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.