INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL COUNSELING

Transcription

1 CHANGE AND GROWTH COUNSELING NETWORK INTRODUCTION TO BIBLICAL COUNSELING Introduction: Choose Your Counsel Part 1: Principles of Biblical Counseling Part 2: Goals of Biblical Counseling Part 3: Methods Of Biblical Counseling Part 4: Qualifications For Biblical Counseling Part 5: Developing Counseling Ministries Part 6: Using a Counseling Plan Part 7: Counseling Case Studies Copyright: 2012 by Brent Liberda This material is free for use, duplication, and distribution provided that content and meaning is not altered or misued. This document by itself represents a summary of the essentials of Biblical counseling. However, it is also designed to be used in conjunction with five other documents for the purpose of study and application. Together these documents comprise a two part training. Study and training can be independent, in small groups, or in large seminar settings. The documents and order of study (levels 1 and 2) include: LEVEL 1: 1 Introduction To Bible Based Counseling Study Text 2 Introduction To Bible Based Counseling Study Guide 3 Counseling Action Plan 4 Scripture LEVEL 2: 5 Counselor s Handbook 6 Counselor s Handbook Study Guide To download the most recent revision of each, use the following URLs: 1 Study Text 2 Study Guide 2 Study Guide Trainer Version 3 Counseling Action Plan 4 Scripture 5 Counselor s Handbook 6 Handbook Study Guide 6 Handbook Study Guide Trainer Version If you are unable to download and acquire these, please request them by at this address: BrentLiberda@gmail.com

2 INTRODUCTION: Choose your counsel What is counseling? What kind of people are counselors? What kind of people receive counseling? Why? Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 1 Much of our understanding of counseling comes from observations of professional, secular psychology based counseling. At their most basic level both secular and biblical counseling are problem solving processes that involve three things: Collecting data Interpreting data Prescribing solutions Even though biblical and secular counseling both fulfill these same three functions, they do so in different ways. They apply different criteria to determine which data is relevant and useful, different interpretive frameworks for analyzing and interpreting data, and different principles, goals, and methods for prescribing solutions. Not only are these two systems different, they are contradictory and in many ways opposed to one another. Where the two systems differ the most is at the core level of essential values and principles. This difference at the core level leads to each providing different answers to the essential questions of counseling: Where do problems come from? Why do people think and behave the way they do? In what ways do people need to change? How can people change? Because of these differences, we must not consider secular counseling and biblical counseling to be two equal options or alternative systems to choose from. Rather, they are competing systems. The ideas of secular psychology are not merely different from God and the Bible. They are set against and in opposition to God and the Bible. 1 Despite the differences between secular psychology and biblical theology, many Christian counselors attempt to integrate and use the two together. Most counseling training and degree programs are secular psychology based. Therefore, many Christian counselors receive secular counseling education and training to prepare for counseling. As they begin to counsel they combine both their knowledge of biblical theology with their training in secular psychology. Some do this quite intentionally, and others do so without thinking as they operate according to their training. The more a Christian counselor integrates secular psychology the more they are likely to include core elements that are mutually exclusive and contradictory to the Bible. Based on this understanding we can identify three kinds of information, three kinds of counseling services, and three types of biblical counselors. The three kinds of information that counselors gather and utilize include: 1. A person s life situation 2. Psychological information: personality, emotional function, and mental function 3. Psychiatric information [that has a genuine scientific basis]. While considering these three types of information counselors then utilize whatever interpretive framework they have studied and aquired to counsel and help others. By defining and comparing three types of counseling services we can examine several different interpretive frameworks: 1 Matthew 12:30; Colossians 2:8; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16; 2 Corinthians 4:4-5, 6:14-18, 10:5; Galatians 1:8 1 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

3 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 2 Service Phsychiatry Psychiatric Doctor Psychiatric treatment Non-biblical psychological counseling Psychologist Interpretive framework Based on pure science* psychiatrists use the above three forms of information to scientifically diagnose and treat psychiatric abnormalities. [* in its impure forms it is mixed with psychology based doctrines and practices that derive from belief and opinion]. Using the above three forms of information and based on the principles and beliefs of the main founders and authors of modern psychology*, psychologists attempt to address all forms of problems and to help people through counseling. When signs of a psychiatric problem are detected counselees are referred to a psychiatrist for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. [*These are portrayed as secular and nonreligious, however they teach and apply many ideas and beliefs that are religious in nature. Not only that but their teachings are mainly opposed to and contradict the Bible.] Bible based counseling Biblical counselor Using the three forms of information above and following principles, beliefs, and teachings of the Bible, Biblical counselors seek to diagnose and solve all types of problems and to help people through counseling. When signs of a psychiatric problem are detected counselees are referred to a psychiatrist for scientifically based psychiatric treatment. Among biblical counselors we find three groups or types of counselors: Full Integrationists: Those who freely combine secular psychology and Biblical theology. Partial integrationists Those who cautiously combine some psychology with biblical theology. Non-Integrationists Those who seek to apply only biblical theology and avoid secular psychology. Biblical counselors may collect and work with much of the same data that a secular or integrationist counselor works with. However, they will use a biblical interpretive framework to analyze it and develop solutions. In this regard, biblical counselors are careful to distinguish secular psychological counseling as a philosophical system from medical psychiatry as a scientific system. Secular psychology contains religious elements that contradict the Bible. However, psychiatry as a medical science in its pure forms merely gathers data and information about mental function and behavior. This information can be used by anyone according to their own interpretive framework and application methods. If the data and information provided through psychiatry is objectively scientific and biblically interpreted and applied, biblical counselors can utilize medical psychiatry without contradicting the Bible or integrating secular psychology. Whether intentional or unintentional, integration of secular psychology with biblical theology cannot produce truly biblical counseling. Rather than biblical counseling, integration may produce secular counseling that incorporates the Bible. The outcome is secular counseling done by Christians rather than Christian biblical counseling. To regard integration as necessary also suggests that the Bible is insufficient for meeting all of our needs. This is contrary to the Bible s own teaching regarding the sufficiency of God and the Scriptures for meeting all of our needs. Counselors practicing the most biblical counseling are non-integrationists adhering to the Bible as their primary and determining source for counseling. 2 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

