Meditation is something that is common to most, if not all, the world’s faiths. Some form of meditation is common to Buddhism (especially Zen), Hinduism (including Yoga), Sufism, Islam, Judaism (particularly Kabbalah, an occult-oriented offshoot of Judaism), and even some forms of Christianity. The essential Christian understanding of meditation can be broken down into three parts: a conscious focus on who God is, what God has done, and what God has said. The word “meditate” is found in most English New Testaments in Luke 21:14 and 1 Timothy 4:15. The Greek word in both passages is meletao (in Luke a preposition comes before meletao). The word means to consider or think about. In the Luke passage Jesus is speaking: “Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer…” Clearly Jesus has thinking in mind. In the 1 Timothy 4:15 passage, Paul is giving instruction to his young disciple Timothy: “Practice these things, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.” Paul urges Timothy to “practice,” with meletao being the word translated as practice. This gives us an idea about the ancient meaning of meditation, which is mindful, conscious, and reality-oriented thinking.

In the Old Testament, meditate or meditation is found in nineteen places, mostly in the Book of Psalms. For example, in Joshua 1:8, God says to Joshua, who is Moses’ second in command, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night.” Here Joshua is instructed to focus on or think about the Word of God. In Psalm 119:15 we find, “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways;” and verse 23 of that Psalm reads, “your servant will meditate on your statutes.”

In Scripture there is nothing about an emptying or clearing of the mind. The mind, the thoughts, or the reasoning process are a far cry from the kind of meditation found in all other religious practices.

Christianity does not view the mind as an enemy or thinking as an obstacle. Scripture says nothing about putting the mind into neutral so that the divine can therefore communicate with a person.

It is true that Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, among others, including contemporary people in the Christian fraternity, speak of a mystical form of meditation that encourages the blank state of mind, but this is neither biblical nor mainstream Christian practice.

Meditation or its popular designation, contemplative prayer, may seem good and may bring a measure of peacefulness, but it is still not the same as biblical meditation.

Why my concern with this subject? My answer is that in the passive, altered, or trance state of conscious there is a very great danger.

My own findings

In the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, during the days when, due to the Beatles’ influence, Transcendental Meditation was all the rage, I met many people who became adept at this meditation form. When their normal boundaries and critical defenses of mind and spirit cracked under deep meditation, however, demonic spirits invaded them. Yes, these people opened themselves up to demonic possession. This was often confirmed to me years afterward when people thus affected would arrive at the church I pastored and request deliverance from such unclean spirits.

Two illustrative instances come to mind.

On one occasion, a young hippie I met on the street in the Haight stopped me and asked if I could help get voices out of his head that continually yelled at him. We retreated to a little park on Haight Street just east of the main section, and I asked him when the voices started. Having been trained in psychology, I wanted to know if the voices had been around a long time or was it something new – chronic or acute. He told me the voices started, little by little, at his initiation into TM. He said the spirit of the founder of the movement came to him and began advising him on various things, and as time went on, the advice turned into demands and threats. He would try to meditate to block out the voices, but this only served to make matters worse. At that point, sadly, I did not know enough about casting out of demons then to help him. I did pray for him, gave him a New Testament, and urged him to trust in Jesus.

Years later, in the normal course of doing deliverance ministry, which is the casting out of demons, I encountered something similar. A man who had been initiated into TM described the same experience as the young hippie: the voices, the demands, and the confusion. To the best of my understanding the person was in his right mind. This time we were able to cast demons out of him, and one had the name of the founder of TM. When I later contacted this man, he reported that he no longer felt compelled to meditate and that the voices had ceased entirely.

That this occurs may come as a surprise to many; it certainly did to me. Were it not for the possibility of attracting demonic spirits while in a trance state, even if it is thought to be a form of contemplative prayer, I would never have challenged the idea that meditation can lead to an altered state of consciousness. But the fact is, when the walls come down in a deep meditative state, an unwelcome and unwanted invasion is possible, even probable.

from my book of essays titled The Best Sex

Prayer and Fasting: Really?

“Yes, really,” I was told, “Jesus said to pray and fast in order to cast demons out of people. And the proof of this is found in both Matthew 17:21 and Mark 9:29.”

Okay then, let’s take a look at three different Bible versions. First the Matthew passage in the King James Version, KJV, then the Revised Standard Version, RSV, and finally the English Standard Version, ESV. And the same for the passage in Mark.

