Back to Basics: Giving Instruction
Skill and competence in biblical counseling, like in any other discipline, rest on a firm grasp of the basic elements of discipleship. Formal biblical counseling involves utilizing six key elements: Data gathering, building a relationship (involvement), determining ministry needs, ministering the Word, communicating hope, and implementing homework. In this series of articles, we will go “back to basics” to review these fundamental core skills needed in counseling. In this article, we will look at the skill of giving instruction.
Biblical Counselors Minister the Bible
It may seem obvious, but one mark of a biblical counselor is that he uses the Bible to minister to the needs of counselees. In counseling, the Bible is the main tool of the biblical counselor. The Bible has a practical, functional, and central role to play in the context of counseling. Biblical counselors use the Bible because they believe that it alone is the inspired, inerrant, authoritative and sufficient Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible is God’s Word and thus it must be the source that informs and directs all aspects of counseling. But when it comes to faithfulness and skill in biblical counseling, good intentions are not enough. Biblical counselors must learn to properly interpret and minster the Bible appropriately to people in counseling.
Rightly Divide the Word
In 2 Timothy 2:15, Paul wrote to Timothy: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” The phrase, “accurately handling the word of truth” is a reference to properly interpreting the Bible. Notice several elements about Paul’s words: First, interpreting the Bible is a matter of diligence. It takes hard work and dedication to properly understand the Word. Biblical counselors who never study Scripture, who come to counseling unprepared, or simply communicate common (yet often misguided) conventions about various passages of Scripture are likely to violate and misrepresent God in their use of the Scripture. Counselors must persist in the study to rightly understand the Word before they seek to minister to others.
Second, misinterpreting the Bible is a matter of shame. Paul’s words, “a workman who does not need to be ashamed,” reference the reality that to misinterpret the Scriptures and thus misrepresent God is a shameful, horrible reality. Christians ought to be motivated by their love for God and a desire for His glory to such a degree that they would never misrepresent Him by mishandling His Word.
Finally, the aim of Paul’s exhortation is that Timothy would be “approved to God.” By application, Christians should desire to be “approved” which means that they are “genuine” or “tried and true.” In other words, the mark of a true “workman of God” is that he rightly interprets the Bible. All biblical counselors should strive for this goal of being “genuine” workers of God, as demonstrated by their skill in handling His Word and ministering it to others.
The Content of Instruction
How do biblical counselors instruct in counseling? Here are three pointers. First, biblical counselors instruct from the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Bible communicates the gospel, the “power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). It is the Word of God that He uses to bring sanctification, or biblical change, in the life of a believer (John 17:17). It is so easy for counselors to communicate their own ideas or advice in counseling. However, a biblical counselor must resist offering her own opinions and instead strive to minster the Word of God to her counselee.
Second, biblical counselors must instruct from relevant Scriptures. Paul taught the Colossian Christians to proclaim Christ by counseling and teaching “in all wisdom” (Colossians 1:28). In this context, wisdom includes the idea of knowing what Scripture is appropriate and how it should be ministered to address “the need of the moment” (Ephesians 4:29). Many years ago, I heard about a couple who went to their pastor for counseling since they were struggling in their marriage. They were having trouble communicating, resolving conflict, and making decisions together. But instead of ministering to the couple from relevant Scriptures to address their needs, the pastor simply re-taught material from his Sunday school class to them. While he was using the Bible, he was not using relevant Scriptures to address their needs and he was not applying Scripture to problems they were facing. This procedure led to ineffective counseling. Wisdom in counseling means knowing which Scriptures to use and how to apply them in counseling.
Third, counselors instruct from the Bible by ultimately pointing counselees to the person and work of Jesus. Paul wrote to the Colossians, “We proclaim Him…!” (Colossians 1:28). The gospel of Jesus is the foundational message in counseling. In Ephesians, the gospel of Jesus is presented in chapters 1-3. This is the basis for all hope and change. Then, Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). Paul then explains how the gospel drives change in personal growth (Ephesians 4:22-24), communication and conflict resolution (Ephesians 4:25-32), personal purity and relations with others (Ephesians 5:1-16), marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33), parenting (Ephesians 6:1-4), and work relationships (Ephesians 6:5-9). This pattern in Ephesians demonstrates that the gospel must be the basis for all change. Therefore, the gospel is central element in all biblical counseling instruction.
