COUNSELING, CHRISTIANS, AND CHRISTIANITY PART 2=+
When a person seeks Christian counseling, he may hear many=+
divergent voices. We as biblical believers need=+
to provide him with help that is truly=+
in harmony with the Scriptures.=+
by=+
Wendell E. Miller=++

Last month, we noted that biblical counseling was inherently
superior over secular counseling in five different areas: 1)
a unified and unchangeable source of truth; 2) a
God-centered view (philosophy) of life; 3) counseling goals
that bring glory to God; 4) a biblical view of the nature of
man; and 5) an unchangeable source of moral authority.=++

Now we will look at four more. These are even more revealing
than the first five.=++

There are at least three methods that can be used to develop
a secular counseling system. These are: 1) original or
innovative thinking by the originator of the secular
counseling system, 2) modification of an existing secular
counseling system to more nearly agree with the ideas of the
modifier of the system, or 3) eclectic choice of "bits and
pieces" of existing counseling systems and reassembly of the
"bits and pieces" into a new counseling system.=++

Without regard to which of these three development methods
is used to develop a secular counseling system, the person
developing the secular counseling system is the creator of
his counseling system.=++

In contrast, biblical counseling as a system is not, and
cannot be, developed by one or by any combination of these
three methods. Instead, the development method of biblical
counseling is entirely unique.=++

Biblical counseling is a counseling system created by God
and revealed in the Scriptures. Therefore, biblical
counseling is not, and cannot be, a creative work of man. It
follows that biblical counseling is not, and cannot be,
developed by any of the methods that are used to develop
secular counseling systems. Instead, biblical counseling is
God-given and man-discovered.=++

God has revealed the principles of biblical counseling in
the Scriptures. It is the duty of Bible scholars and other
students of the Bible, by diligent study of the
Scriptures--including study of the Scriptures in the
original languages of the Bible, aided by illumination of
the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit--to discover the
counseling system that God has conceived and has provided
for man.=++

Any attempt to develop biblical counseling by creative
thinking, by modification of secular systems, or by eclectic
choices of man would put error into a God-given system and
would place human limitations into what should be a perfect,
God-given system of counseling.=++

Unless a secular counseling system is developed by the
eclectic method (picking and choosing bits and pieces here
and there) typically, the developer of a secular counseling
system will sense the need to provide order in his
counseling system; and so he will develop his system around
some unifying structure.=++

So, out of his own creative abilities, the developer of a
secular counseling system may conceive some unifying
structure. This unifying system may be a model that attempts
to understand the relationship between man's thinking and
his behavior. Or the model may be one or more of the
supposed needs of man, usually borrowed from Maslow's
hierarchy of needs.=++

Then the creator of the secular counseling system will
attempt to fit all human behavior, and all motivation for
human behavior, into his unifying structure. Because of this
attempt to place all human behavior and all motivation for
human behavior into his unifying structure, his counseling
system will tend to be both simplistic and erroneous.=++

Biblical counseling cannot be developed around any unifying
structure devised by man, because any man-made unifying
structure would put erroneous restraints upon a God-given
system.=++

Instead, biblical counseling is "developed" in the same
manner as the doctrines of salvation, sanctification and so
forth were "developed": One Bible scholar discovered a first
truth of a given doctrine in the Scriptures, another scholar
discovered a second truth and so forth. Then as these
God-given truths were examined, it was found that they fit
together to form a God-given system of doctrine.=++

Generally, these Bible scholars were not attempting to make
God-given truth fit a unifying structure of their own
creation. Instead, they were discovering the unifying
structures around which God has given His truth. However, in
instances where men tried to make the Scriptures fit their
preconceived unifying structures, they interjected human
error into God-given truth.=++

It is God who knows--and who has provided--the unifying
structures of biblical counseling. As biblical counseling
becomes more fully developed, His unifying structures for
His system of counseling will become apparent.=++

Since the time of Freud, secular counseling systems have
been increasing in number and divergence as each original
thinker, each modifier, and each eclectic chooser, has
developed a new counseling system around his "truth."=++

The number and divergence of secular counseling systems
should not seem strange. With their ever-changing and
mutually-contradictory "truth," secular counseling systems
are inherently divergent.=++

