Rayed
Redemption Ministry's view of "Biblical Counseling"
A Biblical Counselor's understanding of God and Man
must be derived from the Scriptures. They must base their counseling upon the
inspiration, infallibility, inerrancy, and absolute sufficiency of the Word of
God. One is not a Biblical Counselor if they say that the Bible is sufficient
for salvation, but that we need psychological solutions for sanctification.
True Biblical Counseling is based upon nothing but the "Word of God".
However there are many skills and much procedural knowledge to be gained from
other sources. While we can learn from general observation of human behavior
and the physical world, we must never elevate this knowledge to be equal with
Scripture.
A Biblical Counselor must have a high view of the
sovereignty and power of God. Psychotherapy thrives in Christian Counseling
because Christians have allowed a weak view of God to infiltrate the Church.
Jesus addressed this very problem in Matthew 22:29, when he said, "You are
mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God." To
suggest that God can get us to heaven, but in the meantime, He is powerless to
transform our lives and heal our minds is faulty thinking.
Rayed Redemption Ministry believes that mankind's
emotional and relational problems all started in the "Garden of
Eden". Please read chapter three of Genesis about Adam and Eve's fear,
guilt, hiding, covering-up, blaming others, etc. All of these were a result of
their sin.
It is Rayed Redemption Ministry's belief that genuine
Biblical Counseling is based on solid Biblical study. A sound systematic
theology and Biblical method of interpretation is essential for the genuine
Biblical counselor. There is no substitute for the counselor having an in-depth
knowledge of the Scriptures and how to apply them to the problems of daily
living. Biblical Counseling is focused on truth. Jesus prayed for us when he
prayed "Sanctify them by thy Word, thy Word is Truth" (John 17:17).
As Biblical counselors we must arrive at a true
understanding of God and how He works in our lives. We also need to know the
truth about the person we are counseling in order to help him acknowledge and
respond to the truth. Rayed Redemption Ministry focuses on Bible instruction
and relies on other ministries for much of the knowledge on human relational
skills and counseling techniques. Many of our following Counseling lessons will
refer to outside resources.
Rayed Redemption Ministry believes that Biblical
Counseling is dependent upon the work of the Holy Spirit. Biblical counselors
must realize that they cannot read the hearts of those they counsel. Only God
is able to understand the deepest thoughts, motives, confusions and sins of the
counselee. A Biblical counselor does not rely upon his own "expertise",
but rather, he relies upon the truths of the Scripture as the Holy Spirit
convicts with power (Jn. 16:8, Acts 2:37).
Biblical Counseling should lead toward repentance and
restoration. To relieve guilt without dealing with the issues of the rebellious
heart is a disservice to a fellow believer. Paul writes to the church at
Corinth: "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.
Though I did regret it. I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little
while-yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your
sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so
were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to
salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."
(2Cor.7:8-10).
Our goal for training Biblical Counselors is that they
will become Spiritual mature. And the goal of our Biblical Counseling is to
encourage the person we counsel to seek spiritual maturity. Paul writes in
Ephesians 4 that our goal should be "to prepare God's people for works of
service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in
the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining
to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (vv.12-13).
Rayed Redemption Ministry's Certificate Program does
not lead to a legal license or certification. You will receive a certificate of
completion which will support your counseling, there is no legal licensing or
certification requirement for Biblical or Pastoral Counseling. We believe that Biblical Counseling should be
church-based, and is practiced under the authority of and accountable to a
local body of believers and the pastor and elders. There is no requirement for
a license or certification when provided under a church's authority.
This is the first of twelve lessons on Biblical
counseling which supplements our foundational Biblical instruction. We desire
feedback on every lesson therefore please send your comments and a brief
description of your goals and desires for this study. Keep a copy for yourself
and at the end of the study let us both compare these with the results.
If taking the course for credit please submit comments
to: rayedredemption@gmail.com
Pastor David J. Barberis
Rayed Redemption Ministry
