06/02/2009

Resources for Counseling from the New Testament:

by James and Lynelle Buchanan, M.S., www.bbc.edu You will notice that there is no formal book from the New Testament given as the emphasis for our book review section. Rather than give specific commentaries or books that deal with counseling issues from the New Testament, we have instead opted for books that will help the counselor understand, interpret, and transfer biblical truth from the Bible and apply it to the counselees’ life. As such, we have reviewed five books from four different authors that give a variety of perspectives on approach the Bible, both Old and New Testament. It is our desire to help the counselor gain a better understanding of and ability to study the Bible, and thus use it more profitably in the counseling session. After all, the Bible speaks of its own usefulness in equipping us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17)—let us become better students of His Word so that we may communicate it effectively. Osborne, Grant. Hermeneutical Spiral. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006. The subtitle to this great book is “A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation.” At over 500 pages (printed with a small font), it is an accurate assessment. Presenting all of the major components to developing a proper biblical understanding, Osborne’s work is essential to being able to accurate understand and interpret the Bible. Beginning with chapters on defining what a biblical hermeneutic looks like, Osborne dives directly into crucial rules of interpretation, including the context of the Bible, semantics, grammar, and syntax. From there, he analyzes the various genres included in the Bible, such as law, prophecy, wisdom, and poetry. He concludes with a lengthy section on the application of biblical interpretation into everyday life. Make no mistake, this is a hard book to read in a weekend, but our recommendation is that you purchase this book and read through one chapter at a time to develop a proper hermeneutic to assist you in your biblical counseling. Ryken, Leland, and Tremper Longman, eds. A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993. The Bible contains 66 books, with over 30 different authors and a multitude of cultural and literary settings. It can be a daunting task to understand each book properly. Enter this collaboration, which contains articles from 30 different scholars and novelists. Each chapter is an overview of a particular book or books of the Bible. While some chapters are too short (the Epistles are contained in one chapter), most are filled with nuggets to help the counselor better understand the Word of God. This guide is an encompassing work which provides a practical overview to help the counselor better understand the context of each book of God’s Word. Highly recommended. Thiselton, Anthony. The Hermeneutics of Doctrine. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2007. Each of us who believe the Bible is the written Word of God approach it in unique ways. Some believe that the Bible is a literal book, and should be understood exactly how it is written. Others believe that it is a spiritual book, and one that requires deep study to uncover its hidden meaning. Others try to find a middle ground. Hermeneutics is the groundwork that we use when we approach the Bible. It is a difficult and complicated study, and unfortunately, this book is also difficult and complicated. Thiselton’s book attempts to show the various hermeneutics that have existed throughout the history of the church and how it applies to various doctrines (truth gleaned from the Bible). While he has succeeded in this goal, the end result is often difficult to decipher unless you have a good background in biblical studies and original languages (especially Greek). This might be a good read if you have the educational background, let it be a book you check out from the local seminary library before purchase. Vanhoozer, Kevin. The Drama of Doctrine. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005. There are some counselors who approach the Bible as a fix-it book; take two proverbs and check back next week. They don’t realize that the Bible is not given to us as such. It is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). Dr. Vanhoozer’s book helps remind us of the Bible’s potency for everyday life. This book will help the counselor appreciate the Word of God in a unique way by picturing it as a drama with God as the center. As such, we are invited, through His Word, to participate in this drama with Him. Instead of just learning truths about God and the world in which we live, we are now challenged to live out these truths in everyday life as characters in this grand stage. Bringing the Bible to life through this vivid understanding, we can make the Bible more than just a prescription pad; it becomes a necessary part of our lives. Very deep and overly wordy, it still is helpful in gaining a new perspective on these ancient words that speak truth actively to those who read it. Vanhoozer, Kevin. First Theology. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. The postmodern culture in which we live is increasingly walking away from believing propositional truths. As a result, we need to show the veracity of the Bible in the world in which we live. Vanhoozer’s book attempts to address this concern by introducing us to the God of the Bible through His Word. An abbreviated attempt at discovering doctrinal truths compared to Hermeneutical Spiral, it nonetheless presents a solid case for propositional truths in this relative age. Dealing with overarching doctrinal studies such as God, the Bible, and a biblical hermeneutic, Vanhoozer connects the dots so that God is brought to the forefront in his conversation with post-modernity. You will need a good understanding of the postmodern movement, as well as a familiarity with biblical doctrine (read the Hermenuetical Spiral first), but this one comes recommended.