Matthew 17:21

KJV, “Howbeit, this kind goeth not out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Jesus is telling His disciples, according to this version, that demons cannot be cast out of a person without both prayer and fasting. And fasting means fasting from eating food. Now for the Revised Standard Version.

RSV, oops, this verse is missing, the text moves from verse 20 to verse 21.

ESV, oops again, this verse is missing, the text also moves from verse 20 to verse 21.

Why is this? The majority of the Greek manuscripts from which the KJV developed contained verse 21. However, the RSV and ESV versions deleted verse 21 because it did not appear in the oldest and best manuscripts. At some point, and not likely prior to the 5^th century, the verse simply was not there. Codex Alexandrinus, Siniaticus, Vaticanus, and all early papyri manuscripts simply do not have this verse and also thousands of other early copies of Matthew.

So then, it has been argued, well, if it is in the KJV version it must be original because the KJV is the authorized version of the Bible. Indeed, some see it this way but not many anymore. The KJV was authorized by King James of England not by God. Hopefully this is plain enough to end that discussion.

Mark 9:29

Now the passage at Mark 9:29. The KJV has, And he said unto them, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” And the setting is the same for both accounts in Matthew and Mark where Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit.

The RSV now: And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Now we have the use of the word “prayer” but not “fasting.”

The ESV then: And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Again prayer, and no fasting.

Prayer, most understand means appealing to our Holy Trinity and not relying on any spiritual power on the part of the Christian doing this ministry.

The RSV and the ESV read the same and are an accurate rendering of the best Greek manuscripts, and not even close.

Imagine if it were necessary to fast one meal, two meals, three meals, over one day, two days, there days, or longer, do we suppose the person needing deliverance is going to wait around for this. This work generally comes up quickly, often with no time to spare. And such was the case when Jesus cast out demonic spirits.

In the six accounts of Jesus casting out demons in the New Testament, in every case it was done right then. No fasting, not even any sort of audible prayer heard by others either. Jesus merely ordered demons to come out, and they did. It is assumed that Jesus was looking to the Father, praying in the moment, trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit to do this work. And this is how it has always been down through the centuries, in our own day, and in my own personal experience, and many hundreds of these.

Sin is different from physical or emotional disease. The
concept of sin implies personal responsibility for one’s
actions. Sin has to do with right and wrong. Sin pre-
sumes a holy God who, as Creator, has the authority to estab-
lish his law and punish lawbreakers. In the Bible, this holy
God has revealed both what sin is and the fact that it must
be atoned for and forgiven. Sin is not a disease that can be
treated by medical science. Medication and therapy will not
“cure” sin. Therefore, redefining sin as a disease is a mistake.
The Issue
Medical and psychiatric professionals, social engineers,
representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, and politi-
cians have, however, been increasingly convinced that one
type of disease or another is at the root of many, if not most,
of our personal and social problems. Even Alcoholics’

