An Overview of Essentials in Biblical Counseling Part 8 The Role of The Church

The role of the church and worship in counseling

            The Christian life is not to be lived in isolation.  Scripture makes it clear that believers love to be with other believers.  The church gathers to worship together and to encourage one another.  In the book of 1 Corinthians we see a strong teaching to publically address sin.  In its sequel we find a strong acceptance of those who have repented of their sins.  In essence, the church ought to be a place in which the counselee works through a cycle of discipleship.  One of the strengths of the church is that believers whom have overcome sin in their lives can testify and help others in their struggles.

            Biblical counseling walks a person through a cycle of growth.  As the counselee is putting off their sins they need to express worship of God, both privately and corporately.  A typical cycle goes from counseling to homework to worship to counseling.

            All this is to promote God centered living.  The focus of counseling is not just for the counselee’s comfort, but for the glory of God. 

            Not only is the counselee to take part in expressing worship in a corporate setting, the counselee needs to hear the word of God preached.  In the church body the counselee must weekly participate in hearing the sermons that her pastor has labored to serve.  Though there is much to be said regarding the benefits of a weekly sermon, let it suffice to say that good biblical preaching will help the counselee to deepen their knowledge and awe of God that will profit their soul.

            Essentially, the counselee needs to be active in a God centered, bible expositing, and encouraging church.

Conclusion

            Biblical counseling is both complex and yet simplistic.  It is complex as sin is a powerful enemy to defeat.  It manifests itself in many camouflaged ways.  The world has helped to equip sinners to ignore, shift blame, and even love our sin.  Sin has a way of enticing us.  It also lays dormant until the most inconvenient or unsuspecting time.  But Biblical counseling is also simple in that Christ is the single answer for help.  It is Christ who both cleanses and empowers the sinner to become a new creation in Him.

            Thus the biblical counselor is an ambassador of God who shares the love and liberality of Christ with fellow sinners for the discipline of discipleship.  This doctrinal process of sanctification is ever showing the sufficiency of Christ.   Biblical counseling and discipleship aim and not just changing the symptoms of a condition shown by behavior, they seek to change the causes of the problem at their source, the heart.  Such counseling is grounded in the word of God and not of the opinion of man.  It holds the sinner to the mirror of the bible to both see their need and yet the completeness of Christ. It brings hope and restoration.

            Counselors are to be humble teachers in the image of Christ.  They, like Christ, are involved in the wok of redemption.  They are to point out not only the sinner’s sin but the solutions afforded by the cross and spelled out in scripture.  The counselee is to take personal responsibility.  This is seen by accepting blame and working in constructive means to change their habits and character.  Both counselor and counselee aim to glorify God by allowing the Holy Spirit to change the person’s heart.

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 7 Personal Responsibility and Forgiveness

Personal responsibility before God

            In Nouthetic counseling it is essential that the counselee needs to be led to take personal responsibility.[1]  Many people in secular therapies and in worldly wisdom are well versed in passing the blame.  Some counselees will hold fast to a victim mentality that they believe entitles them to special circumstances of behavior. Blame shifting is one of the sins that most Christians seem to tolerate.  However, scripture is quite clear that we are responsible ourselves for the way in which we respond to circumstances.  Therefore it is imperative in counseling to help the counselee understand that the cross has afforded them God’s help in change.  Again we can bring forth the gospel in application to our daily lives.  James chapter one, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and a multitude of other verses are written for our being equipped to stand in God’s strength rather than succumb to our sin nature.

Equipping the Counselee to Forgive  

Contrary to what is often admonished by the world, the misfortunes of life that happen to us do not afford a right for us to take revenge or to demand our rights.  The counselor can find great relief is given when teaching the counselee about denial of self and of forgiveness.  This responsibility unto God is seen in how Christ behaved in our stead upon the cross and how as we have been forgiven we ought to forgive.[2]

Therefore the doctrine of forgiveness must become a part of the very being of the counselee.  We may need to confront them where there is a need to go and seek forgiveness.  Scripture tells us to examine ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, otherwise we may eat it in judgment.[3]  And Jesus Himself spoke of what procedures we must take when confronted with the separation from God that occurs in our unresolved issues with others.[4]

There is also a great demand for counselees, especially those who idolize anger, to forgive others.  We see this in the parable of the unrighteous steward and in the Sermon on the Mount.  If we can lead our counselees to freely forgive we will be setting them on a course of joy and happiness.

Another facet that is essential to counseling is helping the counselee to recognize that by holding onto unforgiveness or to sinful habits they are in fact idolizing sin.  We need to illustrate that by holding onto their sin they are rejecting the sovereignty of God and trying to be their own masters.  Further, they are looking for satisfaction in that which is not of God.  This is why in Galatians chapter five Paul teaches that “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”[5]  As a counselor who loves those for whom Christ died we are compelled to share with them these truths.

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[1] Romans 14:12,  Hebrews 13:17

[2] Matthew 18:23-35

[3] 1 Corinthians 11:27

[4] Matthew 5:23-24

[5] Galatians 5:21

An Overview of Biblical Counseling Part 6 Essential Areas of Thought for the Counselor to Address

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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[1] Psalm 1

[2] Colossians 1:9-14

[3] John 8:32

[4] John 4:23

[5] Hebrews 6:4-6

[6] Galatians 6:1

[7] Galatians 6:9, Matthew 24:13

[8] Matthew 5:30, 18:8

[9] James 1:2, Colossians 1:24