Psychiatry, Psychology and Biblical Counseling
What Saith The Scripture?
Week 2 Notes
This week we will be looking at the history and origins of psychological counsel and
Biblical (Nouthetic) counsel. In doing so, we will begin to compare the two practices to
God’s Word for biblical support of each practice. We will begin looking at psychiatry’s
history and origins next week.
Introduction
What is the source of all truth? _________________ See 2 Cor 6:7; 2 Tim 2:15; Jam
1:18
We accept this by faith and then by sight as we see __________________ continually
prove itself to be all truth.
Pro 16:11: A just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his
work.
We will not simply compare the two practices to one another for best practice, but will
weight them each according to God’s Word. This is the only way to make a fair
judgment/weight of each practice. Hopefully when we have finished this study, we will
be able to see which is heavier with God’s just weight of truth.
Definition, Historical Background, Basis of Practice
Psychology
Definition: Psychology is combination of two terms: study (ology) and soul (psyche), or
mind. This Latin derived word gives a clear and obvious meaning: _______________
_____________________________. The history of psychology includes the following:
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Scientific psychology dates back into 1800’s or earlier.
However, the Father of modern applied psychology is _____________________
He was not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and practiced Humanism (a
philosophy free from beliefs in the supernatural and dedicated to the search for
meaning and values for individuals on this earth through reliance on reason,
intelligence, scientific method, democratic process, and social compassion.)
He devised applied psychology as a substitute for religion
The basis for modern psychology can be summarized in several commonly held ideas
that have their roots in early Freudian Humanism. Some are:
 Human nature is basically good.
 People have the answer to their problems inside themselves.
 A person’s problems are the result of what another has done to them.
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The key to understanding and changing our attitudes and actions is found
somewhere in one’s past.
Human problems can be psychological in nature and unrelated to spiritual or
physical conditions.
A person’s deep-seated problems can only be resolved through the help of a
professional counselor who will use professional therapy as a method of
change.
Scripture, prayer and the Holy Spirit are inadequate and simplistic resources
for solving certain types of problems.
Psychology offers many differing theories and counseling models; however, one can
evaluate these and conclude that the most common ideas as summarized above are at
the root and heart of the various methodologies used in applied psychology.
Nouthetic or Biblical Counsel
Definition: Nouthetic is an English transliteration from Greek Greek noun and verb,
nouthesis and noutheteo, and both are biblical words. We see through scripture that
the words mean to admonish, warn, put in mind or gently reprove (See Ro 15:14; 1
Thes 5:12, 14; 2 Thes 3:15, etc.). It conveys a much deeper meaning when looked at
in light of multiple scripture references, a meaning of three parts:
1)_______________________2)_________________________3)________________.
To put it simply, nouthetic counseling consists of lovingly confronting people out of deep
concern in order to help them make those changes that God requires.
Many call Jay Adams the father of nouthetic counseling, starting this movement about
1970 with his book Competent to Counsel. However, careful study shows the act of
Biblical counseling dates back much further:
 Perhaps started with English Puritism in the 1560’s
 Puritan pastors were known as physicians of the soul
 They represent in the history of the church the first protestant school of Biblical
counseling
 The Puritans’ attitudes toward Christian life represent a movement in the English
Church from mid-16th century to early 18th century which sought reformation in
the life of the Church and purification in the life of the individual believer. They
were committed to scripture in all areas of life and believed a holy God had given
a holy and inspired Word which was sufficient to answer all of man’s problems
and needs, providing all instructions in righteousness.
Of the Puritans, J.I. Packer says in A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the
Christian Life, “The Puritans were great souls serving a great God. In them clearheaded passion and warm-hearted compassion combined. Visionary and practical,
idealistic and realistic too, goal-oriented and methodical, they were great believers,
great hopers, great doers, and great sufferers. But their sufferings, both sides of the
ocean (in old England from the authorities and in New England from the elements),
seasoned and ripened them till they gained a stature that was nothing short of heroic….
The Puritans’ battles against the spiritual and climactic wildernesses in which God set
them produced a virility of character, undaunted and unsinkable, rising above
discouragement and fears.”
The tenets of nouthetic counseling found in effect today are still based on God’s Word:
 Human nature is sinful. Therefore, sin is the primary problem, be it sins we do
or sins done against us, be it consequences of personal sin or the
consequences of Adam’s sin. Sin is a spiritual problem and the gospel of Jesus
Christ is the answer to sin.
 Scripture, prayer and the Holy Spirit coupled with a relationship with Jesus
Christ are all one needs to find freedom from spiritual issues.
 All counsel that comes from outside sources (sources other than scripture) may
be useful, but should not play a constitutive role in counseling. All extra biblical
sources that contradict God’s counsel should be opposed.
 The Holy Spirit is the true counselor. Only believers in Jesus Christ can address
a person’s deep-seated problems; only those of the faith are competent to
counsel others through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 The change process aimed at is progressive sanctification.
 Human psychological problems can sometimes be caused by physical
illnesses and can require medical attention. However, this is not frequent and
God’s Word is still a vital part in the healing process.