06/02/2009

You Can Become a Thankful Person:

by William Gaultiere, Ph.D., ChristianSoulCare.com You can be someone who gives thanks in all circumstances! Do believe this? Probably your answer is yes because the Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances” in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. But do you really believe this? Are you thankful in the midst of your problems and disappointments? Are you likely to smile when circumstances aren’t going well for you and no one is looking at you? Some years ago, prompted by the Holy Spirit, I had to admit that my attitude in difficulty was more likely to reflect worry, complaining, or jealousy than gratitude. I knew better and kept trying, but the anxieties within me kept rising up and getting the best of me. God drew me to the book of Philippians. Twenty times in his short letter, Paul’s exuberance bursts forth and he speaks of being joyful. And along with all of his rejoicing are many expressions of thankfulness, encouragement, affirmation, hope, and contentment. Where does all of Paul’s positivity come from? Prison. Yes, prison! When Paul wrote his letter to the disciples of Jesus in Philippi he was serving a sentence as a criminal though he’d done nothing wrong. He simply had told too many people about Jesus and so they beat him almost to death and locked him up—for seven years until he was executed. In those days, that meant that for twenty-four hours a day Paul was chained to a prison guard, probably a gorilla-like thug who was loud, vulgar, smelly, snoring at night, and, in his best moments, plain boring! It was in this deplorable, unjust condition that Paul wrote to the Philippians: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy… I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance… I will continue with you for your progress and joy in the faith… Be glad and rejoice with me… (Philippians 1:3-4, 18-19, 25; 2:18). What a wonderfully positive attitude and spirit of generosity Paul demonstrated when he was suffering! And, though Paul’s example is not common, he is not an isolated case. The Bible and church history are full of similar models of gratefulness in the midst of distress, as is our contemporary world. I have heard people give thanks to God after their house burned down or after they lost their job. I have talked with people who are sincerely grateful to God while sick in a hospital bed or when grieving the loss of a loved one or despite suffering from the painful effects of incest. I myself, in recent years, have in a number of instances been able genuinely and spontaneously to be grateful in difficulties, to bless someone who has criticized me, or to express joy despite being disappointed by circumstances. When most people would bemoan or bicker how is it that some people beam and bless? Paul explains how… Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again! Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition present your requests to God and the peace of God… will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus… Whatever is true… lovely… or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you… I have learned to be content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength (Philippians 4:4-9, 12-13). Like me and you and anyone else, Paul had to learn how to be a grateful, joyful person. He wasn’t born with it. It didn’t come by trying hard, by gritting his teeth and grinding it out! Nor was it zapped into him by the Holy Spirit at his glorious Damascus Road conversion experience. Paul’s positivity was developed as a result of the training that he did with Jesus. Paul had been an angry, ambitious, and negative man. But, as we see in the book of Philippians, Paul was transformed through his relationship with Christ to become a peaceful, gracious, and grateful man. His spiritual formation progressed as he humbled himself to be ministered to by Ananias, Peter, and other disciples of the Lord (Acts 9:1-19). Most significantly, he grew tremendously during three years of meeting with the risen Christ in solitude, prayer, and meditation in the Arabian Desert (Galatians 1:11-24). And as part of his discipleship to Jesus he practiced a variety of other spiritual disciplines that formed him in the image of Christ. Paul learned to “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25), to “pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:18). He learned to live “by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), to live his whole life in the context of and from the resources of the kingdom of the heavens in his midst. In all that Paul did he took a hold of God’s merciful hand reaching down to him from the heavens and this is why his soul smiled and he had boundless enthusiasm to minister Christ’s gospel to others. He was in the flow of God’s blessings before pains and problems came his way and so he just stayed with the stream of grace and let it overflow from himself to others! The hand of heaven is reaching down to you and I even now! If we take a hold then we will be thankful in all circumstances. This is the life-transforming message of Philippians.

06/02/2009

The New Testament and the Experience of Suffering:

T. C. Trawick and Sam R. Williams, Ph.D. Counseling almost always involves sharing the truths of hope and comfort with those who suffer. We do so by ministering the Word faithfully. In addition to the Word, the personal experience of suffering prepares the minister (counselor) to offer wisdom, admonition, and instruction to others in real time and real space. Our experiences can be a conduit of grace. Those who have received the grace of God’s comfort should not keep it to themselves. We are intended to be channels of living water, not dams. Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 2 Corinthians 1, exhorts us “you are bound by the law of gratitude to make use of all you know, all you have felt, all you have learned by personal experience for the comforting and the upbuilding of your brethren” Encouraging and building others up should be major emphases in biblical counseling. Paul’s correspondence in 2 Corinthians 1, speaks of the great hope and comfort that he passes on to the church at Corinth. The price was high, but the reward was eternal. Circumstances in Asia led Paul to abandon all hope of life. It was during this time of trial that God rescued him from himself, and gave him the precious gift of comfort and hope out of which he would then minister to others. Text and Context The primary passage in view is 2 Corinthians 1: 8-10. The preceding verses found in 3-7 provide the context. A “Sentence of Death” crisis took place on one of Paul’s mission trips, yet he had survived the event and then offered a divinely inspired explanation of what happened, why it happened, and why it matters. The letter now known as 2 Corinthians is considered as Paul’s most personal letter, a letter that reveals more about himself than any other letter. He believed it necessary to be personally transparent because his credentials and his circumstances were under attack by false believers around Corinth. In order to defend his appointment as a minister of the gospel, he recounted his trials to authenticate his position, rather than as a cause to question his credentials. Death Sentence Beginning in verse 8, Paul refers to the effect of some radical event. What was this event and how important are the specifics for proper application? Murray Harris offers a summary of the five most common options. They are: 1) The wild beasts in Ephesus (1 Cor. 15:32), 2) “thirty-nine stripes” (2 Cor. 11:24), 3) Demetrius led riot (Acts 19), 4) another persecution reference (Acts 20:19, 1 Cor. 16:9), or 5) a recurrent physical malady. Whatever the specific cause of his anguish, Paul considered himself soon to be dead. No small crisis. Whatever the circumstances may have been, they are not essential to determine the central truths of this passage. Whether the cause of the affliction was external or internal, Paul was certain there was no way out. “We had the sentence of death within ourselves” (v. 9) . He had officially given up on himself. Paul stared death straight in the eye. He realized, like us, that he was tempted to set his hope on himself rather than on Christ. This pride was exposed through suffering. He understood God’s purpose was “so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;” (v. 9). Calvin brilliantly summarizes this: “Two things should be observed here. In the first place-that the fleshly confidence with which we are puffed up, is so obstinate, that it cannot be overthrown in any way other than by our falling into utter despair,”…and he continues, “Secondly, it is to be observed that the saints themselves ….are often reduced to this extremity.” He concludes “how displeasing to God confidence in ourselves must be, when for the purpose of correcting it, it is necessary that we should be condemned to death! (author’s emphasis) ” It was only when Paul was incapable (again) of rescuing himself, that he could freely rejoice at both the comfort of God through Christ’s sufferings, and the rebound of an abundant life through the resurrection of Christ. It was the God who raises the dead (v. 9) who rescued Paul (again!) and saved him from this death sentence. As a result, Paul would not preach himself. He would now proclaim Christ, the One on “whom we have set our hope” (v. 10). Application The treasures here are rich. John MacArthur notes this as the “most significant passage on comfort anywhere in Scripture.” Initially we notice that even mature saints are sinners. Even saints can harbor a pride of which they are blind. Even though its extraction may be tortuous, a loving God removes it and at the same time grants grace to endure the surgery. This passage also demonstrates that a counselor may not have godly comfort to give because that comfort has not been received. And how might that occur? As Jay Adams comments on this passage, “Stop complaining and seek to discover the comfort of the compassionate One who sent trouble your way to enable you to experience His comfort—so that, at length, you can comfort others. Your own suffering and comfort is part of your training.” This passage reminds us that though sometimes our wickedness may be disguised to us, so also may be God’s means of saving and rescuing grace. Even when Paul’s mind assured him of something (death), it was not so. God had ordained the trial for a different purpose, and it was not death. Conclusion We could sum up one of the points of this passage by stating that even though our sin is worse than we thought, our God is more gracious than we can ever apprehend. This is our hope in the face of great fear: it is the hope of resurrection, not death. God knows our needs better than we do. Through the experience of suffering, as well as the power of the Word, ministers can genuinely deliver the comfort of God to those in need.

