I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! Galatians 1:6-8
As I prepare to begin another round of training others to counsel biblically I was thinking about how often "preaching another gospel" goes on Sunday after Sunday, and in numerous counseling offices of the pastors of far too many churches where the Word of God is supposed to be sufficient.
What is this other gospel? It is the gospel of the IN-sufficiency of the Bible to address the problems we face. Pastors and "Christian" counselors who deny that God's Word is enough and sufficient, bringing everything we need for life and godliness are preaching another gospel and a false one at that.
There are far too many women reaching out to their pastor or church counselor with an issue of depression being sent down the road to the "Christian clinic" to meet with an integrationist who will mix psychology and the Bible. Not only depression, but anxiety, fear, worry, money problems, marital problems, child related issues, and virtually every problem common to man!
The integrationist, who I am sure is very well meaning, does not hold the Word of God in the esteemed position it is worthy of. They do not believe that the Bible has the answers women need. Instead, they seek to medicate their emotions with drugs and/or talk therapy allowing them to rehash their hurts and pain and feelings to no good end.
How do I know this is true? What right do I have to say these things? Only the experience of the counselee's who come to us having tried all the ways of the world. They arrive hopeless and miserable truly believing all hope is gone for them or their marriage. During the process of gathering data these women trot out their diagnosis list: Bi-polar, Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Intermittent Explosive Disorder...They are usually taking some psychotropic medication(s) in varying amounts that are really not helping. Often, the women have been in therapy for months and no positive changes have taken place in their lives. They have become numb due to the drugs but it hasn't really fixed the problems.
Ministry to home and family is in ruins in most of these cases. Mommy is not available because she is "having a bad day" or "not up to it." Her husband comes home to find his wife listless and wilted on the couch, house a mess and no dinner because she felt too bad to do much of anything. Church service, or service of any kind to others is virtually non-existent. There is no one-anothering going on in her life because her life is wrapped around herself and how she feels that day.
Do I sound harsh? Unloving? Cruel? My "voice" is full of nothing but empathy and compassion for these dear ladies who have been so led astray by those who would call sin sickness. This is the result of calling sin "sickness" in the church.
If this post finds you in this kind of a place today, please understand that my desire is to open your eyes and reveal the truth from the Word of God to your heart. It is crucial that you understand that there is NO problem you face that God does not have an answer for. It is possible that there are sin issues in your heart and life that have led you to this place and a good counselor can help you unearth them in a relatively short amount of time!
The true gospel is that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I assume you are a sinner, as I am. If sin is what has led you to this pit in your life right now that is the best possible news you could ever ask for! Jesus died for that sin, He conquered it, nailed it to the cross and spiritually you have already died to it!
When you think of your anxiety or anger you must realize that those actions are only results of the true issues of the heart that lead you to sin in those ways. Pride may blind you to this truth, but diligent study of the Word will reveal the sin residing in your heart. You must return to the true gospel of Jesus Christ that reveals to us our need for Him, our ongoing need for Him and His cleansing and forgiveness.