Happiness, we all want it. People all over the world can take opposing sides when it comes to just about any issue, but not happiness. We are all united in our desire to be happy. The question is how can happiness be achieved? This is yet another issue on which people find themselves divided, what makes a person happy.
One thing is for sure, a person’s worldview will dictate their pursuit of happiness. It will also greatly influence the way in which counselors instruct their clients as to how to find happiness in this unhappy world. Secular psychology teaches a “doctrine which fervently insists that man is the highest being, the central event in all of history.” In this case, the client would most likely be instructed to dismiss any concept of guilt, sin, or repentance. Instead, they would be encouraged to pursue all of their heart’s desires as long as it doesn’t bring harm to others. To the secularist, the pursuit of individual happiness is the greatest good.
In complete contrast to secularism, the Biblical worldview holds that God Himself is the highest being and that our happiness comes from our pursuit of Him. Dr. Larry Crabb writes;
“The wonderful truth is that when we devote all of our energies to the task of becoming what Christ wants us to be, He fills us with joy unspeakable and a peace far surpassing what the world offers. I must firmly and consciously by an act of my will reject the goal of becoming happy and adopt the goal of becoming more like the Lord. The result will be happiness for me as I learn to dwell at God’s right hand in fellowship with Christ.”
The secular worldview also holds to the belief that people are nothing more than the sum total of their parts. Humans are only material and therefore have no eternal soul. Because of this line of thinking, many secularists reject theology as a valuable tool in counseling, or the pursuit of happiness. However, the truth is that everyone has a theology of some kind. There isn’t a single person who doesn’t have some sort of moral code of what they perceive to be right or wrong. All people have an innate sense of justice and injustice. Everyone attempts to make sense of their suffering. So the issue isn’t whether or not theology plays a role in how people view problems and suffering in their lives, the question is what does their theology teach and how can that theology affect their happiness. Dr. Norman Wright said;
“A person’s theology will affect how he or she copes with a crisis. Our lives are based upon our theology, yet so many people are frightened by that word. Our belief in God and how we perceive God is a reflection of our theology. Those who believe in the sovereignty and caring nature of God have a better basis from which to approach life.”
Dr. Wright and his wife cared for their mentally retarded son until he died at the young age of twenty two. Mrs. Wright also battled cancer for several years (she eventually died of brain cancer in 2016, five years after the publication of this book), so he isn’t speaking from an ivory tower. Their theology and faith in God got them through those excruciating times.
The purpose of this paper is to define and describe biblical salvation, as well as to prove that Christian theology provides the best and only foundation by which to find true and lasting happiness. A biblical worldview is the only coherent avenue by which to understand anthropology, hamartiology and soteriology. Man isn’t simply a machine that must be repaired, but a living soul that must be brought into a right relationship with the Creator.
The Theology of Salvation
Biblical terms like “save” and “salvation” beg the question, “saved from what”. The answer is very simple, we need to be saved from the penalty and power of our sin. “Sin must be understood from a theocentric or God-centered standpoint. At its core, sin is a violation of the Creator-creature relationship. Man only exists because God made him, and man is in every sense obligated to serve his Creator.” The word “sin” is actually a legal term because “sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3:4). We have all broken the law of a holy God, which means that our sin is a legal offense against Him. This explains why many of the salvific words in scripture are also legal terms. Justification, adoption, atonement, propitiation, imputation and redemption are all legal transactions (more on these later).
This also raises some other questions (good theology comes from asking questions and finding biblical answers), are all people sinners, and if so, why. The sad reality is that every single person is born a sinner. David said, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5). “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). According to the ferociously holy standard of God, there is no such thing as a good person. In fact, everyone is born a slave to their sinful flesh. “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)
The reason that we are all born sinners with a rebellious bend toward God is because of the sin of Adam, the very first man created by God. Man was created in the imago dei (the image of God). But when Adam disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he died spiritually, along with the entire human race after him. The imago dei was greatly marred in mankind. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12). This is known as the doctrine of original sin. Original sin isn’t a reference to the actual sin of Adam, rather it is the effect of that sin upon his descendants. Sin and death passed to everyone. At face value, some have called into question the fairness of original sin. However, Adam acted as our federal head. He was our representative. In other words, we would have disobeyed God in the garden just like he did. That’s why “in Adam all die” (I Corinthians 15:22).
