I once was counseling with a young man who was a part of our church in England on issues of his thought life and consequent sinful behavior. He was in deep need of change in his life—spiritual change. Over a period of years sinful behavioral patterns had taken root and was bringing him in a downward spiral of sin. He needed hope. He needed encouragement. He needed spiritual change. This man shared with me that someone else (very close to him) had suggested that all of his problems were of a psychological nature and therefore what he really needed was a “professional” psychologist/psychiatrist. Unfortunately, this attitude is not too uncommon in our day--even amongst believers. The “experts” of our day will tell us that wrong behavior today is simply an “addiction” that requires years of psychological or psychiatric therapy performed by the “professional”. While it is not the purview of this article to address the psychiatry cult of today, it is my desire for believers to know what needs to be done to bring about true and lasting spiritual change.

In Mark 2:1-12 there is one of numerous accounts of Jesus confronting the false thinking of religious leaders of His day. Jesus has just returned to Capernaum. When He returns, He is met by huge crowds of mostly curious people with a few religious leaders sprinkled in the group. Jesus, as He typically did, taught the Word of God to them.

While teaching four men tried to bring a paralytic to Jesus for healing. The crowds prevented them from getting their friend—the paralytic—to Jesus. So with undaunted determination they went up to the flat roofed house, cut a hole large enough and in the precise place to lower the paralytic right in front of Jesus. Then in v.5 Jesus granted the most important thing any person needs from God: forgiveness of sin! He said, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”