(Idea adapted from Rich Thomson)
Based on Biblical Framework Counseling Workbook by Dr. Nicolas Ellen. (Expository Counseling Center Training). Kindle Edition.
Key Point: God’s Word promises that the mental soundness, which people seek in counseling, is a result of a present, intimate relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
Peace is a result of living a Christ-Centered Life.
A Christ- Centered Life can be defined as a life that is:
- Fully devoted to trusting God,
- Fully devoted to repentance of sin in order to know Jesus Christ intimately,
- Fully devoted to become like Jesus Christ in character, conduct, and conversation, and
- Fully devoted to be useful to Christ in all aspects of life.
This is all done through the Power of the Holy Spirit who produces the peace which people seek in counseling.
The author of Peace is God, yet we often look to the world (which denies God) to provide it. A common idea when seeking counseling is “Would you help me change others, my circumstances, etc… so I can have peace?”
If there is a lack of peace in someone’s life, there is a lack in their relationship with God.
In order to find out where the lack is we must determine what has happened in one’s life that brought them into counseling.
We would identify:
(1) Things for which one is responsible to God for,
(2) Things one is not responsible to God for, and
(3) How one is reacting to circumstances and people.
As we identify the areas of thought, attitude, words, and deeds where they are reacting in sin (a lack of love), we will find what is robbing them of their peace. If they act appropriately (walk in love) in these areas towards God and others (as God has commanded) they will find the peace.
Again, peace comes from one’s relationship with God not one’s relationship with others. Therefore, one must have a genuine relationship with God through His saving Grace in order to experience this kind of peace.
Saving Grace does not produce a license to live any way we want and bank on the salvation from Christ as security that we are still going to heaven;
Saving Grace teaches us to deny ourselves and the worldliness that corrupts us, so that we may pursue the godliness that changes us into the image of Jesus Christ. Thereby, enjoying the peace of God that comes through genuine fellowship with Him.
If you are claiming salvation but living like people who do not belong to Christ, either you are suffering from Spiritual Amnesia, or Spiritual Deception which results in a lack peace.
Meaning, either you have forgotten (not actively paying attention) that you have been saved to;
- Know Christ,
- To become like Christ and
- To be useful to Christ,
or you are really not a Christian but have been deceived into thinking you are.
Experiencing the saving grace of God should lead us to consistency in denying self and living a stable God-ordered life, resulting in experiencing the peace of God.
In order to experience the peace of God on a consistent basis, we must understand;
- The centrality of salvation,
- Avoid spiritual amnesia,
- Avoid counterfeit change and
- Pursue genuine fellowship with Jesus Christ.
1 The Centrality of Salvation (Titus 2:11-14)
1.1 God’s grace has appeared (Titus 2:11).
In this text, God’s grace is His beneficiary activity on behalf of humans.
In this text, God’s grace is Jesus Christ.
In this text, God’s grace is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and the presence of sin that enslaves mankind; so that mankind may be delivered from sin, devoted to Christ, developed in Christ, and delighted in the return of Christ.
God’s beneficiary activity on behalf of humans has been brought to light and made known through the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
1.2 God’s grace brings salvation to all types of people (Titus 2:11).
Salvation is deliverance from the penalty of sin – deliverance from the separation from God forever in eternal damnation to burn forever in the lake of fire.
Salvation is being delivered from the power of sin and deliverance from the slavery to evil; of being controlled by the evil desires of your heart. (Galatians 5:16-26)
Salvation is being delivered from the presence of sin – to be set apart from evil and to dwell in the new heaven and new earth with Christ forever.
God’s grace which was revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ has brought a deliverance from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and one day the presence of sin to all who will receive it.
1.3 This grace of salvation not only delivers us from the penalty, power and one day presence of sin, but it teaches us to live in a such a manner that displays that we have been delivered from the penalty, power and one day presence of sin (Titus 2:12-13). Those who have received this grace of salvation are instructed to deny ungodliness – to turn away from living without respect, regard, resolve or reverence for the:
- Character of God (Holy),
- Commands of God (love God and others), and
- Commission of God (teach others to do the same)
Those who have received this grace of salvation by faith are instructed to deny worldly desires – to turn away from unrestrained desires for things forbidden; turn away from wanting good things in this world in the wrong way (i.e., lusting, coveting, etc.); to turn away from the lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
Those who have received this grace of salvation are instructed to live sensibly – to live by good judgment based upon the standards of God, to stay within the limits and boundaries set by God in Scripture in relation to their character, conduct, conversations as well as commitments.