Anon-
ymous, an organization I greatly respect, considers alcohol-
ism a disease.
Diseases can be medically treated. Usually there are signs
and symptoms, then a diagnosis is made, and finally treat-
ment is offered. Treatment by medication is becoming so
ubiquitous, that we are in danger of becoming like the society
depicted by George Orwell in 1984, in which everyone
was required to swallow his daily dose of soma.
We are becoming too comfortable with the notion that
people with problems are diseased, and we are consequently
amenable to the use of mind-altering drug therapies (often
accompanied with psychotherapy).
At the same time, many recoil at the suggestion that they
are sinners. This was definitely true of me. As a long-time
preacher of the gospel, I can say without hesitation that it
is also true of many people who consider themselves Christians.
A Personal Story
My brother Gary was an army combat engineer in Vietnam
in 1966-67. Prior to the end of his tour there, he encountered
some serious trouble and was sent to a hospital in
Japan, diagnosed with a psychiatric illness. After his return
home, he regularly took medication and visited a Veterans’
Administration psychologist. His medication consisted of
inter-muscular injections of some type of drug. Gary eventually
resisted the medication, because he was unable to
function at the part-time plumbing job he had found. Fearing
he would be fired, he stopped taking the injections. Within
several weeks, however, in extreme desperation he killed
himself.
I value the scientific advances made in the medical field
and in no way disparage modern medicine and psychiatry.
I also concede that there are instances in which drug therapy
must be applied. Many people are greatly helped at some
point in their lives through the use of therapy and drugs,
either singly or in combination. But to attempt to turn sin
into disease is an error, a most dangerous error indeed.
Sin: an Abusive Term?
To many non-Christians, sin is a discomforting, even
irritating word, and I imagine most people would prefer it
would disappear from common usage. Is it possible that the
use of the word in public may one day be considered abusive?
My experience demonstrates that this might be the
case. Of course, there are those people, like some of the more
extroverted television evangelists, who will use the word in
a strident, unloving manner. However it is used, in whatever
context, hackles rise at its mere mention. It is a stretch of the
imagination at this point in history to predict that a lawsuit
might result from the use of the word, but it may well come
to that, if current trends continue.
The “S” Word
At the same time that some people are growing resistant
to the “S” word, they are becoming comfortable with a disease
paradigm. There is no shame or guilt in admitting, “I
have a disease that makes me act this way. I need treatment;
I need help.” And this may be an accurate evaluation. But if a
problem is actually moral in nature, to make a misdiagnosis
is dangerous. To face up to guilt and shame may actually be
the healthiest course to take. But avoiding personal, moral
responsibility often feels like the path of least resistance and
is therefore an attractive coping mechanism. It even comes
close to the old excuse, “The devil made me do it.”
Sin – a Spiritual Disease?
Sin is a disease, but it is spiritual in nature. It is like a cancer
that works, usually unseen, inside a person. The symptoms
of the sinful condition are the breaking of the laws of
God, a rebellion against God and his Word, the Bible. Sin,
when it has wreaked its havoc, yields death, and not merely
physical death. Sin separates a person from God and heaven
Is Sin a Disease?
forever and must result in the unforgiven person being placed
into hell. Obviously, sin is worse than any type of physical
disease. For example, even if a Christian dies of a physical
disease, he will still spend eternity with his Lord in heaven.
On the other hand, a person who is healthy in every way and
yet rejects Jesus and his gospel will die and be excluded from
God’s presence.
Do dysfunctional people commit more sin than “normal”
people? I don’t believe so, except to state that dysfunctional
people’s problems may be more apparent and may get them
into more trouble with society. The Bible does not teach that
only “troubled” people are sinners and fall short of the glory
of God. No, we are all under the power and penalty of sin,
whether we are mentally healthy or not.
Alienation from God yields a life of meaninglessness,
loneliness, and despair. A person in rebellion against God
will often experience depression, anxiety, and other mental/
emotional symptoms as well as psychogenic physical illnesses.
Although those symptoms may appear to be amenable
to medical and psychiatric therapies, they are not.
Recall the medical model of disease-therapy: examination
of signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. A person
suffering from alienation from God may present various
signs and symptoms of mental and psychogenic problems.
But if the true, underlying cause of those symptoms is not
recognized, then the correct diagnosis will be missed, and no
type of medical or psychiatric treatment will prove effective.
A Terrible Misdiagnosis
If we are fooled into thinking that our problems, personal
and social, can be exclusively treated by medical and
psychiatric professionals, then we will be guilty of an awful
misdiagnosis, and the real disease will continue undetected.
Certainly, disease is a major human problem, and people are
helped through the prescription of drugs and the use of therapy.
And yes, we are fortunate to have these tools available.
But it is as the old proverb says, “We cannot see the forest for
the trees.” The forest is sin, and even a good psychiatrist and
Prozac, or whatever the best medicine has to offer, will not
bring a cure for the disease of sin.
The Accurate Diagnosis and Remedy
Disease, despite its awful role in human history, is neither
the fundamental nor the ultimate problem. Sin is. That
is the diagnosis. And God himself has a remedy for sin. The
Bible teaches that God the Father has sent his Son Jesus to
be the means for the forgiveness of sins. On the cross, Jesus
took the full punishment for the believer’s sin upon himself.
Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection is the only remedy
provided by God for sin and its consequences. Jesus himself
is therefore the only treatment for spiritual disease and
alienation. The Christian solution for sin is both humble and
elegant: a simple trusting in Jesus for forgiveness.
The first step towards spiritual health is acknowledging
sin. The first spiritual truth I learned was that I had sinned
against God and stood guilty before him. Admitting my sin
was not pleasant, and I resisted doing so for a considerable
period of time. During that period I had a growing understanding
that Jesus had died for my sin. The darkness of the
reality of my sin was being countered by the light of God’s
grace and mercy. The sharp sense of my sin was the pain that
led me to the healing of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross.
Our God, the Great Physician, delights in forgiveness of
sin and takes no pleasure in punishing the sinner. When we
experience that forgiveness, we know God for the loving and
good God he is. Sin, even the word itself, loses its power over
us, because we know its terrible scourge has been removed
forever.