Article Review: Biblical Counseling and Our Sufficiency in Christ by MacArthur

October 17th, 2009

Overview

John MacArthur does a great job in this article of asserting the sufficiency of Scripture to deal with all the problems we face both in and out of the counseling room.   He purports that Psalm 19 is the most succinct yet complete argument the Scripture has for its own sufficiency.  There are other passages that deal with the topic more thoroughly, but none in such a concise manner.  He walks through each of the statements about Scripture and defines the terms to give clarity to the arguments.  He points to other passages while defining each one to give his definitions solid ground on which to stand.

The middle section of the article brings secular writers and philosophies to bear on what the nominally Christian world is doing in counseling.  While the world is beginning to question the usefulness of psychotherapy, the Christian world seems to be integrating all of the world’s philosophies into its counseling model.  Often, believers are not seeing the Bible as the source of knowledge on a specific topic.  They find things that add to what the Bible says or contradict what the Bible says and, as long as the world accepts it, they accept it too.

He finishes the article with a return to Scripture to prove that the Bible is the only source that is necessary to live godly.  He points to Peter and Paul as examples of those who pull from scripture to prove their arguments.

Noteworthy Concepts

Some of the most gripping statements and concepts MacArthur brings out are these:

•           “Many pastors and church leaders are turning to other sources to find ‘deeper’ truth than they suppose Scripture contains.”  When we turn away from truth to find truth, we have no choice but to err. – p. 10

•           “The law of the Lord—this divine instruction which is utterly comprehensive—has the effect of restoring, converting, reviving and refreshing the soul.”  God’s Word has this effect.  Nothing else can claim this work. – p. 11

•           “The Bible is not a book of suggestions from God.  It contains divine commands, non-negotiables.” – p. 11

•           “Where do we go to find salvation? Where do we go to find the skill of living in daily life?…Where do we go to find truth? There’s only one answer: God’s Word, the Bible.  Nowhere else can we find that which can totally transform the whole person, make him wise, bring him joy, enlighten his eyes, be permanently relevant, and produce comprehensive righteousness.” – p. 12

•           “The sad truth is ‘Christian’ psychology offers nothing distinctively Christian….To those who understand the roots of psychology—and the sufficiency of the Bible’s alternative—that is frankly frightening.” – p. 13

•           “We have to come back to the Word of God.  Since Scripture itself claims to be sufficient, I suggest that those who say it is not are in serious error.”  His emphasis on returning to the Word of God as the only reliable form of truth is spot on. – p. 14

Strengths

MacArthur does a great job at using Scripture to prove his point.  He brings every bit of Psalm 19 to bear on psychology’s affect on our thinking.  He brings in secular thinkers and writers to show that even the world doesn’t buy psychotherapy completely.  He then comes back to the Bible itself to make the point that God is the source of truth.  His truth can never fail and will never be outdated.  It is sufficient.  He closes with a re-iteration of Psalm 19 to remind us of its sufficiency.  His total abandon to the Word of God is his greatest strength.

Weaknesses

MacArthur makes a comment at the end of the article that seems to be a little too strong.  He says that that Scripture “warns [us] not to look beyond the resources God has so abundantly provided”—meaning Scripture itself.  The passage he uses talks about false teachers and false teaching.  I don’t think that God meant for us to use only the Bible for help in growth.  I think, in context, that He meant for us to discard anything that tries to add to or contradicts what He has told us in His Word.  I think there is a legitimate place for commentary on the Scripture.  The article itself is an example of extra-Biblical content that is useful.

Recommendation

I would definitely recommend this article to anyone.  His use of Scripture to make the arguments that he uses makes this read an especially edifying one.

Article Review: Biblical Counseling and Our Sufficiency in Christ by John MacArthur Published in The Journal of Biblical Counseling – Winter 1993

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Article Review: The Bondage of Sin by Welch

October 16th, 2009

Overview

Ed Welch dissects the idea of our sin diving into how our sin affects us and what it looks like in our lives.  In the introduction he looks at sin as our deepest problem.  He uses Paul’s letter to the Ephesians as a springboard for his theology of sin.  Welch starts out by identifying that sin is not the first thing that most of us think of when we try to point out our biggest problem.  But he quickly reminds us that sin is what leaves us dead.  There is nothing else that does that level of damage to us.

Welch then moves in to the three things about sin that make us dead.  Sin is related to our cravings, alienation, and the world, the flesh, and the devil.  Our cravings are what we desire most.  Anything that we desire more than God is sin.  Alienation is what happens when we sin.  We are separated both from God and often from those around us.  We break relationships and hurt others leaving walls between us and anyone who would try to get close to us.  The world, the flesh, and the devil are the three things that give the environment in which we sin.

