The Noetic Effect
The noetic
effects of sin refer to the way sin negatively affects and undermines the human
mind and intellect. Accordingly, this sin affects both our
reasoning as well as our knowing. While our ability to reason remains intact,
without the encompassing revelation of truth found in God’s Word we cannot
fully comprehend the distortion secular psychology creates regarding the human
condition.
This human
condition, due to the original indwelling of sin (Genesis 6:11; Ephesians 4:22),
creates an inherent focus towards self-centeredness that in turn affects every
aspect of our interpersonal relationships with the world. Secular psychology
seizes upon the notion of self-centeredness and shifts the focus to an
individual’s childhood experiences and the environment around him or her that
cause the human troubles in an effort to reduce the sense of God that inhabits
all of us, and thus, the relevancy of sin.
In the
secular view, the tendency is to avoid the creation of guilt by not placing any
shortcomings upon the individual person. Rather, the responsibility becomes
more of a medical condition that needs particular treatment. Adams (1970)
further noted that the guilt one feels suddenly becomes the problem itself, and
therefore the acknowledgement of sin and the incongruence in the relationship
between created and creator is increasingly minimalized.
Biblical
counseling seeks to address the relationship between man and God by pointing
out the effects of original sin on the heart (Mat. 15:18-19; Rom. 6:16-23) as
well as the redemptive power of the work of Christ. It is not the job of the
therapist to absolve a patient of guilt (Sodergren, 2005). This should be left
to the relationship between the patient and God with perhaps some guidance of a
biblical counselor. Accordingly, it is in Paul’s letter to the Romans Chapter 1
we find the most fitting scripture regarding the reliance upon man’s knowledge:
28 And since
they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to
do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of
unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of
God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s
righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not
only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Adams,
J.E. (1970). Competent to counsel. Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Moroney,
S.K. (1999). How sin affects scholarship: A new model. Christian Scholar’s Review,
28(3),
432-451.
Sodergren,
A. (2005). Guilt and mental disorder.
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