As some of you may know already, last year I was adamantly opposed to Biblical Counseling. My contention with Biblical Counseling was that Biblical Counselors all seemed to be anti-psychology. As someone who greatly values the insights of psychology, I thought that anything that opposed psychology must be rejected. However, this year I have had the amazing opportunity to learn more about Biblical Counseling, and now I actually would like to earn my certificate in Biblical Counseling. You may be wondering what exactly Biblical Counseling is, right? You also may be wondering how someone like me could make such a complete 180 on something that I was so adamantly opposed to. Well, to answer the second question, I have learned that Biblical Counseling is very helpful for people. As a matter of fact, it is indeed more helpful to people than psychology because the help that it provides comes straight from the Scriptures. This does not mean I am against psychology. No, I will always support psychology, but now I see the immense value in Biblical Counseling. To answer the first question, the Biblical Counseling movement was founded by a Reformed theologian named Jay Adams, and it was originally called "nouthetic counseling". The term "nouthetic" comes from the Greek word, which means "to admonish". Jay Adams believed that mental illnesses were actually sin issues that needed to be confronted from a biblical perspective. He authored the book "Competent To Counsel," where he discusses in depth what exactly he means by this. As a result, he was very much opposed to psychology and psychiatry as it was presented in his time by people like Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. It is for this reason that I was so opposed to Biblical Counseling because I thought that Biblical Counselors were still adamantly opposed to psychology, and as someone who is currently receiving help from psychology, I felt like he was saying I was not a very good Christian. I have recently learned that the Biblical Counseling movement has since progressed away from its founder. There are two Biblical Counseling organizations called the CCEF (Christian Counseling Education Forum) and the ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors). They are basically similar to one another with very slight differences. For example, the ACBC believes that a counselor needs to operate under the auspices of a local church, whereas the CCEF believes that individual counselors can operate separately from the local church. The organization that I have been studying under is the CCEF, and I am very excited about the prospect of earning my certificate from their organization. My goal in this blog is to show how Biblical Counseling is indeed biblical. I will do this by explaining four points in this blog. These points will be: Sin Issues, High View of Scripture, God Cares, and Helping People. These are not the only points that prove that Biblical Counseling is indeed biblical, but these are the most important points. If you can think of any other important points, please share them in the comments below. I will now elaborate on each of these points.
Sin Issue
If we turn to Psalm 51:5, we read the following,
"Behold, I brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me"
As you can clearly see from this text, we are all born into sin. There is not a single human being on this earth who was born without a sin nature, besides the God-Man Jesus Christ. We clearly see evidence of this in Romans 7:15-17, which reads,
"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."
As you may already know, these very words were penned by the Apostle Paul himself. I know that there is some debate concerning whether or not Paul was speaking pre-conversion or post-conversion, but I think it is very clear that he was speaking about himself post-conversion. Theologians say that this text is describing the indwelling sin that affects all believers. Some theologians even say that this is evidence of Total Depravity, according to the TULIP acronym. Regardless of how you view this text, it is obvious that all humankind deals with sin. Biblical Counselors see texts like this and how these sin issues can manifest themselves in people who would be diagnosed with mental illnesses. This does not mean that they see all mental illnesses as sin issues. As a matter of fact, they distinguish between organic illnesses and inorganic illnesses. Organic illnesses are illnesses that stem from chemical imbalances in the mind. An example of this would be Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorders. Inorganic illnesses would be illnesses that are not chemical imbalances in the mind. An example of this would be alcoholism or gender dysphoria. These are very important concepts to keep in mind when listening to Biblical Counselors because if you do not keep these in mind, their rhetoric can get confusing.
