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The debate over how we should counsel in the church is often heated and passionate. People on both sides genuinely care about people who are hurting, and can become quite upset over methods they believe do more harm than good.
Everyone agrees we should try to help those who are struggling, but the big question is, which approach is better—Integration or Biblical Counseling?
The Integration model says we should integrate secular theories of psychotherapy with biblical principles. The Biblical Counseling model, also called nouthetic1 counseling, relies on biblical principles alone.
That is not to say that the biblical counselor is opposed to the use of common sense or all human reason. On the contrary, those elements of psychology can be quite helpful. If a person has a problem with overeating, and common sense says that it may help if he busies himself with enjoyable projects during the times of day he is normally tempted to overeat, that kind of common sense can be a great help.
The Key Argument
The argument against the Integration model is not against common sense. It is against the use of the philosophies of psychology that are unbiblical. Not all human wisdom is bad—only human wisdom applied to spiritual issues that are addressed in Scripture. For example, if a person has an anger problem, that is a spiritual issue which should be addressed with the principles given in God’s Word rather than with theories about the human psyche derived from human wisdom.
The vast majority of people in the church today are convinced that the Integration model is best—that the Bible is fine for small, shallow, easy problems; but big, deep, difficult problems should be referred to the psychological professionals.
One purpose of this book is to set forth an argument for the sufficiency of Scripture for all spiritual issues.
The decision you make as to whether the nouthetic model is the way to go will have a huge impact on your life and ministry. So think this through carefully.
Integration
If you go to a Christian counselor who is an Integrationist, you will be offered both psychological theories and Bible verses. Fundamental to the Integrationists’ argument is the phrase “All truth is God’s truth.” They say, “There are plenty of important truths that are not found in the Bible. Just because an idea is not in the Bible doesn’t mean it is not helpful. There are all kinds of things not found in the Bible that are helpful. Human wisdom enables us to repair lungs and livers and brains—why not minds and hearts? Isn’t general revelation (what God reveals through the creation to everyone) just as good as special revelation (what God reveals in the Bible)?”
Biblical Counseling
In the Biblical Counseling approach, problems that involve sin and righteousness are regarded as spiritual issues instead of as merely psychological or physiological issues. Those who take this approach believe the solutions to all spiritual problems are found in Scripture and only in Scripture.
The adherent of Biblical Counseling believes that when it comes to dealing with human beings and problems of the spirit, we counselors are in way over our heads. It’s impossible for human wisdom to figure out the human spirit, and so the only wise approach is to apply the solutions the Bible gives.
Here’s one way of describing the difference between the biblical counselor and the psychologist: The psychologist is like a person at a computer who encounters a software problem and tries to fix it by opening up the back of the computer and moving wires around. The biblical counselor, on the other hand, fixes the problem by holding the Owner’s manual in one hand and pressing all the buttons it says to press. The first person might be brilliant and the second person rather dull, but it’s the second person—the biblical counselor—who will have good, sound results. The human spirit is far too complex to figure out without biblical instruction.
The immaterial part of man is extremely complex—far more complex than the body (which is itself extraordinarily complex). Scripture speaks of the spirit, soul, mind, heart, flesh, inner man, appetites, drives, will, conscience, spiritual eyes and ears, etc. Since the body is physical, we can learn through scientific study how to restore health. But the immaterial part of man cannot be observed scientifically, and so to solve its problems, the wise approach is to simply consult the Owner’s manual.
Psychologists are remarkable people. I have great respect for those who are willing to devote themselves to listening to people and helping them with their problems. The problems people seek counsel for are often very serious, and to subject oneself to that kind of sorrow on a regular basis requires unusual compassion. Most psychologists, no doubt, are extraordinarily kindhearted people.
I believe, however, that the principles taught by secular psychology have caused considerable harm.
The doctrines of modern psychology have convinced our culture that our spiritual problems are really nothing but mental or emotional problems. Our anger, lust, lack of forgiveness, pride, foolishness, selfishness, irresponsibility, lack of self discipline, immaturity, gossip, lying, worry, fear … all the sins of the human heart are really not sins at all. Since our problems are mental rather than spiritual, the solutions also are presumed to be mental. The philosophies that form the foundation of psychological dogma simply ignore the spiritual world altogether. And what the Bible describes as your heart doesn’t exist; there is only the brain. Spiritual problems are no longer issues of sin and righteousness; rather, they are merely brain malfunctions caused by the interplay of past experience and the subconscious mind.
