Biblical Answers for Change
The
Principles of Change
1.
God desires right
actions, right motivation, and right thinking.
Even when we act right, God sees our right actions as filthy rags
if they are motivated by selfishness.
If we think evil thoughts, to God it is the same as if we actually did
them because we really wanted to do evil in our hearts.
Mt 25:34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world: 35
For I was an
hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a
stranger, and ye took me in:
36
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in
prison, and ye came unto me.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an
unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do
fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Mt 5:28
But
I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart.
2.
Right actions come
from sowing right deeds. However, it is
important for us to understand that to God, deeds include thoughts, words,
and actions. Entertaining wrong thoughts can be just as much of a sin
and speaking or doing something evil. We can sow good or bad seed
through our thoughts, words, or actions.
Ga 6:7
Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting.
3. Wholeness requires a pure
heart.
Because our heart
determines what we think, say, and do, we cannot hope to become whole or
healthy without purifying our heart from evil.
We can only truly love (or have the best interests of others in
mind) if we have a pure heart devoid of selfishness.
1 Ti 1:5 Now the end of the
commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and
of
a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
4.
Understanding the
heart is difficult but necessary.
If we do not understand our own hearts, we cannot purify it or have any
control over our thoughts, words, or actions.
Pr 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
5.
The heart consists
of our mind, emotions, will, and spirit.
This is clear from the definition of Greek word
kardia
which denotes “the center of all physical and spiritual life.”
We can also prove this to ourselves by examining the verses listed
below when we realize that we understand with our mind, we love with our
emotion, we intend with our will, and we are condemned by our conscience,
which is part of our spirit.
a. Mind: Mt 13:15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
b.
Emotions: Mr 12:33
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the
understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love
[his] neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices.
c.
Will: Heb 4:12
For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.
d.
Spirit:
1Jo
3:20
For if our heart condemn
us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
6.
We are changed
at the deepest level by what we believe.
In my book, Faith Therapy, I explain how the process of
salvation changes us from the inside out at the need or root cause level
through faith.
As we believe that
God has and always will meet all our needs (including our psychological
needs for security, love, worth, and significance), we are set free from our
selfishness (bias toward the self) to truly love others for the first time.
Through faith, we can feel secure in every situation, experience
so much love from God that all we want to do is give it away, feel
completely worthwhile, and see ourselves as so significant that we can not
possibly ever become more significant.
Ro 10:9 That if thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Ro 3:22
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Jo 20:31
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Methods of Change
Over the years, since the time of Christ, a number of specific methods of change based on the Bible have been developed which provide the basis for what is today called Biblical counseling. These methods can be categorized into several basic approaches. Unfortunately, all are somewhat limited in scope and application. Each can be effective in its own area of application and each can teach us something about how we, as people, function psychologically.
1. Acting on the Word of God. At its most fundamental level, change comes simply by choosing to act according to the Word of God. If we simply obey what we are told, we will be blessed in what we do.
Jas 1:22 But be ye
doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Truth > Right
Actions >
Blessings and a Good Life
2.
Replacing the lies
we believe in our minds with the truth.
This method is based on the renewing of our mind and is suggested
by McGee in Search for Significance (1990).
When we recognize an ungodly emotion, motivation, or desire; it
indicates that we must have believed a lie in our mind that has resulted in
this feeling.
If we do nothing
about the lie, it will eventually result in wrong actions.
We need to search our hearts to discover the lie and then replace
it with the truth.
When we do, the
truth will result in Godly emotions (which will replace the original ungodly
ones) and we will then be predisposed to take Godly actions.
Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Lies > Wrong Feelings and Desires
> Wrong Actions
-
\/
Truth > Godly Desires
> Godly Actions
3.
Replace old
behaviors with new ones. This is what has been called the “put
off, put on” method of Biblical counseling. This method recognizes
that there is a void to be filled when we stop doing evil and that this void
needs to be filled with positive action if the change is to be long-lasting.
Eph 4:22 That ye put
off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts; 24
And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting
away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one
of another.
Truth > Remove Wrong Actions > Replace with Right Actions > Godly Change
4.
We are changed by
the way we perceive things.
This is what has been called a paradigm shift.
The underlying principle is that we will act according to the way
we see ourselves and our circumstances.
In marriage counseling, this has been called “reframing.”
Valid perceptions bring valid actions.
Luke 11:34
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy
whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also
is full of darkness.
Truth in the Mind > Changes Perceptions of Self and Others > Changes Actions
5.
Accountability can
motivate us to change.