Those who have received this grace of salvation are instructed to live righteously- to live in such a way before people and with people that is deemed acceptable and pleasing to God according to Scripture.
Those who have received this grace of salvation are instructed to live godly – to live with devotion to and respect for Jesus Christ our God and Savior.
Those who have received this grace of salvation are to be genuinely anticipating the blessed hope and appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ – having a happy expectation of seeing Jesus Christ in the fullness of Character.
1.4 Our God and Savior Jesus Christ (who is the means by which God the Father provided this grace of salvation) purchased us so that we may be severed from a life of sin, sanctified as His possession, and serving with eagerness as He designed us to do so (Titus 2:14).
We have been redeemed from every lawless deed – Jesus paid for every sin we have committed and could commit with His life; He purchased us for Himself by His crucifixion on the Cross, death, burial, and resurrection from His death on the Cross.
We are being purified to be a people of Christs’ possession – We have been set apart as Saints by calling and we are being set apart from sin to devotion to Him in lifestyle.
He is purifying us to be zealous for good deeds – we are being sanctified to serve as ambassadors for unbelievers and builders of Christ-like character in believers.
Salvation is not an end but a means to knowing, becoming like, and being useful to our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 The Danger of Spiritual Amnesia (2 Peter 1:1-9)
2.1 A Christian who lacks the spiritual qualities of moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love is blind or shortsighted. (2 Peter 1:9).
- A Christian who is blind or short sighted is seeing only what is near.
- A Christian who is blind or shortsighted is lacking in a godly perspective of life; He does not interpret life situations through God’s truth.
- A Christian who is blind or shortsighted has his mind set on things of this world with no serious thought to a godly interpretation of the things of this world.
2.2 A Christian who is blind or shortsighted has forgotten his purification from his former sins (2 Peter 1:9).
A Christian who has forgotten his purification from his former sins, is a Saint who has been living as if his past forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ has no relevance to his present lifestyle.
A Christian who has forgotten his purification from his former sins, is a Saint who is not living in practice what he is by position.
A Christian who has forgotten his purification from his former sins, is a saint who has allowed the light of the world to dim his eyes to his conversion, connection, commitment and calling to Jesus Christ our Lord, God and Savior.
2.3 A blind, shortsighted Christian who has forgotten his purification from his former sins lacks a godly perspective on his: (2 Peter 1:9).
1) Personhood in Christ– Since this Christian has not embraced his identity in Christ, he tends to tie his identity to:
- Other people,
- His own performance,
- His positions of authority he wants or has;
This person has connected his identity to the temporal things of this world instead of the Character of Jesus Christ. He does not see himself as Christ sees him.
This Christian does not evaluate himself, his roles, and his responsibilities according to God’s perspective (1 Samuel 15:1-24, Galatians 2:20).
2) Provision in Christ– This Christian is blind to the implications of his union with Christ. As a result, he is dominated by indwelling sin, the world and the devil, leading to instability in his life. He does not embrace the fact that he has been joined with Christ. Nor does this Christian embrace that in his relationship with Christ he has all he needs to live a proper, peaceful, productive life; He does not understand that this kind of life would result in grace and peace being multiplied to him through Christ, experiential knowledge of Christ, genuine Christ like character, and stability in his life. (James 1:5-8, 2 Peter 1:1-8).
3) Progressive sanctification in Christ – This Christian may focus on past forgiveness of sin and future blessings in heaven, but he does not focus on the present pursuit of knowing Christ, becoming like Christ, and being useful to Christ. He lacks discernment of good and evil because he is lazy in his pursuit of truth and application thereof. This Christian does not understand that through his relationship and union with Christ he has been given the command and the power to turn from sin in thoughts, words and deeds and to walk in what is right in thoughts, words, and deeds so that he may know Christ intimately, become like Christ practically, and to be useful to Christ consistently (Hebrews 5:11-14, Ephesians 4:11-32).