Original sin is proven by the fact that everyone dies, including babies. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 5:12). If everyone was born neutral and without a sin nature, then surely some would have chosen not to sin against God, but such is clearly not the case. Murder, rape, drugs, war, prisons, cemteries, genecide, slavery, child abuse, etc; the worldwide results of sin and evil are so obvious that everyone is forced to wrestle with these issues and come up with some type of answers as to the origins and prevalence of evil and suffering.
This is where secular psychology falls flat on its face. Secularism has no coherent answers to the problems of evil and suffering. The negative fallout from this cannot be overstated. If humanity's greatest problem is misdiagnosed, then perceived cure will be wrong. J.C. Ryle wrote;
“There are very few errors and false doctrines of which the beginning may not be traced up to unsound views about the corruption of human nature. Wrong views of the disease will always bring with them wrong views of the remedy. Wrong views of the corruption of human nature will always carry with them wrong views of the grand antidote and cure of that corruption.”
Imagine a scenario in which a man comes in for counseling. After the greetings and the formalities are over, the man admits that he is greatly depressed. Upon being further questioned by the counselor, the man admits that he is sexually attracted to children. He wants to act out his fantasies, but he is afraid that he will get caught and this has led to his depression.
In this scenario, the modus operandi for the biblical counselor will be very simple. They will take the Word of God and show this man that his thoughts are evil and sinful in the eyes of a Holy God, that there will be serious consequences for acting out on his fantasies, and that God will judge him accordingly. The counselor could then take him to the cross, show him his need for the new birth in salvation, and explain to him that nothing short of Christ will satisfy him.
On the other hand, the secular counselor has a big problem. For starters, they have no objective standard by which to call anything good or evil. If they try to claim that sexual activity with children is wrong, it begs the question, wrong by what standard. If the counselor attempts to claim that sex with children is wrong by the laws of that society, the simple reductio would be to bring up examples like the Holocaust or Slavery in America. As a society, Nazi Germany decided that it was an honorable thing for Jews, Gypsies and the mentally handicapped to be killed. The Nazis called them “useless eaters” and “life unworthy of living.” America as a society thought that the slavery of Africans was a good thing. Later on when slavery was outlawed, the South still practiced Jim Crow laws that dehumanized black people. Were these things morally right just because they were legalized and practiced by society? Honesty requires us to answer “no”. Consistency requires that we have an absolute, objective standard by which to do so. This isn’t a problem for the Biblical counselor. The same God that wrote a moral law within our hearts, also wrote it on papyri.
Once someone comes to grips with the fact that their biggest problem is that their sin has separated them from God and that their idols can never satisfy, then the solution becomes much more beautiful. God is so Holy that He must punish sin. But God is so loving that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ (the Second Person of the Godhead) to shoulder our punishment for us. Christ was born of the virgin Mary. So He walked the earth as the God-man, fully divine and fully human. He lived the sinless life that God’s law requires, the life that we could never live. He died on the cross, bearing our sin, and taking the wrath for that sin so that we might be saved and reconciled to God. He rose from the dead on the third day, which proved that God the Father was completely satisfied with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The Substitutionary death of Christ is good news for sinners because they can “know with certainty that they will never be punished for their sins.”
On the part of the sinner, the only thing that they must do in order to be saved from their sin is repent and trust in Christ and His finished work for salvation (Mark 1:15, I Thessalonians 1:9). They must be willing to turn from their sin and dead works in order to follow Christ. Repentance and faith are two inseparable sides of the same coin; they occur simultaneously at conversion.
Abundant Life in Christ
While man’s responsibility in salvation is rather simple, God’s part in salvation is a bit more complex. There are several things involved in salvation that must be examined. One important thing to remember is that while there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun upon death, salvation in Christ is much more than a ticket to Heaven. The benefits of the cross are both eternal and immediate. If someone views salvation in Christ only as a means of gaining entrance into Heaven, then they won’t understand what the cross means for them right now. The only way to truly be happy and free in this life is to understand our position in Jesus Christ. We will now examine the different aspects of Christ’s work on the cross and what they mean for those who are in Christ.
Imputation- Imputation means to “charge to one’s account, or to lay to one’s charge.” There are three types of imputation in scripture; Adam’s sin imputed to us, our sins imputed to Christ and Christ’s righteousness imputed to us. Adam’s sin was imputed to the human race when he fell in the Garden of Eden (Romans 5:12). Our sin was imputed to Christ on the cross (I Peter 2:24). Christ’s righteousness is imputed to a person when they are brought to believe the gospel, by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). What this means for the sinner that he is clothed in the righteousness of Christ. This is why the sinner is guaranteed to go to Heaven. It’s also why we don’t have to bear the burden of our own sin, or the pressure of being “good enough” for God. Christ was good enough in our stead.