Accountability partners, support groups, and others who we love us, can
motivate us to face our faults and to change.
Adding caring prayer can be very effective.
This is a type of external motivation.
Jas 5:16 Confess
[your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Confessing Faults + Held Accountable > Motivation to Change > Right
Actions
6.
Temptations can be overcome if we will submit to God and resist
the devil.
Many times we have
made the mistake of trying to resist without first submitting ourselves to
God and trusting Him to help us.
Jas 4:7 Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Submit to God + Resist the Devil
> Overcome Temptation
7.
We can change the
consequences in our life by changing the actions that we sow.
This is what has been called sowing and reaping.
It has been most often applied to giving to God and to the
conflict between the flesh and Spirit.
Your crop will be determined by what you have planted.
Ga 6:7
Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap.
What We Sow > Is What We Reap
8.
Recognize our
fallen state, repent, and act correctly.
These are the methods suggested by Jay Adams (1973), who is
probably one of the best known authors concerning classical Biblical
counseling.
His method of Biblical
change called noutheteo counseling is to confront what the person is
doing as sin and demand that they repent.
If they do repent, their life is changed.
It provides a very direct approach to counseling.
Re 2:4
Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee, because thou hast left thy
first love.
Identify the Sin + Confront the Sin + Repent >
Biblical Behavior
9.
Teaching,
confronting, correcting, and instructing in God’s principles.
The Biblical Counseling Foundation suggests a four step change
process: 1.
See it as God does.
2.
Build Biblical hope.
3.
Put off the wrong
behavior and put on the new behavior.
4.
Practice the new behavior.
(Biblical Principles for Discipleship/Counseling, 1998, p. 13)
2Ti 3:16
All
scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works.
Biblical Truth + Biblical Hope + Biblical Action
+ Practice > Real Change
10.
Spiritual hindrances can be
removed by casting out evil spirits.
Because Christ has given us power over all the power of the enemy
we have a right to cast them out in Jesus’ name.
Although this has sometimes been excessively applied by some
Christian groups, it still has application in Biblical counseling.
Lu 10:19 Behold, I give
unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
Spiritual Oppression + Spiritual Authority > Freedom
from Oppression
11.
We can find the promised
way of escape to overcome temptation.
This method helps the client overcome temptation when he feels
overwhelmed.
Since God has
promised that there would always be a way of escape in every circumstance,
the counselor encourages the client and assists him in finding that way of
escape.
1 Co 10:13 There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who
will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Temptation + Promise of God + Find Way of Escape > Victory Over Temptation
12. The spiritual armor of God protects us from attack. Some of us have even gone so far as to “put on the armor of God” each morning when we arose to make this promise more real to ourselves. Of course, the real emphasis here is that God has given us His truth to resist the lies or “fiery darts” of the devil so that they will not harm us. We do not have to accept his ideas or the thoughts that he attempts to plant in our minds.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able
to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Attacks of the Devil > |||||||[Armor of God] > We Remain Safe
13.
Past and present
experiences can be healed through changing our perceptions of them and
releasing them to God through forgiveness.
Although we cannot change a past experience, we can change how it
affects us by how we perceive it and process our feelings concerning it.
One of these methods is Theophostic Ministry (Smith, 1996)
which invites the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth about the
event in order to change our perception of that event.
Through forgiveness, we give up our rights to take vengeance for
an offense to God; and, therefore, release ourselves from the responsibly to
personally resolve it.
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of
himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew
you things to come.
Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and
forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye.
Experience > Perceptions > Emotions > Actions
\/
Godly Perceptions > Godly Emotions + Forgiveness
> Godly Actions
Although each of the methods presented in the last chapter are
clearly Biblical and valid in their areas of application, they unfortunately
do little to address much of the complexity of the human heart.
In fact, even the idea that the heart consists of the will, mind,
emotions, and spirit is too simplistic for actual application.
Many of these parts have multiple functions and interact with each
other.
For example, we use our
mind to store information concerning what we believe is true, logically
process that information, and use it to evaluate our experiences.
How we evaluate our experiences determines our emotions.
Our emotions motivate us to act, and our actions result in new
experiences which strongly affect what we believe is true.
If we are to more effectively use Biblical truth to bring
dynamic change, we are
Pr 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
Without being fully aware of its significance, for years I used a
method for helping a client change his emotions and feelings that I called
the “Emotional Train.”
I would
explain that a person’s emotions are primarily affected by his will, mind,
and actions.
These form an
emotional train in which the engine is his will, followed by his mind,
followed by his actions, and finally followed by the caboose, his emotions.
