I was recently asked to answer several questions related to how the message of the Gospel gives shape to my personal philosophy of counseling, and I figured I would share it for any budding counselors at SLCC. Hope you find the following Q&A encouraging!
Q: What is the role of the Gospel in Counseling People?
A: I believe the Gospel ought to be central in all Christian/Biblical counseling. It is important to define the term “Gospel” before considering its implications for counseling. The Gospel is the “Good News” declaration that God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to live, die and be raised for our salvation (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Through faith in His finished work for us we gain assurance that we are right with God, fully forgiven for all of our sins, spiritually reborn, and destined for heaven. We are made alive in Him and will forever live with Him.
In terms of counseling, the Gospel is central because it is exactly what both unbelievers and believers need to hear. It is the promise and reminder that God has solved our greatest problem, namely our sin problem. It reassures us that freedom from the penalty, power, and presence of sin has been forever secured for us by Jesus. This has massive implications for counseling. It reminds both the counselor and the counselee of God’s sufficiency for every significant struggle of life. Again, our sin is our biggest problem, and Christ is the solution for that problem. Every counseling session should reveal how the counselee’s problem—whatever shape or form it takes—is related to their sin problem in the heart. And, every session should include a time when the counselee is pointed to Jesus and new life in Him as the ultimate solution for what plagues them at the heart level.
Q: What role does justification, sanctification, and glorification play in the counseling process?
A: In accord with the answer above regarding the Gospel, these Gospel-related doctrines also play a significant role and ought to be expounded upon throughout the counseling process. Once again, definitions must precede their relevance for counseling.
Justification speaks of the declaration of righteousness which believers in Christ enjoy. God has credited righteousness as a free gift to the account of those who refuse to trust in themselves and their own goodness before God, but instead put their trust in Jesus’s perfect record. As Romans 5:1 states, “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This doctrine has vital relevance with regard to counseling, because every counseling scenario in one way or another relates to the counselee’s relationship with God and their understanding of righteousness. People experiencing enough difficulty to seek the help of a counselor are always struggling at some level with their own right-ness, in their own eyes or in the eyes of other people, and ultimately in the eyes of God. They need to be re-assured of God’s promise to make them right in Christ. Incidentally, if their struggle relates to the wrongness/sin of another person, they still need to be pointed to justification to understand more deeply the human condition of all people, including themselves, and the provision of God for naturally unrighteous people.
Sanctification is another doctrine related to the Gospel. Essentially it has to do with the holiness, or set apartness, of God’s people by virtue of their union with Christ. Sanctification is often spoken of being both positional (E.g. Heb. 10:10) and practical (E.g. 1 Thess. 4:3). It is positional in that it is a done deal once a person has become one with the Savior through faith. It is practical in that believers have the opportunity throughout their lives to live either consistently, or inconsistently, with their holy status. Their behavior can reflect their new position in Christ or not. Counseling of a believer always involves revelations of where the counselee’s life fails to fit their sanctified identity in Christ and encouragement to revisit and live out of that new identity by faith.
Glorification speaks of the future hope of the believer in Jesus. It is the promise that one day we will be fully like Jesus “because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). God has committed Himself to the final glorification of every Christian (Rom. 8:29-30). He will welcome His people into heaven; He will instantaneously perfect their hearts and character; and He will even give a new physical body in which to explore and enjoy the glories of heaven. This doctrine is relevant for the counseling of unbelievers because it introduces them to the future hope they can enjoy if they repent and believe in Jesus. It is relevant for the counseling of believers because it reminds them of the hope that one day they will be with Jesus and that their struggle with sin and all its destructive effects will finally be over. Every counselee needs that kind of encouragement!
Q: Do you embrace a particular theory that shapes your counseling? If so, please list and explain.
A: I don’t espouse any particular theory of counseling other than the Gospel-centric theory outlined above. That said, I am never opposed to reading counseling theories, even secular counseling theories, understanding that while they cannot ultimately reach people’s deepest needs (only the Gospel can do that), they may provide insights into the human condition, illustrations of human depravity, and even, at times, practical helps in communicating with counselees.
Q: What role does the Bible play in counseling?
A: Since counseling always deals with how a person understands himself/herself and his/her God, the Bible is an indispensable resource. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible revelation of God. It presents everything we need to know in order to have an accurate view of God and ourselves and to find salvation in Jesus. Along these lines, it is crucial to point out that the Bible is only helpful insofar as it is interpreted accurately. Over the millennia, many people have twisted the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:15-16). The most seductive and damning way to misinterpret Scripture is to miss the Christ of Scripture. To drive this point home, I often say, “The whole point of the written word is to point us to the living Word, Jesus.” Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day saying, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)
Tragically, many are guilty of this same oversight today. So, when it comes to the Bible and its role in counseling, I view it as indispensable, but only and especially as it is interpreted rightly, as it diagnoses the human need/sin and God’ s provision/salvation through Christ.
Q: What role does prayer play in counseling?
A: Prayer is vitally important in counseling, because apart from God’s activity counseling is useless and hopeless. Meaningful and lasting change in the heart and soul of a person is utterly impossible apart from the supernatural working of God. Without the Spirit of God, people cannot see their sin for what it is (John 16:8); they cannot experience repentance concerning it (Acts 11:18); and they cannot see how great a deliverer the Lord Jesus is (1 Cor. 12:3). In light of our utter dependence upon God for true results, prayer is appropriate part of counseling. The counselor is urged to pray for the heart of the counselee to be more open to his/her sin and for their eyes to be more open to the love of the Savior (Eph. 3:14-21). Likewise, the counselee is invited to pray for God’s illumination and help, for eyes to see their need and God’s provision for their need.