4 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 3 Regardless of a Christian counselor s position and practice regarding the integration of secular psychology, it is imperative for all to know and understand counseling according to the teaching of the Bible. That is the focus of this training. Thus the topics of this study will include: Part 1: Principles of Biblical Counseling Part 2: Goals of Biblical Counseling Part 3: Methods of Biblical Counseling Part 4: Qualifications for Biblical Counseling Part 5: Using a Counseling Action Plan Part 6: Counseling Case Studies and Examples Part 7: Counseling Ministry Development Due to the strong influence of secular psychology on our thinking and understanding of counseling, we must be prepared to accept new ideas as we consider and reflect on counseling from a biblical perspective. Counseling biblically means seeing God as the Head Counselor, His Word as the primary source for all counsel, and the human heart as the target of counseling. Biblical counseling seeks to glorify God, restore relationships, and lead people to experience meaningful, genuine, and lasting change. This change is accomplished as people access God s resources for change through salvation and sanctification. Biblical counselors help people to experience this change by speaking the truth in love for the betterment of the person. By choosing biblical counseling we choose the counsel of our Creator to satisfy and solve our every need and problem. Any other counsel does not supplement God s counsel but supplants it. The choice is not merely one of equal and alternative counselors, but it is a choice for God or against God, and therefore a choice of life or death. As those born into sin we begin as those who reject God as counselor. Therefore we are born with a tendency to choose counsel that is opposed to God. A conscious choice is not required to reject Him and to choose other counselors. By acting out of our sin nature we reveal the false counsel we are following. Conversely, a conscious choice is required to reject false counsel and to choose the counsel of God. It is not just a choice to improve life. It is a choice to have fullness of life now and forever in place of meaninglessness and death. 2 Each day brings a new opportunity and a new requirement to choose our counsel. Biblical counselors choose God the Creator. They help others to choose Him and to apply His counsel to their problems and needs. Thus the intent of this training is to help us as biblical counselors to serve the needs of others with the full counsel of God. Biblical counseling is an opportunity to meet people at their place of need, to facilitate a relationship with the Creator God who can meet their need, and to guide them in accessing and applying His resources for change. 2 Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 24:15, Proverbs 14:12, Matthew 7: Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

5 PART 1: FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING Principle 1: God the Creator is Our Counselor Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 4 From Genesis 2:16-17, 3:5 we understand that God forbade eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The meaning of this is that God does not give to man the right or ability to determine and make known what is right and wrong. God is the only true informer of right and wrong. Because he has revealed and made known what is right and wrong, God desires for and requires man to know right and wrong, however man does not have the ability or the right to acquire knowledge of and inform others of what is right and wrong and what is true on his own apart from God. That ability, right, and authority God has reserved for Himself. People must acquire knowledge of right and wrong and truth from God and follow it. By eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve did not follow God s Word and in fact acted against it. By this sinful act man took God s exclusive authority and right to himself and acting as if he were God himself sought to become one who establishes right from wrong. From this we must discern an important principle. God is the teacher of right and wrong and we are the informers. God establishes and defines right and wrong, and he makes it known to us. We learn it from Him and pass the knowledge of it on to others. God is the giver of His own truth, and we are the conveyers of His given truth. If understood this way, Bible based counseling is about acquiring God s given counsel and teaching it to the counselee, directing them to God as the Counselor. By this God is always the only head counselor (Isaiah 41:28). In fact we must depend on Him to receive all things. We are dependent on the God who created us to provide everything we need, including: 3 Physical and material, mental and emotional, spiritual Guidance, instruction, wisdom, knowledge Discipline and correction, conviction of sin & repentance, salvation and sanctification God did not create us with the ability to live independently from him. He made us to live in a close relationship with Him. We fulfill our purpose and receive all that we need through our relationship with Him. While living in a perfect world, Adam and Eve were designed to receive and follow instruction and counsel from God. They were also made with the capacity to choose the counsel they followed. When given the choice of following God s counsel or the counsel of another, they committed a sin by choosing the other. The sin of Adam and Eve resulted in a broken relationship with God the Creator. As a result of a broken relationship with the Creator, they also experienced a broken relationship with self, others, and the rest of the creation. What before was perfect, unified, and harmonious became imperfect, broken, and chaotic. Because of their act of rebellion against God, the first man and woman were cast out from God s protective dwelling into a harsh and cursed world. Every descendant of Adam and Eve has inherited the sin nature of Adam and Eve. As a result, all have been born into sin and experience the consequences of sin in their own lives. Fortunately, God in His mercy and love has made a way for us to be saved from these consequences. When the world was in a perfect condition, it was by God s counsel and instruction that people lived and maintained correct lives with intact relationships. Now in a fallen world cursed by sin, it is by choosing and following His counsel and instruction that our lives can be saved from sin and our relationships restored. God has a plan to destroy and condemn all that is corrupt and to restore and redeem all things to a perfect condition again. By God s counsel we can be part of what He plans to restore and redeem. To reject His counsel is to remain part of what He will destroy and condemn. 3 Jeremiah 14:22, Acts 14:17, Isaiah 45:7, Matthew 6:31-33, Psalms 37:39, Luke 18:26-27, 1 Corinthians 11:32, 1 Thessalonians 5:23 4 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

