Relying on Scripture in Christian Counseling
All believers are called to be their brothers’ keepers. While not everyone is a counselor by trade, every believer will be called to counsel and confront others. Therefore, even the layman needs to know how to counsel effectively and biblically. Hopefully, this essay will serve as an introduction to soul care and counseling.
Disclaimer: Rational Christians disagree over how to best counsel biblically. This short essay is an introduction – not the final word.
Since the rise of Modernism and Liberal theology, Conservatives have fought tooth and nail for the authority of the Bible. The Bible has been the core of every theologically conservative worldview. One practical use of the Bible is Christian counseling. However, Conservatives themselves differ over which counseling approach(es) are most appropriate. While a secular/liberal perspective on counseling is critiqued, more attention is given to conservative views. Then, some important texts related to bibliology are explored and explained with a focus on how the passages relate to the relationship between Christianity and counseling.
Different Views
To be concise (but regrettably simplistic), there are two broad camps of counseling and psychotherapy as far as the Christian counselor is concerned. First, there are the secular and the theologically liberal. Collectively, these are the non-conservative approaches. Then, there is what the writer has dubbed the ‘Conservative Protestant Christian Counseling Orthodoxy’ (CPCCO).[1] CPCCO is characterized by a genuine desire to be true to biblical, conservative doctrine when doing psychology and counseling. The former approaches are critiqued by demonstrating what may be lost with a lower view of Scripture. Then two camps within CPCCO are critiqued by demonstrating improper epistemology and an overemphasis on good and true principles.
Critique of Liberalism and Secularism in Counseling
Without a high view of Scripture, essential doctrines become threatened. These doctrines affect how a Christian ought to conduct counseling and soul care. There are at least five essential doctrines that may collapse without a high view of Scripture. They are the Image of God, the Fall, the Resurrection, Justification, and Assurance. It is not just that the counselor with a high view of Scripture can access these doctrines and the word of God for some mere therapeutic benefit; the Christian counselor must, in winsome ways which take contextual factors into account, guide the counselee towards biblical truth.
Imago Dei and the Fall
The Image of God and the Fall of man are rooted in the first three chapters of Genesis. These chapters, as well as Genesis 4—11, are frequently denied as authoritative. The Image of God and the Fall of Man are essential for establishing both the intrinsic worth yet inherent evil of mankind. Without either of these doctrines, a biblical counselor cannot be fully effective.
Resurrection
After naturalistic philosophy destroys the beginnings (Genesis 1—11), the rest of the supernatural elements of the Bible are next. Chief among the supernatural events of the New Testament is the Resurrection of Christ. The Resurrection is a sign of the truth of the Gospel of Christ. Furthermore, Christ’s resurrection is the basis for a believer’s ability to be considered a new creation and justified in the eyes of God. Then, because the doctrine of salvation is threatened, the believer can have no assurance of Heaven and have no Blessed Hope.
Various Conservative viewpoints
As mentioned above, the writer sees a spectrum of plausible conservative Christian approaches to counseling (CPCCO).[2] Camp one is the Integrationists. Integrationists can be subdivided into “Strong Integrationists” and “Weak Integrationists.”[3] Although Weak Integrationists affirm certain core doctrine, they do not go much further. In practice, the Weak Integrationists fall outside of CPCCO. Besides the Integrationists, there are the Biblical Counselors (sometimes called Nouthetic Counselors).
Integrationists
The catchphrase for the Integrationist may be, “All truth is God’s truth.” Since God is indeed a God of truth, both special and natural revelation may be used to attain meaningful knowledge (John 14:6, 17; Heb 6:18 ESV). Furthermore, Scripture seems to affirm looking at the natural world for wisdom (Prov 6:6–8; 30:18–31; Matt 16:2–3; Rom 1:18–20). The more mature Integrationist will acknowledge that observation is always value laden.[4]
Biblical Counselors
The catchphrase for the Biblical Counseling movement might be, “Scripture is sufficient.”[5] The Biblical Counselors strongly push the idea that the Bible is totally sufficient for faith and practice including the vast majority of counseling (see sections on 2 Tim 3:16 and 1 Pet 1 below).[6] “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,” the Biblical Counselor emphasizes (Prov 1:7). Therefore, the Biblical Counselor firmly places his epistemology in the word of God.
