Paul's Passing Thoughts

Unfortunately, if you are a Christian who needs counseling, you will go to the first “biblical” counselor that happens to be in your neck of the woods, or said another way: in your particular church venue. The grammatical Calvinist, Dr. Jay Adams, exposed the folly of doing that in the secular realm because psychology is based on 200, count them, 200 different theories. Likewise, it is the same folly to go to a counselor just because he/she is “biblical.” All psychologists are not simply “psychologists,” there are different kinds with different world views. If you are going to a counselor I understand that you are going for advice, but shouldn’t it be a counselor who interprets reality in a way that you deem sane? Or by your own admission, are you completely insane? And if you are, which counselor has the correct view of reality? You can’t know; you are insane. Good luck with that.

But there is good news! In all of the controversy running amuck in the biblical counseling wars, it boils down to this and this only: two gospels. Yes, t-w-o (2) g-o-s-p-e-l-s. It’s that simple. One states that salvation (justification) is a finished work. The other states that salvation is not a finished work, that sanctification is the progression of justification and is powered by justification. “We must preach the gospel to ourselves every day.” Sound familiar?

Simply stated: sanctification by justification. And how were you justified? “By faith alone.” Right, so then, you are sanctified how? “That would be sanctification by faith alone.” Very good class. “Didn’t James have a problem with that?” Right. “But how do we distinguish grace from law?” One has works, the other doesn’t. “Huh”? Antinomian justification: good. Antinomian sanctification: bad. “Oh.”

Of course, the justification isn’t finished crowd would cry foul. “But of course we think there are works in sanctification!” Question is: whose works? This also distinguishes the two camps in regard to CHANGE. It is the difference between the titles of two books: “How to Help People Change,” and “How People Change.” One implies that people do change, the other implies change, but not necessarily a changed person. The latter teaches a mere invitation to “enter into the plot” of a gospel narrative. The former believes in the cause and effect of biblical obedience. It’s all Calvinist, but it is the difference between a grammatical interpretation of reality and a redemptive interpretation of reality. As stated by many “biblical” counselors: a literal view of Scripture denies the personhood of Christ and His salvific works in sanctification. Did you know that there are saving works in our sanctification?

I know I probably lost you with that paragraph, so let me boil it down for you: Do you believe that you can actually change with God’s HELP, or do you believe that you can only EXPERIENCE grace in the form of what Christ has already “supplied” for your sanctification?

See, that’s really easy. If you think you can really change, it’s A, if you think you can’t change, but can only experience grace manifested in an obedience already supplied, it’s B.

So why all of the confusion? Well, because unlike the characterization foisted on the father of the contemporary biblical counseling movement, Dr. Jay Adams, he likes people waaaay too much. Once again in a recent article, he has to defend himself, which is utterly disgusting as few in the institutional church will defend this elderly saint against petulant snot-nosed bullies, and once again, Jay does not name names. Couple this with the fact that the movement is chock-full of leaders who care way more about losing friends (or connections) than the truth. Another name for this is Streetism.

Long gone for the most part is any decency in the movement. While sanctifying their attacks on Adams with a tacit recognition of his “first generation counseling” and how much is owed to him, they precede to attack him personally. Why? Because truth is powerful, even when yielded by one 80-something man, or for that matter a mere child. But more intimidating than anything is what “first generation” biblical counseling did for Christians en masse. That is a history that intimidates his detractors. The good accomplished in that movement that brought practical application of the Scriptures back to the church is deemed as doing nothing more than “making us better Pharisees.” Comments like these are often made by Jay’s “friends.”

If there was any real integrity in the movement, the most visible of its leaders would demand a stop to these attacks on Jay based on principle and under threat of separation regarding fellowship. But again, the truth is what they are afraid of. There is no easy money in it.

So what is the solution if you need counseling? That’s a tuff question. For certain, a false gospel will not help you, it will just make you feel better while making you a better antinomian. Jay’s organization is nouthetic.org, but he has a couple of people over there that are half-pregnant with the other gospel. I guess Jay can’t help but to love foxes even when they are in the henhouse. I would probably contact his organization, tell them you understand the big picture, and request a referral for a first generation purist who believes in real progressive sanctification. If they know of anyone other than Jay in any given geography, it would be great to have such a list to refer people to. The home fellowship movement, unfortunately, is a long way from having a counseling strategy.

paul