Learned Helplessness

Setting The Sons Of God Free

John 8:31-37 – See the note below.

31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed [4100- “to have faith in, to believe, to entrust a thing to someone, to placed confidence in, to trust”] Him, "If you continue [3306] in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; [This “if… then” statement of Jesus is a conditional one. The result is dependent upon the condition presented. A Christian is given the ability/strength that an unbeliever does not possess. Becoming “free indeed” (v.36) will be dependent upon our response to what the Holy Spirit reveals.]

32 and you will know [1097- “to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of”] the truth, and the truth will make you free [1659- “to make free, set at liberty: from the dominion of sin”]."

33 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, 'You will become free'?"

34 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

35 "The slave does not remain in the house [3614- “a house, a dwelling”] forever; the son does remain forever.

36 "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed [3689- “truly, in reality, in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended, fictitious, false, conjectural”]

37 "I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place [ in you.

NASU

NT:3306 meno (men'-o)

(Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy)

KJV - abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), thine own.

(Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

to remain, abide

I. intransitively

   1.   to place

      a.   to sojourn, tarry (Luke 8:27)

      b.   tropically

         1.   equivalent to not to depart, not to leave, to continue to be present (1 John 2:19)

         2.   to be held, or kept, continually: in the state of death (1 John 3:14)

   2.   to time; to continue to be, i. e., not to perish, to last, to endure: used of persons, to survive, live

   3.   to state or condition; to remain as one is, not to become another or different: with a predicate nominative

         monos (John 12:24)

II. transitively; tina, to wait for, await (Acts 20:5)

In this passage, Jesus reveals the way of “sonship” in Him. It occurs through our faithfulness in our walks with Him, working together with Him after turning to Him (see 2 Corinthians 6:1), rather than fighting against Him (i.e. “lordship”). He said that if we “continue” in His word, we will “know the truth” and it will make us free. To continue is “to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy), to remain, abide.” To be “free indeed” is, by definition of the original language, “truly, in reality, in point of fact, as opposed to what is pretended, fictitious, false, conjectural.” In other words, not just in theory or doctrine, but in actuality!

Notice that Jesus states a slave will not remain in the house forever, only a son in Him will. This is why He gives us all we need, after turning to Him, to become a son and daughter of His. As we’ll see, this “right” that can be denied through continuous rebellion against the leading of the Holy Spirit, is only granted to a Christian.

Still Chained After Being Set Free

(The following insights are from the internet.)

“The phenomenon of animals remaining in place after being freed from their chains is explained by the psychological principle of learned helplessness. This occurs when an animal, or a human, has been subjected to repeated, inescapable stress over time and learns that it has no control over its circumstances.

Eventually, the animal stops trying to escape or react, even when freedom is presented to them, because they are conditioned to believe that escape is impossible. The initial struggle for freedom is met with pain or failure, which, when repeated, leads to submission and learned helplessness.

Learned Helplessness

·       “A condition in which a person has a sense of powerlessness, arising from a traumatic event or persistent failure to succeed. It is thought to be one of the underlying causes of depression.”

·       “A psychological phenomenon where an individual develops a sense of powerlessness and an inability to control their situation, even when they have the ability to do so.”

·       Learned helplessness occurs when an individual repeatedly experiences stressful or negative events that they cannot control or escape.

·       Over time, the individual develops a belief that their actions have no impact on the outcome, leading to a sense of powerlessness and hopelessness.

·       This belief can result in passivity, decreased motivation, and an unwillingness to try to change their situation, even when opportunities arise. 

How Learned Helplessness applies to animals

The classic example used to illustrate this concept is circus elephants. 

• When the elephants are babies, they are tied to a stake with a thick, heavy-duty chain that they cannot break.

• As the elephants grow into adulthood, they become massive and powerful, with the ability to easily uproot the stake. However, the conditioning from their youth remains.

• The adult elephants continue to be tied with only a small rope or chain that they could easily break, but they do not even try. They have learned from their past experiences that struggling is futile. 

The process of Learned Helplessness

The behavioral and psychological process unfolds in several stages:

• Initial reaction: The animal tries to escape from the painful or restrictive situation.

• Inescapable reality: The animal's efforts fail repeatedly because the restraint is too strong for their size and age.

• Learned submission: The animal internalizes that no amount of effort will lead to freedom. It gives up trying, conserving its energy and accepting its fate.

• Persistent conditioning: Even as the animal grows and becomes strong enough to easily escape, its deeply ingrained belief that escape is not possible prevents it from even making the attempt. 

This phenomenon shows that psychological trauma and conditioning can be more powerful than an animal's physical ability to free itself. It is not just a lack of intelligence, but a learned emotional and cognitive response to chronic, uncontrollable stress.” [This is why renewing the mind, in Christ, is so critical.]