High View Of Scripture
If we turn to 1 Timothy 3:16, we read the following,
"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"
Biblical Counselors use this text to justify their methodology when it comes to counseling their clients. They believe that everything they need when dealing with someone is found directly in the Scriptures. This text does indeed say that too. When dealing with clients who have a certain organic or inorganic illness, it is always helpful to point them back to the Holy Scriptures. If we fail to do this, then all we will accomplish is putting a band-aid on an open wound. It is only through the Scriptures that one can receive the real hope that they need to cope with life's daily struggles. This does not mean that psychology cannot be of any hope whatsoever. Psychology can help tremendously, but it should always take a backseat to Biblical Counseling. I believe that in cases of Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder, one must address the matters of the heart alongside mental health treatment. In the case of alcoholism, the only thing that will help is direct confrontation of one's sin. As counselors, we must always keep this in mind if we are to be of any kind of help. The Scriptures indeed have everything we need to know for life and godliness.
God Cares
In 1 Peter 5:6-7, we read the following,
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon him because he cares for you"
In this text, we are commanded to cast all of our anxieties upon God. It is important to keep in mind that this is not a suggestion. No, this is a direct command from the apostle Peter. He follows this up by reminding us that God cares for us. This is remarkable to think about. The infinitely holy and just God of the universe takes the time to care for us. Biblical Counselors are really good at reminding us of this very fact. As a matter of fact, I think that Biblical Counselors are better at reminding us of this than even Integrationists are. The reason for this is that Biblical Counselors are always drawing their clients back to what the Scriptures say. Integrationists tend to first use psychology to comfort their clients, and then they take them to the Scriptures. This is a sad indictment against the Integrationist movement. The bottom line is that God does indeed care for all of the little details in our lives, and it is for this very reason that we can always turn to Him.
Helping People
When we turn to Romans 12:15, we read the following,
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep"
As you can see from this text, we are commanded to be in such close communion with one another that we can know when to rejoice with one another and when to weep with one another. This means that we need to understand one another, and that is no simple task. In today's culture, everyone is so individualistic that we usually are not close enough to other people to be able to fulfill this command. I am not just talking about people outside of the church, but inside the church as well. Biblical Counselors do a supreme job at reminding people that we are created to be in communion with one another. Integrationists are good at reminding people of this, too, but Biblical Counselors really stress this fact to their clients. Another Scripture that really highlights this concept is found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. This says the following,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God"
As you can see from this text, we are comforted by God in ALL of our affliction. This does not mean that God only comforts us in some of what troubles us. No, God promises to comfort us in everything that troubles us. Think about this for a moment. The infinite Creator of all of the cosmos loves us so much that He is willing to take time to comfort us in all of our affliction. Why does He do this? It is because once we are comforted, then we will be able to comfort those who are being afflicted with the comfort we receive from God. Biblical Counselors are very helpful in this regard because we need to be reminded of God's comfort and how we can comfort others. This falls in alignment with the idea of being in communion with other people. If we fail to be in communion with others, then we will not be able to know when the right time is to comfort others.
I hope that this blog has given you some insight in knowing how Biblical Counseling is indeed a Biblical methodology in counseling other people. Does this mean it is the only methodology that should be used? Of course not! I still believe that there is a place for psychology, which is why I consider myself to be a Biblical Integrationist. I know that I still have a lot to learn concerning Biblical Counseling, and so I look forward to my future lessons in the courses to follow, and I am excited to one day say that I am a certified Biblical Counselor, but this does not mean that I'll ever let go of my convictions for psychology. I see immense value in both Biblical Counseling and psychology. I thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check Out The CCMH Ministry Website
Sin Issue
If we turn to Psalm 51:5, we read the following,
"Behold, I brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me"
As you can clearly see from this text, we are all born into sin. There is not a single human being on this earth who was born without a sin nature, besides the God-Man Jesus Christ. We clearly see evidence of this in Romans 7:15-17, which reads,
"For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."
As you may already know, these very words were penned by the Apostle Paul himself. I know that there is some debate concerning whether or not Paul was speaking pre-conversion or post-conversion, but I think it is very clear that he was speaking about himself post-conversion. Theologians say that this text is describing the indwelling sin that affects all believers. Some theologians even say that this is evidence of Total Depravity, according to the TULIP acronym. Regardless of how you view this text, it is obvious that all humankind deals with sin. Biblical Counselors see texts like this and how these sin issues can manifest themselves in people who would be diagnosed with mental illnesses. This does not mean that they see all mental illnesses as sin issues. As a matter of fact, they distinguish between organic illnesses and inorganic illnesses. Organic illnesses are illnesses that stem from chemical imbalances in the mind. An example of this would be Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorders. Inorganic illnesses would be illnesses that are not chemical imbalances in the mind. An example of this would be alcoholism or gender dysphoria. These are very important concepts to keep in mind when listening to Biblical Counselors because if you do not keep these in mind, their rhetoric can get confusing.
