The Void

I think a good deal of us out there have a hole in our life or heart. So many times in so many ways, we, even as Christians, attempt to fill that hole in our life by secular ungodly means. Sometimes, we may not even recognize the hole to begin with. Filler substitutes such as food, sex, drugs, alcohol, games, spending money, working, and more, work to replace the emptiness inside. Some Christians, I've noticed, fill that hole in their hearts with charity or missions, while at the same time neglecting their families, husbands, wives, and kids. What we need to first realize is that there is a hole in our lives, in our hearts, and then realize that there is nothing in this world, produced by ourselves or by someone else, that can possibly fill that void. We need to stop working to fill that empty space by ungodly means and finally allow Jesus Christ to be our everything. I have a friend who struggles with being alone and single. Although he doesn't realize the void, he fulfills himself in unconventional ways he knows is wrong. He thinks that if he were to get a girlfriend or wife, he wouldn't have a problem anymore. She would be there to help him grow and mature, but the problem is, he has a hole in his heart and he expects a wife to fill that void; his mistake is that there is nothing and no one that can fulfill him except for Jesus Christ.

Falling Short

I understand, and am also challenged by, bondage of sin. To me, it is important, that no matter who the person is, whether it be someone I am counseling, witnessing to, or giving spiritual advice, it is important that they understand their sinful nature. As humans, we are born with the seed passed down from Adam. We are born naturally "evil," so to say, or with a sinful nature. Regardless, we are born without God's Holy Spirit. This in turn, however, is not an excuse, but more of an explanation. We need to first recognize our nature and that we fall short of the Glory of God. Afterward, we need to repent, which means to turn away from our sinful nature, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is my opinion that a person cannot be rehabilitated, healed, saved, or corrected until they first understand what they've done wrong or where and why they fall short.

She's gone

I had thought, in my young and dumb age, that if I just applied the bible to everything I ran into in a counseling session, everything would be alright. And although I still believe that I should certainly apply the Bible, I have a different perspective. Not everything will always be alright. Just recently: there was a couple who I went to high school with. I knew them both vaguely. After graduation, they got married and had a child, who is now one year old. About a month ago, the wife went missing. Just a few nights ago, not two minutes from where I live, the husband lead the police to where he buried her body. I ask myself: how could I counsel the mother of the girl who was killed? Sure I could refer to the Bible, but how can I tell her to forgive? Do you know what's sad? The other night, it took someone talking to me about it who isn't a Christian to make me realize that I wasn't being very Christ-like in my thoughts towards the husband. That was very humbling. I'm not saying counseling someone in such a position wouldn't be possible, it would just be more difficult. What if their daughter was older, in her teens? How in the world could I counsel a teenage girl whose mother was murdered by her father on her birthday? It would be hard. Incredibly hard.
Although I haven't gotten all the way through all my lessons, I've come to the realization that there are going to be hard cases. There are going to be times when perhaps, I am just not qualified.

Abstract

Humans have a natural tendency towards sin called a sinful nature, or original sin, or natural corruption. Every human being is caught in sin and is in need of the grace and forgiveness of Christ Jesus. Afterwards, the new born Christian can reap the blessings God has to offer.

COUNSELING THOSE TO THE PATH OF RESTORATION

Conservative biblical theology has revealed many aspects to the human condition laid out in the Bible. Fundamental Christian counseling should reveal to counselees their natural tendency towards sin and their natural human depravity. Counselors should lay out a person’s need for Christ and guide a counselee(s) to overcoming the sin in his or her life. The counselor’s job is to show love and understanding towards those he and she counsels and to not show or project judgment.

Human Nature

God created Adam physically and spiritually alive. The Lord dwelled inside of Adam and it was said that Adam walked with God. However, when Adam sinned, he died spiritually, as God warned him that he would. God cursed Adam, even to the very ground he walked on resulting in the fallen world we see around us (Anderson, 2003).

