There is plenty in this life to be anxious about. International turmoil. Rising inflation. Another threat of global illness. Your upcoming annual review. Your new boss. Your children’s health. Your family’s food, clothing, and housing needs. Your latest lab results. That recent conflict you just had with your sister. Your friend’s recent cancer diagnosis. Your recent cancer diagnosis.
Satan loves to overwhelm us with anxiety. Anxiety, when left unchecked, can hinder our effectiveness, make us spiritually weak and feeble, and cause us to be hesitant and fearful in the face of daily challenges. When we are overcome by anxiety, we are often tempted to neglect our responsibilities and leave off worship and other areas of obedience. Solomon was certainly right when he said, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weights him down, but a good word makes him glad” (Prov 12:25). My prayer is that these next two articles will be, by God’s grace, a good word to make you glad.
In this first article, I want to say a few preliminary words about how the New Testament classifies different kinds of anxiety.
In my early Christian life, I came to believe (and zealously told others) that all anxiety was sinful. I’m not sure how I came to that conclusion—whether I was formally taught that idea or developed it on my own out of youthful ignorance—I no longer believe that all anxiety is sinful. Why? Because Scripture speaks of bad and good kinds of anxiety. Yes, there are forms of worry that are indicators that we are not trusting in God’s goodness and wisdom. But there is also an anxiety that grows out of godly concern for others.
Paul’s and Timothy’s Good Anxiety
For example, Paul uses the noun form of a word translated throughout New Testament as “anxiety” or “worry” (e.g., Matt 6:25, 27; 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 12:11; 21:34; 1 Pet 3:7) to describe his care for the Corinthian church: “And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Cor 11:28). Paul was not sinning by feeling anxiety over the Christians in Corinth. On the contrary, a lack of worry would have been a mark of ungodly indifference for the spiritual lives of God’s people.
Paul also uses this word to describe Timothy’s selfless character: “For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare” (Phil 2:20; emphasis added). In this text, Paul was extolling Timothy’s “anxiety” because his apostolic apprentice had a godly worry over the people in Philippi and therefore wanted to serve them diligently.
Is Anxiety a Key to Unity?
Christians on the whole should have a godly anxiety for other believers. As Paul exhorted the Corinthian church to repair the breaches in their relationships and put away pride in their use of their spiritual gifts, he reminded them that, as a body, there should be no division among them. Each member possesses spiritual gifts that are essential to the spiritual health of the congregation. Therefore, no one should treat any spiritual gift lightly or use the differences in gifts as a grounds for favoritism or partiality.
Interestingly, Paul tells the church that the the opposite of ungodly division within the body was to have a proper “anxiety” over other their fellow Christians in the church.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together (1 Cor 12:21-26).
The sins of pride and factionalism were the fruit of Christians not having an appropriate concern over each other. The answer was to cultivate a godly “anxiety” over one’s fellow members which is simply a fruit of genuine love (see 1 Cor 13:1-8).
Good Anxiety in Marriage
Also in his letter to Corinthians, Paul extols the merits of singleness with reference to anxiety (1 Cor 7:32-35). In this passage, however, Paul is not using the word “anxiety” negatively, but simply highlighting that married people will have legitimate concerns over their spouses. These concerns, however, will divide their attention between caring for their spouse and caring for the things of the Lord. The anxieties are not ungodly—they must be attended to out of love for one’s spouse—which is why Paul encourages those with the gift of singleness to remain single so they won’t be distracted by these legitimate concerns.
We can see, therefore, that the New Testament does not classify all forms of anxiety as sinful. Actually, just the opposite is the case: there are some expressions of anxiety that flow from a heart of Spirit-wrought love and genuine concern for others. Indeed, if a Christian does not experience anxiety in certain contexts, their spiritual health should be called into question.
When Lack of Anxiety is a Bad Sign
For example, if a mom has no concern over the physical safety and health of her household, and expresses little to no anxiety over the salvation of her children, we would wonder about the love she has for her family. If a church member shows indifference toward a fellow brother who is in the throes of sin and rebellion, he should not be commended for his trust in God, but chided for his lack of love. If a pastor never felt a twinge of anxiety over the spiritual well-being of his flock, we would question if he is even a real shepherd.
Yes, it is true that Scripture classifies some anxiety as sinful. We will address how to fight and find success in battling sinful anxiety in my next article. But just as important as identifying sinful anxiety is the need to determine what kind of anxiety is not sinful so that our consciences are not unnecessarily burdened by faulty classifications. Mistaking godly anxiety for sinful anxiety will do us no good in our pursuit of holiness.
In the next article, we will examine Philippians 4:4-9 and consider five essential spiritual disciplines that will enable us to enjoy the peace of God.
