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Differential Diagnosis of the Soul

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Know any good doctor jokes? Here are a few of my favorites:

Doctor: I have some bad news and some very bad news.
Patient: Well, might as well give me the bad news first.
Doctor: The lab called with your test results. They said you have 24 hours to live.
Patient: 24 HOURS! That's terrible! WHAT could be WORSE? What's the very bad news?
Doctor: I've been trying to reach you since yesterday.

Doctor: "I've got very bad news. You've got cancer and Alzheimer's."
Patient: "Well, at least I don't have cancer."

I think deep down we all have a side to us that imagines being a doctor. Think about it...as soon as most people feel out of sorts, they cruise to WebMD.com or Google their symptoms before they schedule an appointment. And don't we love to try to assess and diagnose our friends when they are ill:

Friend: *cough* *cough*
Me: Uh oh, sounds like that could be Swine Flu, or more accurately, the H1N1 virus. Or, maybe you have a rare disease called sarcoidosis.
Friend: What, are you a doctor now?
Me: No, but I watch House, so that's pretty much the same.

Have you seen House? It's the critically acclaimed series about an insolent, cynical genius who nails diagnoses like an expert investigator. Sort of a medical CSI meets Sherlock Holmes. Week after week, viewers get to pit their mad internet knowledge against House and watch him unravel the seemingly impossible medical mystery at hand.

House's ill-mannered character got me thinking about another type of disease, one that is spiritual, not physical. And to many, it's the biggest mystery of all. The symptoms are loneliness, depression, feelings of worthlessness, and broken relationships. People who suffer from this condition "will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God" (2 Timothy 3:2-4).

Wait, is that a description of House himself? It seems that the diagnosis for the worst disease ever has evaded even the most brilliant doctor. The mystery of this spiritual disease is due to the misdiagnoses and incorrect treatment it's been given over the years. For centuries, supposed spiritual "experts" have put the blame on poor parenting, bad environments, and chemical imbalances, so the treatment must be therapy and drugs (vicodin anyone?).

But that's about as effective as House deciding to put a Band-aid on a massive tumor. The heart of the problem lies below the surface, in the heart of House...and you...and me...and everyone on the planet. It doesn't show up on a PET scan or MRI. The Bible says it looks like this:

Medical Diagnosis
Fallen World Syndrome
100% FATAL!!!

Test results:

For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23).

No one is righteous-not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.
All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one (Romans 3:10-12).

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth (I John 1:8).

This deadly killer not only debilitates and destroys your life on earth; it has eternal consequences as well-separation from God for all eternity.

But there is great news! The true and permanent cure for our condition is available, and it's actually a simple process:

Treatment

1. As in most illnesses, the first step towards recovery is to recognize the reality of your condition. You have said wrong things, done wrong things, and thought wrong things, and because of that, you are separated from a perfect and Holy God. (Dear God, I admit I am a sinner...)
2. Acknowledge that your current condition is fatal. (Father, without Your forgiveness, I have no hope in this life or the life to come.)
3. Acknowledge that only the Great Physician's treatment is curative. (I believe Jesus' death on the cross on my behalf is the only way to receive Your forgiveness.)
4. Take your medicine. (Father, I accept what Jesus did on my behalf...I trust in Him as my only hope of salvation.)

If you've been cured, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's like coming out of a dark and cold tunnel into a beautiful sunlit paradise where the air is clear and you sense an overwhelming feeling of love and forgiveness.

If you've trusted Christ, congratulations! In a spiritual sense, you are now a doctor-an even better one than House. You know the spiritual disease everyone has and what terrible consequences it carries...so what are you waiting for, doc? Get out there and tell people about the cure, before the disease of sin wreaks more and more havoc on the ones you love!

Ask your unbelieving friends why they think House's character is so offensive and rude all the time and if they would be able to love a person like that. Then share with them how Jesus loved His enemies-us-so much that He was willing to die the most agonizing death and cure us of our spiritual disease.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (Romans 7:24-25).