Renewing The Mind And The Right To Become The Sons Of God

It is only as one renews their mind in Christ (Romans 12:2), after turning to Him, that they then begin to gain the strength of the Lord to see and understand that He has come to set you free from the past chains that held you in bondage. As we believe and apply what is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, we are set free resulting in our becoming a son of God, resulting in your remaining in His “house” forever. As you believe the word of the Lord (John 8:31), that He has come to set you free, and apply what you hear and read to your situation (i.e. “doers” of His word), you will be “free indeed,” in actuality rather than words or theology only.

(The following insights are from the article Freedom In Christ.)

   “The Gospel of John begins by proclaiming the deity of Jesus Christ, and that all things came into being through Him. It declares what occurred when He, the Light which enlightens every man, came into the world He made. John tells us that;

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13/NASU)

   In this passage, John’s subject is clearly those who received Christ. They believed in His name and were born of God. By definition of the Greek word that we interpret into English as “received”, they have laid hold of Christ, making Him their own. Those who receive Him are the only ones that have been given “the right to become the children of God.” This is interesting because it would be assumed that they are instantly, at the choice of receiving Christ, to be His child. Per John, there is more in regards to bringing this right to completion in Him.

   The Greek that we interpret as “right” is exousia [ex-oo-see'-ah]. It’s defined as “privilege, power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases, the power of rule or government.” Freedom in Christ, therefore, is the “authority, power of choice, privilege, liberty of doing as one pleases” that is only granted to those who turn in repentance to Jesus Christ, taking Him as their Lord and Savior. The unbelievers do not have this freedom to choose.

   Without Christ, all of mankind is said to be slaves to sin and are held captive to do the devil’s will (2 Timothy 2:26). The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus came to give freedom to the prisoners and to release the oppressed (Luke 4:18). Receiving Him as your Lord and Savior releases His power in your life to say “no” to sin and “yes” to the Father’s will. The “right to become children of God” is the right of access to the power of the Holy Spirit. When we say “no” to sin we are saying “yes” to the power of God that enables us to become an overcomer and partake of His Divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4)…

Potential vs. Reality

   One of the definitions for potential is, “having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future.” According to the Collins English Dictionary;

“If you say that someone or something has potential, you mean that they have the necessary abilities or qualities to become successful or useful in the future… If you say that someone or something has potential for doing a particular thing, you mean that it is possible they may do it.”

   Having the potential to become something does not mean that you automatically develop into that something. You can have the potential to become many things in life, but never develop into that which was possible. For example, a man or woman could have been born with incredible athletic or musical abilities but that does not mean that they will excel in either. If they lack the qualities necessary to be successful in their area of possibility they will most likely never become what they could have been.

   Peter tells us that God’s Divine power has given us everything we need (i.e. the potential) in regards to life and godliness through the “true knowledge”, or truth of Christ that, when applied, causes us to become partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). A follower of Christ has been given the potential, or the “right to become the sons of God” which, as I said, is the right of access to the power of the Holy Spirit. This privilege, this potential in Christ is a right that can be denied, though, through rebellion and disobedience…

Acting Wickedly Toward The Covenant

…This is nothing new among God’s people. His indictment of the Israelites in Isaiah who were rebellious against Him included their desire for “pleasant words”;

“For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord; Who say to the seers, ‘You must not see visions’; and to the prophets, ‘You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words [“smoothness, flattery”], prophesy illusions.’”

(Isaiah 30:9-10/NASU)

The Hebrew for “act wickedly” in Daniel, chapter eleven, is rasha‘ which means “to be wicked, act wickedly.” According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words;

“This verb is derived from the noun rasa‘. There is a similar root in Ethiopic and Arabic, with the respective meanings “to forget” and “to be loose.” This verb appears in 2 Chronicles 6:37: “Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly.”

This is the second definition within the Hebrew words in this passage in Daniel that refers to being loosed. From this we can see that those who can be swayed with smooth words, in particular during the great falling away from Christ at the end of this age, will be those who have acted wickedly toward their covenant with Christ. They have “hurt” their relationship with Christ by turning away from Him and will therefore be “hurt” by the second death. False doctrines have led them to falsely believe, in presumption, that they are secure even when walking in rebellion against Christ. Covenant breaking is still a serious offence.

In contrast, “the people who know their God will display strength [“to fasten upon, to be strong, to be firm, to be courageous, to conquer”] and take action.” They are the conquerors, the overcomers in Christ who will do great and mighty acts in the last days. The King James Version says; “but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” These are the “doers” of God’s word who will “take action” in the end and do great exploits…”