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The Sufficiency of Scripture over
Theophostic Counseling |
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| Theophostic Ministry continues to grow at a rapid rate nationally and is now becoming an international phenomenon. More Christians are hopping on the bandwagon to sample, experiment and learn this new approach to therapeutic counseling. Should Christians use it? Is it something for the church to adopt into its program? Let’s find out. --> |  |
The name itself -- "Theophostic,” (theos – God, and phos - light) — is the term developed by Dr. Ed Smith for a ministry approach that, he believes, God revealed to him because of not being able to successfully counsel people through their traumatic experiences. |
| The *Theory* of Theophostic Theophostic operates under the premise that "all of us are emotionally wounded and need our hearts and minds healed by Jesus" (Genuine Recovery, p. 1). Our woundedness comes from painful past experiences — not from the experiences themselves, but from lies associated with those experiences that our memories persist in believing. Much of the sin we commit stems from such lies as well. --> |
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During the Theophostic process, Jesus Christ supposedly speaks directly to the hearts and minds of wounded people, exposing the specific lies that bind them. When this occurs, recovery is immediate and permanent, not gradual. That is, recovery is "genuine" as opposed to progressive. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" is a passage commonly associated with this ministry (John 8.36). This does not mean that the person is suddenly free from all of life’s issues, problems and concerns, but from the lies that bind them in that specific memory. |
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It is interesting that rather than using the Bible as the primary approach to determine the validity of Theophostic, Dr. Smith uses the pragmatic approach...
He further states...
Therefore, Dr. Smith’s argument leans more on the experiential rather than on Biblical absolutes. Results can help affirm a ministry, but should never used as merely a basis for authenticity. --> |
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Rather than dealing with Theophostic as a whole, I will simply touch on one particular aspect and relate it to the Bible. The aspect that I will be dealing with has to do with the origin of how Dr. Smith got the idea of a Theophostic ministry. Dr. Smith describes how Theophostic counseling came to him after a session with "a group of ladies who were all members of our ‘Adult survivors of Sexual Abuse support group’ " (p. 30). He says...
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Dr. Smith continues...
[In other words, it’s all of God and none of Smith.] Smith tells in detail and with the use of metaphors how "God was revealing this method to me" (p. 32). Elsewhere in the manual Smith refers to "God’s gift of TheoPhostic therapy" (p. 17) --> |
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When wondering why God would bestow on Smith such a new revelation as Theophostics, he reports...
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| Okay, so based on the words from Dr. Smith himself, Theophostic is
a new therapy technique that God has given to him. In light of these things, let me give the following... |
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What to do when something doesn’t work When you counsel someone or a group, and you seem not to be getting anywhere, there are three answers, but only TWO are possible...
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| Well, if this is true, then why do we need to look for ANOTHER SOURCE
to use in our counseling? To do so would be as if we’re saying, “The Bible is not sufficient. I’ve done my job
and the counselee has done her job, but still there are no breakthroughs. Therefore, *the problem* must be the
Bible. What I need is another source to use in my counseling.” Now no Christian would go so far as to suggest that the Bible should be taken completely out of the picture. Rather, deceptively, what will be suggested is that the Bible be left in the picture but add to it a *supplement* -- one such as a psychological technique known as Theophostics. --> |
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I am of the conviction that such a thing is not from God. Here's why
I say that... Is the Bible Sufficient? The first place we need to begin is to ask ourselves. “Do we believe the Bible to be sufficient?” You say, “Sufficient in what?” Sufficient to Save or Deliver – Listen carefully. NO ONE becomes a Christian apart from the Scriptures. God uses His Word to lead people to Christ by whom they become delivered and saved. |
| Note three facts in the verses alongside. First, Paul told Timothy
that the Scriptures gave him the wisdom that led to his salvation. Second, the same Scriptures were inspired by
God. Third, the same Scriptures are also profitable for training in righteousness. In other words, if the Bible is enough to be God’s wisdom to SAVE you, wouldn’t it also be enough to be God’s wisdom to TRAIN you in righteousness AFTER salvation? Why would we want to add a supplement? |
You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced
of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are
able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3.14-17. |
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| What is able to save your soul? The implanted Word of God. Since God's Word is able to deliver you from sin, is it not able to also keep you delivered from sin and to train you in righteousness? |
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness,
in humility receive the word implanted, which
is able to save your souls. Jam 1.21 |
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| How does one GROW in respect to salvation? By the pure milk of God's Word. | Like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation. 1 Pet. 2.2 | |
| How are people sanctified (set apart unto truth)? By God’s Word. | Sanctify
them in the truth. Your word is truth. John 17.17 |
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| Again, I have to ask: Do Christians really believe the Bible is sufficient
to give them the wisdom that leads to salvation, and then to train them in righteousness subsequent to salvation?