In order to change how a client feels, he needs to decide to go a
different direction (repent), convince his mind to agree, act according to
what he decided to do, and eventually his emotions will follow.
Of course, a client may try to run his train backwards using his
emotions to determine his actions which affect his mind and his will.
Attempting to run his emotional train backwards only leads
downhill and into depression; since the caboose only has momentum, not an
engine.
As I studied Biblical principles and ask God
to reveal a more comprehensive method for
applying these principles, He led me back again and again to the very
familiar verses of Proverbs 3:5-8.
As I meditated on them, I realized that this was a much more elaborate
description of the emotional train.
It describes the principles for a healthy life.
In addition, it addresses the areas of intervention that must be
addressed in order to change the whole person.
I now call it the “Train of Psychological Wholeness.” (See the
chart at the end of this chapter for a graphic rendition of this train.)
When we investigate the meaning of the words used in
these verses in the Hebrew language we find that they provide specific
direction for all aspects of our life:
Pr 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart (we are to have faith in
mind, will, emotions, and spirit); and lean not unto thine own understanding
(our spirit, not our mind is to control the train).
My paraphrase of this verse goes like this:
“Have faith in your heart, don’t think you can direct your life,
know God’s truth in your spirit and allow it to direct your will.
Don’t trust your own perceptions, be motivated by the fact that
God loves you and will do what is best for you, and in your actions avoid
evil things.
If you do these
things you will experience emotional, physical, and psychological health and
all your needs will be met.”
We have now identified some Biblical concepts for living a full
and successful life and some of the factors involved.
We must still integrate these concepts in order to understand how
these components of the heart function together in order to produce a
useable counseling model.
As we
continue to analyze these verses, we find that they list each component of
the heart and offer
suggestions
for intervening to bring wholeness in the life of a person.
These include:
·
Direction of the will
by the spirit.
·
Truth in the spirit.
·
A mind yielded and open to the spirit.
·
Not trusting our perceptions but seeing God’s
viewpoint.
·
Perceiving our
needs as God
does.
·
Being
motivated by our awe
of and allegiance to God
·
Not acting wrongly.
·
Right actions bring wholeness and healing
experiences.
·
Right actions and experiences bring positive
emotions.
Condensing this information, we find that to affect the whole man, we must
address the issues of the will, spirit, mind, perceptions, needs,
motivation, actions, experiences, and emotions.
We should note that perceptions are a function of the mind and
that motivation is a function of the emotions.
Our needs are a basic part of the self, and our experiences are
the result of our actions which are directed by our will.
Faith is a function of all of the members of our heart.
Each of these affect each other in a rather complex way.
In the diagram below I have attempted to present a simplistic view of the
human functioning and some of the dynamics involved.
Note that the spirit has little influence in unbelievers because
it has not been regenerated by the Spirit of God and their will does not
yield to it.
It is God’s plan that
we yield our will to the influence of our spirit which, in the believer, is
yielded to the Spirit of God.
It
is through the influence of the Spirit of God that we should interpret or
perceive our lives.
These
perceptions, in turn, influence our will.
This is what I have labeled the mental process.
Our emotional process begins with our perceptions of our needs.
We are motivated to meet our needs as we perceive them and we will
act in ways that attempt to meet these perceived needs.
Our actions will lead to our emotions and all of this will lead to
new experiences that will again affect our mental process.
From a Biblical point of view, we will either be primarily
influenced by our spirit and walk according to the Spirit or be primarily
influenced by the perceived needs of our self and try to meet them by
walking according to the flesh.
Using this model, let us take a more in-depth view of what Proverbs 3:5-8 is
telling us.
It says that the key
to becoming psychologically whole is to have trust or faith in the whole
heart (or the entire diagram).
Particularly, if we trust God to meet all our needs and to direct our lives,
we will yield our will to the direction of the Spirit.
If we fill our spirit and mind with God’s truth and refuse to
trust our own perceptions of things, we will see life from God’s point of
view. If we believe that God loves
us and will meet our needs, we will be motivated by appreciation to avoid
evil and selfish actions.
If we
avoid these selfish actions, that result in negative experiences, we will
also avoid the unpleasant emotions that they produce. Furthermore, our Godly
motivation will result in Godly actions and Godly emotions.
These emotions will produce Godly experiences
that will result in positive emotions.
These verses suggest that following these principles of
interaction can only lead to emotional, physical, and psychological health.
