Counseling Theology - Sufficiency of The Bible (7 Min Read)

Introduction 

The sufficiency of the bible is under serious attack in our world today. Not is it under attack from secular culture - which is where we would expect to see this - but also from within the church. It is not uncommon for those who claim the name of Christ to say they are saved, but then live a life that is contradictory to what scripture says. In churches today we find the ordination of women, the neglect of sanctification, rampant divorce, sexual deviancy, moral decay, an embrace of cultural mores, and much more. Ultimately all of this is due to a disregard for the authority of God's word. It is a disregard for the preeminence of the scripture and its intended function in our lives. 

This decay has many factors that have contributed to it, but here are at least two. 1) This generation of Christians have been ill taught by their parents on the significance of God’s word (see Judges 2:6-10), and 2) churches have abandoned their God-given duty as being the pillar and buttress of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). These are an unfortunate and sad state of affairs, but this is not irreversible. If we return to the Lord, bend our knee once again to Chris, confess our sins as individuals, churches, and as a nation, he will forgive us our sins, and once again shine the brightness of his countenance upon us. 

What is Scriptural Sufficiency?

The sufficiency of scripture is the belief that the scriptures are the rule for all of faith and all of life. This means that the scriptures alone are where we learn of who God is, and where we learn how we are to live in light of his revelation in the world that he has created. This means that the bible is the place where the theologian and pastor as well as the plumber and dentist learn how to live faithfully in this life and how to do their particular vocations. Question 3 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us that the scriptures principally teach these two things: what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man - these two areas of knowledge encompassing all of life. The scripture is also the only means unto which a person may come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world. All the rest of God’s creation, outside of the bible, is insufficient to do these things. Because the scripture has been inspired by God, it is infallible, and it bears the divine authority of God and it must then necessarily follow that they are sufficient for all of faith and life. This chiefly means that the bible contains all that we need to determine what we are to believe in this life and how we are to live before God, a life that is both pleasing to him and accommodating to the world that he has made. 

The Practical Use of The Bible

In the practice of biblical counseling and discipleship, the sufficiency of scripture takes a predominant role. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that because all of scripture is God-breathed, which simply means it was literally said by God. This means it is therefore useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and training so that someone may be righteous. This then leads to a man of God being complete and equipped for every good work (Ephesians 2:10). Our goal in biblical counseling and discipleship is to glorify God, and the way that we glorify God is by teaching his word accurately to those we are speaking to. And the way God is glorified by those who are taught by it, is by putting into practice what they have been taught (Philippians 4:9). The individual and/or congregation can be shown their guilt from the scriptures, and they are corrected by the scriptures and shown a better way to live - a way that glorifies the Lord. They are trained to know what pleases the Lord, and how to live in accordance with his word leading to them being complete. Completeness means they are made adequate, perfect, or mature, in Christ, and are learning obedience to Christ, and discovering their gift for the service to the body of Christ as well as to the greater community they live in. 

While it is difficult at times to discern how the bible may apply to a given situation or circumstance, this difficulty by no means should lead us to the conclusion that the bible is of no use or doesn’t speak to particular things. On the contrary, the scripture has given us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness, through the knowledge of the scripture (2 Peter 1:3). This means that in any situation, whether on an individual level or a national level, and everything in between, the scripture has divine words for us on how to accomplish the task at hand for the glorification of the Lord and in a way that will allow for human flourishing. 

Push Back and Answer

Jonah Waseberg, a therapist at Timberline Knolls, writes in his article for The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), “The Dialogue Between Psychology and Theology,” “...the Bible does not claim to be the only source for dealing with the problems of our soul (psyche, in Greek). In other words, spirituality is a great source, but not the only source, to help us deal with our mental and emotional issues.” The context of this statement is from the author quoting Galatians 5:22-23 regarding the fruit of the Spirit. He then poses a false dichotomy saying, “If the Spirit can produce all [these fruits], why do we not rely on the spirit instead of counseling to have joy, peace, self-control, etc.?” The first error he makes is in assuming that just because someone seeks counseling this inherently must mean that the Spirit is not at work in the counselor or that God is not sovereign in the act of the counselee seeking help from a mature believer using the scriptures. He neglects such passages as Romans 15:14 and Galatians 6:1 which emphasize the involvement of believers in the lives of other believers using the knowledge of the word of God to help and instruct one another. And secondly, when making the statement that “the Bible does not claim to be the only source for dealing with the problems of our soul” he neglects Jesus words in Matthew 11:28-29 where Jesus says very clearly that in him we will find rest for our souls, necessarily excluding all others. What is even more interesting, Matthew uses the word “Psyche” which is translated as “soul” in Matthew 11:29. In reality, therefore, far from Mr. Wasberg saying that the psyche is something that the scriptures do not address, but rather, Jesus says very clearly that he will give rest to our “psyche” when we come to him.

Conclusion
Above is but one example of the pushback that comes against the bible, and the answer to that pushback. Above is but one example of the bible's sufficiency for our lives. If we are ever to be faithful to the Lord as men and women, and as churches, and as a nation, we must relight and keep lit the flame of the bible within our hearts. Apart from the bible, we have no direction, because it is through the bible that the Lord speaks to us. The attacks will come and are coming. Stand strong, and stand firm upon the only foundation that is safe and secure for our footing and our hearts (Matthew 7:24ff).