Critiques
At a glance, it appears that Integrationists and Biblical Counselors do not contradict each other. Rather, each camp maintains a different emphasis. However, with a specific emphasis comes the risk of ignoring the other side of an issue. The Integrationists seem to start with an empirical epistemology and graft in the core beliefs of Christianity into counseling theory and practice. While neither explicitly nor intentionally claiming it, the Integrationists have an epistemology which views Scripture as important but secondary. Furthermore, some may view the Bible as merely therapeutic or as a self-help book when used in counseling.[7]
The Biblical Counselor may emphasize Scripture to a fault. While acknowledging that some issues are non-spiritual, there seems to be a disconnect between practice and theory. Some have even stated that schizophrenia is a totally spiritual issue.[8] Furthermore, the Biblical Counselor’s use of Scripture may serve to avoid the emotional and may overly focus on the intellectual. A counselor who is quick to quote an apt Bible verse may miss an opportunity to sit and explore the pain of the client.[9] While the Integrationist (even the Strong Integrationist) may diminish the role of Scripture, the Biblical Counselor might diminish the role of empirical science and in affect deny common grace and general revelation.[10]
This summary and critique of the conservative positions has been too short. Therefore, the views and their critiques should be seen as broad sketches rather than nuanced discussions. In summary, both the Integrationists and the Biblical Counselors emphasize important principles; however, both camps run the risk of neglecting an important aspect of knowledge.
Important Texts for Bibliological Counseling
What follows is a discussion on relevant passages from Scripture that relate to the authority of Scripture and demonstrating a conservative bibliology. Specific attention is given to how these passages should shape the counseling process.
Second Timothy 3:16: God-Breathed Scripture
Paul’s exhortation regarding Scripture is given to Timothy after Paul warns him regarding the evil of the last days and informs him of Paul’s own persecutions. Paul ends his words on the evilness of men and the troubles they bring him saying, “[E]vil people… will go on from bad to worse… But as for you continue in what you have learned… [F]rom childhood you been acquainted with the sacred writings.” (2 Tim 3:14–15). It is in this context that Paul writes the quintessential proof text for a high view of Scripture. He says “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16–17).
In this context, Paul is reminding Timothy how to be “a worker who has no need to be ashamed” (2 Tim 2:15). While the immoral will delve deeper and deeper into godlessness, Timothy (and by extension other ministers, whether clergy or laity) must stand firm on the Scriptures (specifically the Tanakh and by extension the then-forming New Testament). While evil men will persecute “all who desire to live a godly life,” Timothy must remember that he is firmly grounded in the ancient texts and Paul’s instruction (2 Tim 3:12, 14–15).
Although 2 Timothy 3:16–17 is a crucial text for the infallibility of the Bible, the text is not primarily establishing that doctrine. Paul is reminding Timothy of the pastoral value of the text. It makes one grow in wisdom via reproof, correction, and spiritual training. The application for the biblical or pastoral counselor is self-evident. While the Scriptures have the possibility of being abused in counseling, to neglect to explicitly and implicitly use the Scriptures and scriptural principles is unfaithful to the God who gave them (and to the Christians who lived and died for them).
Second Peter: The Word more Fully Confirmed
After the author’s greeting in 2 Peter, Peter begins saying that “his [Jesus’s] divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…” (1:3). While the divine power is not explicitly said to be Scripture, Scripture is a chief means to access the divine power of Christ so that the believer may know of and “become [a] partaker of the divine nature” (1:4).[11]
Peter goes on to present a virtue-formation list for the Christian so that believers may confirm the “calling and election” of God (1:5–11). Peters tells his audience that he is making another effort to remind them of the characteristics of the effective and fruitful believer since he is soon to be “putting off [his] body” (1:14). He wants his audience to remember and practice the essentials of the Faith (1:15).
Peter continues his letter building upon his call to remember Christian virtue saying, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths…but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (1:16). Peter grounds his call to ethical behavior and attitude in verifiable historical events – the ministry and atonement of Jesus the Christ. Peter describes snippets of his eyewitness experience and then, says that the “prophetic word” is now more realized than when the historical events happened. Possibly, Peter is referring to the promise of the Holy Spirit by Christ which was fulfilled at Pentecost (John 14:16–17; Acts 2:1–4) or the fact that more Scriptures were recorded and recognized (see 2 Peter 3:15–16). Both possibilities seem reasonable as Peter then says that the individual interpretation or power of mere man never resulted in prophecy, “but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (1:21). As the Bible is a collection of prophecies (i.e., words from God; see discussion on 2 Timothy 3:16–17 above), the case for a high view of Scripture and an essential place for the Scriptures in counseling (especially virtue building) is made.