2.4 A Christian who lacks a spiritual perspective on his personhood in Christ, his provision in Christ, and progressive sanctification in Christ may seek to fill in the gaps with God-replacements such as: (Jeremiah 2:13)
Formalism– Consistent participation in church meetings, ministries, and missions activities yet void of a transformed life from participating in these meetings, ministries, and missions activities because there is no genuine fellowship with Christ in these activities.
Legalism– Living a life of rules and regulations thinking one is right with God by keeping them yet void of a transformed life through them because there is no genuine fellowship with Christ; Trying to earn by works what can only be gained through grace and genuine fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Mysticism– Constantly hunting for a spiritual high, a dynamic encounter with God; reducing Christianity to the pursuit of dynamic emotional and spiritual experiences instead a pursuit of Jesus Christ yet void of a transformed life through this experience because there is no genuine fellowship with Christ in these experiences.
Biblicism– Pursuit of a high knowledge of the Bible; becoming a theological expert yet void of a transformed life because there is no seeking to know Christ, to become like Christ, and to be useful to Christ through the pursuit of a high knowledge of the Bible (James 1:22-24).
Socialism– Connecting with others in the Church for genuine fellowship, acceptance, respect and position yet void of a transformed life in these connections because they were reduced to an avenue for self-fulfillment instead of being elevated to an avenue for mutual sanctification in Jesus Christ.
(Examples from the book How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp)
3 The Deception of Counterfeit Approaches to Change (Colossians 2:6, 8)
3.1 We are called to walk with God in the manner in which we received Him (Colossians 2:6)
- We received Jesus Christ by faith.
- We received Jesus Christ as Lord.
- Therefore, we should continue to walk by faith in Christ since we receive Him by faith.
- Therefore, we should continue to walk with Christ as Lord of our lives since we received Him as Lord of our lives.
3.2 We are not to allow ourselves to be held captive by empty and deceptive philosophy (Colossians 2:8)
We are not to allow ourselves to be controlled by wisdom that is devoid of truth and futile.
We are not to allow ourselves to be controlled by wisdom that is fruitless and without effect.
We are not to allow ourselves to be controlled by wisdom that is based on the ideas of man.
We are not to allow ourselves to be controlled by wisdom that is based on the world’s basic principles.
3.3 If we allow ourselves to be held captive by empty and deceptive philosophy we will find ourselves misguided in our relationship with Jesus Christ leading to pursuing counterfeit approaches to change in our lives. (Proverbs 14:12)
When held captive by empty and deceptive philosophy we will seek to change ourselves by trying to change others.
- “If my husband treated me better, then I could be nicer.”
- “If my children respected me then I could be a better parent.”
- “If other people (idols) would show more care and concern then I could be more committed.”
The deception in this philosophy is the belief that my sin and my change of sin is conditioned upon the lives of others (which makes them idols).
Truth is, sin choices come from the sinful motivations of our own hearts. True change is conditioned upon a changed position from sinner to saint and a changed heart through a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
When held captive by empty and deceptive philosophy we will seek to change ourselves by trying to change our circumstances.
- “If I had more money, I would be a better person.”
- “If I could change my looks my life would be better.”
- “If I were married, I would be a good person.”
- “If I were divorced my attitude would be better.”
The deception in this philosophy is the belief that the condition of my heart and life will be changed by different circumstances. Truth is, the condition of our hearts and lives will be changed by a changed position from sinner to saint and a changed heart through a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ
When held captive by empty and deceptive philosophy we will seek to change ourselves by trying to change our behavior apart from dealing with our hearts.
- “I am going to work on studying the Bible more.”
- “I am going to work harder at being nicer to people”
- “I am going to work hard at not being angry.”
- “I am going to work harder on not letting people get to me.”