Atonement- To atone means to “cover over, usually with a blood sacrifice.” This has to do with the second kind of imputation. Christ atoned for our sin at the cross. This principle is seen even as early as Genesis chapter three. Immediately after Adam and Eve fell, the Lord in His grace sacrificed an animal (possibly a lamb?) and covered Adam and Eve’s nakedness and shame with the skins of that animal. This was a picture of the ultimate and final sacrifice that Christ would make on the cross as the Lamb of God. Historically, the atonement is known as the great exchange, Christ exchanged our sin for His righteousness. “He was made sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (II Corinthians 5:21). This means that for those who are in Christ, their sins are covered and forgotten, never to be brought up again by God.
Justification- is “the act of pronouncing righteous, an acquittal.” Justification deals with the third kind of imputation, Christ’s righteousness applied to those that believe. This means that the sinner will be presented righteous before God at the judgment. However, justification is also the bedrock on which people can find happiness and wholeness in this life. Justification defeats the false belief that “I must meet certain standards in order to feel good about myself.” Justification frees us from the performance trap and the fear of failure. “God has given us a secure self-worth totally apart from our ability to perform. We have been justified, placed in a right standing before God through Christ’s death on the cross, which paid for our sins. But God didn’t stop with our forgiveness; He also granted us the very righteousness of Christ.” From our justified position, we have the freedom to serve the Lord with a grateful, forgiven heart. In other words, we don’t work in order to save ourselves, we work because we are saved.
Reconciliation- means “to change from enmity to friendship, to reconcile.” For those who don’t know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are at enmity with God (John 3:18, 36). To live a life alienated from the God of the universe is an empty, meaningless life. However, Christ has reconciled us to God by His death and resurrection (Romans 5:10). This takes us from being an enemy of God to being a friend of God. It also frees us from the false belief that “I must be approved by certain others to feel good about myself (self-worth = performance + other’s opinions).” If someone is convinced that they are fully approved of God through the work of Christ, then they won’t be devastated by the negative opinions of others. Through reconciliation to God, people can overcome the fear of rejection.
Propitiation- is “an appeasing” of God’s wrath. Many people, even Christian’s think it’s a virtuous thing to beat themselves up about everything. However, the truth is that when someone continuously beats themselves up over things that Christ was already beaten for, it’s really a subtle way of saying that the cross isn’t enough. When a person understands that Christ expiated their sin and took God’s wrath in their place it releases them from the false belief that “those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished.” This attitude is a breeding ground for self-condemnation. It is true that our sin has made us unworthy of God’s love, and worthy of judgment. But because of the propitiation of Christ we have been made worthy. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (I John 4:10). Christ can set a person free of the fear of God’s punishment through His propitiation.
Regeneration- is “the spiritual change wrought in man by the Holy Spirit, by which he becomes the possessor of a new life.” Regeneration is the supernatural work of God in which He causes us to be born again, giving us a new heart and calling us to faith in Christ. In regeneration, God doesn’t make bad people into better people, He makes the spiritually dead to live. Regeneration destroys the lie that “I am what I am, I cannot change, I am hopeless.” The Apostle Paul gives such great clarity as to what regeneration accomplishes in the heart and life of a believer; “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7). Regeneration makes us a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17) and sets us free from the shame of our past.
Conclusion
For the Biblical counselor, both man’s greatest problem and man’s greatest need are clear. People are great sinners who need a great savior. This isn’t the end all, be all, but it must begin here. A person who is in Christ is a new creature. They have gone from death to life, sinners to saints, from enemies of God to friends of God, and even adopted into God’s family. This foundation provides an endless source of joy, comfort, forgiveness, acceptance, hope and confidence in death. Even in our shortcomings, God promises to sanctify us by making us more like Him (Philippians 1:6)
The secularist can offer no such hope. They have no objective standard for truth, good or evil. They can’t even offer hope or help beyond this life. The motto of an honest secularist is “eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” And while we can learn some valuable things from secular psychology, we cannot start with their humanistic foundation.
Perhaps no one encapsulates this healing and freedom in Christ anymore than Charles Spurgeon when he said;
“Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound! In musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief and in the influence of the Holy Spirit there is a balsam for every sore. Would you lose your sorrows? Would you drown your cares? Then go plunge yourself in the Godhead’s deepest sea; be lost in His immensity; and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul, so calm the swelling billows of grief and sorrow; so speak peace to the winds of trial, as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead.”Bibliography
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