Biblical Counselors
Seminar 6 opened up with the idea that it would be rare for a Christian to say that discipling is not a biblical mandate. The task of Christians maturing one another (Eph 4:14), growing in grace (2 Pet 3:18), and increasing in faith (Luke 17:5) are key themes seen throughout the pages of Scripture.
The idea of the “edification of the saints” (Rom 15:2; 1 Cor 8:1; 1 Thess 5:11) is often spoken in academic circles yet is rarely seen in practice, such as with church discipline (Matt 18:15-17), that often ends on a theoretical level. Living life together in fellowship goes against natural fleshly desires (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor 10:16; 1 John 1:3).
Edification of the saints often takes place in church through teaching, discipleship, and encouragement, and should not be done primarily through biblical counseling, yet ought to happen more on a regular basis in these other areas.
Counseling is the art of speaking grace and truth, just as Christ demonstrated.
Scripture speaks of the principle of maturing faith by equipping the saints (Eph 4:11-16).
10 Wayne A. Mack, A Homework Manual for Biblical Living: Personal and Interpersonal Problems (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 1979), 38.
Proverbs 27:5 says, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” A caring Christian will speak forth by saying, “There’s something I want to share out of love and concern for you. This will change you. I want to be a brother to you so that we can become more like Christ.” The convictional biblical counselor will prompt the conscience (Eph 4). True biblical love does not ignore and overlook sin.
The apostle Paul desires that people be members of a “confessing” (Eph 3:16- 21) church, with the content of their testimony to be “the word of truth” (Eph 1:13-14)—
the gospel of their salvation (Eph 1:13). This truth, which is guaranteed by God and depicted as part of his armor, is the belt that believers are to buckle around their waist as they resist the onslaughts of the evil one (Eph 6:14).
This growth of the body has Christ as its goal: he is the one into whom believers are to grow. Ephesians 4:15 stresses the readers’ progress and maturity toward Christ as the ultimate goal.
God has not only given His inerrant Word that is sufficient for all matters of life, but He has also given His church to His people. The church of God is not an
institutional but a supernatural entity, which is in the process of growth toward Christ. Its members are in Christ and are knit together by a supernatural kinship. Their gifts and activities continue the work of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, which originates from Christ, and are coordinated by him toward the final goal.
Why does the local church matter? The most important reason why Christians live in a community is that believers often overlook that God Himself is a community.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live together in perfect fellowship, harmony, and unity.
When the apostle Paul discipled new believers, he repeatedly reminded them that there was help in Christ and Christ’s people, the church (1 Cor 12:12). Believers are “fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Eph 2:19). Christians are
“being built together to become a dwelling place in which God lives” (Eph 2:22). It is impossible to read these passages of Scripture and come away with the idea that
Christianity is a “just-me-and-God” religion. Salvation is something that connects believers to God and his people.
In the twenty-first century, evangelical Christians live in a context where individualism is elevated and personal autonomy of privatized faith is an automatic expectation, and further, a personal right.
To end seminar 6 with a practical component in the counseling session, each person participated in a church discipline scenario. For many believers, church discipline is not taught, spoken, nor even practiced. Even within the paid ministerial staff, eight out of ten agreed that church discipline only brings more division rather than unity and growth. One of the pastors in the room even mentioned that Christians should not bring that issue up to the person as it will make him more upset. Our church is growing so let’s not talk about it and hope it will just tone down. Unfortunately, church discipline is often viewed as a divisive issue and an unhealthy practice. The assumption too often when speaking on the topic of church disciplines is the final step, where the church
excommunication takes place and a person exits the community; as a result, churches avoid the conversation of church discipline as the practice seems extreme. However, biblical counselors must embrace and understand that biblical church discipline first begins by loving the individual and coming alongside the person in prayer and support as a process of growth of discipleship.11 Wayne Mack writes, “Though it may seem a completely unloving thing to put someone out of the fellowship of the church, Jesus commands us to do this when someone refuses to repent of his or her sin. In reality, since Jesus commanded it, it would be unloving not to do it.”12
11 Heath Lambert and David Powlison, The Biblical Counseling Movement after Adams (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 88.
12 Wayne Mack, To Be or Not to Be A Church Member (Merrick, NY: Calvary Press, 2007), 70.
Seminar 7: Key Principles in