If so, then why are we using extra-Biblical matters such as Theophostics and other psychological techniques for
our holiness? A Necessary Change in Focus One major problem I see is that many Christians are being taught that the goal of the Christian life is to be FREE FROM PAIN rather than to BE LIKE JESUS. This is sad, but true. --> |
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You want to know one particular way this is done? Some churches have almost every imaginable support group possible. There are support groups for all the various forms of abuses, all the various forms of anger management, all the various forms of eating disorders, all the various forms of emotional pain from having grown up in a home of trouble makers, alcoholics and drug addicts. There are even support groups for people who have been abused by legalistic churches. Support groups for all the various forms of co-dependency. [One day there might even be a support group for those who are support group junkies!] |
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We’re told in the Bible to be like Jesus -- which sometimes may
mean that we have to live with our pain. The verses quoted alongside show us that God said [in effect].
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Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason,
to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me --
to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. God said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Cor 12.2-10 |
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Now, let’s take Paul and magically transport him forward in time, into the year 2003 A.D. Then let's have Paul sit down for a modern day Theophostic counseling session...
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| So remember, the goal of Christian counseling is not to help people
to get rid of their pain, but to help them to become more like Jesus. Sometimes, this means that a Christian must
live with his or her pain and weakness in order to strive earnestly to learn more obedience. For many of us, it is through our weaknesses that the power of God is more fully displayed -- to ourselves, and to the people around us. |
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| So we need to STOP coming up with new and novel ways of counseling
– as if the Word of God needs our help! All Paul did was to pray! Imagine that. HE JUST PRAYED! There were no 12 steps. No counseling sessions. No Theophostics. No gimmick. Just total dependency on God. When we profess to offer the saints more than that, we are doing them a disservice. Some folks might say, "But Rich, reading God’s Word, praying and obeying are all too simple. Science and scholars have come up with some very useful and sophisticated techniques and tools. Why shouldn’t we use them?" --> |
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Have you forgotten what Paul told the Corinthians?
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Stop going after worldly scholarship to grow a Christian. You want to take care of Christians Christ’s way? Then consider what Jesus did -
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The problem is not that God's Word has been tried and has failed, but that it hasn't been followed completely.
No one who has done this can say, "It didn't work!" --> |
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Adding and Subtracting
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Very serious stuff here. Why doesn’t God want to us to be messing
with His Word? Because it is COMPLETE! The liberals take away from it and the ultra-conservatives add to it – leave
the Word alone and just focus on obeying it!
What more can be added to that? --> |
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We often hear about how people only use a very small percentage of
their brains. What is it? Two percent? Three? Five at the most? I think it is also similar in the spiritual realm. We only use a very SMALL percentage of all that God has granted to us in Christ Jesus. And yet we go looking for more, as if to suggest what we have been given isn’t enough; and some of us are willing to dish out our hard-earned money for more. Do you remember listening to J. Vernon McGee on the radio many years ago? Remember the name of his radio program? “Through the Bible With J. Vernon McGee.” Remember how long it took him to preach from Genesis to Revelation? FIVE YEARS! Every day his radio broadcast was on, teaching about a portion of the Bible. It didn’t get completed until five years down the road. |
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Have you wrestled with God “through the Bible” over your issues and pain? Have you prayed and didn’t get the answers you wanted? Then be of good cheer, you’re not alone on the bumpy road of life. You're not supposed to be...
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What company to be in! I would say that it is better to be part
of this crowd, whose goal is to be like Jesus, than to be part of the other crowd, whose goal is to be free from
pain.
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| Now folks, listen. If creation has to groan (being beneath us), and
if the Holy Spirit has to groan (being above us, and inside us), what gives us the right to think we must do all
we can to escape from pain and groaning in our lives? What makes us think that we need to try every program or psychological technique to find relief from “repressed memories” or, otherwise, the pain of serving Christ will be just too much to handle? Pain is a vital part of who you are in Christ! --> |
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Read Romans 8 again. The only way pain will go away -- TOTALLY go
away-- is when your final redemption takes place (Rom 8.23). So let’s read our Bibles, pray, obey God, fellowship with other believers and serve the Lord until He comes. In the end, you’ll be more like Christ and less like Freud. How so? You’ll be thinking less of yourself and more of others. Is not this the fundamental reason why we suffer? Amen |
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