The challenge before us, then, is to understand these components of the human heart, to investigate what the Bible says about each one, and to determine how they can interact with each other to bring mental health and complete wholeness. Based on our understanding of the “Train of Psychological Wholeness,” we can now learn to intervene to bring change in our will, spirit, mind (including perceptions), needs, actions, experiences, and emotions (including motivation). Because this book emphasizes psychological and emotional healing using Biblical principles, in Part II, I will discuss the most important Biblical principles and counseling methods which apply to each component of our heart. In Part III, I will present a detailed method for building counseling plans using Biblical principles as well as a number of examples for counseling specific areas that Biblical counseling models have not previously developed.
SPIRITUAL
GROWTH
Our Need to Know God
A study of the Bible makes it clear that knowing who God is, is
important to our spiritual progress.
It is only when we
understand what God is like, that we rightly understand the world that we
live in that He has designed.
This knowledge of God is
the very basis of truth.
Without it, we cannot know how
to operate effectively in this world because without truly understanding
God’s love and power, we will perceive this world as a hostile and fearful
place where we are inadequate to overcome its challenges.
In the Old Testament, we are told that the Children of Israel were destroyed
by their lack of knowledge.
Hos 4:1 Hear the word of the LORD, ye
children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of
the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the
land.
If we choose not to know God, we are choosing to see
things our way, which may or may not be right, and follow our own paths.
God’s response is to let us do what we want to do, so that we can
learn that our ways do not work, and to allow us to receive the consequences
of what we do. Jesus, Himself, was the fullness of God
manifested on earth. He made it clear that through His words we would
know the truth about God and that this truth would make us free.
Jo 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
The Need for Revelation
Knowledge
Almost everyone agrees that knowing a fact in our mind is not enough.
We must believe that it is true.
But even if we
believe that something is true in our minds, this is still many times not
enough for us to change our actions.
It is when something
becomes real to us that our actions change.
This becoming
real is what is called revelation.
Revelation is “An uncovering, a bringing to light of
that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has
been pleased in various ways and at different times to make a supernatural
revelation of Himself and His purposes and plans, which, under the guidance
of His Spirit, has been committed to writing.”
The Greek
word apokalupsis is most often translated as “revelation.”
It means “laying bare, making naked,
a disclosure
of truth, instruction concerning things before unknown.”
It is used of events by which things or states or persons hitherto withdrawn
from view are made visible to all;
manifestation,
appearance. The foremost of the written revelations of
God are the Scriptures.
“It is not merely the ‘record’ of
God’s revelation; the Scriptures are the revelation itself in a written form
in order to ensure the accurate preservation and propagation of the truth….
Revelation is the supernatural communication of truth to the mind.” (Quoted
from The Online Bible Millennium Edition (2000) by Larry Pierce.)
As we come to understand the truth about God, we begin to understand
the truth about the universe in which we live and about ourselves.
How we perceive our universe and ourselves is the foundation of how
we act and react to it.
As an example, if we see God as
judgmental and ready to strike us with lightning for even the smallest
mistake and ourselves as wretched members of a dysfunctional world without
hope, we will act like animals fighting for survival in the “rat race” of
life. But if we see ourselves as redeemed children of a
God who will always love and forgive us, even if we fail over and over
again, who will meet all of our needs, and who will do anything for us that
we ask for our good, we will be set free from the “rat race” of life to
trust God and live for Him.
If we perceive that God will
always meet all of our needs, we are set free from our own self-interest in
order to be concerned about the needs of others.
From a psychological perspective, we might say that
when something is accepted in our subconscious, it becomes part of us.
That which is in our conscious mind does not necessarily change us,
but when we allow values and ideas to become part of our identity or
innermost being, we will act according to those values.
Psychological health and spiritual maturity are so intertwined that they are
almost the same. Our heart, as it is addressed in the
Bible consists of our soul and spirit.
According to
Watchman Nee, our soul consists of our mind, emotions, and will and our
spirit consists of our communion with God, our intuition, and our
conscience. (The Spiritual Man, 1968, by Watchman Nee)
All of these interact with each other and have an effect on each
other. The soulish man is dominated by his soul and the
spiritual man by his spirit.
As we shall see, we can only
become psychologically healthy when our spirit predominates in our heart.
Consequently, it is only what we know in our spirit (or
sub-conscious) that truly changes us.
When we discuss faith or belief, we also understand
that until it becomes faith of the heart, it is usually insufficient to
change us. We call faith that only resides in our minds
mental ascent, faith that is only in our emotions,
feeling faith, and faith that is only in our volition, presumption.
