True Biblical Counseling: Part V

Lets view the the differences between Biblical Counseling and Christian Psychology from another perspective: The Perspective of Human Nature and Motivation. Many Christian psychologists accept a theory proposed by Abraham Maslow which suggests that individuals have certain psychological needs such as safety, esteem, and belonging. All remember Maslow as the social scientist who experimented with stimulus reaction in dogs; starve them enough and they would react when you provided them a stimulus; meat. While this is a purely mechanistic action, Maslow deduced and interesected the same sort of stimuli towards the needs of humans. Here, we shall not undervalue Maslow's contribution to science and sociology, but we should question the ends to which modern man has attributed to them.

Many Christian psychologists believe that if man's felt needs are satisfied, they are happier, more adjusted. This at first glance seems innocent and altruistic; but beneath the surface is sinister because it clouds the real issues of life. Man's felt needs are not the primary issue; alignment of one's life in accordance to God's Word is what leads one to peace with God. Modernistic church movements cater to individual's felt needs; this is destructive. We see them peddling the Gospel espousing that it will solve all their problems, make them happy, give them a reason to live, etc. Have you not heard this in churches today? This is Satan trading the Gospel for a lie. Christ died for our sins and requires repentance. The Gospel is the solution for our spiritual sin problem and is not the panacea for every emotional ill. This is a sinister lie of Satan.

Biblical counselors submit that if born-again Christians desire God, they will experience joyfulness, satisfaction, and purpose. Romans 15:13 says: Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. You see this? The God of Hope will fill us with peace and joy. God is called the God of peace in scripture often (Rm 16:20; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9;)

This is tatmount to life. God is Peace. He is our peace. Blessings