Prerequisites of Instruction
Faithful instruction in biblical counseling is a skill that counselors must develop. This skill rests on several fundamental sub-skills that undergird biblical instruction. First, biblical counselors must know their Bibles. To put it simply, biblical counselors can’t instruct from the Bible if they don’t know the Bible. It is imperative that counselors are reading their Bibles and books that will help them to better understand it. Counselors would benefit from working through a Bible introduction or Bible survey class. They could also read a book like 30 Days to Understanding the Bible by Max Anders. These resources can be very helpful for learning the Bible. Paul reminded Timothy that the “Lord’s bond-servant” must be able to both teach and to “gently” correct those in opposition (2 Timothy 2:24-25). These are skills that require biblical counselors to know their Bibles.
Second, biblical counselors must know biblical theology. The Bible emphasizes the need for Christians to know and practice “sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:16, Titus 1:9). Biblical counselors must have a basic understanding of Bible doctrine because doctrine is what sets the context of biblical instruction and keeps a counselor from unknowingly drifting into error. For example, a well-meaning Christian may read James 2:26, “…faith without works is dead.” He may then wrongly conclude that faith alone is not sufficient for salvation. However, if he had a basic understanding of biblical theology, he would know that faith alone in Christ alone is the requirement for salvation, and that works are excluded (Ephesians 2:8-9). The passage in James is simply teaching that real faith produces good works, not that works are required for salvation. So biblical counselors must know theology as it will protect them from making doctrinal mistakes as they endeavor to teach others.
Third, biblical counselors must be able to accurately interpret the Bible. Counselor would benefit greatly from taking a class on hermeneutics, or how to interpret the Bible. They may also benefit by reading a book that teaches how to interpret Scripture, such as Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks. In addition, counselors should acquire and learn how to use reliable biblical commentaries, such as The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series by John MacArthur.
Finally, counselors can learn how to interpret Scripture simply by listening to faithful expository preaching. There are many faithful men who exemplify excellent expository preaching, such as John MacArthur, Tom Pennington, Rick Holland, and Steve Lawson. Christians should not be engaging in formal counseling until they have developed the skill of proper Bible interpretation.
Methods of Instruction
Once a counselor has acquired the skills necessary to interpret the Bible, she can move on to learning how to teach the Bible. First, following the guidelines of Ephesians 4:15, counselors should speak the truth in love through their instruction. Counselors should use clear, appropriate language that explains the text. They should guard the content of their instruction by ensuring that they are teaching the Bible, not their own ideas. And they should also teach and instruct in love, which motivates their instruction and guides the manner of instruction.
Second, counselors should employ dialogue instead of monologue as much as possible in their instruction. Engaging the counselee in the learning process helps her to acquire the information and to grow. Counselors can engage the counselee through instruction by asking questions about the text before making statements regarding the text. For example, a counselor may ask, “What do you think this passage is teaching about sinful anger?” This approach is better than simply saying, “This passage is teaching that believers should repent of sinful anger.” The counselor guides the instruction process, but does not dominate the conversation with monologue.
Third, many skilled counselors have employed the use of visuals in their instruction. For example, a counselor may use a whiteboard, power point, diagrams, Bible software, or other aids which assist in the learning process. It is wise to encourage the counselee to take notes, take a photo of diagrams, and to be proactive in the instruction from the counselor.
A Basic Procedure for Instruction
When preparing to teach, it may be helpful for counselors to follow a simple outline for instruction:
Select a relevant, appropriate biblical text which addresses the counselee’s need
Explain it clearly and accurately in its biblical context
Draw out the spiritual principles, or “timeless truths” from the text
Apply the principles to the counselee’s unique situation
Double-check with the counselee following the instruction: “Could you please summarize what we just discussed?” “Could you please repeat back in your own words what this text means and how it applies to you?”
This procedure helps in ensure that the counselor is properly prepared to instruct and apply appropriate passages from God’s Word to the counselee’s unique struggles.
Three Easy Ways to Improve Giving Instruction
How can you improve your instruction skills? Here are three easy ways:
Work through a biblical interpretation book this year, such as Living by the Book by Howard Hendricks, or How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.
Choose a faithful expository preacher (like John MacArthur), listen to several messages, and take notes on how he explains and applies the Bible. If available, you may also benefit from listening in on a seasoned biblical counselor to learn how she instructs from the Bible.
Evaluate your own preparation methods and make some changes. Usually, weaknesses in biblical instruction for counseling are best addressed by making changes to your preparation. Weak preparation leads to weak instruction. You might strengthen your instruction simply by ensuring that you understand the passage, by creating a teaching outline to use in the session, by prayerfully planning how you will teach the passage, and by thinking ahead regarding how you might apply.