Of course, since truth cannot contradict truth, it is clear
that only one system of counseling can be correct; and the
one that is correct will be the one that is based upon
inerrant truth--the truth of the Scriptures.=++

Further, the counseling system that is based upon the
inerrant truth of the Scriptures--biblical
counseling--inherently will be a converging system.=++

As biblical counselors discover what they believe to be
counseling principles, and as these supposedly biblical
counseling principles are carefully checked in the
Scriptures, including thorough checking in the original
languages of the Bible, biblical counseling will develop
toward the single and unified system that God has given.=++

One of the strengths of biblical counseling is the power of
the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to bring men to
salvation. Often, God providentially brings a counselee to
the end of his own resources in order to emphasize that the
counselee's greatest need is the Saviour.=++

Therefore, it is the duty of every biblical counselor,
without fail, to determine--insofar as possible--the
spiritual condition of all counselees; and to present the
Gospel to all.=++

For believers, all principles of biblical counseling are
powerful. The power of biblical counseling is in the
God-given origin of the counseling principles; the power of
biblical counseling is in the power of the Holy Spirit to
witness to the truth of His Word, to comfort, to convict,
and/or to empower the counselee to act or react biblically;
and the power of biblical counseling is in prayer.=++

Thus, not only is biblical counseling powerful, but also,
biblical counseling has supernatural power.=++

Summarizing, the inherent superiorities of biblical
counseling include the following: 1) biblical counseling is
based upon God's inerrant and unchangeable truth as opposed
to the ever-changing "truth" of men; 2) biblical counseling
is based upon a biblical view (philosophy) of life; and 3)
biblical counseling has biblical goals.=++

Further, 4) biblical counseling is based upon a biblical
concept of the nature of man; 5) biblical counseling has an
unchangeable source of moral authority; and 6) biblical
counseling is a God-given system, as opposed to being a
man-developed system.=++

In addition, 7) biblical counseling is developed without any
man-made unifying structure, because it is God who has
created biblical counseling; 8) biblical counseling is a
converging system--as opposed to being a diverging
system--because the counseling principles of biblical
counseling are God-given and unchangeable; and 9) biblical
counseling has the supernatural power of both the Holy
Spirit and prayer.=++

Pastors, you who diligently study the Scriptures as you
prepare your sermons, are you as diligent in studying the
Scriptures to be sure that your counseling is biblical?=++

Senior pastors and official boards, is your counseling
pastor adequately trained in theology, including the
biblical languages, and does he use this knowledge to be
sure that his counseling principles are thoroughly
biblical?=++

Bible school and seminary administrator and professor, you
who strive to teach doctrine that is strictly biblical, are
you as diligent in being sure that the counseling that you
teach is truly and completely biblical?=++

You who aspire to do counseling, are you planning to obtain
a sound theological education--including knowledge of the
biblical languages--as a basis for your counseling? Will you
be able to search the Scriptures to be sure that the
principles that you are taught--and that you will use--are
biblical?=++

Christian, as you read counseling literature that is
purported to be biblical--or as you receive counseling--do
you search the Scriptures to see if the things taught are
biblical?=++

There is little doubt but that secular counseling systems
will multiply in number, divergence, and mutual
contradiction as each developer of a new secular counseling
system determines the "truth" of his system.=++

But, biblical counseling inherently is a converging system;
because it is a God-given system based upon an unchangeable
source of truth--the Scriptures; and so biblical counseling
should converge toward a single and unified system.=++

Biblical counseling will converge toward the single,
unified, and perfect system that God has given as Christians
and Christian organizations dedicate themselves to
discovering biblical counseling principles and/or to testing
counseling principles that others purport to be biblical.=++

The Christians in Berea were called "noble" because they
searched the Scriptures daily to see if the things that they
were being taught were actually true to the Scriptures (Acts
17:11). "Noble" Christians can be instrumental in
determining that biblical counseling becomes the system that
God has created and that he wants mankind to have.=++

Copyright 1985 by Wendell E. Miller=+
Downloaded from http://www.biblical.counsel.org=++

May be reprinted and distributed in quantities if distributed free or at cost, and if=+
copyright, download, and permission information is included.
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