6 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 5 Thus, biblical counseling is not just about directing people toward a better life. It is about directing people away from sin and death toward redemption and eternal life. It is about helping them to first obtain the life they need and then to pursue that life as they were intended to live. This begins with entering into salvation and then completing salvation to the end through the process of sanctification. It is God the Creator s counsel that we need for life and eternal life, and no other. Therefore, we must insist on God and God only as our counselor, and no other. 4 Counsel and counselors that contradict and oppose God are not part of what God will restore and redeem. They represent that part of the world system that is destined for destruction and condemnation. Such false counsel can only lead counselees in that same fatal direction. Part of choosing our counsel is choosing God as our counselor and seeking His will and purpose for us. We are able to choose God s counsel and God as counselor because He has revealed Himself to us. He has made His counsel accessible to us by His Spirit, by His Word, and through human representatives. By His Spirit God speaks to us inwardly to guide and direct us into His will and purpose. God s Spirit guides nonbelievers to awareness of their sin and need for salvation God s Spirit guides believers to fulfill their salvation through sanctification The guidance we receive from God through His Spirit can be subjective and dependent on impressions and thoughts in our mind. By His Spirit we get a sense of what we feel God is leading us to do. God s Spirit also opens our hearts and minds to understand and apply God s written Word, the Bible. The Bible provides us with a much more objective and concrete source of God s counsel. Regarding essential things, the Bible s teaching is very clear. Properly interpreted, understood, and applied, the Bible is the most reliable source of God s counsel. Even as we choose God as our counselor and seek His counsel by His Spirit and through His Word, we also understand that God, who is spirit and invisible, works through human agents and representatives to communicate His Word to people. He worked through human writers to provide us with the Bible, our written source for counsel. He works through Christians and the Church to convey the truth contained in His Word to one another and the rest of the world. He works through specially gifted Christians to apply His Word to specific and difficult problems. In order to represent God as Counselor and to provide His counsel to others, God s representatives must represent Him truthfully and accurately. This includes representing God s person and character, His authority, and His truth. Individuals who serve as God s representatives must possess certain qualifications, including: Confirmed believer in Jesus Christ Godly character and spiritual growth Love for others and a calling to serve and help Knowledge of the Bible and ability to teach and apply it God not only works through individual representatives but also through His community of faith, the Church. The members of the Church are to be actively counseling one another toward maturity in Christ, helping one another to grow spiritually. 5 Appointed and gifted leaders are also present to provide teaching and leadership on a communal level. These appointed and gifted leaders are also called upon to solve specific problems when they arise. 6 4 Isaiah 40:13-14, 40:28-31, 41:28, 55:8-9, 59:14-16, Romans 11: Colossians 1:28, 3:16; Romans 15:14; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-12; Hebrews 10:24-25, Isaiah 41:6-7 6 Hebrews 13:17 5 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

7 6 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 6 The collective counsel is like a field in which all members serve one another. The specialized counsel is like a fence around the field, providing boundaries and protection. Field: All the members of the church using gifts to minister to one another Fence: Pastor/Elder/Counselor using leadership gifts to counsel one-to-one, couples, small groups It is important to note that the gifted leaders who are part of the fence are also part of the field. As a member of the community they share an equal role in mutual, collective counseling. They also have the additional role of serving as the fence. They serve in this role to solve specific problems on a more private level as needed. It is also important to understand that serious problems do not need to exist before specialized, private counseling is sought. It is always best to seek counsel before problems become serious, and as a way of preventing serious problems. There are also many reasons to seek private, temporary counsel. Counselors are able to serve people s needs in many ways. Communal accountability (the field) and authoritative leadership (the fence) provide the means by which God s intended order and standards in the Church are maintained. Together all hold one another accountable to God s authority and standards. Those who resist and persist in wrongdoing are referred to the ordained and authoritative leaders of the Church. Thus, Jesus Christ s authority as Head of the Church is enforced and maintained through the ordained leaders and by mutual accountability between all the members of the church. In practice this Church discipline system consists of biblically defined procedures and responses to sin, interpersonal conflict, and false teaching in the church. It is designed to maintain moral purity, relational harmony, and doctrinal stability within the body of the local church. Instances of persistent and unrepentant sin, unresolved interpersonal conflict, and persistent adherence to false teaching may arise in the process of counseling. In such cases, a biblical response requires the counselor to invoke and administer biblical disciplinary procedures as part of the counseling process. The counselee is required to submit to and cooperate in this process. If a counselee is not a member of a local church, one of the counseling goals will be to connect that person with a community of faith. If this connection does not exist and the counselee is not an accountable member of a faith community, the full extent of the accountability system and its benefits cannot be utilized. Even so, principles of accountability and submission to authority apply to all counselees regardless of their involvement with a church family. The intent of church discipline is always to lead those who are resistant and rebellious to repent, reconcile, and be restored. Disciplinary measures exist also to protect others from the harmful influence of resistant and rebellious members. In this way the whole church functions to encourage and help all of its members to stand firm, progress in their spiritual growth, and so fulfill the purpose for which we were created. Ultimately the authoritative and disciplinary functions of the Church are intended to protect the honor of God and the reputation of Christ. Counseling by its nature focuses on individual counselees and their needs. However, biblical counseling does this by placing God at the center of attention and considering the counselee s needs in relation to their relationship with God. The principles, goals, problems, and solutions of counseling are defined and understood according to God s will and purposes. God our counselor desires to correct everything that is contrary to His revealed will in His way to His ends. He has equipped His faith community with mechanisms for this to be accomplished. Thus the church authority and discipline system serves these functions: Hold all members subject to Christ s authority and accountable to God s standards Protect church members from the harmful influence of those who are resistant and rebellious Lead the resistant and rebellious to repent, reconcile, and be restored Protect the Church from sin, conflict, and false teaching Protect the reputation and glory of God and Jesus Christ

