The Foundational Nature of Dependency: Created for Relationship with God

Biblical anthropology begins with the premise that humanity was created by God in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) for relational dependence on Him. Genesis 2:7 declares that “Jehovah God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” This life is not autonomous; it is derived and sustained by God. Dependency upon God, therefore, is not pathological but foundational to human existence.

Proverbs 3:5-6 commands, “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” This is not a call to psychological passivity, but a directive to acknowledge divine authority and seek God’s guidance in all decisions.

Thus, biblical dependency begins not with self or others, but with submission to and reliance upon God. Psalm 62:5-6 states, “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation.” The contrast in Scripture is between godly dependence and sinful self-sufficiency (cf. Isa. 31:1; Jer. 17:5-8).

Human Interdependence: God’s Design for Social Cohesion

God also created human beings for interdependent relationships. In Genesis 2:18, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” The term “helper” (Heb. ʿezer) does not imply inferiority but mutual complementarity. This was God’s intention in establishing marriage, family, and society.

In the New Testament, interdependence among believers is clearly taught. Romans 12:4-5 explains, “Just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” This mutual dependency is not infantilizing but constructive, rooted in love and responsibility.

Galatians 6:2 commands believers to “bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” Yet in verse 5, Paul also states, “For each one will bear his own load.” This shows a clear distinction between sharing burdens and assuming personal responsibilities. Biblical interdependence is cooperative without eroding individual agency.

Pathological Dependency: A Denial of Spiritual Maturity

Scripture warns against human dependency that undermines maturity and discernment. Paul addresses this issue in Galatians 1:10, “For am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.” Here, the apostle condemns living for human approval rather than divine obedience.

In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers for their spiritual immaturity: “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it.” Their continued reliance on personalities (e.g., Paul, Apollos) rather than the gospel of Christ signaled an unhealthy dependence on leaders rather than God.

Such behavior is consistent with what may be termed “pathological dependency”—a state in which individuals relinquish decision-making and moral responsibility to others. This is the very behavior condemned in passages such as Jeremiah 5:31: “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?” Here, the people’s dependence on corrupt religious leaders led to spiritual ruin.

Authoritarianism and Religious Control: A Perversion of Biblical Leadership

The misuse of spiritual authority is also addressed in Scripture. Jesus condemned religious leaders who burdened others while shirking accountability themselves. “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger” (Matt. 23:4). Christ’s followers are warned against blind loyalty to authoritarian figures who exploit religious trust.

Jesus taught a model of servant leadership: “Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 20:26). The apostle Peter instructed elders not to lord it over the flock but to be examples (1 Pet. 5:2-3). Any system that suppresses personal responsibility under the guise of religious hierarchy contradicts the biblical model.

Paul confronted this in 2 Corinthians 11:20, where he laments that the Corinthians tolerated spiritual abusers: “For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you.” This rebuke directly applies to forms of spiritual dependency that suppress critical thought and moral agency.

Godly Maturity: From Dependence to Responsibility

The biblical ideal is not independence in the modern autonomous sense, but maturity in Christ. Ephesians 4:13-15 defines spiritual maturity as reaching “the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ,” marked by speaking the truth in love and no longer being children “tossed here and there by waves.”

Hebrews 5:12-14 chastises believers who, by now, ought to be teachers, yet still need basic instruction. “Everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.” True spiritual growth entails the development of discernment, responsibility, and decision-making rooted in God’s Word.

Thus, dependency is appropriate in childhood and during spiritual infancy but should give way to mature engagement with Scripture and a life of sanctified obedience. While believers support each other, they are never meant to surrender their agency or rely on others to replace their personal walk with God.

Christocentric Dependence: The Right Kind of Reliance

Jesus called His followers to take up their cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). This summons requires self-denial, not self-erasure. The apostle Paul expressed this properly in Galatians 2:20: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” This reflects proper dependence—on Christ alone.

Philippians 2:12-13 encapsulates the balance of human effort and divine enablement: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Believers must exercise their will in obedience, even as God empowers them.

Such Christ-centered dependence does not produce passivity but active holiness. It is not a denial of the self but a surrender of sinful self-will. Dependency on Christ yields true freedom (John 8:31-36), a liberty not to do as one pleases, but to obey God with boldness, integrity, and courage.

Summary: Dependency Must Be Discerned and Directed Biblically

The Bible does not promote radical individualism nor endorse psychological infantilism. Dependency is appropriate when it is grounded in the proper object—Jehovah God—and expressed within mature, accountable, and reciprocal human relationships. Dependency becomes sinful when it displaces responsibility, seeks human approval above God’s, or yields to authoritarian control.

True Christian maturity grows through community, obedience, and the transformative work of the Word of God. Believers are called not to cling to human surrogates for their identity or security, but to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18), knowing that it is “Jehovah who is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26).

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