We are all in a form of retreat while we are in these earthly frames. Our bodies and minds, and sometimes our resolve, weakens. In Scripture, we see godly men like Moses or David or Peter fall into sin late in life. We should not think that our doctrine of progressive sanctification makes us immune to that possibility. Did they not also have the Holy Spirit? We too can fall. We must stay on guard and not give up.

In Part One, I introduced my overall thesis that due to our particular theological emphases, Reformed pastors may be more subject to depression than some of our counterparts – or even many of our own members. I gave some qualifiers, namely:

• This does not mean that our Reformed emphases are false simply because they may incur some earthly cost. We are each to pick up our cross and follow Christ.
• Other Christian traditions have their own challenges as well, no doubt.
• Not every Reformed pastor is subject to depression. I suggested three categories of those who are not, one of whom we should try to emulate.

I then listed six Reformed emphases that I believe we should continue to hold to, but if they are not held in balance, could cause our pastors to tend towards depression. If this is so, what I am most concerned about is what to do about it. How do we turn these potential dangers into a way to depend all the more on Christ? We begin with the first, which is the Reformed emphasis upon the seriousness of human sin.

• The Seriousness of Sin
• Faith over Sight in our Work & Worship
• Attention to Detail in Doctrine & Polity
• High Pulpits, High Expectations
• The Plurality of Bishops
• Cultural Optimism (yes, you read that right)

The Seriousness of Sin

After predestination, Calvinists are perhaps best known for our doctrine of sin, total depravity. Like all major Christian traditions, we accept the doctrine of original sin, that every human is born with sinful inclinations. But we add to it our conviction that this side of heaven, every human action is tinted with some degree of short-coming and selfishness. We’ve memorized Genesis 6:5, Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3:12. We are inclined towards all evil, and can do nothing good apart from the grace of God. And even after conversion, we are those who take the Third Use of the Law seriously – that God holds us to a perfect standard that we are expected to keep, even knowing that we will fail it daily.

To be clear, I think all of this true and healthy. It guarantees that salvation must be entirely by grace and to God’s glory alone (cf. Romans 11:36). It guards us from both antinomianism and the soul-crushing expectations of Christian perfectionism. It also protects us from naively putting too much trust in others, giving them too much authority over our lives and setting us up for deep disappointment when their flaws begin to show. Every Christian – including church leaders – retain sinful inclinations until the grave. Total depravity reminds us of all this and gives us wonderful opportunities to depend on Christ all the more.

But it also presents Reformed pastors with challenges. I can think of three.

1. The weight of sin. Like all pastors, we are not only increasingly aware of our own sinfulness, but the sins of many within our congregation. If we are worth our salt, we spend time in the underbellies of our member’s lives, hearing their painful stories of struggle and doubt. These can weigh us down heavily – and should, if we have any feeling at all. Pastors are not robots but flesh and blood humans who are called to love their sheep as Christ loved us. These things hurt.

Add to that the real cost of members of the congregation wandering from the faith, or even outright rejecting it. Many are baptized children we have labored over and prayed with, and for whom we will always feel a pastoral burden. Knox may have prayed, “give me Scotland, or I die!” but we pray this for the wandering sheep of our own flocks, that in the end, not one would be lost. All these things add up. As the saying goes, “the body keeps score,” but so does the soul.

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