8 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 7 For God to direct the Church as its Head Counselor, these authority and discipline mechanisms must be functioning and adhered to. It is by these means that God enforces His laws and commands on those who choose His counsel. If we want His counsel, we must receive it on His terms. It is not just beneficial information that we can take or leave as we choose for a better life. It includes commands and requirements from God that must be followed to survive. Biblical counseling is effective not only because it is true but also because it is authoritative. 7 It is an instrument of truth applied with authority and justice in love and grace. Because it is the counsel of God and God our counselor who changes us, we can trust Him. He will always change us in a way that leads to our greater good and His glory. Principle 2: God and His Word, the Bible, is Our Counseling Source God is our counselor and He is the source for counseling. From him and His Word, the Bible, we define all that true biblical counseling is, including: What is needed for the problem solving process Answers to the basic questions of counseling Principles, goals, and methods of biblical counseling As Christians we believe the following to be true about the Bible: The Bible is not just a truth, it is the truth 8 The Bible contains God s commands, instruction, and counsel The Bible is authoritative, true and correct, necessary, and sufficient Any counsel is only as good as its source. Based on what we believe about the Bible, we can consider it to be the most reliable and effective source for counseling. Using the word of our Creator for counseling is like using the instruction manual provided by the manufacturer of a complex machine to operate and maintain the machine. Those who invented and manufactured the machine know best how to operate and maintain it. Likewise our Creator, who invented and manufactured us, knows best how we function and what is required for us to function well. 9 Because we believe the Bible is authoritative, true and correct, necessary, and sufficient, it must always be our primary source. When selecting and using other counseling source materials, it is important that these sources prove to be consistent with the teachings of the Bible. All other sources must conform to and not conflict with the Bible. 10 To be effective as a source, the Bible must be rightly interpreted and applied. 11 The Bible contains much encouragement and hope, but it also contains truths that may be difficult to accept. We are not free to pick and choose only the portions of the Bible that appeal to us, or to interpret it in any way we wish. We must accept and apply all of it, and we must interpret and apply it according to objective and sound principles of interpretation. Rejecting, ignoring, or reading our own meaning into any part of the Bible is not permissible. To divide God s Word according to our own wishes is to take on the role of God Himself, who alone is the revealer, judge, and arbiter of truth. Any change or growth we experience on our own terms rather than on God s terms will not be meaningful, genuine, or lasting change. 7 Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalms 18:30, Psalms 19:7, Luke 4:32 8 John 17:17 [Jesus does not use the adjectives alēthinos or alēthēs ( true ), which we might have expected, to say, Your word is true. Rather, he uses a noun, alētheia ( truth ), to say that God s Word is not simply true, but it is truth itself. The word s meaning indicates unconcealedness or the inability to be hidden]. 9 Psalms Galatians 1: Timothy 2:15 7 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

9 With God as our Counselor and His Word as our Source we can expect: Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 8 To have the most true, reliable, and effective source available. To experience God s love, mercy, grace, and all-sufficient provision for our needs. To have access to God s resources for change a power for change above all others. To experience meaningful, genuine, and lasting change. Principle 3: The Target of Counseling is the Human Heart The heart is the inner self and the source of all outward expressions and actions. The heart contains: our moral conscience our mind and thoughts our emotions and feelings our appetites and desires that part of us which rebels against or submits to God Meaningful, genuine, and lasting change can only be achieved by changing the heart, or the inner self. Meaningful change is change that is according to God s will and purpose and that is pleasing to Him. Change that God desires, and that is pleasing to Him, is inward, not merely outward. 12 Change that is genuine and lasting is change that is wrought by God in us, not by mere human effort. 13 Change that God works in us is done by His Holy Spirit, who works through our inner being to change our hearts. To begin to experience meaningful, genuine, and lasting change, we must first gain access to God s resources for change. The starting point for all of us is salvation from sin through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation creates in us a new heart. 14 This new self is motivated by love for God, has new and genuine affections for God, is capable of pleasing God, and desires the things that God desires. Salvation is a work of God on our inner person, and it occurs at the heart level. It is not merely an outward conversion or confession. Likewise, the ongoing process of sanctification that follows salvation produces inner transformation leading to outward change in attitudes, actions, and words. With the new heart that accompanies salvation comes a new struggle that with God s help we must fight. Although salvation creates in us a hew heart and a new nature, the old heart and the old nature remains alongside the new. Thus, the Christian believer has two hearts or two natures. The new is united with and in agreement with God while the old remains opposed to God. These two hearts within us battle for dominance. 15 For fighting this battle we have the help of God s Spirit. We also have as tools and weapons spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, Bible study, fellowship, and service ensure that our relationship with God remains one of close communion. Biblical counseling strengthens our relationship with God so that He can work in and through us to accomplish His purposes. It also releases and activates our new nature and the gifts that come with it to accomplish His purposes. Only change that is accomplished by God working through us and our new nature and that is motivated by the love for God that comes from our new nature can possibly produce meaningful, genuine, and lasting change Samuel 16:7, Psalm 51:6, Romans 12:2 13 Zechariah 4: Corinthians 5:17 15 Romans 7:14-23, Romans 8:5-9 8 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