Weighting both Practices in Light of God’s Word
We are now in a position to discuss the counseling models presented and see if they be
of God. Keep in mind that whatever is not founded on the truth of God’s Word must be
discarded as it is not a just weight.
1. Psychology states that human nature is basically good while Nouthetic Counsel
believes that human nature is sinful. Scripture says the following:
Eph 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
(2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others.
Rom 3:10-12 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (11) There
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (12) They
are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good, no, not one.
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
What do the above scriptures tell us about human nature? ____________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Psychology suggests people have the answers within themselves while Nouthetic
Counsel suggests the answers are found in God’s Word. Scripture says:
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:
who can know it?
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Which is correct, answers within self or in God? _______________________________
3. Psychology suggests that we are not at fault for our behavior, but others are. Biblical
Counsel concludes that our problems come from sin, sometimes our sin and sometimes
that of others. However, how we respond to our problems is our choice; is that choice a
response from God’s instruction or from our sinful, deceitful selves? Looking at
scripture, we will find no reference that tells us to blame others for sin in our lives. Quite
the opposite God says each man will be judged for his works done in the flesh (Re
20:13 for unbelievers & 1 Cor 3:13 for believers).
Which is correct, our behavior is not our fault or that we are responsible for our
behavior? ___________________________________________________________
4. Another point of Psychology states that the key to man’s problems are found in his
past while Nouthetic counsel still holds that the key is found through a personal
relationship with Christ Jesus, coupled with scripture, prayer and the work of the Holy
Spirit toward a sanctified life. Our past is finished and the present is where the
problems now lie. Apart from addressing present unforgiveness and bitterness, which
has flowed from the past, we are not to call upon the past for the answers. Instead, as
we find healing in the present through forgiveness, repentance, etc., scripture indicates
we are to forget the past and reach forward to what lies ahead (Phil 3:13-14).
According to scripture, which will give us freedom: examining our past or walking in the
present?___________________________________________________________
5. Next Psychology says only a professional can counsel while Nouthetic Counsel
holds that any believer can counsel as it is the Holy Spirit who is the true counselor and
directs the believer. These believers who counsel are subject to God’s Word as their
method of counsel and scripture says for right counseling:
1Co 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of
man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: (5) That your
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Who is competent to counsel, a trained professional or a believer in the Lord Jesus
Christ? __________________________________________________________
6. Finally, Psychology declares that scripture, prayer and the Holy Spirit are inadequate
in solving certain problems. We know from scripture already reviewed that this is
entirely false and has no founding in the truth. To conclude this thought I would turn to
one scripture:
Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me.
We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ our Lord (Ro 8:37) and able to walk
in the Spirit of truth because of our relationship to Christ. The world and its methods
cannot make this claim. What other scriptures would you add from the Bible’s plethora
to prove that scripture, prayer and the Holy Spirit are our true source of answers to life’s
problems?
Conclusions
The just weights of the Lord that are present in the above study appear to only weight
Nouthetic counsel. This is not to say that there is never an ounce of truth in
Psychology. However one must decide if the level of truth given in the midst of the lies
is worth using. Personally, I will use God’s Word for counsel.
I find the Biblical methodology for change is actually a spiritual process, which operates
according to what God has done and according to the individual’s faith in God. God has
provided everything we need for transformation through His Son, the Holy Spirit and His
Word. We must respond in faith for this initial new life in Christ and for continued
sanctification.
The primary principles of biblical counsel are directed towards the sanctification process
of the believer. As quoted from Martin & Deidre Bobgan’s How to Counsel from
Scripture, “As a person moves closer to God through His love—which includes both
mercy and truth and is expressed through His Word and through His Holy Spirit—he will
change in the areas of thoughts, emotions and actions. Five assumptions underlie this
basic principle:
1. Initial transformation takes place through faith. When a person becomes a child
of God, he becomes a new person indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:9-15).
2. Once a person receives new life he is to walk in the Spirit, according to the
principles of his new nature, rather than according to the old ways of the self
(Gal5:22-25).
3. Therefore, the source for meeting all of life’s situations is in the spiritual realm—
in His relationship to God (2 Pe 1:1-4).
4. Because a Christian is a spiritual being, only the Bible can accurately describe
him (model of man, Psalm 94:8-11; Heb 4:12-13) and indicate the way to live
(methodology of change, Acts 20:32; 1 Thes. 2:13).
5. One central biblical doctrine of this spiritual approach is the struggle between
God’s love and lordship (walking after the Spirit) and the love and lordship of self
(walking after the flesh). (See Ro 7:14-25).”
We must never underestimate the power and authority of God’s Word in a believer’s life.
But some may ask, “What about unbelievers? Is this where psychology belongs, with
unbelievers?”
No, we do not give a person more lies on top of the ones they already believe. We
always point them to the truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God
(Ro 10:17). We must always share the gospel of Jesus Christ first and foremost with all
creation; this is our calling (2 Cor 5:18). We may not be able to counsel them into all
truth, but God’s Word does not return to Him void (Isa 55:11). His Word is sharper than
a two edged sword and able to pierce through soul and spirit, bone and marrow and it
discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12). Quite simply, we water or
plant and God will provide the increase.