Essentials areas of thought for
the counselor to address
The
counselor will do well to incorporate theology and doctrine into the
discipleship of the counselee. Theology
is crucial here. It is the pattern and
plan of knowing God and His expectations.
The counselor helps the counselee build a biblical framework of theology
that finds its roots and branches connecting other doctrines and thus enriching
the entire life of the counselee. This
helps the counselee to glorify God and to grow beyond the period of
counseling. It opens their heart to the
vast intricacies of God. Theology
essentially shows the cause and relationship between the various teachings of
the bible. It helps the counselee to
stand like a tree firmly planted by a stream in the storms and drought of life.[1]
The counselor,
by way of biblical authority is fulfilling the great commission. As we are to go and make disciples the
counselor is helping people to grow in grace.
Not only is he sharing the gospel, he is living it out alongside fellow
Christians. The essence of the result is
that the counselee becomes aware and adept at solving other sinful patterns in
life and in turn should help disciple others.
The authority of the Bible and
the role of the Holy Spirit
One
of the first and foremost doctrines that the biblical counselor operates from
is the authority of scripture. It is related
as God’s word. It is therefore inerrant
and applicable in every day growth.[2] Being the word of God it is the sole
authority on dealing with sin. The
biblical counselor aims to deal with the sins that are the root problem of the
counselee. As the authority of God’s
word is established, that sin separates us from God, and is the root cause of
most problems, then we can fully address the solutions God had wrought through
the cross. If a counselee has a high view of sin they consequently have a low view
of God. The gap between is often the
measure of how they perceive their need for God. Reverse these effects and the gap
widens. It is a wide gap between man and
God, once recognized drives the Christian in love and devotion to God.
Often
people come to biblical counseling after the failures of other methods to
address and resolve their problems.
Scripture plays a vital role at this very point. Whereas the counselee has failed and may have
an “I can’t” attitude, scripture says that in Christ they can success. We need to use scriptures such as 1
Corinthians 10:12 to illustrate that though they may be tempted, God will not
allow something to push then into sin.
The response to temptation is their choice. The same verse assures us that in turning to
Him we can overcome, we can stand against what is befalling us. We also can turn the person to James chapter
one for a long list of truths that will help us in our fight against the trials
of life.
Just
as Jesus said “that we would know the truth and the truth would set us free”,
biblical counseling takes its directives from the truth of scripture.[3] In this manner we are truly getting to the
heart of a person’s life and giving them a true solution. This methodology does even more. It creates a worship of God in both spirit
and in truth.[4]
The
authority of the bible gives validity to the means with which the biblical
counselor counsels. Without this,
counseling becomes opinion and short lived.
The
Holy Spirit is not to be belittled in counseling. He is our Supreme Counselor. It is only He who can take information and
turn it into a conviction. Thus when we
are counseling a person we must emphasize the Spirit’s role. By turning a person to John chapters 14 through
17 we can equip the counselee with the promises of God to help. When this is coupled with the truths of
Romans chapter 8 there is sufficient encouragement to both depend upon and
credit the Holy Spirit. It ought to be
considered essential that the counselor walk with the counselee into an abiding
union with the Holy Spirit. The
counselee ought to come to understand that the Spirit helps us understand
scripture and enables us to pray. He
also is our conscience. We need to heed
the promptings of the Spirit that will come evermore apparent in our lives when
we seek His holiness. Without the
activity of the Holy Spirit our efforts may work a temporary effect, but will
ultimately fail to change our character.
As a matter of fact, if we engage in Biblical counseling without a true
presence of God in our lives we will often work a great determent to the
counselee.[5]
The Sanctification process
One
of the tenants of scripture for Christians is the ongoing sanctification
process. This is why biblical counseling
can also be called discipleship. We find
in the process of turning form the old man to the new (sanctification) that we
all are incomplete and in need of change in some area. This should also call us to humility and to
not look down on one another, but to be redemptive.[6] The counselor needs to teach that the
Christian life is a process. This will
greatly aid the counselee in their frustrations and expectations. It needs to be shown that justification is a
one time event, and sanctification is an opportunity to glorify God in lifelong
perseverance.[7] Therefore, it is essential that the counselor
equip the counselee with the tools for growth over a long haul of life rather
than a temporary victory.
Habit
The
bible speaks about habit. Since habit is
a reflection of character, and character is at the root of our problems, a
counselor need to address the doctrine of habit in a counselee’s life. A counselor can illustrate the good, bad, and
neutral forms of habit. Since counselees
come for help in changing their lives, it will help them greatly to understand
the habitual patterns that lead them to failure. But again, information is not enough. In order to change a habit a new practice
must replace the old. This is the
essence of the renewing of the mind and put on and put offs. It is also formative to the counselee to both
put on practices of right thinking and to amputate the very means of sin.
One
key essential in counseling is what we call Radical amputation. Radical amputation is a term given to
“cutting off one’s hand or plucking out one’s eye” when it causes them to sin.[8] Obviously this is hyperbole. A person will still sin in the heart even if
these gateways are blocked. But the idea
is to completely remove the temptations and the feeding of sinful habits. An example of this would be removing a
computer from a person’s home if they sin through internet pornography. The counselor must take this action to help
the counselee remove gateways to sin. If
a person is having an affair at work they may need to not only break off the
relationship, but also seek a transfer or new employment. When a counselee is serious about honoring
God they will deny self and take the necessary steps of repentance.
Emotions and Response
Emotions
are strong forces. A counselor will find
it essential at some point to discuss the role they play in changing the
heart. Many people become enslaved to
their emotions and use them as excuses for their behavior. Distrust is an example of an emotion a wife
may have against her adulterous husband.
She may even say that his presence in the home is a source of stress. We
need to counsel the woman on how she lets her emotions get in the way of
reconciliation and restoration. Some
emotions such as anger, brooding, and jealousy are more easily seen. Some emotions, such as panic attacks, are
more difficult to explain as not being actual physical factors.
Since
people respond with emotions to every situation we need to illustrate that to
be children of God we must respond biblically rather than sinfully. Emotional responses may be habitual. They also often drive our decision making for
quick fixes or self serving means. The
goal of the counselor is to bring the counselee to a greater maturity in Christ
in that we respond as James and Paul says with joy in the various trials.[9]
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