Faith of the heart can refer to any of the above since our soul is
part of our heart, but it more specifically refers to faith in our spirit.
We have faith in our spirit when we somehow “know” that something
will happen or that it is true.
It should be of no surprise that God, who is a spirit, would work
through revelation knowledge which is the enlightenment of the spirit. God
has many ways of doing this.
Probably the gifts of the
spirit, visions, and dreams come to mind first.
But it is
important to realize that we also receive revelation through reading the
Word of God, preaching, teaching, reading, talking to others, and especially
through our experiences.
Revelation and experience are similar in many ways.
Both can influence us directly in the spiritual dimension.
Experience is, in fact, the strongest physical evidence for faith.
However, the effect of our experience is based on our perception of
the meaning of each experience.
Two people can have the
same experience and draw different meanings from it and, therefore, are
affected differently by it.
Experience can lead to
revelation truth, but it arrives indirectly through the filters of our mind.
Direct revelation from the Spirit of God bypasses our mind.
The most usual route for transforming thoughts into revelations is
that of meditation on the Word of God.
That is why it is
so strongly emphasized in the Bible.
Ps 1:2
But his delight is in the law
of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Jos 1:8
This book of the law shall
not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,
that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for
then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success.
If we learn and believe something to be true in our
mind, it may not have yet become a revelation to us.
The
Bible makes this clear when it teaches us that faith without works is dead.
(Jas 2:17) While it is true that our faith should result
in works if it is genuine, it is also true that what we do affects what we
think. The psychological term is dissonance.
It suggests that we cannot do something that contradicts what we
believe is true for very long.
Either our thinking will
change or our actions will change.
Consequently, if we
act on what we believe to be true in our minds, these actions make it more
true for us and can assist us in moving what we think in our minds to our
spirits. Note the encouragement in verse 9 above to act,
immediately following the direction to meditate in Joshua chapter one.
This all makes sense when we understand that faith is “the evidence
of things not seen.”
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
The strongest type of evidence in a court is that which
has actually been experienced by a witness.
We can
believe something in our mind, we can feel something is true, we can want to
do something, but many times it does not become revelation knowledge to us
until we have experienced it.
Then it becomes part of us.
As an example, you can tell me all day that you believe parachutes
work. You can show me convincing evidence that the theory
of parachute design is true.
You can show me films of
parachute jumps and introduce me to witnesses who have made successful
jumps. But it is only when I have experienced a parachute
jump myself (I have) that it becomes my experience and I have a revelation
of what it is all about.
Consequently, it is only as I
experience God’s actions in my life, feel His presence, have Him speak
through my intuition or through one of the gifts of the Spirit, or I am
healed by Him, that my knowledge of Him becomes a life-changing part of me.
A person with an experience is never at the mercy of someone with an
argument.
An unfortunate example of this principle (in reverse) is a man I knew
who was offended by his pastor.
Although he had been a
Bible teacher and a dedicated Christian for years, he quit the church
stating that he was now an atheist.
I challenged him by
asking what new evidence he had discovered that changed his mind?
He admitted that he had not discovered anything new.
He had just chosen to act differently, and these actions had
eventually changed his thinking.
In another case, a lady
who had been a Christian for many years learned that her ex-husband and the
father of her children was a homosexual.
Based on
previous teaching, her daughter could not face the conclusion that if her
Dad did not repent, he might not go to heaven.
This lady
then concluded that the Bible must be wrong!
The pain of
experience overrode her long-held beliefs.
That which can
be used so effectively against our faith can also be used to build it.
I use a technique which I call, “If it is true…”
I
state a simple biblical truth like, “If it is true that my worth is not
dependent on my performance or what other people think of me but on God’s
unmerited favor…how would I act?”
I then act according to
the truth that I have just stated.
My actions now confirm
what I believe and strengthen my belief that it is so.
This method helps move the biblical truth from my mind to my spirit.
It makes it more real until it becomes part of me.
However, as we shall discover later in this book, it is not what we do that
determines who we are, it is who we are (as we perceive ourselves in our
spirit) that determines what we do in the long run.
What the Bible Says About Revelation
1.
Direct revelations from God
can increase our understanding of spiritual truth.
Ga 1:12 For I neither received it of man,
neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
2.
God can give us direct
revelation through the gifts of the Spirit.
1 Co 14:6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you
speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you
either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
3.
A revelation from God can
radically change the direction of our lives.
Ac 26:13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way
a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me
and them which journeyed with me.
4.