10 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 9 In this struggle we are opposed internally [from inside of us] by our own sin nature and externally [from outside of us] by evil spiritual powers. God works in us and through our new self to produce righteousness and fruitfulness. Our old self and evil spiritual powers work to produce sin and fruitlessness. 16 Our own sinful heart is our greatest enemy. As Christians God protects us from the external spiritual powers against us, and in Christ we have authority over them. 17 However, our sinful heart can lead us astray and expose us to the influence and harm of evil spiritual powers. If we allow our sinful heart to guide and direct us, we harm ourselves and make ourselves vulnerable to the influence of evil spiritual powers. The sinful heart is deceptive. 18 Sin is delicious to the sinful heart. The sinful heart s appetite for sin and the deliciousness of sin compel it to seek after sin with an increasing appetite for more. Our sinful heart may do this in subtle and deceptive ways that we do not fully recognize or acknowledge. We can only overcome these opposing forces by submitting to God, invoking His power, and by releasing and developing the power and potential of our new heart. Evil that our sin nature produces may take on the appearance of good. Good things we do can be done for impure motives. Because of this, our righteousness and fruitfulness cannot be judged by mere outward evaluation. Knowing if our actions are rightly motivated and therefore acceptable to God requires examination of the heart by God and His Word. 19 Only God knows if we are truly acting out of right motives and love for Him. Thus to achieve the kind of change that God desires we must open our hearts to Him and His Word. We must keep them open. We must accept from Him what He reveals to us about our heart and motives. We must rely on Him to know and judge our hearts, and we must rely on Him to change our hearts. 20 The biblical counselor must understand that it is not their job to judge the motives and heart of the counselee. They are to evaluate a counselee s behavior in light of God s Word, and they suggest what might be motivating that behavior. However, only God can truly know and reveal the heart of the counselee. Thus the counselor s job is to help the counselee to open their heart to God and His Word so that God can judge, reveal, and change it. Our heart will always be His target. If we are truly open to His counsel and present our hearts to Him, He never misses. 16 Ephesians 4: James 4:7 18 Jeremiah 17:9 19 Hebrews 4:12 20 Psalms 139: Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

11 PART 2: THE GOALS OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING Goal 1: The Goal of Counseling is God s Glory Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 10 God created all things to glorify Him. 21 Every person s purpose for living is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This purpose is fulfilled through true and acceptable worship of the Creator. The sin of Adam and Eve caused mankind to enter into a sinful condition. In this sinful condition we are controlled by a sin nature that causes us to think and act in sinful ways. This prevents us from worshipping God the Creator in true and acceptable ways. The sinful condition we exist in makes us unacceptable to God. It is like a thick wall between us and God, separating us from Him. Even if we turn His direction by doing good things, the wall still stands between us. True and acceptable worship that fulfills our purpose cannot be achieved. In addition to the wall that stands between us and God, our controlling sin nature leads us to turn away from Him. It causes us to reject His commands, go our own way, and exchange worship of the Creator for worship of created things. Even if the dividing wall of our sinful condition was not there, our sin nature would continually turn us away from God to other things, preventing us from fulfilling our purpose. 22 To begin to be able to fulfill our purpose, the dividing wall of our sin nature must be removed. Once removed, our controlling sin nature must be subjected to a controlling righteous nature. The wall removed, we can go to God. The sin nature now overcome by a righteous nature, we can turn to Him. This is exactly what God has made possible through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Through faith in Christ we are restored to a new and righteous state of being. The wall is removed. Through faith in Christ comes a new controlling nature. We now desire to turn to Him. We enter His presence in a new way and His Spirit dwells within us. With the wall removed and the sin nature subjected to the righteous nature, our purpose to glorify God can be fulfilled. This all comes through faith in Jesus Christ and living a life in Christ by the power of God s Spirit. Helping people to enter and live out this life is the primary goal of biblical counseling. All other goals are devoted to fulfilling this primary goal. Goal 2: Restored and Properly Functioning Relationships The building blocks for all of life are four relationships: Relationship with God the Creator Relationship with the Creation Relationship with self Relationship with others When these relationships are functioning properly, people are able to fulfill the purpose for which they were created and experience the fullness of life that God intended. Brokenness of these relationships is the source of our problems and difficulties. Counseling seeks to restore all of these broken relationships as much as possible, beginning with God. These relationships are interconnected and they function according to God s rules and authority structure. Relationships are broken and fail to function properly when God s rules and authority structure are not adhered to. God s guiding principle for relationships is love. 23 Love is an expression of selflessness and service to others, valuing and respecting others, and seeking the good of others. From this principle of love come all of God s rules and commands governing life and relationships. Love of God is of first importance. Love for God is honoring, submitting to, and obeying Him. Love for other people is of second importance. Love for others is respecting, honoring, valuing, caring for and seeking the good of others. 21 Romans 11:36, Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14, 1 Corinthians 10:31, 2 Corinthians 4:15, 9:11 22 Ezekiel 8:16 23 Matthew 22:37-39, 1 Corinthians 13:13 10 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

