Pelagianism Biblical Counseling

    The title of this article is an oxymoron and I will attempt to explain why. But, before I do that, I want to explain why I am writing this article.
   I am writing this article because I am reading a book for class called, 'Seeing With New Eyes' by David Powlison. The book is excellent on all angles. But in class we are studying the history of psychology along with the history of Biblical counseling (which is much more recent). I have learned some new things from taking this course.
   One thing is that psychology is a category created by society for those who are suffering and experiencing the effects of the fall (which really includes all of us). But what happened was, first of all, the church really wasn't equipped to help people with suffering and problems. And secondly, psychology/psychiatry was thought up by people who have philosophies which leave God out of the picture. So, in essence, today psychology is just man's way of trying to take problems that are related to the spiritual, into the physical realm. Since God is left out of the picture, and since man is the measure of all things, psychology, as we know it today, has a lot to be desired. Man is not the answer to man's problems. Circumstances and environment do not cause people to sin. God created a beautiful world, with people who were made 'very good', but since the fall of man took place (see Genesis 3) mankind has suffered and has caused suffering and has always been in search of the reasons why. Only God has the answer for all of our sufferings and sins.
   Pelagians are professing Christians who believe that human beings are basically good, and that a person can choose whether he or she wants to sin. They do not believe in effects of the fall of mankind, as written about in Genesis 3, nor do they believe that sin has a hold on people that needs to be broken. They do believe that Jesus died to pay for people's sins, but they also believe that the person must keep the Commandments of God in order to be saved. These people really do believe that they are keeping all the Commandments as well, and will be puzzled if you are honest with them about your struggle with sin.
   In a sense, all of us, by default, think like Pelagians. We assume people are basically good. We think of sin as just disobeying the 10 Commandments. This though, misses the understanding of the deep inner hold of sin. Sin is not something you do (or rather is not limited to something you do). It is what we are. We don't see ourselves as sinners typically because we live in a fallen world and are blinded to our own sins. We can see the sins of others though, but even with that, we really don't see sin the way God sees it. God is light and He sees every sin and will destroy it One Day. We also have an Enemy of our souls who is on our backs 24/7 tempting us to sin, and looking for those places we are vulnerable in. He doesn't tempt us where it is obvious to us, but in those subtle places that we don't see. He wants us to fall and to feel guilt, shame, and hopelessness, and ultimately, despair.
   I have seen Pelagians preach their message. It is usually one of hatred and judgment. There is not a message of hope in it. That is because they believe people can just make a decision to not sin anymore. Why I am writing this article is simply because if we, as the church, do not understand this simple fact, we are not going to be equipped to do Biblical counseling. The difference between Biblical counseling and Pelagian theology is serious. We might think of ourselves as reformed or orthodox in our views, but if we don't understand that sin is the fabric we are made of, we are going to discourage those who need counseling from us. We will tell them to 'Shape up', or, 'Repent'. Believe me, people have tried already to shape up. Many have tried to pull themselves up on their own boot straps so that they can be ready to come to God in repentance and faith. But they won't be able to because they have not been taught correctly about their sin and about the Cross. Pelagians think Calvinism makes people irresponsible with their sins. But that is not true. (Calvinism holds the belief of God being sovereign and saving, keeping, delivering, and setting people free from sin). Whatever labels we have, the point is to always go back to the Scriptures.
   People cannot 'stop sinning'. Repentance doesn't mean to 'stop sinning'. "It means to turn away from our sins and turn to Jesus Christ as Savior in faith. Jesus came to save, to invite people to an inner transformation of mind, heart, motives, will, identity, and emotions." (David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes). It means developing a relationship with the true and living God, which can now take place because God sent His Son to die for human beings in their sinful condition.
     God doesn't wait for people to clean up their acts before He will accept them. He accepts those who turn to Him and He Himself cleans them up with the blood of His Son. That is how they become acceptable to God.
   If you are a person who has encountered or seen professing Christians telling you to 'stop sinning' or have heard God's judgment upon you because of some obvious sin you are committing or struggling with, and have heard this from counselors, you have heard the Pelagian way of doing counseling, which doesn't work. Pelagians don't believe in progressive sanctification either, so that is another reason why Biblical counseling doesn't work with Pelagianism.
    God is a God of hope. God can change us. God's grace is there for us if we are humble and see our need for it. We have to ask God for help, as we are helpless.
   For those who are ministering in the church; be careful to not manipulate people to change. Using scare tactics and threats are not God's way of working. Galatians 6:1-3 tells us to help our brother or sister who has fallen or is entangled in sin, so they can get out. We persevere with people. We are to be patient with others. We stay with them through the process of breaking the bonds of sin. We are to stay with them until the knots get untangled and the chains are broken. We really are our brother's keepers.

The doctrines of Pelagianism are
not found in the Scriptures

You Are Competent To Counsel

 

Romans 15:14

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁴ Personally I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge and competent to admonish andcounsel and instruct one another also.

   Throughout the past two centuries, in this country, there has always been a search to try to help those in need of counseling. With the rising of philosophers like Maslow, the focus became on trying to reach self-actualization. Basically, the foundation of what these philosophers believed in was faulty. They left God out of the picture, so man became the answer to man's problems. 

   The ministry of the church became outdated, as more and more emphasis came upon the academic. The problems of the soul were now going to be solved in the medical realm instead of in the spiritual realm. Man became the measure of all things. Although many theories were similar, there were many differences and incompatibilities in the belief systems of these great thinkers.

   No one could figure out the right category for counseling, so, it got put under the psychological category, while the psychological category was being considered as an issue that could be treated with medicine and therapy. Those leading in this field never considered the spiritual category, and had no intention on even acknowledging that there was such a thing. The church may not have been ready yet to take on such a responsibility.

    Many problems arose during the many decades that followed, in which psychotherapy was being developed. There were disagreements among psychologists and methods. The bottom line was that you can't treat spiritual problems with medicine or put it in a scientific category so it can be treated with a matching cure. No one could seem to figure that out though.

   About 50 years ago, the Biblical Counseling Movement began. It started with Jay Adams and has continued to develop. The foundation for Biblical Counseling is the Bible itself. Only the Bible has the correct understanding of anthropology and the cure for man's sins and effects of the fall. When man is rightly related to God, through the Cross of Jesus Christ, he is in a place where he can be changed from the inside out. Therapies having to do with psychology do not produce change from the inside. They deal with symptoms of issues that are on the outside, and remove the symptoms, but never deal with the heart, thus leaving a place for the problems to continue to grow and blossom, even though they were cut off for a time.

   In Paul's epistle to the Romans, he is telling them that they are competent to counsel one another. Counseling belongs to the church, as the church is the only place on earth where the Bible is the foundation for every person's life. As people are changed by the grace of God, they, in turn, can be used of God in the lives of others so others can be changed too. 

   If man is the highest being on earth, and the measure of all things, then we are in trouble. Mankind is living in darkness and to the bondage of sin. Mankind cannot break the chains of his enslavement to sin. Only God can do that. But God uses people to be a means of grace to others. If God is left out of the picture, then no true counseling will be taking place. 

   The Bible tells us that we are capable of counseling each other. The alternative is to let the world counsel us through the use of psychotherapy and psychology. If we are able to counsel one another, and if we put that into practice, then, just maybe, we won't even need to use secular counselors anymore. This is the challenge now. We need to be prepared to counsel. That is part of our responsibility in the church.