Revelation in the knowledge of God can
transform our understanding, our calling, the concept of the wonderful
things He will provide for us, and the mighty power available to us.
Eph 1:17
That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The revelation of God in the
Old Testament
Although the Old Testament (covenant) has been superceded by the New
Testament (covenant), the Old Testament is a type and shadow of the
spiritual principles that were to come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)
Throughout the Old Testament, as God related directly in the lives of
men, they learned new revelations about God from their experiences.
In many of these situations, they gave or were given a new name for
God that expresses the new revelation that they had learned about God.
It was these revelations that gave them an expanded vision of God and
that transformed them.
In addition, many times as they
were transformed, God also renamed them to clearly demonstrate that they
were a new person due to their experience with Him.
As
examples, Abram was renamed Abraham, Sarai was renamed Sarah, and Jacob was
renamed Israel.
Below is a list of the revelations of some of the names
of God with their references in the Old Testament.
A
number of excellent books have been written on the history and meanings of
these names, so I will only present a summary here of those that will prove
significant in our study of spiritual growth later in this book.
(See Stone, 1944, Sumurall, 1982, and Towns, 1991)
I will also discuss the significance of each to spiritual growth.
1.
Jehovah Elohim.
In Genesis 1:1, we are
introduced to the Triune God who created everything in an orderly manner and
who provides all that we have.
The ongoing struggle
between evolutionists and creationists demonstrate how critical it is that
we understand that all that is around us was made by God.
If there is no God and everything has come about by chance, then we will
attempt to be our own God, make our own morals, and do whatever we wish.
Only when we recognize that we are limited and cannot be
self-sufficient, will we become interested in knowing the true God who made
everything.
Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth.
2. Yahweh Jehovah.
In Genesis 2:4-25,13:4 we learn of a personal God who displays
Himself to His rational creatures, who has always existed, is essential to
life, has permanent existence, is eternal and unchangeable.
He is the God of revelation, the ever-becoming one, who requires
moral obligation and wants a personal relationship with us.
Just because I believe that there is a God of creation does not
necessarily lead me to a personal relationship with Him.
Some want to believe that God is impersonal. They believe
that God made the universe, turned it over to us, and left us to fend for
ourselves. If so, we are again free to do as we see fit
and direct our own lives. But if God is a personal God,
desiring a relationship with us, then it only makes sense that we as His
creatures have an obligation to know Him.
Ge 2:7
And the LORD God formed man
of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living soul.
Ge 13:4 Unto the place of the altar, which he
had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
3.
Jehovah Elyon.
In Genesis 14:18-20 and
Psalm 7:17, we meet the Lord Most High, the God of ultimate authority and
the possessor of heaven and earth who judges between right and wrong.
When we know God as the ultimate authority, we are no longer free to
serve other gods or try to be our own authority.
Either
we come under His authority and serve Him or we are in rebellion against
Him. If He judges right and wrong, then when we choose to
do wrong, we are rebelling against the ultimate authority of the Universe.
If He owns everything, including us,
then all that
we have belongs to Him and He has a right to tell us how to live and what to
do with what He has given us.
Ge 14:18
And Melchizedek king of
Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high
God.
Ps 7:17
I will praise the LORD
according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD
most high.
4. Jehovah Adonai.
In Genesis 15:2, 8 and Genesis 18:3 God reveals Himself as the
sovereign Lord and Master who can do anything, who is the master who
provides for His servants and requires the obedience of all.
When we understand that God is our Master, we become His servants or
slaves to do His bidding. It is also true that if we work
for Him, He has an obligation to direct us, give us what we need for the
work He directs us to do, and provide for all our personal needs.
He also has a right to judge us according to our work and to expect
us to be productive for Him. He must be the director and
provider of our lives or He is not Lord at all.
Ge 15:2
And Abram said, Lord
GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my
house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
5.
El Roi.
In Genesis 16:13 God revealed himself to Hagar when she was in great
distress. She called God, “The one who sees me” and she
named the well where God provided for her as “the well of the living one who
sees me.” We must learn that God does love and care for
us even in the worst of times and that He sees and cares about everything
that happens to us. If God was blind or unconcerned, then
we might have an excuse to rely on ourselves and do the best that we could
to direct our lives. But because God is always watching
out for us and has our best interest in mind, we are obligated to trust and
rely on His unlimited resources.
Ge 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that
spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked
after him that seeth me?
6.
Jehovah El Shaddai in
Genesis 17:1 is the Almighty God who is the nourisher and supplier, the
all-powerful one who is able to change nature. He nourishes us, supplies our
needs, satisfies us, and is self-sufficient, the all-bountiful one, and
shedder forth of blessings.
