Common Grace and Counseling
When Adam
and Eve sinned, the resultant expectation was eternal punishment and separation
from a wholly just God who cannot tolerate such behavior (Genesis 2:17). This
same wrath of God is stated in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. In the second
part of this verse we see an example of God’s saving grace – salvation through
Jesus Christ. Common grace is different in that it is not limited to an elect
group of people or believers only.
Grudem
(1994) defines common grace as “the grace of God by which he gives people
innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation” (sect. 3695). While
common grace is not directly generated from Christ’s atoning work, it can be
considered as indirectly influenced by such in that God did not immediately
judge the world when sin first entered – He planned for redemption of all
sinners through His Son.
Common
grace is also found in mankind’s abilities and discoveries. God exists in all things and is before all
things (Colossians 1:17) and every good work, discovery, and knowledge given to
man is through this common grace. Common grace is also present in the restraint
of sin in the life of both people and society. Evidence of God personally
interceding and preventing sin from occurring happen throughout Scripture (see
Genesis 20:6; 1 Samuel 25:14). When God hardens the hearts of individuals to
fulfill His purposes, this too can be seen as common grace (Exodus 4:21; Isaiah
63:17; Romans 1:28). Yet, God still retrains individuals through their
conscience. This conscience forms the basis of establishing laws and customs,
much like the moral laws of Scripture and is at the heart of personal
responsibility.
Secular
psychologists have long sought to eliminate personal responsibility from an
individual’s problems (Adams, 1970). This is in direct contrast with Scripture
which teaches the precepts of personal responsibility. In Ezekiel 18:20 it is
written, “The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share
the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The
righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of
the wicked will be charged against them”. Blame shifting is a common secular
psychoanalysis method and was attempted by more than one individual in the
Bible. Adam tried to blame Eve (Genesis 3:12); Cain tried to avoid
responsibility (Genesis 4:9); and even Pilate tried to absolve himself from his
sin (Matthew 27:24).
Adams
(1970) sees the work of the Holy Spirit having a direct effect on the character
of the believer through the means of grace. Without the application of
Scripture in counseling, it is impossible for the counselee to progress towards
sanctification. While secular psychologists have been given gifts through the
common grace of God, without application of Scripture these gifts fall woefully
short of a lasting solution in the lives of the counselees.
Adams,
J.E. (1970). Competent to counsel. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Grudem, W.
(1994). Systematic theology: An introduction to
biblical doctrine. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan.
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