The deception in this philosophy is the belief that skill development and behavior modification is all you need to have a changed life. Truth is, skill development and behavior modification do not address the motivation behind the behavior which is connected to the condition of our hearts. This concept is a worldly concept found in modern psychology. Trying to change behavior without dealing with motivation behind the behavior will lead to relapse to the bad behavior. Behavioral change must be joined with a heart change if it is going to be genuine change. This can only happen by a changed position from sinner to saint and a changed heart through a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
When held captive by empty and deceptive philosophy we will seek to change ourselves by the pursuit of knowledge.
- “Knowledge is power.”
- “The more I learn the better off I will be.”
- “To know better is to do better.”
- “If you would just read this book on the subject it will change your life.”
The deception in this worldly philosophy is the belief that awareness of insight alone will change your life.
Truth is, having knowledge without ability and interest to act on the knowledge will not change your life. You can know what is right and still live in sin because you do not value the truth or because you do not have the ability to apply it because you have not been set free from the power and penalty of sin.
Unless you have been changed from sinner to saint and had a changed heart through a genuine relationship with Christ, you will not have interest or ability to act on the knowledge received as God designed. Our awareness must be connected with love for God and love for others in order to have a changed life. If not we will be puffed up by our knowledge instead of propped up through our knowledge.
4 The Rewards of Pursuing Genuine Fellowship with God
4.1 Through fellowship with God we can experience peace for our minds (Isaiah 26:3, Galatians 5:22, John 14:27, and Philippians 4:6-7).
We can gain strength and sufficiency in Christ to meet any kind of internal or external circumstances which comes into our lives (1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, and Philippians 4:11-13).
We can gain confidence in Him (Trusting God) and confidence before Him (Assurance that we are alright with God) in whatever situation we find ourselves (Psalm 27: 1-3; 46:1-3, Hebrews 13:5-6, Proverbs 14:26; 28:1, and 1 John 3:21, 4:17-18).
We have the ability through His love to love unconditionally in whatever situation we find ourselves (Romans 5:8; 8:35-39, Galatians 5:22, 1 John 3:15-23, and 1 John 4:7-21).
We have the ability to walk in hope and optimism in any present or future situation (Romans 5:1-5; Hebrews 6:13-20, 13:5-6, and 1 John 3:1-3).
We can obtain inner joy from God Himself—a joy which is not dependent upon our bodily feelings or our past, present, or future circumstances. This joy is not available to unbelievers. The context determines whether it is human happiness or God’s joy (Galatians 5:22, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, and Acts 13:51-52).
We have the ability to relate rightly to God, to others and to the world with sensible attitudes, words, and actions. If I am called to be sensible it suggests that I am responsible for being insensible which suggests that sanity and insanity are in the realm of my responsibility (2 Timothy 3:16, Ephesians 5:1-33, Titus 2:1-6, Romans 12:1-21, 1Peter 2: 1-25, Ephesians 6:1-9, and 1 Peter 3:1-12).
We have the ability to come to know ourselves thoroughly (Matthew 16:24-26, John 8:31-32, Romans 2:14-15, Proverbs 20:5, and 1 John 4:6).
We have the ability to relate rightly to God, to others and to the world with sensible attitudes, words, and actions. If I am called to be sensible it suggest that I am responsible for being insensible which suggests that sanity and insanity are in the realm of my responsibility (2 Timothy 3:16, Ephesians 5:1-33, Titus 2:1-6, Romans 12:1-21, 1 Peter 2: 1-25, Ephesians 6:1-9, and 1 Peter 3:1-12).
5 Ways We Are to relate to Each Other
Look at these passages of Scripture and on a separate sheet of paper identify, and write down 3-4 descriptions in each section that is given as to how we are to relate to each other.
You are just surveying the chapters and providing a brief description.
Romans, Chapters 12 – 14
Ephesians, Chapters 4-6
Colossians, Chapters 3-4
Philippians, Chapters 2-4
Hebrews, Chapters 12-13
1 Peter, Chapters 2-5
1 John Chapters 1-4
Key Point: If we applied these guidelines to the relationships we have, how different would our relationships be?
How many marriages would be saved, friendships maintained, or even relationship staying Holy?
We don’t need the world to tell us how to relate to each other.
We need to submit to what has been already commanded to us through the Word of God.