Noteworthy Concepts

Some of the most gripping statements and concepts Welch brings out are these:

•           “If our understanding of sin is unclear, every other truth will be affected.”  When we don’t see sin as God sees it, we misunderstand God.  Our outlook on life will be tainted because we don’t know God. – p. 24

•           “The book of Ephesians makes it clear that your deepest problem is sin.  It was, is, and will be…your nemesis. If you miss that crucial fact, then the glories of Christ will not seem very glorious, and the love of God will not seem very loving.”  You will not see what God has done for you. – p. 24

•           “[Paul] can’t help but speak of the redemption through blood, the forgiveness of our sins through Christ’s death.”  We understand that the gospel is what changes lives.  When we read how constantly the writers of Scripture bring the gospel to bear on everyday circumstances, we can’t help but see it as the key to keeping us from sin. – p. 25

•           “You either love God and follow Him, or you love your desires and follow them.  And when you follow your own desires, God allows those desires to run amok to the point where they enslave you.” – p. 26

•           “When God calls us to Himself through Christ, He calls us away from the bondage of sin, away from the false teaching and models of the world, and away from the rule of Satan himself.” – p. 28

•           Welch calls us to think of the world as the secular church of the dead: a church with its own traditions, liturgy, rules for living, and sermons.  This church calls us to sing along with it the “I want” song.  It draws on our passions to pull us in to its congregation.         – p. 29

Strengths

The strength of the article comes from Welch’s complete reliance on scripture to point out where our sin comes from.  He focuses on the Gospel as the key to understanding our sinfulness.  He shows how we can be free from sin by remember where we came from, where we are now, and where we will be in the future.  We have an inheritance with Christ because of what He did for us.  There is no better way to keep from sin than to remember His work.

Weaknesses

As far as weaknesses go in this article, there are very few.  His section on the world, the flesh, and the devil was a little confusing to me.  It seems like the flesh overlaps the cravings section, and the world overlaps the alienation section.  I would have liked to have seen a little more distinction in the elements.

Recommendation

I would definitely recommend this article to anyone.  His focus on the Gospel makes the article worth reading again and again.

Article: The Bondage of Sin by Ed Welch Published in The Journal of Biblical Counseling – Winter 1999

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Article Review: X-ray Questions by Powlison

October 16th, 2009

Overview

David Powlison addresses in this article the types of questions that are used in counseling.  He begins the article with an illustration of the type of question that is most often asked and is least often helpful—why?  This question is often asked and can have an array of answers.  Why we do what we do is really the heart of problem in many cases.  However, the “why” question rarely pulls the mind into gear to produce an answer that reflects what is truly going on in the heart.  We can’t seem to produce a good reason for what we do without more probing questions that open up our heart for all to see.  This is Powlison’s reasoning.  He argues by illustration over the rest of the article that what, how, where, when, and who questions are the better questions to ask if the heart is truly to be revealed.

At the end of the article, he recaps his thoughts by saying that there is always a vertical relationship that is taking place that ultimately motivates our hearts to do and think the way they do.  This vertical relationship is with some type of God—either the God of Scripture or the functional gods that we have in our lives that attempt to replace God.  In either case, what we choose to love motivates us in the end.  The questions he asks in the article are meant to draw out the roots of that love—how it presents itself in our lives.

Noteworthy Concepts

Some of the most gripping statements and concepts Powlison brings out are these:

•           What motivates us aligns and colors every detail of theory and practice.  This statement is the core of what is happening in each of our hearts.  We are all motivated by something—something that we love.  This thing that motivates us puts a spin on everything we do and             think. – p. 2

•           Though the world has thousands upon thousands of ideas as to what motivates us, if we are to have a truly biblical view of what motivates us, then we must recognize that God himself ultimately motivates all of us to some degree or another. – p. 2

•           Each question focuses on and encompasses the same basic issue: Who or what is your functional God/god?  The questions are based on verbs that relate us to that God/god. – p. 3

•           Question 13 about the opinions of others is an extremely probing question.  Most people have something or someone other than God that they are trying to please or impress.  When this question is honestly answered, motivation of the heart breaks wide open. – p. 5

•           What do you see as your rights?  What do you feel entitled to?  These questions help us understand what it is that causes complaining in our lives.  When we look at the cross of Christ and focus on the Gospel that God has given to us, we realize that what we deserve is not at all what we think we deserve.

Strengths

The strength of the article comes from the questions themselves.  The questions take biblical issues that are addressed often in Scripture and highlight how we choose to respond in each of those situations.  Our heart is revealed when we ask and honestly answer these questions of ourselves.  He pulls almost all of these questions directly from illustrations in Scripture that mirror our own experiences in this modern age.

