Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7).

Working at the GES office, I have the privilege of taking questions from people over the phone or through email. I answer some of these questions to the best of my ability, provide links to GES blogs and articles, and sometimes go to Bob directly for his opinion. Over the last month, several people have mentioned in passing that they have sinned because they are worried and that they need to ask for forgiveness. Philippians 4:6 was referenced as proof that worrying is a sin. I do not interpret that verse to mean that worry or anxiety is a sin, nor do I believe that any use of that word in the NT refers to sin.

The word used in Phil 4:6 is μεριμνάω which means “1) to be apprehensive, have anxiety, be anxious, be (unduly concerned) [and] 2) to attend to, care for, be concerned about something” (BDAG).

Before looking at Philippians, let’s see how Paul used this word elsewhere. In 1 Corinthians 7, he encouraged unmarried believers to remain unmarried so they could “be without care,” because “He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord—how he may please the Lord.” But “he who is married cares about the things of the world—how he may please his wife” (v 33). Paul was simply emphasizing how marriage can make it harder to care or worry about what is important to God. He was by no means condemning married people for worrying about their spouses. He wanted these unmarried young men and women to “be without care” with regard to worldly things in order that they would worry more about “the things of the Lord.”

Paul’s next use of the word μεριμνάω is in 1 Cor 12:25 where he says that members of the church need to care for one another rather than be divided. This connects perfectly with Philippians. The word first appears in chapter 2. In this passage, Paul says he hopes Timothy will be able to go to see them since there is no one to care or worry for them. Here, worry or care is being used in a positive way since it is something that he wants to happen (Phil 2:20). In the last chapter of Philippians, Paul calls for there to be unity among the believers in Philippi (Phil 4:1-6). He then says to worry not or care not or be not anxious for anything (v 6). Now this may seem to contradict his previous statements telling believers to take care or worry for one another or for the things of the Lord. Ken Yates has already written an excellent blog (see here) about these verses. Essentially, these verses must be taken in the context of the epistle, that context being church unity, just as in 1 Cor 12. An argument can be made that these verses in Philippians can be applied to a greater context because they seem to align well with Jesus’ words on this topic.

Jesus used μεριμνάω only in the negative sense. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, He repeatedly said things like “do not worry” and “why are you worried?” (Matt 6:25, 27-28, 31, 34; 10:19; Luke 10:41; 12:11, 22, 25-26). But every time Jesus said not to worry about clothing or food, He also explained why they did not need to worry. He was not going around telling people to simply live carefree, quit their jobs, stop eating, and stop wearing clothes. He said we should place our care or worry on the things of eternal consequence. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt 6:33). Jesus was not promoting a laissez-faire attitude towards the things of this world. He was explaining that if we prioritize the kingdom, then God will provide everything we need. To someone who does not know Christ, it would be foolish not to prioritize worldly needs. Food and clothing are necessary for life. Jesus can tell us not to worry because of the things He promised. Because we know God is in control, because we know we will be rewarded for our sacrifices and suffering, because we are sure of our eternal salvation, we do not need to worry about the things of the world.

This is where Jesus’ teaching meets Phil 4:6. They are both saying that we do not need to worry.

Just because these verses are in the imperative does not mean they are commands. If a child is worried about their first day of school and his mother says, “don’t worry, you’ll have fun,” that child is not disobedient if they are still worried. The mother is giving reassurance, not a command. I believe Jesus and Paul are speaking in the same manner See this article by Christian Heinze for more details.

Worry can certainly lead to sin. Heinze gives some examples. “If I’m worried about my job and lie to keep it, that’s a problem, because I’m letting my worry get in the way of my spiritual responsibility to tell the truth. If I’m worried that I can’t pay my rent and rob a bank, then I’ve got a problem. In those cases, worry is keeping us from seeking the kingdom of God.”

Heinze says, “Don’t let the ‘worry is a sin’ crowd turn [the six references to worry in Matthew 6] into something dark and shaming. Instead, think of a loving parent who holds you, no matter your worry, and will keep holding you, no matter how much you tremble.”

I do not believe worry is a sin. It is an emotion that can lead to sin, but it also can and should lead to righteousness. Our worry should drive us to be closer to God. Let’s worry about one another and the things of Lord, all while trusting that the God who created the world will provide for us.