All people are composed of multiple parts, being a body, a mind, and a soul. These parts of the self are all subject to highs and lows that need to be tended to, or kept healthy. When trying to keep the body healthy, we generally know to exercise, eat good foods, and get enough sleep. The mind needs to be kept healthy by practicing good habits for mental health, including practicing gratitude, having an appropriate amount of social interaction, and setting goals.
For many in the secular world, these two categories are where self-care stop. Christians however, recognize that all humans are spiritual beings with a soul and a spirit. That part of each person needs to be nurtured as well, and be in a state that is spiritually healthy.
For the believer, that state would include being in fellowship with God, in right accord with other believers as much as possible, and exhibiting growth in the Fruit of the Spirit.
Here are seven signs of a spiritually healthy believer.
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A person cannot claim to be in a relationship with someone they never see, someone they never speak to, and to whom they express zero interest in understanding on a deeper level. Christianity is not just a way to get out of hell; it is the framework through which anyone can have an eternal relationship with the living God. If someone says they are forgiven of all their sins and they are going to heaven, but never worship, pray, or spend time in the Bible, they are not pursuing a relationship with their Lord and Savior. It does not mean they are not saved, though it is a concerning red flag and it may be a sign of some spiritual stumbling block or issue.
Relevant Scripture
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11).
“When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:6-8).
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).
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One of the traits of Jesus Christ that believers should emulate as they are sanctified is becoming a servant. The Lord washed the feet of His disciples, healed the sick, comforted the mourners, and so much more! As people grow in their faith, they often discover a desire to serve others, and learn they have gifts that allow them to pour into the lives of those around them. Whether that is teaching Sunday School, providing a meal for a brother or sister in Christ who just got out of the hospital, or volunteering at a soup kitchen, Christians will often spend many seasons of their life giving to others and being a servant. These works will not lead to salvation, but are the result of salvation and sanctification.
Relevant Scripture
“And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ‘If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all’” (Mark 9:35).
“If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26).
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:15-17).
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While there will always be a degree of conflict between people while the earth remains in its fallen state, a spiritually healthy believer will always be striving to have good relationships with others. They will be encouraging, attending church as much as possible, apologetic when they sin, they will forgive easily and will lift up other Christians. If someone is constantly winding up in conflict with other Christians, lacking grace and compassion for other believers, and withholding forgiveness or refusing to apologize, there may be a heart issue that needs to be addressed.
Relevant Scripture
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14).
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God is perfectly holy, and there is no sin in Him. When God the Son came and lived a life in a fleshly body, He did not commit any sin, being both fully God and fully man. Until the Resurrection, when the body will be glorified and perfected, people will still struggle with sin, and even the most steadfast Christian will succumb to temptation. Sin puts a wedge in the relationship between Christ and the individual, and it should cause sadness within the believer when they do things unworthy of a child of God.
If someone has gotten to a point in their life where they can hurt others, engage in a sinful act, indulge in wicked thoughts, or conduct themselves unbecoming of the title Christian with regularity, it may speak to a serious spiritual sickness. It may even be a sign this person is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or even that he or she has not actually come to a saving faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. It may be a sign of spiritual immaturity, in which case careful discipleship and loving compassion from other believers can help them grow.
Relevant Scripture
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).
“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4).
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
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When Jesus came to conduct His earthly ministry, one of the topics He expounded on the most – particularly as recounted in the Gospel of Matthew – was the difference between the Kingdom of Heaven and the things of this world. When someone is saved, they obtain citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven, described in the Bible as sojourners in a foreign land during their time in this world. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer, sanctifying them. One of the signs of that process of sanctification is that the believer will grow in the things of God and turn away from that which is fleshly. They will lose their love of wicked things, increase in patience, in love, in giving, and so much more. If someone grows less like Christ, becoming bitter, spiteful, and more attached to earthly things, they may be struggling spiritually, or perhaps they have deadened their heart to the workings of the Holy Spirit.
Relevant Scripture
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
“...Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law...” (Galatians 5:18-24).
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While all believers are gifted differently, and are called to serve, everyone who is redeemed by the blood of Jesus is called to share the good news of salvation with others, so they can repent and have a relationship with God. The stronger someone’s relationship grows with God, the keener they will become to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel with those around them.
Evangelism may look different from person to person. Some will be able to share the Gospel on street corners, while others can start conversations with strangers, and others still are able to patiently use apologetics to answer someone’s questions untill they come to faith. Some will become teachers in their churches, leading visitors and children to the Lord. Even if no one accepts the Lord, Christians are called to obey His commands and evangelize. Some are called to be prayer warriors, and will pray for the salvation of others, calling on the Spirit to work in someone’s life. If a person claims to be saved, but has no interest in the salvation of other people, a hardness has grown in their heart.
Relevant Scripture
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me’” (Isaiah 6:8).
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
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If a Christian is walking faithfully with the Lord, serving, evangelizing, and is working on doing what is right, the devil will try to undermine them and get them to stumble. Sometimes they will have to war against the power of the devil, and lean on the Holy Spirit. Christians may have to endure suffering and persecution. They may suddenly find themselves struggling with a sin they never found a temptation before. Sometimes Satan even works through the church. There are many ways the devil will try to get the believer to stumble, but Jesus has already secured the victory.
Relevant Scripture
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The nature of being healthy, whether physically, mentally, or spiritually, is complicated, dynamic, and will look a little different from person to person. There are hallmarks of a spiritually healthy person. Fortunately, no matter what the state of the heart, if someone will call out to God in prayer, they will be saved, sanctified, and can walk in that relationship until the day that faith is made sight and each believer will be perfected in the presence of the Lord Jesus.
Sources
Eubanks, J.D. More of Him, Less of Me. Amazon Digital Services, 2018.
Hynes, Mary. Surrender. St. Anthony Messenger Press, 199.
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