12 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 11 A key element of biblical love is respect. There are two kinds of respect that we must observe toward others. The first is mutual respect. 24 This form of respect requires us to submit to and honor one another as equals. The second is authoritative respect. 25 This form of respect requires us to relate to one another based on each one s position in God s established authority structure. Relating upward in that structure requires us to submit respectfully to those in authority over us. Relating downward requires us to exercise authority over others with justice, mercy, and grace. God is our supreme authority, and he has positioned us under authorities that he has established in society, in the family, and in the church. To defy any authority over us is to defy God Himself. To abuse, misuse, or neglect authority we have over others is to violate His principle of love and mutual respect in relating to others. Because of sin we often fail to relate to others in love and respect. We tend not to submit to authorities over us or to properly exercise our authority over others. We live in a fallen world that will not be fully redeemed and restored until later. Some who are part of the fallen world system are enemies of God, with whom we cannot reconcile unless they are first reconciled to God. Some will never reconcile to God. For these reasons, full restoration of relationships is not possible in this lifetime. We can only restore relationships to the extent that God has allowed, to the extent that we in our flawed condition are able to, and to the extent that others will cooperate with us. Our main responsibility is to our own attitudes and actions. 26 Biblical counseling does not promise to restore all relationships or to eliminate all problems and conflicts. But it does promise to equip us to respond in right ways to wrong things and to govern our own responses and actions according to God s requirements. The goal of biblical counseling to restore relationships to their proper function does not always mean restoring them to a state of harmony. Acting in true biblical love and respect often creates conditions of disharmony in a relationship. Harmony with God means disharmony with those opposed to God. 27 A proper functioning relationship with the enemies of God is a relationship of enmity and willful disharmony. We are to be in opposition to that which opposes God. 28 As God is an enemy to our enemies and an adversary to our adversaries, we must be an enemy to His enemies and an adversary to His adversaries. However, we must do this by His ways and principles, opposing that which opposes Him in His ways. If done His way, we will treat people with love and grace while fighting against sin, evil, and evil spiritual powers. Thus the goal of counseling is not to restore harmony to all relationships. It is to restore proper function to as many relationships as possible, to the extent possible, so far as it is possible by our own efforts. First we must restore and maintain proper function in our relationship with God. Our relationship with Him then determines the proper function of our relationship with others. The counselor s task is to help counselees first establish and maintain a right relationship with God, and then to evaluate and order their other relationships in relation to their relationship with God. Relationships can be of several types, including: Negative relationships that must be terminated Negative relationships that must be maintained with boundaries Positive relationships that must be reconciled Positive new relationships that must be established If one is willing, it is always possible to begin by reconciling to God. God is willing to receive and reconcile with anyone who will accept His terms for restoring their relationship with Him. 29 This must come first before it is possible to have properly functioning relationships with others. The degree to which relationships are functioning according to God s principles and structures will determine the prosperity and fullness of life experienced by individuals, communities, cities, and nations. Through well planned and organized biblical counseling ministries, relationships can be restored on an individual and a collective and communal level, impacting and improving both individuals and the communities we live in Peter 3:7, Acts 28:10 25 Ephesians 5:33, 6:5; 1 Peter 2:17 26 Romans 12: Corinthians 5:9-13, 2 Corinthians 6:14-17, 2 Timothy 3: Exodus 23:22, Ephesians 5:11, 6:12, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Romans 12:21 29 Colossians 1:9-20, 2 Corinthians 5: Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

13 12 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 12 Goal 3: The Goal of Counseling is Meaningful, Genuine, Lasting Change Glorifying God and restoring relationships are the general, abstract goals of counseling. The specific goal that fulfills these higher goals is change. Counseling seeks to change people. God is glorified and relationships are restored only as people experience change and growth. However, not just any change glorifies God and restores relationships. Biblical change is meaningful, genuine, and lasting change. Meaningful change is: change according to God s will and desire [that is therefore acceptable to Him] change that fulfills God s purpose for us [becoming what God made us to be] change in the right direction [producing growth, godliness, and love for God and others] change that restores broken relationships change that causes us to rely on God, self, and others in the right order and ways Genuine change is: inward change of heart and mind change for the right reasons and motives achieved by God through the Holy Spirit [not by mere human effort] result of regeneration and sanctification through submission to God and His authority Lasting change is: change that breaks cycles and moves beyond barriers change that identifies and addresses the root causes of problems change that is ongoing, upward, and increasing [sanctification is progressive] change that is maintained through support and accountability in faith communities God our Creator is fully able to produce this kind of change in us if we allow Him to change us. If God is the one changing us, the change will undoubtedly be meaningful, genuine, and lasting. God never works to achieve anything less. Change brought about by God should also occur relatively quickly. Therefore, intensive and specialized private counseling should be temporary. It should have an end point at which goals are reached and at which the help of a counselor is no longer needed. Following specialized counseling the counselee should continue to experience growth and change through the permanent, communal counsel and support of the entire community of faith. Thus, the counseling process can be divided into two levels: Level 1: Discipleship permanent support for continual growth Deals with all aspects of spiritual growth and change associated with being a disciple. Utilizes the faith community as an ongoing system of support, change, and growth (The Body of Christ\Church, 1 Corinthians 12:27-28, Ephesians 4:12). Has no specific action plan or goals other than the general biblical agenda for all disciples. Has no end point but is lifelong through faith communities in their various forms. Level 2: Counseling temporary help for lasting change Focuses on a specific problem or issue. Utilizes specialized, gifted, trained and authoritative counselors for temporary help. Utilizes an action plan with specific goals. Has a definite end point at which clearly defined goals are reached. Works to establish and enhance level 1 support systems and relationships. Because God s Word is powerful for meeting every need and solving every problem, we can expect to see immediate change in people through biblical counseling. At the same time, we must not forget that people are sinful and that a war is being fought on three fronts: against self, evil spiritual powers, and a cursed creation. The potential for change is great, but the potential for difficult struggles is also great. Therefore, at the same time that we are hopeful for success, we also expect difficult challenges and sometimes failure. We must challenge counselees to submit to God, hold them accountable to His standards and requirements, and insist on meaningful, genuine, and lasting change. At the same time we must do so in love and grace. The methods we use are powerful, firm, and effective. But they also must be gentle, loving, and patient.

