Archive for Biblical Change
The Godward Focus of Biblical Counseling
Posted by: | CommentsBy definition, the biblical counselor is one who is persuaded of and allegiant to a Christian worldview, that is, one who functions within a frame of reference that consciously sees all of the realities and relationships of life from a perspective that is biblically coherent and consistent, and thus honors the God of Scriptures. The one element of such a worldview that most dramatically distinguishes it from all pretenders is the commitment to a theocentric perspective on all of life and thought. Thus any model of counseling that is authentically biblical will be framed, designed, and executed in happy submission to the biblical demand that our lives be lived out entirely for the glory of God! In short, biblical counseling is animated by a godward focus.
Breaking Sexual Idolatry (Part 2)
Posted by: | Comments(Steve Gallagher of Purelife Ministries)
The Spiral of Degradation
If you are giving over to lust, fantasies, masturbation or pornography, you are on dangerous ground. The old adage is painfully true: Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go, keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay and cost you more than you can ever pay. Sexual sin in particular can be very intoxicating. The wise man understood its power to seduce and ensnare when he asked, “Can a man walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?” (Proverbs 6:28)
Breaking Sexual Idolatry (Part 1)
Posted by: | Comments(Steve Gallagher of Purelife Ministries)
Deeply embedded within the heart of man is a spiritual altar. Every human has the capacity—no, the need—to worship. The objects of that worship are the things or persons which have taken the preeminent position of importance in the person’s life. Whatever they may be, they cast their looming shadow over all of the other aspects of his life.
It is this position in the human heart that God demands to occupy. Jesus said as much when He cited Deuteronomy 6:5 as being the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) This intimate relationship with Him was to form the basis of all religion.
A Foundation for Counseling Sexual Addiction (Part 2)
Posted by: | Comments(Steve Gallagher of Purelife Ministries)
The Method of Our Counsel
Who could ever forget November 11, 2000, when the entire presidential election came down to the state of Florida? George W. Bush was eventually declared the winner of that state—and of the presidential race. However, Al Gore’s attorneys appealed to the liberal Florida Supreme Court, coaxing them to write new laws in their favor that would give them the election. In the meantime, Democratic “spin-doctors” made the rounds on television talk shows attempting to incite a public outcry over the “terrible injustice” that had occurred. They created such a cloud of confusion that the average American completely lost sight of the fact that there are existing laws in place to deal with such matters.
The Counseling Session as Relationship Building
Posted by: | CommentsUnion with Christ: The Implications for Biblical Counseling
Posted by: | CommentsCounseling is about change.1 It is necessarily so because gospel ministry proclaims that in Christ there is a future hope and a present reality of renewal.2 The concept of change is central to the gospel, as J. Gresham Machen states: “It is inconceivable that a man should be given this faith in Christ, that he should accept this gift which Christ offers, and still go on contentedly in sin. For the very thing which Christ offers us is salvation from Sin—not only salvation from the guilt of sin, but also salvation from the power of sin.”3
Counseling and the Sinfulness of Humanity
Posted by: | CommentsJohn MacArthur, Jr.
No concept is more important to the gurus of modern psychology than self-esteem. According to the self-esteem credo, there are no bad people—only people who think badly of themselves.1
For years, educational experts, psychologists, and a growing number of Christian leaders have championed self-esteem as a panacea for all sorts of human miseries. According to the purveyors of this doctrine, if people feel good about themselves, they will behave better, have fewer emotional problems, and achieve more. People with high self-esteem, we are told, are less likely to commit crimes, act immorally, fail academically, or have problems in their relationships with others.
The Scriptures and Biblical Counseling
Posted by: | CommentsTotal Sufficiency and Biblical Truth
Posted by: | CommentsHoward Eyrich, D.Min. and Ed Hindson, D.Phil.
The great themes of the Bible focus on what God does for us, rather than what we do for Him. These themes were the basis of the Reformation, and they form the central beliefs of Protestant Christianity today. Ultimately, they distinguish between a religion of works and one of evangelical faith.
The Bible teaches that we cannot work our way to God. We cannot reach heaven by human self-effort. Rather, God has worked his way to us. He has reached down to meet us at the point of our human inadequacy. That is what the biblical doctrine of grace is all about. It is about God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Is the Bible Really Enough?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Sufficiency of Scripture
There is a great debate raging in Christian counseling circles over the issue of the sufficiency of Scripture. While most Christian counselors profess belief in the inspiration of the Bible, many seem reluctant to trust the Scripture to speak authoritatively to their counseling profession.
Some prefer to view themselves as Christians who do counseling. Their approach and technique is essentially secular. They have little desire to make their counseling distinctively Christian. This may be because of the nature of their training or the setting in which they do their counseling. In addition, many Christians work for secular organizations that prefer to keep religion out of the counseling process.
The Need for Theology in Counseling
Posted by: | CommentsFrom the beginning, human change depended upon counseling. Man was created as a being whose very existence is derived from and dependent upon a Creator whom he must acknowledge as such and from whom he must obtain wisdom and knowledge through revelation. The purpose and meaning of his life, as well as his very existence, is derived and dependent. He can find none of this in himself. Man is not autonomous.
A Biblical Method for Lasting Change
Posted by: | Comments“Has God really said…” the serpent whispered, introducing doubt into the Garden so long ago. Throughout the centuries, the devil has prompted man to question God’s warnings about the consequences of sin, His promises of redemption, and His healing power. The answer to all of these is found in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Believers since the time of Christ have found God’s promise to change man’s inner character through the work of the Holy Spirit to be true. But in our own generation, Satan has once again created doubts in God’s people that God really means what He said.
Psychology and the Bible
Posted by: | CommentsThe problem with much of the teaching in Christian psychology is that it sounds so close to the truth. Integrationists frequently use Bible verses and Christian jargon to give seemingly biblical support for their psychological counsel. Indeed, I am sure many of these counselors have sincere intentions as they attempt to interweave biblical instruction with psychological concepts. Yet a careful examination of the books written by these counselors shows that the Scriptures, in many cases, are being handled quite carelessly. And because few Christians today know their Bibles well enough to detect teaching that stands in subtle or even blatant opposition to God’s truth, many have actually been led further away from God rather than closer to Him.
The Myth of Psychological Labels
Posted by: | CommentsAll around America are self-help groups that meet to provide mutual support for hurting people. Many of these groups meet in churches. One common factor in their discussions is psychospeak, a vocabulary composed by psychological experts and taught in books, magazines, radio, and television. Psychospeak uses labels to describe every human behavior. The labels are often presented in noun form: “an ill person,” “an adult child,” “an abused person,” “a handicapped person,” “an addict,” “an alcoholic,” “an enabler,” a “codependent,” “a kleptomaniac,” “a psychotic,” “a foodaholic,” “a schizophrenic,” “a nymphomaniac,” and an endless selection of other designations. In common conversation, these terms are often preceded by the confession “I am…” as a person accepts his assigned role in our “dysfunctional” society. The labels produce more confusion than solution.
The Myth That Psychology Is Scientific
Posted by: | CommentsAn exciting new science explaining the human mind and behavior was introduced by a doctor in Vienna, Austria. His theories influenced prominent writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Educator Horace Mann declared that he was more indebted to this fresh science than to all the metaphysical books he had ever read. The world-renowned preacher Henry Ward Beecher praised this innovative explanation of human behavior as revealing the principles which underpinned his entire ministry. Horace Greeley thought this new method of evaluating people should be used as the basis for hiring applicants for dangerous jobs. This new understanding of the mind was received enthusiastically at Yale, Harvard, and the Boston Medical Society.