A popular bumper sticker reads “God said it…I believe it…that settles it”. While this sentiment sounds potentially accurate, Christians are to judge all things (1 Corinthians 2:15). But, what do bumper stickers have to do with Biblical counseling?

Affirmation

We affirm God’s word as the voice of God to us today.

Denial

We deny that there are other voices of God (“truths”) other than God’s Word.

Often, our mindset echoes the bumper sticker, rather than the above affirmation and denial. For example, consider Joe or Josie¹ (not real names).

Joe studied psychology in university. He learned that he suffers from depression, and as a good student, he worked with a psychiatrist to find the best prescription to keep him functioning.  Recently God saved him, and now he enjoys church and reading the Bible, but when things get bad, he calls his doctor for the prescription that gives him a vacation from dealing with problems. He doesn’t believe God’s Word holds what he needs.

When things get tough at work, Josie has panic attacks. Her heart rate escalates, her neck breaks out in a rash, and she’s short of breath.  Sometimes, when her boss is treating her particularly badly, she literally gets sick and throws up. She doesn’t believe there’s anything she can do about it unless her boss changes.

Both Joe and Josie think, “God might have said it, but unless I believe it, it doesn’t settle it.” A discerning look at this mindset quickly reveals strong roots in modern relativism.

What is relativism? Webster’s Dictionary makes it clear that relativism precludes the possibility of absolute truth, as “a view that ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them.”² Relativism has become more and more prevalent in our society. The commonly accepted point of view that holds “there are many paths to God” evidences acceptance of relativism. From there, it’s natural to accept an eclectic (combined) manner of prescribing hope for intrapersonal and interpersonal struggles, from troubled inner responses to problematic interactive responses.

Relativism that intertwines religion and psychology feeds Joe’s reaction when his biblical counselor calls him to learn to think biblically (2 Corinthians 10:5). He responds with, “You must be taking God’s Word out of context. I’ve been to school and studied psychology, and I’ve learned that I have a diseased mind which cannot take thoughts captive.”

What’s our reply?  Is it: “Ah, yes. Pardon me. I hadn’t known. Here I’ve been fiddling with something less than the highest truth. Why don’t you help me.”?  Absolutely not!  The Bible supports its own identity as the source, indeed, the only source, of absolute truth. A true Christian will always fall in line with God’s word. And biblical counselors must teach both themselves and their counselees not that “God said it…I believe it…that settles it”, but rather that “God said it. That settles it.”  They must stand behind Psalm 119:160, “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgements endures forever.” Our job is to affirm God’s word as the voice of God to us today, to bring God’s solutions to bear in the face of the difficulties being endured by our counselees.

When we deny that there are other voices of God (“truths”) other than God’s Word, we can expect opposition. Biblical counselors often have opportunity to respond well to comments like Josie’s: “You’re talking about the Bible, but I’m here to talk about real life. You don’t know what kind of pressures I experience. Sure, I see where the Bible tells me to put off anxiety, but what about my physical symptoms?”

Our discussion of absolute truth and relativism quickly raises the question of Scriptural sufficiency/authority. Do we truly deny that there are other voices of God (“truths”) other than God’s Word?  Do we bend the knee to relativism when the “other voice” is the voice of real life experience? Or the voice of academia? (Not to deny the necessity of excellence, for biblical counselors embrace scholarly exposition in order to rise above the other voices. We must rightly divide God’s Word! Are you a growing theologian?)

The culture in which we live espouses a view that truth is relative, and therefore kernels of truth can be found in other different systems of belief. However, relativism, even from a wordly and philosophical standpoint, is self-refuting! The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has this to say about relativism: 

“The claim that truth is relative is, by the relativist’s own lights, only true relative to some frameworks and false relative to others. Hence, it is argued, the relativist cannot account for the status of his own claims…truth is the Achilles’ heel of relativism…many philosophers have agreed that the view is self-contradictory or self-refuting…It is quicksand all the way down. The metastasis is total. The meltdown is complete." ³

Dare we combine truth with error? We are more than fools if we do. More importantly, God has given us very clear words on relativism (that says truth can arise from various sources) and religious eclecticism (that says truths can be combined). God’s word gives a scathing response to false prophets who claim to speak truth, when in fact they speak lies. In Jeremiah 23:31, the living God says “‘Therefore behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who steal My words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets,’ says the Lord, ‘who use their tongues and say “He says.”’

God gives us very clear teaching on the absolute truth of His Word. His Word is the tool to discern what’s at root of heart issues (Hebrews 4:12). His Word is the paradigm for courage and success (Joshua 1:8-9).  His Word equips us when used in relevant ways (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  His great and precious promises provide everything we need to respond to intrapersonal (inner man) and interpersonal (in relating to mankind) issues (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Biblical counseling is on the move in NY. Through God’s work in Biblical counseling rooms, not only at Faith Fellowship Church but also other churches and counseling centers, God’s Word is changing lives. Through God’s work in Biblical counseling training, God’s people are being called to think well about compassion, and to become equipped as biblical counselors. We dare not waver. Deny systems that give credibility to other voices as truth. Faithfully hold up God’s word as the voice of God to us today.

² "Relativism." Merriam Webster. Merriam Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relativism>.

³ Swoyer, Chris, "Relativism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2010/entries/relativism/>.

This newsletter is written and produced by the Faith Fellowship Biblical Counseling Center, directed by Pastor Bob Froese, IABC’s NY State Coordinator.