.”
Spiritual senility and sign-seeking go hand in hand. God has given us the Scriptures, which contain everything needed for the man of God to be complete and equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17). However, when we forget God and His promises, we sinfully desire something more. Rather than relying on the rock-solid promises of the Word to tell us that God is working all things out according to His good and sovereign purposes, we tend to beg God for some vague sign that everything will turn out as we desire. This sound is often echoed by the refrain of “Lord, if you care about me, You will…” These are sinful and emotional responses that spring forth from forgetting God and His Word. None of us are immune. I write this, having had to repent of this particular sin in the past. Whilst walking through challenging times, I have found myself too quickly looking to God with a “what have you done for me lately” attitude that neglects to remember that God has providentially guided every second of history and has given me infinitely more than I deserve in the Gospel.
All the while, sign-seeking cannot satisfy our anxiety or pain anyway. If we are prone to wander and forget or take for granted the massive demonstrations of God’s grace and love, such as the crucifixion and resurrection, how will some small sign we seek ever sustain us? It won’t. Thus, we must be rooted in and stand firm upon a healthy remembrance of God’s truth. We do not need to be shown some new small victory or sign that everything will be okay. Rather, we need to remember the Promise that God has already made and the ultimate victory He has already won.
When considering the promises and victory of God, 1 Corinthians 15 is an excellent reminder. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 (ESV) says: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”
Brothers and sisters, Christ’s resurrection is the ultimate sign that everything will be okay. He is the firstfruits of the resurrection. In other words, He is the first to be resurrected, and the promise and surety that those who are in Christ will be resurrected as well. Our resurrection will surely follow. Furthermore, Scripture reveals to us that we will not be resurrected for nothing or a similar situation but rather resurrected for all eternity in a glorified body on the New Earth, eternally enjoying the presence of God. Along with this is the promise that God will judge all wickedness and bring an end to sin and its effects.
In other words, through Christ’s death and resurrection, we have a sure promise that all will be made right in the end to the praise of God’s glory. This is the substance of the teaching in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 quoted earlier. We are in a light, momentary affliction but are moving toward an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. So, we fix our eyes not on the transient, seen things but on the eternal things. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, His victory, and sure fulfillment of all His promises.
What is the solution to spiritual senility and sign-seeking? Do not get caught up looking at the momentary. Instead, rest in the eternal. Focus not on circumstances but on Christ. Focus less on the right now and more on the resurrection. We must do as the old hymn says and stand “on the promises that cannot fail.” There is no greater sign than the Gospel, so remember and retell it rather than forget it.
Colt Hudson 