Uncovery: Rethinking Recovery One Day at a TimeSample

It’s no secret that Christians love to talk about sin. One might even say we’re obsessed with it. And while fear tactics may keep people coming back to the altar week after week, perhaps we’ve missed the point entirely. Yes, we’re all sinners in need of a Savior. But after Jesus, our Redeemer, finds us and makes us whole again, why on earth do we continue to identify as nothing more than sinners saved by grace? If we’re truly saved by grace, guess what? We’re not sinners anymore!

Now, don’t hear what we’re not saying. Yes, we need to teach and preach on sin. Yes, we need to understand what sin is, and what it’s not. Yes, we need to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so we can be healed. But in our experience, people are already more than aware of their sins. They’re consumed by it. They don’t often know that their sin has been defeated and they’re no longer slaves to it.

People in recovery need an empathetic, caring, and loving community. But the same us vs. them mentality that keeps the church at odds with herself shows up in Christian recovery, too. Case in point: Some traditions believe addiction, mental health problems, and suicidal thoughts are because of sin, while other traditions believe they are a diagnosable illness.

Sin can certainly manifest as physical sickness. And sickness can weaken us to open the door to sin. Instead of either/or, we would like to suggest that most people struggle with both/and. Sin sickness, no matter how we come by it, is something that must be treated with trauma-informed ministry and care.

Embracing God’s healing through natural means, supernatural means, or a Spirit-led mix of the two is something that we, the church, must embrace. People are sick, and people are in bondage. It’s time to bridge the gap between the Holy Spirit and science to bring healing in God’s perfect way, in His perfect timing. Miracles can include medicine, and medicine is in fact a miracle! Embracing God’s healing in whatever way it comes will help us set both captives and prisoners free from sickness and sin in the powerful name of Jesus.

God, open my eyes to the many ways You heal. Open my heart to believe in miracles and the power of prayer. Open my mind to embrace the medicine as miraculous. Heal our sin sickness. Amen.