In that system, fixing problems such as anger, lust, or selfishness is like fixing a rough running engine. Find an expert who knows how to adjust the timing or repair some faulty connection and you will be good as new.
Taking theories derived from that philosophy and adding biblical principles results in, at best, diluted scriptural principles, and, more often, mere human reason in biblical lingo.
The answer is in the future, not the past
Another difference between the Integration and Biblical Counseling models has to do with assumptions regarding the source of and solution to the problems of life.
Freud says you are defined by your past. Jesus says if you are a believer, you are defined by your future. Freud followed the natural, logical conclusion of evolution:2 You are nothing more than the sum total of your past experiences and the effects of your environment. Because of this, you will inevitably act in accordance with your past. So if you have been a victim of sexual abuse, a victim is all you will ever be. At best, you will be a recovering victim. If you have ever been an alcoholic, you are forever an alcoholic—even if you haven’t had a drink for thirty years.
But Christ says the opposite. He always talks about you not in terms of what you were, but what you are becoming. Have you ever wondered why the Bible so often says you are righteous? We all relate to Romans chapter 7, where Paul describes what sounds like an unsuccessful struggle against sin. But there aren’t many passages in the Bible like that.3 Much more common are passages that describe us as righteous, holy, pure, blameless, or good. Those passages are encouraging but hard to relate to, because we are acutely aware of our sin. We think of ourselves in terms of our past, but Christ speaks of us in terms of our future—what we are about to be, not what we used to be. As Christians, not only are we considered righteous legally before God, but we are in the process of being transformed into the image of Christ. In His eyes our final redemption and glorification are not far off, so He speaks of us in those terms.
Imagine the Lord Jesus coming to my wife’s house when she was a child and calling her Tracy Ferguson. Back then she was Tracy Grunzke, but if He had wanted her to know that His plan for her was to get married and become Tracy Ferguson, He could make that point by referring to her using the terminology of His future plan for her. Our most profound identity is wrapped up in what we are becoming.
It is simply not true that you will inevitably act in accordance with your past. If you are a Christian, you will inevitably act more and more in accordance with your future! You are defined not by what you used to be, but by what you are becoming. What a wonderful hope! Even if you have struggled with a sin for twenty years, there is still hope for change—real hope.
Psychology Hasn’t Worked
Once again, by “psychology” I do not mean common sense; rather, the unbiblical philosophies that form the foundation of that field.
The primary false religion of our culture is scientism—the belief that only scientific truth is really true. A culture that worships at the shrine of the test tube is uneasy with any spiritual reality. And so there is great eagerness to explain the human mind naturalistically. When Freud applied medical-sounding terminology to his theories about issues of the soul, it made them seem to be scientific. As these theories continue to be offered by psychologists, they sound so appealing to our culture that, with few exceptions, people convince themselves they are true without bothering to test them.
When those philosophies have been tested scientifically, the results are far from impressive. Studies have repeatedly shown that the recovery rate for people with psychological problems is higher for those who do not receive psychotherapy than it is for those who do.4
This should come as no surprise. Theories based on a humanistic, naturalistic, godless view of spiritual things will lead to a system devoid of spiritual truth, a system that can’t possibly solve spiritual problems.
What is surprising and shocking is the unchecked enthusiasm with which the church has embraced such secular, psychological theories. The church has fallen madly in love with psychology. The last time I attended a graduation at Colorado Christian University, the majority of the degrees being awarded were degrees in psychology. Denver Seminary, Talbot Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Liberty University, Moody Bible Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary, Dallas Seminary—all are convinced the Bible must be integrated with secular psychological theory. And as a result, most Christian counselors are Integrationists.
If psychology worked at all, the church today would be more righteous, well adjusted, self-controlled, godly, and mentally healthy than at any time in history. Ours is certainly the most psychologized generation ever. But is this truly the case? Are there fewer people today with various types of disorders or forms of depression than ever before? I doubt it.
It is a mistake for the church to go to the world for spiritual counsel. The first sentence of the first Psalm tells us, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” We are not to sit, stand, or walk in the counsel of unbelievers.
When should we refer?