High View Of Scripture
If we turn to 1 Timothy 3:16, we read the following,
"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"
Biblical Counselors use this text to justify their methodology when it comes to counseling their clients. They believe that everything they need when dealing with someone is found directly in the Scriptures. This text does indeed say that too. When dealing with clients who have a certain organic or inorganic illness, it is always helpful to point them back to the Holy Scriptures. If we fail to do this, then all we will accomplish is putting a band-aid on an open wound. It is only through the Scriptures that one can receive the real hope that they need to cope with life's daily struggles. This does not mean that psychology cannot be of any hope whatsoever. Psychology can help tremendously, but it should always take a backseat to Biblical Counseling. I believe that in cases of Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder, one must address the matters of the heart alongside mental health treatment. In the case of alcoholism, the only thing that will help is direct confrontation of one's sin. As counselors, we must always keep this in mind if we are to be of any kind of help. The Scriptures indeed have everything we need to know for life and godliness.
God Cares
In 1 Peter 5:6-7, we read the following,
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties upon him because he cares for you"
In this text, we are commanded to cast all of our anxieties upon God. It is important to keep in mind that this is not a suggestion. No, this is a direct command from the apostle Peter. He follows this up by reminding us that God cares for us. This is remarkable to think about. The infinitely holy and just God of the universe takes the time to care for us. Biblical Counselors are really good at reminding us of this very fact. As a matter of fact, I think that Biblical Counselors are better at reminding us of this than even Integrationists are. The reason for this is that Biblical Counselors are always drawing their clients back to what the Scriptures say. Integrationists tend to first use psychology to comfort their clients, and then they take them to the Scriptures. This is a sad indictment against the Integrationist movement. The bottom line is that God does indeed care for all of the little details in our lives, and it is for this very reason that we can always turn to Him.
Helping People
When we turn to Romans 12:15, we read the following,
"Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep"
As you can see from this text, we are commanded to be in such close communion with one another that we can know when to rejoice with one another and when to weep with one another. This means that we need to understand one another, and that is no simple task. In today's culture, everyone is so individualistic that we usually are not close enough to other people to be able to fulfill this command. I am not just talking about people outside of the church, but inside the church as well. Biblical Counselors do a supreme job at reminding people that we are created to be in communion with one another. Integrationists are good at reminding people of this, too, but Biblical Counselors really stress this fact to their clients. Another Scripture that really highlights this concept is found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. This says the following,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God"
As you can see from this text, we are comforted by God in ALL of our affliction. This does not mean that God only comforts us in some of what troubles us. No, God promises to comfort us in everything that troubles us. Think about this for a moment. The infinite Creator of all of the cosmos loves us so much that He is willing to take time to comfort us in all of our affliction. Why does He do this? It is because once we are comforted, then we will be able to comfort those who are being afflicted with the comfort we receive from God. Biblical Counselors are very helpful in this regard because we need to be reminded of God's comfort and how we can comfort others. This falls in alignment with the idea of being in communion with other people. If we fail to be in communion with others, then we will not be able to know when the right time is to comfort others.
I hope that this blog has given you some insight in knowing how Biblical Counseling is indeed a Biblical methodology in counseling other people. Does this mean it is the only methodology that should be used? Of course not! I still believe that there is a place for psychology, which is why I consider myself to be a Biblical Integrationist. I know that I still have a lot to learn concerning Biblical Counseling, and so I look forward to my future lessons in the courses to follow, and I am excited to one day say that I am a certified Biblical Counselor, but this does not mean that I'll ever let go of my convictions for psychology. I see immense value in both Biblical Counseling and psychology. I thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all!
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check Out The CCMH Ministry Website
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