14 PART 3: METHODS OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING 13 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 13 From biblical principles, guidelines, and standards we are able to define a general methodology of biblical counseling. From the general methodology any counselor can develop any number of specific methods and practices according to their gifts and abilities, the situation they are counseling in, and the people they are counseling. The following are general components of biblical counseling methodology: Applying biblical methods for change and growth: Pursuing salvation through faith in Christ as the first step toward real and lasting change. Pursuing sanctification as the ongoing process of biblical change by the help of the Holy Spirit. Identifying and addressing the root causes of problems. Accepting and submitting to the Bible as God s most specific source of information and counsel. Accepting and submitting to God s ordained leaders as His means of guiding change. Establishing relationships for change and growth: Counseling occurs in the context of a relationship between three people: the counselee, the counselor, and God. It is the counselor s job to assist the counselee to access God s resources for change, and to help the counselee apply those resources so that the change that God desires can be achieved. In this relationship it is the task of the counselor to: Earn the trust needed to become an agent of change to the counselee Correctly diagnose and provide solutions for the counselee Lead the counselee to experience meaningful, genuine, and lasting change It is the task of the counselee to: Trust and rely on the counselor as an agent of change Receive and apply the counsel that is given Seek to achieve meaningful, genuine, and lasting change Exhorting and instructing in a biblical manner (nouthesis): Speaking truth Teaching and confronting In love and concern For the betterment of the person For positive change in thought, action, and character Following the biblical steps for change: Teaching Reproof Correction Training Enforcing biblical standards: Motives Objectives Integrity Propriety Accountability Morality Discipline and Consequences Confidentiality

15 PART 4: QUALIFICATIONS FOR BIBLICAL COUNSELING 14 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 14 Based on the basic principles, goals, and methods of biblical counseling we can define qualifications, requirements, and skills for biblical counselors. The biblical counselor must understand and accept the biblical principles of counseling and possesses qualities and abilities necessary to achieve the goals of biblical counseling through biblical methods. It is required that counselors accept and believe these truths: The God of the Bible is the Creator God. The Bible is the Word of God and therefore is authoritative, true and correct, necessary, and sufficient. The Bible is the primary source for counseling. Other sources must not conflict with or contradict it. People experience growth and change through the biblical processes of salvation and sanctification. Only through a heart changed by God can people experience meaningful, genuine, lasting change. Essential Christian doctrine. It is required that counselors possess these characteristics: Love for God and a desire to serve God for His glory Love for others and a calling to serve and help others with their problems Love for God s Word and a desire to teach and apply it accurately Desire to fulfill God s purpose in personal life Trust and reliance on God to use them as He empowers and guides them Demonstrated gifts and abilities for personal ministry to others Demonstrated basic knowledge of the Bible and ability to apply the Bible to specific problems Service, training and certification to verify gifts and equip for counseling ministry The one obvious prerequisite qualification for satisfying all of these requirements is faith in Jesus Christ. They must be a confirmed believer in Jesus Christ. They must not be merely a new believer but one whose gifts and calling have been confirmed through service in a local church. Having met these minimum requirements, it is possible for any Christian to counsel others competently. However, counselors can and must also continue to improve by growing in their counseling skills and abilities. Counseling involves the interaction of three things that the counselor must skillfully apply in every counseling situation. They include: Relationships Counselors must work to increase their relationship and communication skills. Knowledge Counselors must possess and build on their knowledge of the Bible and its application. They must grow in their knowledge of counseling problems and solutions. They must be skillful in gathering relevant and useful information from each counselee for each counseling situation. Wisdom Counselors must grow in their ability to apply wisdom and discernment in counseling. They must grow in their trust in God for wisdom. They must grow in their ability to rely on God to supply what is needed to help people. Thus counseling can be summarized as applying knowledge with wisdom through relationships. There are times when it is difficult to relate to a person. Knowledge and wisdom can be lacking. Often a counselor may feel inadequate to help a person. The problems may seem so difficult and complicated that no person can possibly solve them. A counselor is not wrong to feel this way. In one respect the counselor is competent and able to solve the greatest

16 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 15 problems. In another respect, they are powerless to solve any problem. 30 By their own power and ability the counselor is unable to solve problems that only God can solve. But as God s representative they can be God s instrument for solving any problem. 31 God can solve every problem, no matter how difficult or complex. Therefore, even though the counselor has human limitations, the God enabling the counselor does not. This is why most of the important qualifications for counseling are not related to human powers and abilities. College degrees and professional licenses are not included in the essential qualifications. The critical qualifications for counseling are associated with a person s ability to commune with God and through that communion with God to serve as His agent of change in the lives of others. This represents a source of tremendous hope in the midst of great hopelessness for both the counselor and the counselee. As the counselor believes God will provide for the needs of the person, they must believe that God will also provide them with what they need to serve as His representative. God desires to change people so that they can fulfill the purpose for which they live. He uses counselors as His agent of change. Therefore the counselor, as His agent, can expect God to provide what is needed for building relationships, acquiring knowledge, and applying wisdom. The counselee, likewise, must not rely on the human counselor but on the Counselor God who is enabling the counselor to help them. It is not the counselor but God who possesses the answers, solutions, and all-sufficient provision for their every need. 32 Therefore, having and maintaining a right and close relationship with God is the most important character quality of the counselor. Related to this, the most important skill and ability the counselor must acquire and apply is that of knowing and using the Bible. From the Bible we learn how to build life-changing relationships with others. From the Bible we gain knowledge and wisdom to help people solve their problems. When all else fails, the Bible is always powerful and beneficial. If there is no relationship or if knowledge and wisdom are lacking, we can always give and receive God s Word. God s Word can speak directly to the counselee with power and effectiveness. The counselor s job is to represent God to the counselee and help the counselee establish a relationship of their own with God. Likewise, it is the counselor s job to use the Bible to help others and to teach others to use the Bible to help themselves. 30 Psalm 16:2, John 15:5 31 Romans 15:14, 1 Corinthians 1:7 32 John 2:1-10 God uses what is available to meet our needs. 15 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