He wants a personal
relationship with each of us.
God wants to make a
covenant of blessing with us, but on the condition that we serve and obey
Him. Covenants in the Bible are the strongest form of
agreement. They are never to be violated and they never
end. In a covenant, it was agreed that everything one
has, was at the disposal of the other if it was needed.
What a wonderful agreement!
All we have (which is very
little and which really belongs to God anyway) is His if He needs it, and
all He has (absolutely everything) is ours if we need it!
Covenants were also in force from generation to generation.
The penalty for violating the covenant was death.
Ge 17:1
And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to
Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou
perfect.
7.
El Olam in Genesis 21:33 means the Everlasting God.
His covenant with us lasts forever, just as He exists and will exist
forever. He wants to progressively reveal Himself to us
forever. Through our personal covenant relationship with
Him, as God and man work together for the benefit of both of them, we become
everlasting friends.
Ge 21:31
Wherefore he called that
place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.
8.
Jehovah Jireh.
In Genesis 22: 8-14 God provided a ram, caught in a bush, as a
substitute for the sacrifice of Isaac.
He has also
provided through the sacrifice of Christ all that we and all mankind need to
be saved. We must realize that God is not only our
friend with whom we have an everlasting covenant, but that in this lopsided
agreement, God provided even His own Son to perfect us and make us whole.
Just as Abraham’s sacrifice was made to cover his sins, God Himself,
in the form of Jesus, came to deliver us from our sins.
Because we could not deliver ourselves, God provided all that was needed for
every aspect of our deliverance.
All we have to do is
accept what He has already done for us through Jesus Christ.
It is not by our works, but by His grace that we are saved.
Ge 22:13
And Abraham lifted up his
eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his
horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt
offering in the stead of his son.
9.
Jehovah Rophe in Exodus
15:26 means God, our healer.
Although this name has most
often been associated with physical healing, it also implies complete health
in every area of our lives.
This means help in overcoming
all of our problems, restoration, healing, and cure in all aspects of the
physical, moral, and spiritual lives.
God wants to
sweeten the bitterness of human existence.
Whether we
need physical, moral, or spiritual healing, He is our doctor.
He has all the answers to life.
We just need to
follow what He orders, and our life will become sweet again.
Ex 15:24
And the people murmured
against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
10.
Jehovah Nissi.
In Exodus 17:15 God is our banner and the focal point of our battle
with the flesh. When He was lifted up (on the cross) He
became our rallying point.
We need God’s presence and
power to defeat the flesh and the other problems in our lives.
We can have complete victory in our lives by relying on Jesus,
instead of the flesh, to meet our needs.
The Bible tells
us that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing (Romans 7:18).
One of the most important lessons a Christian has to learn is that he
cannot win the spiritual battle on his own.
To rely on
the flesh to overcome the influence of the flesh clearly does not make
sense. We must learn to rely on the Spirit for all of our
victories. In the verses below we should understand that
Amalek is a type of the flesh.
Ex 17:10
So Joshua did as Moses had
said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to
the top of the hill.
11.
Jehovah Eloheka in Exodus
20:2 is the Lord Your God who is the ruler and judge who gives us His law
for our good. He will judge men according to their works.
We are to fear Him and do good.
The fear of God is
knowing that He will do what is best for us and will not fail to discipline
us if we need it. We must learn what is right and wrong
in a moral sense and then do it because we respect God as our faithful
judge. This respect or fear of God provides the external
motivation (the beginning of wisdom) to keep us in line until Christ is
fully formed in us.
Ex 20:1
And God spake all these
words, saying,
Ex 31:13
Speak thou also unto the
children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a
sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I
am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
Lev 20: 7
Sanctify yourselves
therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
13.
Jehovah Shalom.
The Lord our Peace in Judges 6:24 and Isaiah 9:6 shows us God’s
desire to lead us into complete peace.
In the Hebrew
language, peace includes completeness, soundness, welfare, prosperity,
peace, and friendship.
It means to be whole or finished,
and having perfect contentment and satisfaction.
Our
peace comes through fully yielding ourselves to the reign of God in our
lives. This peace overcomes our fear and results in
peaceful rest. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
Another measure of our trust in God is our peace.
Judges 6:22
And when Gideon perceived
that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because
I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
Isa 6:1
In the year that king Uzziah
died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his
train filled the temple.
15.
Jehovah Raah in Psalm
23:1 means The Lord is My Shepherd.