When should a layperson refer someone to a professional psychologist? Never. In fact, the more severe a person’s problem, the more damage you cause if you put him in the hands of anyone who gives worldly advice. The deeper and more difficult the problem, the more desperately the person is in need of God’s Word—and the greater the harm that can result from relying on human wisdom.
There may be times when you need to refer someone to a medical doctor (see chapter 3) or to one who has more biblical knowledge than you, but there is never a time when you will help someone by putting him in the hands of one who uses human wisdom to solve spiritual problems.
You can do it!
Large volumes could be written on how to apply biblical principles to any one of the topics addressed in this book. The discussions in each chapter are fairly brief. And yet, even from the very basic and simple information in this book, you will gain dramatic, life-changing insights and find real answers to most problems for which people seek counsel—problems such as extreme depression, marital issues, worry, attention deficit disorder, addictions, bipolar, panic attacks, eating disorders, schizophrenia, hallucinations, etc. Even if you don’t have much experience in counseling, don’t be surprised if someone who comes to you with a problem sees far greater results in just a matter of weeks than he has had after seeing a psychologist for years.
The world has drilled it into our heads that the Bible is not sufficient to take care of these problems, so it may be intimidating for you to think about handling them. But if you have a Bible and you know how to interpret it, you hold in your hand that person’s greatest hope for recovery.
One major argument of the Integrationists is that the Bible is not sufficient to address twenty-first century psychological “diseases” because they weren’t known back in Bible times and are therefore not addressed. This argument is simply not true. Psychological problems are behavioral problems. They are diagnosed by observed behavior and the person’s reports about how he feels. Two thousand years ago, people behaved in just as many unusual ways as today, and they reported similar problems and anxieties. Does the Bible address behavior and feelings? It absolutely does. The only thing that is different is the terminology; today there are novel theories and new labels for age-old problems.
We can agree that God’s Word does address the issue of suffering and pain (what is the meaning of it and how to respond to it). We know that the Bible also addresses the issue of sin and righteousness (what to do about wrong thoughts and behaviors). So when people come to us with a problem, from Scripture alone we can
address their suffering and pain.
address their wrong behavior.
address their wrong thoughts.
A medical doctor can help them with any physical problems they may have.
Once we have taken care of the issue of their suffering, have addressed the issue of their wrong thoughts and behavior, and a doctor has helped them with their physical problems, what is left for a psychologist to do?
Counseling the “deep” issues
Keep in mind that most professional Christian counselors are Integrationists, which means they tend to think the Bible is helpful only for superficial psychological problems, and psychology is needed for deeper problems. Thus they will apply biblical solutions to surface issues but will use worldly psychological techniques to try to solve more serious sin problems.
The great news for those who are struggling is that there are no problems as deep as psychologists claim. The humanistic concept of the subconscious (or, as Freud called it, the unconscious) is not a biblical idea.
It is possible to have a belief or attitude without consciously thinking about it all the time. For example, I may have a resentful attitude toward someone without realizing it. But if someone brings that to my attention, if it is truly there, I will be able to see it. There is no such thing as a problem in my unconscious mind that I have no way of perceiving.
Psychology says our problems are rooted in the subconscious, to which we have no access—only a trained professional can go that deep. But the Bible says there is not any problem that goes deeper than your heart—and you have access to your heart! That means if you understand how to interpret the Bible, you can counsel yourself.
The Sufficiency of Scripture
2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The word translated “so that”5 denotes purpose. God inspired the Scriptures so that the man of God many be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Since Scripture is God-breathed and therefore useful for addressing all spiritual needs, the man of God, when he has Scripture in his hands, is indeed thoroughly equipped for every good work.
That is an astounding statement about the sufficiency of Scripture. The Integrationists believe that when it comes to counseling, if all you have is the Word of God, you are only partially equipped. To be thoroughly equipped you need psychology. That attitude is in direct conflict with this passage.
The word translated “thoroughly” (artios) is actually an adjective rather than an adverb: It means “able to meet all demands, qualified, fully ready, perfectly fit, proficient.” It describes “the perfect man for the job,” and it appears at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. The entire passage focuses on the concept of being utterly and completely sufficient.
The term work is a broad one. The verse says “every good work” and encompasses every good task … every good deed … every good endeavor … those things that have eternal, spiritual significance.