Weaknesses

Though I think this article is quite strong, if I were to give a weakness, I would say that his questions are sometimes too specific—almost like he has a certain situation in mind that he wants to pull out with the question.  I understand the need to be specific in our interrogation of the heart, but we don’t want to manipulate our counselees into answering a specific way so that we can prove they have a specific problem that we thought they might have.  We must let the questions draw out the answers that are truly in their heart.

Recommendation

I would definitely recommend this article to anyone.  These questions helped me to understand the pitfalls in asking “why” questions.  I often try to find my own motivations by asking why, and now I can use these questions to draw out the real motivations of my heart.

Article: X-Ray Questions: Drawing Out the Whys and Wherefores of Human Behavior by David Powlison Published in The Journal of Biblical Counseling – Fall 1999

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Article Review: Culture of Peace by Sande

October 11th, 2009

Ken Sande does a great job bringing the issue of reconciliation back into view. He begins with a very practical illustration of what church life is like in most churches. Conflict occurs. People get angry and hurt. No one attempts to reconcile the problem. People leave the church. This seems to be the process even in churches that preach the Gospel. We preach reconciliation to God from the pulpit, but we forget to preach reconciliation with each other. This is one of the main steps that Sande points out. The biblical process of reconciliation must be preached from the pulpit in order to cultivate a culture of peace among the community of believers.

Sande talks about five different levels in creating a culture of peace through the church. The first level is what he calls “disbelief.” The church believes that there is nothing they can do to resolve conflict. The second level is “faith.” The church believes God’s promises and commands that reconciliation is not only possible, but it is an imperative. The third level is “transformation.” The church begins to put into practice the beliefs it now holds. The way they previously resolved conflict has been put away, and they have turned to practicing the biblical viewpoint. Level four is “peace.” The church regularly practices the conflict resolution and reconciliation patterns laid out in Scripture. The church becomes a fruitful tree. Level five is “multiplication.” The church now reaches out to others to teach them the truths about reconciliation found in God’s Word.

Some of the most gripping statements and concepts Sande brings out are these:

  • When speaking of the culture of disbelief, he points out, “When a broken relationship results [from conflict], people naturally grieve. But they seldom believe that there was anything more the church could have done to produce different fruit.” – p. 22
  • He makes a great point when he recalls Christ’s comment to the disciples; “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35). The world is not accustomed to seeing real love lived out in relationships. – p. 23
  • One of the solutions to a culture of unbelief is to “dig into God’s Word.” Studying the pattern of love and forgiveness that Jesus set on the earth is one of the pivotal ways we become more like Him. – p. 25
  • As part of cultivating a culture of transformation, he mentions that we should “educate the entire congregation in peacemaking.” This is absolutely essential. If everyone understands the biblical concept of forgiveness and reconciliation, there will be a much better chance of seeing God’s command being followed by individual believers in that congregation. – p. 27
  • Upgrade documentation to support the peacemaking process as a way to reduce legal liability. – p. 27
  • “Teach peacemaking to children.” There is no lack of need for conflict resolution training among children. – p. 29
  • Peacemaking starts with me. If I don’t have a burden to follow Christ’s example, how will I ever see the lasting fruit of reconciliation in someone else’s life? – pp. 29-30

The strength of the article comes mostly from his strong reliance on scripture as a basis for his arguments. He constantly alludes to passages that either imply or directly assert the point that he is trying to make. Another strength is that he focuses on the need for community among believers. Believers were never meant to be alone in the growth process. God commands us to help a hurting brother, to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep. We are to be deeply involved in the life of our neighbor. This means helping them grow. Sande does a good job pointing out the need for encouragement and exhortation amongst fellow believers.

The article is a little strong on the necessity for technically trained lay ministers in my opinion. What I mean is that he is constantly talking about using officially trained people to oversee the reconciliation process in untrained believers. I don’t see the biblical precedent for having officially trained people in place to work the ministry of reconciliation. I seem to see the biblical pattern leaning more toward having every believer discipled in the Scripture until they understand how to properly forgive and reconcile a relationship. Even then, we are always to be forgiving, not just when we get it perfectly right. I realize he’s probably not meaning to take it to that extreme, but his emphasis on the professional training does lead me to think that direction.

I would definitely recommend this article to anyone. We all need to see the need to be reconciled to our brothers. And we all need to understand the biblical pattern to do that.

Article: Transforming Your Church: Cultivating a Culture of Peace by Ken Sande Published in The Journal of Biblical Counseling – Fall 2003

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