1989 Issue 1 - The Attack on Biblical Counseling - Counsel of Chalcedon

The Attack on Biblical Counseling
by James A. Jones
I could not believe my ears. A well-
known member of the presbytery of
which I was then a part stood and
pleaded with us to not become involved
in counseling members of our congrega-
tions! Then another stood and echoed
those sentiments. And, the members of
the presbytery nodded in agreement.
0 course, the reason they did so was
that four pastors in as many years had
to be disciplined for sins of adultery and
wife abuse. Three of those problems
arose due to "counseling situations
gone wrong." So the solution, we were
being told, was to stop or radically cut
back our counseling activities. Instead
of dealing with people's problems we
were to refer them to "professionals"
who knew how to handle those matters.
Before I go any further let me state
that there are some legitimate, Biblical
issue raised here. Yes, there are tempta-
tions involved in counseling. It is true
that if certain situations are not handled
properly sin can result. But is referral to
a "professional" the answer?
I do not believe so. In fact, I believe
that counseling is a Biblical require-
ment for teaching elders.
In the Book of acts the Apostle Paul
states that his ministry was one of pub-
lic and private counseling. He mentions
in Acts 20:20 how he taught the Ephe-
sians both publicly and from house to
house. Then he reminds the elders how
his three-year ministry could be
characterized: "Therefore watch, and
remember that for three years I did not
cease to warn everyone night and day
with tears" (Acts 20:31, NKJV).
The verb translated in the New King
James Version as "warn" is, in the
Greek, "noutheton," the word from
which Jay Adams coins the term
"nouthetic counseling." This word
carries the connotation of lovingly con-
Jim Jones is pastor of the Dick-
enson First Presbvterian Church
(PCA) in Haysi, Virginia.
fronting someone with the claims of
the Bible while seeking to bring about
change in that person's life for his own
good and the glory of God It is often
translated "warn" or "admonish." It does
not mean "beating someone over the
head with a Bible" as various critics of
nouthetic counseling often misrepresent
it. Paul says that he counseled "with
tears." His love for those who were hurt-
ing is evident in his portrayal of his
emotions during those counseling ses-
sions.
In Col. 1:28 Paul states that coun-
seling is one of the tools he used in his
ministry: "Him we preach, warning [lit.
"counseling"] every man and teaching
every man in all wisdom, that we may
present every man perfect in Christ
Jesus." In this passage Paul declares
that counseling is part of his plan to
bring believers to "perfection" (i.e.,
Christian maturity). Of course, he is
referring here to public counseling with-
in the context of his preaching, but
from his example in Acts 20 we know
that he also engaged in private "house
to house" counseling as well.
Lest someone think that counseling
was only for the apostolic ministry,
Paul declares it to be for the whole
church as well: "Now I myself am
confident concerning you, my brethren
that you also are full of goodness, fllled
with all knowledge, able also to
admonish [lit. "counsel"] one anotheJ""
(Rom. 15:14). If this passage means
anything, it means that mature Chris-
tians, who have a knowledge of the
Word of God, are competent to counsel
others from those Scriptures.
Not only is it a Scriptural require-
ment for elders to counsel from the
Bible, but referral to a "professional"
can often mean that the counselee is
going to be given unbiblical advice.
I know, I know -- there are truly
Biblical counselors out there, and we
can, and should, support them. But at
the present time they are few and far
between, and there are many who pass
themselves off as Biblical counselors
who are not. They may be Christians
themselves, but the counsel they give
is straight out of Sigmund Freud, or
some other ungodly source. Just be-
cause a person is a Christian and a
counselor does not mean that he will
give Christian counsel.
A case in point: I was chairman of a
presbytery commission which investi-
gated a pastor for allegedly beating his
wife. We determined that this was in
fact the case, and were advising him
from the Scriptures. At the same time
he was seeing a "professional coun-
selor" (a professing Christian). This
man called me one day to state that his
counselor had made a "breakthrough.;'
The counselor had told him, after hear-
ing only the man's side of the story,
that, and here I quote, "no man could
have put up with what you had to put
up with during the past year and not·
beat his wife"! What ungodly counsel!
This sinner was looking for justifica-
tion for his sin, and there he found it
from a so-called Christian source. This
"professional" counselor's statement un-
dercut all that the presbytery's commis-
sion had been trying to do to get the
man to confess and repent of his sin.
What was wrong with the "profes-
sional" counselor's statement? It was
totally unbiblical: Jesus Christ could
have put up with such alleged abuse
without sinning in return. And, ac-
cording to 1 Cor. 10:13, the Christian
himself can never use the excuse that he
is forced to sin. God always provides a
way out for the Christian so that he is
not forced to sin by the circumstances
around him
In conclusion, let me say that though
Biblical counseling is time consuming,
and may place one in a situation where
he could be tempted to sin, sin is not
an inevitable result of counseling, and
to use that as an excuse to stop doing
what God requires of His ministers is to
bow to sin rather than to the Word of
God.