06/02/2009

New Covenant Counseling Formatio Editorial:

by Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., www.rpmministries.org Too much Christian counseling is old covenant counseling. We counsel Christians as though they are still unsaved. We counsel saints as though they are still sinners. We counsel as though we are still under the old covenant of law and not the new covenant (New Testament) of grace through which we enjoy our new nature and new nurture. How can we move from old covenant to new covenant counseling? The Vilest Offender Imagine the vilest offender. As cruel as Hitler, as depraved as Manson, as corrupt as Jack the Ripper. Desperately wicked. Self-deceived. Anti-social. Amoral. Mr. Mass Murderer. The day his trial begins, every major news network, cable news station, news magazine, and newspaper in the country, and hundreds around the world, join the coverage. Shocking every reporter, every spectator, every member of the jury, and even his own legal team, Mr. Mass Murderer pleads guilty. Begs forgiveness. Asks for mercy. Imagine the worldwide outrage as the judge responds, “Not guilty!” “What a charade! Fool! He just said he was guilty. What is wrong with you? Have you gone mad? Retrial! Ethics probe! He must pay for his crimes.” “His crimes have been paid for,” the judge retorts. “By my son. I have judged my son in place of Mr. Mass Murderer. They’ve exchanged places. My guiltless son, charged with nothing—his good standing I now transfer to Mr. Mass Murderer who is now free to go.” “But he’s still evil through and through. A man like him can never change. He’s a danger to society. He must be locked up. Looked after.” “He will live with me,” the judge replies. “Enjoying all the privileges my son enjoyed. I’ve adopted Mr. Mass Murderer into my family. He’s my adult son.” “That guarantees nothing. All your good intentions, all the love in the world, all the good nurture and best environment in the world does not guarantee that Mr. Mass Murderer will not continue his rampage.” “I’m not finished. Hear me out,” the judge insists. “I’ve consulted the best medical, psychiatric, and psychological experts on the planet. Mr. Mass Murderer will receive a heart, brain, and soul transplant along with a DNA graft infusing into his very being my very nature.” Momentarily silenced. Totally stunned. Then a hand shoots up. “But that only means that he has a clean start. What about all his old acquaintances, his old habits? They will still come around clamoring for his attention, demanding his loyalty and affection.” “Fair question,” the judge agrees. “We’ve thought of everything. I’ve jailed all his old acquaintances. His foes are defeated. Plus, we’ve infused his new heart, brain, soul, and DNA complex with core power to remain free from and victorious over these past tempters.” Father’s Full Provision You’ve not been watching The Twilight Zone. Not The Outer Limits. Not even reality TV. But reality. Spiritual reality. New Testament reality! God our Judge justifies us, declaring us not guilty, forgiving us our trespasses, and reckoning his Son’s righteousness to our account. The amazing grace of justification. However, God the Judge could have stopped here—forgiving us and then leaving us on our own. Left to our same old nurture we would return to our old haunts—the world, the flesh, and the Devil. We would continue our maddening quest for relationship apart from God. But God the Judge takes his legal robes off, replacing them with relaxed family attire and comfy slippers, inviting us into his home, into his family—reconciliation. Forgiveness (justification) as great as it is, would have been hollow had we remained separated from Father. The Judge becomes our adoptive Father, granting us access to his home and all the privileges of adult children. The amazing grace of reconciliation. Justification and reconciliation combine to form the first perfection of the new covenant—our new nurture. However, as the story of Mr. Mass Murderer correctly indicates, new nurture without new nature is insufficient to change us. The Judge of the criminal and the Father of the adult son becomes the Creator, Parent, Progenitor, Begetter, Life-giver of a newborn infant—regeneration. Like Father, like son. Born again of incorruptible seed. Born from above to reflect the image of the Creator. Born with a new nature—new soul, mind, will, spirit, emotions. Born with a new heart—new capacities, disposition, inclinations, purity. The old dies. The new lives. The amazing grace of regeneration. As amazing as all this is, we still need one more salvation grace—redemption. Freedom from the power of sin. Freedom from bondage and slavery to sin. We need victory. Resurrection power. The Judge of the criminal, the Father of the adult son, the Creator of the newborn infant, is also the Champion, Victor, Warrior, General, and King of the overcomer, of the empowered, freed, victorious soldier. Set free from the power of sin and death, united with the resurrection power of Christ. Victorious over the world, the flesh, the Devil, sin, and death. The amazing grace of redemption. New Covenant/New Testament Counseling Too much Christian living is old covenant living. Too much Christian counseling is old covenant counseling. We consume ourselves with trying to help other people become what they already are. Our true task is to enlighten and empower people to be what they already are: saints and sons/daughters.

04/17/2009

Parenting Hard-to-Manage Kids:

May I make a confession? I doubt that I could be a good parent in today’s world. Perhaps it’s because I have lived long enough to see better times and places for raising kids. Perhaps it’s just because I no longer have the energy to face the daunting challenges that parents face today. Whatever! Bottom line is that parenting has NEVER in the history of mankind been more challenging than it is today. To read more Click here