You and I would be thrilled if we could just do every good work, even if we weren’t ideally suited for it. But this concept goes way beyond that. To the degree you master Scripture, you are not only able to do every good work, you are ideally suited for every good work! The only time the Christian can stumble or fail is if there is a deficiency either in his knowledge of Scripture or in putting what he knows into practice. But those are the only times. It is never because Scripture is insufficient for our needs. It is never because he has failed to learn some psychological theory. Scripture alone—all by itself, without any supplement—can make us ideally suited for every good work.
But that’s not all. Literally, the Greek reads this way: “In order that artios (perfectly suited) he may be, the man of God, for every good work …” and then one more word is tacked on—exartismenos. That is another form of the same word, artios, but it has an intensifying preposition (ex) on the front, resulting in what is called the perfective form of the verb.6 It is used one other time in the Bible, in Acts 21:5: “When our days there were ended, we left.” It means “ended” or “completed.”
Lest there be any lingering question about how absolute God means this verse to be, He makes it clear that the man equipped with Scripture is perfectly suited to every good task, and then He adds an exclamation point at the end of the statement. “He’s perfectly suited to every good task—completed!” And just to drive the point home with even more power, He makes it a perfect7 passive participle: having been made complete. It is a strong word used twice, in a strong form, put in the strongest tense, and used with the word every. What else could God have done to make this statement more absolute?
It is essential to recognize that this term applies to everyone—even those with no training in psychology. To the degree you are proficient in handling God’s Word, you are well equipped and ideally suited for any and every activity that has eternal significance. The Word of God is utterly sufficient for any person with any conceivable spiritual need in every culture in every context in every time.
So why mix human wisdom with it? If we really believe the Word of God is all we need, why would we offer anything else along with it?
There are three things we can give people:
the word of man
the word of God
the word of demons (1 Tim. 4:1)
The Word of God is like fruit. The doctrines of demons are like poisoned fruit. And the word of man is like plastic fruit. It looks and sounds like the Word of God, and in some cases, it’s even more attractive. But a steady diet of it will result in spiritual malnutrition. It does not provide real solutions to the problems of life.
Spiritual nourishment
As stated above, the Integrationist approach to counseling is influenced by the world’s idea that life’s problems are to be fixed in much the same way as a rough running engine. You simply search for what’s wrong and then use human wisdom to repair it. Since the world assumes people are born good, if you have problems, it must be because something in your childhood or young adulthood messed you up. That’s why psychologists look backward; they want to repair the damage from your past.
The Biblical Counseling model is quite different. Scripture teaches that we are all born with an evil heart, and the solution to our problems lies in the future—through our progressive sanctification (becoming more and more like Christ). What we need is not repair, but rather, spiritual growth and transformation.
The difference between believers and unbelievers is this: We are spiritually alive and they are spiritually dead. When someone comes to Christ, God gives spiritual life. And just as physical life is sustained by food, so is spiritual life. Spiritual growth comes through a continual, regular diet of spiritual nourishment, and Scripture is the one and only source of that nourishment (1 Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:13, 1 Pet. 2:23).
Psalm 119 provides us with a dramatic picture of what spiritual growth looks like. Consider the profound implications for the biblical counselor:
Verses 9-16 are about the cleansing, purifying effect of God’s Word. It purges sin from your life.
Verses 25-32 are about the renewing effect of Scripture. It preserves your life (v. 25), renews your thinking (vv. 26-27), renews your strength (v. 28) and restores you to the right path (vv. 29-32).
Verses 41-48 are about the empowering effects of Scripture. It enables you to stand against those who oppose you (v. 42), it gives hope (v. 43), it enables you to walk in freedom (v. 45) and it enables you to speak without shame even before kings (v. 46).
Verses 49-56 are about the hope that comes from Scripture. It gives you the ability to endure suffering. It brings you the comfort, encouragement, and joy you need in hard times.
Verses 97-104 are about the wisdom that comes from God’s Word. It makes you wiser than your teachers—wiser than people who have more experience, training, and education than you do.
Verses 105-12 are about the direction that comes from God’s Word. It is a lamp to your feet and a light for your path. It protects you from the snare and shows you the right way to take.
Verses 121-28 and 153-60 are about the deliverance that comes from God’s Word. It brings deliverance from trouble and, ultimately, salvation.
If you have ever read Psalm 119, you know that this overview doesn’t scratch the surface of what it has to say about God’s Word. All 176 verses are about Scripture, and the author never repeats himself.