Should we ever refer people to others
for counsel? Sometimes. But let us
refer our members only to those coun-
(Continued on page 22)
The Counsel of Chalcedon, January, 1989 -------------------------- Page 19
of Yahweh's sovereignty over those
who persecuted his servant. It is not a
case of a petty vendetta waged against
Jeremiah's ·persecutors, but rather a
display of Yahweh's positive action to
restrain the evildoers and to enable his
servant to continue the task to which
Yahweh had called him." -Thompson
3. God's "words" (vs. 16) were
"found" in Jeremiah's mouth, . having
been sovereignly placed there by God
himself. Jeremiah did not question
them. He digested and proclaimed them,
and in his suffering, they became the
joy and delight of his heart.
B. (15:19-21) TilE ANSWER OF
JEHOVAH
1. (15:19) God calls upon Jere-
niiah to repent, after Jeremiah had been
calling Judah to repent. The bitterness
of Jeremiah's experience had almost
closed his mouth and brought him close
to abandoning his divine mission. God
calls upon · him to "tum back" to God
and to renew his trust in him. God
says: if you utter what is precious
without uttering what is worthless, you
will be my spokesman. This is a re-
buke for questioning God's character.
2. (15:20-21) God reafftrmS his
promise to Jeremiah that he would be
invincible in his divine calling.
a. This renewed promise moti-
vated Jeremiah to persevere in his mis-
sion for years with renewed vigor.
b. 1lris contrlns three
significant O.T. verbs of deliverance:
(1)."save" (hosia), which word
stresses bringing out of those under op-
pression into freedom.
(2). "deliver" (hissil), which
word pictures the activity of someone
who snatches his prey from the grasp of
a powerful captor.
(3). "redeem" (pada), which word
is used in reference to liberation from
the possession of another by the giving
up of a ransom.
D
Biblical Counseling
Continued from page 19
selors whose message and methods are
consistent with the teachings of the
Bible. Above all, let us who believe the
Bible continue to counsel from the
STUDIES IN BIBLICAL DOCTRINE
What is Calvinism?
or the Confession of Faith in Harmony
with the Bible and Common Sense
In a series of dialogues between a Presbyterian
minister and a young convert
by William D. Smith, D.D.
DIALOGUE XXll
Presbyterianism of the Reformers
Convert.-In our former conversa-
tions I have not noticed, that among the
officers of the Presbyterian church, you
said anything respecting Deacons, yet
they are frequently mentioned in the
New Testament; and I fmd, also, men-
tion made of them in the Confession of
the Waldenses. They are also, I believe,
in most Presbyterian churches that I am
acquainted with.
Minister.--The office of Deacon is a
very important one, and should be
found in every church, where circum-
stances require and admit of it; still,
however, it is not an essential part of
Presbyterianism, that is, a church may
exist, and act upon Presbyterian princi-
ples, in which they are not found. The
want of this office does not desrroy its
Presbyterianism; whereas, a Presbyter-
ian church cannot exist without Elders.
Deacons existed in the synagogues, and
were afterwards introduced by the apos-
tles into the primitive church, as soon
as circumstances seemed to require it.
We find the church had existed for some
time, and when "the number of disci-
ples was multiplied,;, circumstances
seemed to call for the appointment of
some, whose special business it should
be to attend to the temporal concerns of
the church, especially to superintend her
benevolent operations.--Acts 6. So in
every church in which this part of its
business requires much of the attention
Word of God. It is our duty, and God
will bless us and our counselees if we
are faithful in performing that duty to
His glory.
of the minister and elders, if the
stances at all admit of it, they should
have "Deacons set over the work," who
should be solemnly ordained by prayer
and the laying on of hands, in the same
way that the other officers ordained.
The importance of the office to the
church you can easily perceive, and it
shows in a very clear light the wisdom
of the Great Head of the church, ·. in
arranging all things necessary to her
peace, comfort and prosperity. Hence,
we find, that though the office of
Deacon has not been uniformly found
in all Presbyterian churches, yet it has
been generally contended for by those,
who seek entire conformity to the order
of the primitive church.
Con.-Was Calvin the first of the
Reformers who sought to establish
Presbyterianism according to the order
of the primitive church? I have thought,
that perhaps this gave rise to the idea,
that he originated it. If he was the first
of the Reformers . who adopted it, the
more ignorant might conclude that it
originated with him.
Min.--The allegation that Presbyter-
ianism originated with Calvin, has not
even that foundation. Ulric Zuingle, the
leader of the Reformation in Switzer-
land, who lived long before CalvQl, and
died before ever Calvin saw Geneva, or
had appeared among the prominent Re-
formers, thus speaks on the subject of
Ruling Elders: "The title of Presbyter,
or Elder, as used in Scripture, is not
[This article is reprinted, by
sian, from the November, 1988 issue
of The Presbyterian Witness.]
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'l'he Counsel of Chalcedoti., January, 1989