17 PART 5: DEVELOPING COUNSELING MINISTRIES 16 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 16 Biblical counseling in its essence is simply ministry of the Word of God. It is practical theology. It is teaching, preaching, and pastoral care in a one-to-one or small group setting. It is applying the Bible to people s problems and needs. It is a basic Christian activity and ministry of the Church. It is a duty every Christian and church must strive to fulfill. It is to be applied in the church and outside the church in the community. Any church that desires to enhance and expand its impact on people s lives can do so by developing an organized and structured biblical counseling ministry. Any individual Christian who wishes to serve others with the power and love of God can do so by acquiring training in biblical counseling. Any kind and level of training in biblical counseling will be beneficial, even if the person does not wish to become a full-time counselor or to enter counseling as a formal ministry or occupation. An organized biblical counseling ministry has benefits in two directions. Inwardly it increases a church s ability to minister to its own members. This improves the maturity and spiritual health of its members, which improves the maturity and spiritual health of the entire church. Outwardly it increases a church s ability to reach out to and minister to its surrounding community. This benefits society and the broader community in which that church exists. Biblical counseling targets believers for discipleship and sanctification, and it targets nonbelievers for evangelism and salvation. Thus, an organized biblical counseling ministry expands a church s ability to accomplish its two essential functions of evangelism and discipleship. The more a church organizes and coordinates its ministries both inwardly and outwardly, the more impact it can have on the most people. Organization on a community level is also possible. If a number of churches were to work together to recruit and train all their qualified members, and if these trained counselors made their services available both within the churches and to the public sector, the power of God for change and growth could potentially impact the largest number of people. The potential impact of God s Word on individuals, churches, communities, and the nation are maximized by: Recruiting, training, and mobilizing qualified Christian counselors, including both church leaders and Christian social service workers, in all churches and organizations. Establishing church based biblical counseling ministries within all churches. Establishing publicly based biblical counseling services in all communities. Considerations for organizing a counseling ministry: Evaluate Existing Conditions o What counseling services are currently available? o If counseling is available, is it biblical counseling? If not, what kind? o Who is doing counseling? Who is receiving counseling? o What needs and problems exist that require counseling? Personnel o Who will lead and coordinate? o Who are the counselors? o What are the qualifications for counselors? o What training will be available? o What organizations will work together in partnership? Clientele o Who are the counselees? o What sector will be served? Church? Society? Both? To what extent each? o From whom and where will referrals be received? Operation o By whom and by what kind of leadership structure will services be managed? o o What locations and facilities will be utilized? What needs to be acquired? What counseling resources are available? Which need to be developed or acquired?

18 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 17 Recruiting, training, and certifying counselors will be essential for organizing and expanding a counseling ministry. Those called to serve as counselors may then provide their services in a number of ways: As a ministry of a local church to its members. As a ministry of the local church to the community. As a Christian serving in the public sector as a social services worker. As with the development of any ministry, it should follow biblical ministry principles of contextualization, duplication, and sustainability: Contextualized - Contextualized methods are methods developed to fit the situation and people they are applied to. Contextualization involves changing and adjusting to specific contexts within the boundaries of unchanging principles. As counseling ministries for your church and community are developed and applied, they should follow biblical principles but also be adjusted to fit the specific people and community. Though we may learn from counselors and counseling resources that have been developed in other churches, communities, countries and contexts, we want to adjust what we learn to our own context. Duplicatable - Even as methods are contextualized to their situation, we also want to make sure that they are simple enough to be multiplied and duplicated in other places. Although adjustments can and must be made to differing situations, methods and structures should be designed in a way to be easily expanded to other areas by other people with a minimum of training and resources. Sustainable - Biblical principles of stewardship and accountability dictate that methods we use should be sustainable. This means that they should be designed to be affordable so that financial limitations do not prevent or hinder ongoing functions. It also means that ministries that are developed should be manageable by leadership that can be recruited, trained, and mobilized on a consistent, ongoing basis for sustaining functions. If we believe that God s Word is true, effective, necessary, and sufficient, we will faithfully help others to know and apply it. To the sad and suffering it is Good News. To the weak and weary it is strength. Biblical counseling brings people and God together right at the point and moment of their need. As it does so, it supplies people with the one thing they need most for their greatest needs. Those who develop organized ministries of biblical counseling improve their ability to serve people in this way. In so doing they fulfill the God-given mandate to evangelize, disciple, and expand the kingdom of God. 17 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1

19 PART 6: USING A COUNSELING ACTION PLAN 18 Biblical Counseling Training Level 1 Study Text Introduction To Biblical Counseling 18 A counseling action plan is a tool that helps to guide the counseling process. It contains important information to provide to the counselee and important information gathered from the counselee. It also contains a description of the problems to be solved, requirements and recommendations for solving the problems, and goals to achieve. Outline of the Counseling Action Plan contents and process: Providing Information Basic principles of biblical counseling Operating Procedures and Methods Expectations and terms of counselor/counselee relationship Gathering Information Reason for seeking counsel [any one or a combination] Relevant personal information and background Assessing counselee s counseling potential and status Completing and Implementing the Plan Establishing a relationship of trust and accountability [essential to plan fulfillment!] Identifying problems Providing Solutions Setting Goals Establishing and connecting with Support systems Monitoring Progress Adjusting Transitioning from intensive counseling to ongoing support Helping Others PART 7: COUNSELING CASE STUDIES Counseling case studies can be helpful for developing counseling skills and abilities. Through studying real life situations or imaginary situations that parallel real life situations, the counselor in training can learn how to apply the Bible and develop biblical solutions to common real-life problems. In this way trainees can get experience using the plan that they will use in real situations but do so by considering hypothetical situations. In these examples we can consider three types of problems: Sin and Destructive Behavior Trials and Difficulties Conflict Usually all three of these elements are present to some extent, but one may be the dominant focus of counseling. The focus may then shift and transition to other forms of problems as needed. We may also consider examples of common issues in society, including: Alcoholism Family and Marriage Finances For each of these case studies we may also consider different responses to the problems based on different counselors and counseling sources, including: Local culture, tradition, religion Christian churches and church leaders Biblical counseling Counseling case studies may come from: Personal life and experience Fictional stories Bible stories