After receiving all that this psalm describes, what more could the soul possibly need?
What about other sources of revelation?
Someone might respond: “Of course spiritual growth comes through Scripture, but can’t it also come from other sources? Can’t it come through human wisdom? Not everything that man thinks of is false; much of it is true. And all truth is God’s truth, right?”
Yes, all truth is God’s truth. But not all truth is God’s Word. There is a vast difference between the word of man and the Word of God—even when both are true. One is guaranteed to nourish the soul; the other isn’t.
What’s more, not all human wisdom is actually true. Truth mixed with error can be just as bad as pure error. The Bible is not only the most specific source of truth about spiritual things, but it is the only source of truth that is inerrant. The only way to know a spiritual truth for sure is if it is taught in the Bible.
The limits of natural revelation
It’s important to understand the nature of revelation, because there is a great deal of confusion about this topic.
God has revealed Himself in a general way in the creation, and in a specific way in Scripture. All the promises of blessing that come through God’s Word are promises connected to God’s specific, special revelation in the Bible, not to general revelation in the creation. Walking through the woods and smelling the flowers does not edify the soul in the same way as spending time meditating on a passage of Scripture. If you study a picture that I have drawn, you might learn something about me, but you won’t know me. To know a person you must have specific communication from that person.
Psalm 19 has been called “the psalm of two books,” because the first half addresses natural revelation, and the second half speaks of Scripture. The first six verses speak about how the creation points to the glory of God—but that’s all it can do. The rest of the psalm is a contrast. God’s Word, unlike natural revelation, is the only thing that has the power to transform the human soul. Scripture revives, renews, and restores the soul; it makes the simpleminded wise; it brings joy to the heart and light to the eyes; and it is sweeter than honey (vv. 711). What else could we possibly need?
Mark this: Every spiritual truth that it is possible for us to know is in the Bible.
Human wisdom
Human wisdom is helpful for temporal things, but when applied to spiritual things, it is not commended in Scripture:
1 Corinthians 1:19,21 “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” … For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
Paul points out that human wisdom is not even sufficient to know God in the first place (v. 21). For that reason, he made every effort, in his preaching, to avoid mixing God’s Word with human wisdom.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:17 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.… My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.
The only wisdom we preach is the wisdom revealed in the Gospel. No matter how smart a person may be, it’s impossible to figure out what is on the mind of God through human reasoning—or even through natural revelation. The only way to know the thoughts of God is through Scripture.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:11-12 … no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
Human wisdom, when applied to building a car, brain surgery, rocket science, or some form of manipulating matter is certainly valuable. But when human wisdom is applied to spiritual realities, it is worse than worthless—it leads to phony, self imposed worship, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body (Col. 2:23), as well as bitter envy, selfishness, disorder, and every evil practice (James 3:1416). Colossians 2:8 warns us that philosophy and human reasoning based on the principles of this world are hollow and deceptive and will take you captive.
To reiterate, there is nothing wrong with psychologists’ making helpful observations about tendencies in human behavior. That is valid wisdom—observing life and drawing conclusions about the way things tend to go. The observation that a newborn often stops crying when wrapped tightly in a blanket, for example, is helpful information that isn’t in the Bible. Information like that does not utilize secular, worldly, psychological philosophies or systems. It does not reason beyond Scripture about spiritual truths. But when human wisdom is applied to spiritual issues—issues that have been addressed in Scripture—we elevate human wisdom well above its proper place.
When giving counsel to people who are struggling, it is very important that you express a strong confidence in their ability to obey Scripture. Usually they have been told they can’t do anything about their condition. They were born that way, and they will be that way for the rest of their life. Often they have been led to believe that certain sinful behaviors or attitudes are part of their “condition” and therefore they don’t have the power to do anything about them.
The resulting pessimism can cause a kind of reverse placebo effect. The person can become so convinced that the problem is too deep for Scripture that his heart is not receptive to what Scripture offers. It is crucial, then, for you as a counselor to continually reassure the person that he or she always has the power to obey God, no matter what the circumstances.
1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
There is no problem so severe that it can override this promise. The Christian is never in a position where he has to sin. God’s Word offers real hope for all spiritual problems!