Origin of Sin

First, it is imperative to understand and to help the counselee understand that God is not to be blamed for the corruption and sin in the world. It must be understood that He is “the Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteousness and upright is He” (Deut. 32:4, New American Standard Version). Before Adam, sin was present in the angelic realm when Satan fell, his followers in tow (Grudem, 1994). Concerning Adam and Eve, however, sin struck at the basis for moral standards providing an alternative answer to the question “What is right?” Lucifer presented Eve with an alternative scenario causing her to doubt the words of God. He opened to her an opportunity to be like God by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When Satan tempted Eve, instead of going to God and inquiring with Him about it, she trusted herself and the words of the Liar and she ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam soon thereafter ate also and by this gave a different answer to the question “Who am I?” No longer does Man see themselves as creatures of Christ and dependent on the King: subordinate to Abba Father.

Inherited Guilt of Sin

Adam represented all of mankind at the time that he was tested as it references to in Romans chapter five verse twelve: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned” (New American Standard Bible). People, ever since the Fall, inherit the guilt and tendency to sin from Adam (Grudem, 1994). Some have argued that it is unfair that all mankind should be represented by the sin of Adam; however, in that case, it would also be unfair to say that Christians should be represented by the death and resurrection of the Lamb of God.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5, New American Standard Bible). King David was so aware of his sin that he confessed to be a sinner from birth. David is not assigning responsibility to his mother but to himself as portrayed in the former verses, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:2-3, New American Standard Bible, emphasis added). A similar reference to corruption at birth is found in Psalms chapter fifty-eight verse three where it says, “The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from birth.” The apostle Paul further affirms that we have a disposition to sin when he said, “Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (Eph. 2:3). However, humans are not entirely chaotic as they have certain aspects of survival, surroundings, and the environment keeping them at bay; these would also include civil law, family and society expectations, and our conscience (Rom. 2:14-15). As John MacArthur stated in his book Thinking Biblically (2003), “The inability to love, obey, and please God is the very essence of human depravity.”

Overcoming Sin and the Need for Christ

When a counselee is caught in sin or admits to sinning, the counselor’s job is not to condemn him or her or to accuse him or her but to show love, sympathy, and understanding (Anderson, 2003). Romans supports the counselor’s duty biblically by stating, “Therefore there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (8:1 New American Standard Bible).

Furthermore, it must be understood that the counselee must choose to live for God as Paul mentioned in Romans chapter six verse eleven, “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” To the benefit of the Christian counselee, make aware that one should not listen to Satan. He will first practice temptation, then, if his victim gives into sin, he will condemn him or her and attack his or her self worth. The key is not to try and solve or take away someone’s flesh patterns or eliminate bad behavior, at least not at first. The main objective concerns guiding the counselee into finding his or her identity in Christ Jesus. A Christian therapist needs to first resolve the counselee’s personal and spiritual conflict. Taking away the shopaholic’s money does not fix the problem for the hole he or she had is still there and he or she may only find another unhealthy way to fill it.

Struggling Christians need help understanding their salvation. There have been times when a Christian who had been defeated by sin thought that they were not saved. However, this could not be the case, as a Christian therapist would point out, else they wouldn’t even be worried about it. Some Christians who stumble fear that they have committed the unforgivable sin; however, the job of Christ’s advocate is to help them realize that that is not possible.

Repentance and Freedom from Sin

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:1-8, New American Standard Bible).

Once a counselee sees their sin and acknowledges it, the last and final step is to repent, which means to turn away. God wants them to turn away from their sin. Once a person turns away from sin and receives Christ into their heart, it is being born again which has a much more significant meaning now that it is known that all humans are born spiritually dead. Offer the encouragement to savor the moment they realize that Christ is in them and they are spiritually alive in Him. A counselor may find joy when they guide their counselee to understand that they indeed have a place in Heaven, written in the Book of Life. When a person repents, calls upon the Lord and is forgiven, they are filled with the Holy Spirit and that is one of the many blessings God offers His children. Celebrate the freedom of bondage of sin, guilt, and glorify Jesus. It should be explained, as is portrayed in the Bible time and time again that repentance is death to the old self and life is birth to the new self.

References

Anderson, Neil T. (2003). Discipleship Counseling: The Complete Guide to helping Others Walk in Freedom and Grow in Christ. Ventura: Regal Books From Gospel Light.

Grudem, Wayne. (1994). Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press.

MacArthur, John. (2003). Thinking Biblically: Recovering a Christian Worldview. Wheaton: Crossway Books.