Psalm 119:98–100
Psalm 119 is a Davidic Psalm focused on the excellency of the commands of God. Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm and the longest chapter in the Bible. In 176 verses, words that refer to the words of God are used 174 times. In the ESV, these terms used include words, precepts, law, commandments, promise, rules, testimonies, and statues. The parallelism of Hebrew poetry suggests that these terms are synonyms. It is no accident that the largest Psalm is focused on the supremacy of the word of God. Psalm 119:98–100 has special relevance to those seeking knowledge and giving knowledge (an important aspect of counseling). In these verses, David writes that the word of God “makes me wiser than my enemies” and leads to “more understanding than all my teachers” (119:98–99). Additionally, David says that he “understand[s] more than the aged” (119:100). For any minister, especially the counselor, this passage highlights the cruciality of relying on God’s words. There are several other passages that affirm a high view of Scripture; however, the complete exposition on a conservative bibliology is not the purpose of this paper.[12]
Nouthetic Passages: Colossians 3:16 and Romans 15:14
Colossians 3:16 instructs believers to “teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.” This may be accomplished by allowing the “word of Christ to dwell” in each believer. The verse then gives a specific way of admonishing – thankful hearts and praise. In Romans 15:14, Paul expresses his gladness that the brothers in Rome “are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.” The word translated “admonishing” and “instruct” is the Greek word noutheteō. From this Greek word, Jay E. Adams coined the English word, nouthetic.[13] While Adam’s (the Founding Father of Biblical Counseling’s) view has been briefly critiqued above, his insights are nonetheless extremely valuable. Adams claims that noutheteō and related words carry connotations related to teaching, admonishing, instructing, warning, and counseling.[14] According to Adams, there is no one English word that fully conveys the idea of noutheteō. This parallels the modern field of clinical mental health counseling. It is a very broad field (even after establishing biblical parameters). As such, counseling entails both admonishing (called confrontation) and instructing (called psychoeducation). This means that the Christian counselor with a high view of Scripture must look to Scripture to establish what it means to admonish/instruct/counsel biblically. There is not space in this article to delve too deeply into all the facets of scriptural counseling. However, Adam’s understanding of noutheteō convinces the Christian that an effective counselor must be ethically sound, intellectually rigorous, and grounded in the “word of Christ.”
Summary
As can be seen, core passages which establish a conservative, high view of Scripture are contained within discussions on the practical. Additionally, other passages speak of the need for believers to rely upon the word of God in order to edify each other. The authority of Scripture is an important doctrine in academic theology and practical theology, which is the realm of counseling. Acknowledging the practicality of the above verses helps one avoid the pitfalls of the Integrationist and the Biblical Counselor. The Integrationist may be persuaded that the best way to be a good practical theologian is to focus on theology before empirical theory. On the contrary, the Biblical Counselor may come to understand that the writers of core bibliology texts were pastor-theologians who upheld the value of a doctrine because of its practical/sanctifying affects.[15] Therefore, practical, empirical methods may be useful in soul care.
As is a common theme in this paper, there is simply not enough space to present an exhaustive treatment on what Scripture has to say about counseling. However, the reader should hopefully be able to see that a conservative, high view of Scripture is a practical doctrine with great effects on the counseling process. All conservative Christian counselors can gain wisdom by meditating on the authority of God’s word. His word presents justification for both the scientist and the theologian.
Mitchell D. Cochran is a family life educator, a financial coach, and a biblical counselor. He is the cofounder of Hope Initiative Consulting, LLC. and is currently attending Calvary University for his M.A. in biblical counseling. Mitchell is active in local politics in Lubbock, TX, where he lives with his wife, Katherine.
Endnotes
[1] See Eric Johnson, Psychology and Christianity: Five Views (Downer Groves, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010) 31–38. Of the five views presented, all but the Levels-of-Explanation fit the writer’s definition of CPCCO. The other four views are Integration, Christian Psychology, Transformational Psychology, and Biblical Counseling. Integration and Biblical Counseling receive attention in this paper.
[2] The following two views are adapted from Johnson, Psychology and Christianity. Integration and Biblical Counseling receive attention in this paper sense these two approaches are the most common. Of the other views, Levels-of-Explanation is considered outside of a high view of Scripture. The Christian Psychology and Transformational Psychology approaches mediate between the Integration and Biblical Counseling viewpoints.
[3] Eric Johnson, Foundations for Soul Care: A Christian Psychology Proposal (Downer Groves, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 89–94.
[4] Mark McMinn, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (Tyndale House Publishers 2011), 141–144.
[5] When Biblical Counseling is capitalized as a proper noun, it refers to the movement or school of thought. The language used by Christians who study both theology and psychology is often confusing.
[6] The exception would be issues that are strictly physical as stated by Jay E. Adams, Competent to Counsel (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1970), 40.
[7] McMinn, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality, 122–123.
[8] John Street, “Gathering Data: Discerning Problems Biblically” (Biblical Counseling & Discipleship Association Southern California Training Conference, 2011).
[9] McMinn, Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality, 149–150. Also see Job 2:13.
[10] Johnson, Foundations for Soul Care, 93, 115–117.
[11] Nonetheless, the fact that Christ’s power may not be directly equatable with the Scriptures is an important thing to acknowledge when discussing the relationship between the sufficiency of Scripture and biblical counseling.
[12] See Prov 30:5–6; Jn 10:35; John 17:17.
[13] Adams, Competent to Counsel, 41.
[14] Ibid., 44.
[15] This is not to say that a doctrine is only true and valuable because of its practical use.