The sad reality is many Christians place more confidence in the psychiatrist’s degree and training than in the Word of God. In the same way that theistic evolutionists assume the consensus of naturalistic scientists must be correct, and thus the Bible should be interpreted to fit their conclusions, so many Christians assume the psychiatric world must be correct, and the Bible must be critiqued in light of their theories.
Such an attitude is not only a denial of the sufficiency of Scripture, but it will lead to nothing but confusion since there is no consensus among the worldly psychologists. There are some three hundred different schools of psychotherapy and counseling in the United States alone. And most psychologists do not follow any of them—they mix and match ideas from the various schools. It is a sad state of affairs when the world’s chaos of confused theorizing is lifted above God’s holy Word in the minds of His people.
Chapter Summary
Scripture requires every Christian to counsel, so you must decide between Integration or Biblical Counseling.
Psychology has not worked.
Scripture is sufficient.
Natural revelation and human wisdom cannot sanctify or restore the soul.
Key passages:
2 Timothy 3:1617
Psalm 119
Psalm 19
Review questions:
1. Why is Biblical Counseling better than Integration?
2. What is your response to the following Integrationist argument?
“Just as the Bible does not teach us how to repair a carburetor or treat diabetes, so it does not teach us how to repair mental disorders.”
What Does the Lord Require? Five biblical commands
The average Christian not only has the
ability
to counsel those with serious problems, he has the
responsibility
to do so. Counseling others is required of every believer.
Scripture gives at least five commands regarding the responsibility of Christians to counsel one another.
General:
1. Teach one another. (Col. 3:16)
Regarding suffering:
2. Encourage one another.
Regarding sin:
3. Rebuke one another.
4. Admonish one another.
5. Provoke one another to love and good deeds.
General Counseling Command 1 Teach one another
didasko
“teach”
God requires that you let the Word dwell in you richly enough that you can teach and admonish in all wisdom (Col. 3:16). That does not mean we all have to be in a formal teaching role in a Bible study. Teaching is simply explaining to a person how to apply relevant principles from Scripture. We do that in an informal way all the time. All counseling is teaching. It is a Bible study with just one student. Whenever you give any kind of advice or instruction based on Scripture, you are teaching.
The Integrationist position is that the Bible does not directly address psychological problems, and so they are in a category with topics such as medicine or chemistry—we must rely on human wisdom to solve them.
Is this truly the case? Does the Bible have anything to say about
emotional distress?
errant behavior?
bizarre behavior?
selfish behavior?
fear?
rejection?
obsession?
what your thought life is supposed to be like?
self-control?
deception?
Of course it does. And if such problems are evident in a person’s behavior, and the Bible talks about these problems, then the solutions are in Scripture, not in human wisdom. People think Scripture does not address these problems because they have been relabeled with psychological jargon.
Many Christians have been exposed to such shallow teaching that they have come to believe the Bible is shallow. They may never actually say so, but it is evident from their counsel. Ask the average Christian, “What does the Bible say about fear?” and usually the best he can say is something like, “We shouldn’t live in fear. We should trust God.” Or maybe he can quote a Bible verse with the word “fear” in it. If he can quote twelve verses with the word “fear” in them, we tend to think he has a deep knowledge of Scripture when in reality he may have only surface knowledge.
If a person is crippled with fear, simply telling him “Don’t be afraid” is not enough. A person like that needs specific information about how to eliminate the fear, and specific steps he can take to gain control over his thought life. Many sermons and Bible studies never get past the level of saying, “You shouldn’t be selfish, angry, or deceptive, and you should have self-control.” We hear such platitudes repeatedly, and they end up being the extent of our counsel to one another. But if someone asks, “
How
do I do it?” we revert to human wisdom.
The same thing happens frequently in sermons. The pastor teaches from the Bible about what we are supposed to do, but when he gets to the part about how to do it, he gives a list of steps drawn from his personal experience, or a book, or some resource other than the Bible.
Do you know where to take someone in Scripture to show him what God’s Word says about solving a temper problem? Remember, Colossians 3:16 is a command from your Creator directed not to your pastor or the church staff counselor, but to
you:
COLOSSIANS 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach (didasko) and admonish (noutheteo) one another with all wisdom.…
In all counseling, whether it be counseling those in pain or counseling those in sin, we must instruct from God’s Word. Every believer in Christ is responsible for becoming skilled enough in God’s Word to be able to instruct others.