God is the gentle
shepherd of His flock, those who are in relationship with Him.
God loves us and gently takes care of us in every circumstance,
leading us to good pastures, protecting us from those who would hurt us, and
ensuring that only goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our
lives. This kind of relationship implies trust and a
quiet, loving relationship between God and His people.
When we have this revelation of the care and protection of a shepherd for
his sheep, we too can lie down in green pastures with full assurance that
only good and mercy will come to us for the rest of our lives.
It is no longer necessary to struggle and fret when we have complete
confidence in the one who deeply cares for us, leads, provides, and protects
us in every circumstance.
Ps 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I
shall not want.
16.
Jehovah Melek.
In Isaiah 6:5 God reveals Himself as King.
We owe
complete allegiance and obedience, honor, praise, and worship to our King.
As His subjects, we may come into His presence and request all that
we need. Everything we have is under His control.
We need to understand that God is in complete charge of everything,
that He cannot fail, and that He can never make a mistake.
We are free to obey His every command with full assurance in every
circumstance of achieving the ultimate victory.
He cannot
fail, therefore, as we rely on Him, we are more than conquerors in
everything we do!
Isa 6:5
Then said I, Woe is me! for
I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of
a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of
hosts.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us
a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace.
18.
Awb in Jer 31:9 and
Pater in Matthew 6:9 are translated as Father.
We are to realize that God is our true Father, that He loves us and that we
are part of His family, the Church.
As such, we have all
the privileges and obligations of the family of God, and we are expected to
love and cherish our brothers and sisters.
As a part of
this new family, we have certain obligations as well as privileges.
We have been chosen to eventually rule the universe.
We are joint heirs with Christ and, therefore, we will own a large
portion of the universe.
As a member of God’s family, God
will abundantly provide all we need.
But on the other
hand, we have an obligation to work for the furtherance of the Kingdom of
God, to live a life worthy of the name of Christ, and do everything to honor
His Holy name.
Jer 31:9
They shall come with
weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk
by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble:
for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Mt 6:9
After this manner therefore
pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the
LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
20.
Jehovah Shammah in
Ezekiel 48:35 means that the Lord is There.
In these
verses, God gives us a vision of what is to come.
God’s
final goal is to inhabit us completely and totally, with His love and peace.
It is the presence of God in us, that is our promise and pledge of
the completion of our final rest and the Glory in God.
The final eternal fulfillment of God in us is heaven where we will become
one with Him and with all Christians forever.
Ezekiel 48:31
And the gates of the
city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates
northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.
The Revelation of God in the New Testament
When we compare these revelations of the names of
God in the Old Testament to the New Testament, we find that God revealed
Himself in an even greater way in the New Testament through sending Jesus as
the full manifestation of God Himself. The Bible tells us that God has
spoken this new revelation to us through the experience of His Son.
The majority of our knowledge concerning Jesus is revealed to us throughout
the gospels.
Heb 1:1
God, who at sundry times and
in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Those who see Jesus have seen the full
manifestation of God.
Jesus Himself made this clear.
Jo 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I
been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that
hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the
Father?
As we have discussed earlier, the word revelation means
to enlighten or to make known something that was not known.
Jesus came to show us God and to allow us to experience Him in the
fullest sense known to man—in physical form.
Jo 1:14
And the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Possibly the second most important direct revelation in the New
Testament is the actions of the Holy Spirit, the third member of the
Godhead, as revealed in the story of the New Testament church in the Book of
Acts. We can learn many wonderful insights about the
reality of God, such as how He chose to reveal Himself, operate through the
manifestations of the Holy Spirit, and guide the early church.
The remainder of new revelations concerning God in the New Testament
come to us through the inspired letters or epistles, primarily through Paul,
Peter, James, and John.
Through direct statements that
they made concerning the nature of God and through the direction that they
provided to the early churches, we can gain further insights into “the
knowledge of God.”
We have now seen that spiritual growth is primarily based on how we know and perceive God in our spirit. We grow revelation by revelation as we get a fuller understanding of who God really is and what He is like. God demonstrated this process of growth in the lives of Old Testament saints as He revealed Himself progressively through the compound names by which He and others referred to Him. In the New Testament, God has primarily revealed Himself through the manifestation of Jesus Christ, the Acts of the Holy Spirit, and the Epistles. In the next chapter, we will study the most important biblical models of spiritual growth.
For videos on this subject select the links below:
1. The Principles of Change (Principles Lesson 1)
2. Spiritual Growth through Revelation (Revelatations Chapter 1)
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