Is Anxiety a Sin?

Is anxiety a sin?

This was the simple question our panel was asked and instantly, I felt, well, anxious.

I smiled, of course, as if I wasn’t also scrambling about in my mind, muttering like an old hoarder searching through stacks of ancient newspapers for an article he read back in the eighties.

Others responded quickly, definitivly with assurances.  No, of course anxiety isn’t a sin.

I agree that there is anxiety that isn’t sin. Anxiety is like fear. The Bible says do not fear, do not be anxious, but we have all experienced these emotions that come unbidden, like mental reflexes. I don’t think God is telling us that when a car crosses the median and is headed straight for us, or when the letter arrives inviting us back for a second scan of that lump, or when the unexpected expense comes when they’ve just cut back our overtime, that we’re sinning if we feel fear or anxiety.

There is also a diagnosable condition of clinical anxiety. This may be triggered by trauma, abuse, brain chemistry, or a host of other sources out of the individual’s current control. This anxiety needs treatment, compassion, persistent truth, and loving care, not condemnation from people who represent Jesus.

Now, when we so willfully sin, we put ourselves in tension with our beliefs about God or we express our rebellion against our Creator and this may result in anxiety. The answer here is to turn from the sin to address the resulting anxiety. So, there is an anxiety that stems from sin.

However,

However,

there is an anxiety with which we all wrestle and giving in to it rather than trusting God is a choice we make– a choice that either moves us closer to Him or further away.

I don’t think God wants His followers walking around worried about all the things. I think that because He says that. 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 7:25-34 ESV).

Answering the question of anxiety requires digging in– to our understanding of God, to our understanding of sin, to compassion for our humanity and the humanity of others, and to our responsibility for our own responses.

If my husband snuck up from behind and startled me, it’s understandable that I would jump, pull away, and experience a moment of fear. If, however, I then kept myself in a constant state of alert, anxious that he might sneak

up at any time and startle me again– well, then I have a different problem.

We live in an anxious age where anxiety disorders are common. Volumes of theories and remedies for worry, anxiety, panic, and other nervous conditions abound. No one wants to point fingers, hurt feelings, escalate anxiety for individuals who want nothing more than to be people of peace and calm.  Somewhere between reflexive panic and clinical anxiety stemming from brain chemistry is the question of personal responsibility about how you and I handle the thoughts that impact our nervous systems and our emotions. 

I know because I’ve wrestled with this particular Leviathan. The list of items about which I’ve worried would exhaust the word count of this blog post. I invent fears and concerns. Concerns is a great word, isn’t it? Christians throw this word concern around our prayer meetings to avoid admitting to worry or anxiety. I’m not anxious about tomorrow but I am certainly concerned about that PET scan.

One action that has never been effective at helping me address my anxiety is for someone to tell me to RELAX! My family knows that’s the last thing anyone should every say to me. Ever. Growing up, that word was frequently yelled at me, most often by the very people causing my anxiety in the first place!

I can’t see Jesus yelling for His mother or the apostles to just relax.

So, God understands our design, knows we come equipped with emotional responses and internal warning lights that were His idea in the first place, and appreciates they may be out of whack because we live in a fallen world. And yet, He doesn’t hesitate to tell His followers to override our natural responses and assume a posture of trust in Him. To believe Him when He says He will care for us, He will provide.

The message of Scripture is clear. God wants His people to trust Him, to live free of anxiety and worry about the future, not because we’re terrible people if we experience anxious thoughts but because Jesus died to provide us that freedom. We now can live free and God wants us to enjoy that.

We weren’t designed for sin and it’s not only destructive to us, it is a move away from God when what we desire is to be close to Him. As we live close to God and make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit, He transforms us, heals us, and increases our ability to experience freedom. People who love Jesus have nothing to fear, not even from remnant sin, because He has paid for our sins, and there’s now no condemnation when we experience them.

Knowing that, it’s easier to hear what God is saying.

When God says “do not be anxious,” my first reaction is to be anxious about being anxious and then go into a full-on panic. As I sat on that panel, however, the Lord brought a different picture to mind.

Imagine you’re at the third-floor window of a burning building. (Now you’re feeling anxious, aren’t you?).  A firefighter appears standing at the top of a long ladder. You can’t even see the truck to which the ladder is attached. When the firefighter gestures for you to step through the window onto the ladder, you recoil into the smoky room. That’s anxiety. That’s fear.

The firefighter speaks to you calmly, without judgment, but firmly, “Listen to me and do what I say. You’re in great danger and you must come towards me, out onto the ladder. I know you’re afraid but you must choose to be brave and come towards me.”

Choose to be brave.

Choose to trust me over your anxious thoughts.

Step away from the danger and towards me. I’ve got you.

Can you hear that that is what Jesus was saying when He told the crowds, “Do not be anxious about your life.”? 

The firefighter knows it’s not normal to exit a building through a third floor window. He knows it’s not normal to step out onto a three-story ladder in the dark of night. He also knows it’s the only way to save your life.

Your Father knows it’s not normal not to worry about the things you need or the dangers in this world. He knows it’s not normal to trust the provision and protection of a God we cannot see. He also knows it’s the only way to save our lives from the prison of our own fears.

Choose to be brave.

Choose to be at peace.

Choose to trust the firefighter more than your anxious thoughts.

Choose to trust Jesus more than you trust your worried mind.

There’s no condemnation in Jesus. He’s forgiven all your sins. You are free to release your reliance on them and, instead, step out with trust in Him.

It’s not about striving to be better or healed or perfect for Him, it’s about living in His healing light.

That doesn’t mean you won’t sometimes need help. Help from strategies, loved ones, professionals, medication. Help from Scripture, prayer, worshipping and serving with others. We all need help. That’s why He placed us in a great family of believers.

But we can be free. We can live in peace. Jesus is the Way.

So, the real question isn’t– is anxiety a sin? The real question is– is there a way to be free of it? Yes.

Jesus can transform us into the people we need to be, people at peace even in the face of an anxious world.

Thoughts? I love to hear from you! What are YOUR strategies for dealing with anxious thoughts? (BTW, I’m always happy to hear from you about typos in my posts. Just post a comment or shoot me an email and I’ll fix it right away!).

Is Anxiety a Sin? Maybe. Maybe not. #anxiety #Jesus https://t.co/tC23i1suUN

— Lori Roeleveld (@lorisroeleveld) March 10, 2026