Steve Viars opened the day’s sessions with the topic Reaching For the Hearts in Counseling, focusing on the idea of union with Christ, particularly drawing from Romans 6:1-7:13, 8:1-39. As you might see, there is certainly a theme to the conference of the centrality of Christ, asking how the doctrine of our union with Christ should affect the counseling process. This doesn’t mean simply “dispensing” bible verses, but it does mean avoiding some of the extremes of a merely behavioral model. This also considers that counseling can often fall dangerously close (or into) legalism.

Much of the counseling model is taking the theological truth and having it result in action. Action steps without foundational truth is empty, but foundational truth without action steps is purposeless. We must avoid an essentially passive model. This is often what we might call the “application” section of most sermons. I had one professor say “SO WHAT” about every sermon. What does the theological truth being imparted require of me? What changes ought to result in my life? Viars sought to walk us through this task of making theological truth practical by dealing with the Romans section. Whatever your position on baptism, Romans 6 describes what happens positionally with the believer at the moment of justification.

In Romans 6:1-10, Paul lays out some of the theological truth while, beginning in verse 11, he moves to the action that ought to result because of that truth. While this connection between orthodoxy and orhopraxy is clear throughout Scripture, sadly, it is nearly absent in many of our lives. We have come to believe that we can somehow separate our beliefs from our actions. We see this clearly in Presidential campaigns in which candidates claim that their “religious” beliefs will not affect their policy decisions. The Bible says that this is truth, no faith at all.

Viars shared a counseling story (with permission) of a woman named Jill who suffered from depression. She went to church, had been hospitalized and was on many medications but sought biblical counseling as a “last resort” because her depression had begun to scare her. Viars argued that even here, the doctrine of union with Christ was one of, if not the key consideration. The obvious question becomes: what does the doctrine of union with Christ mean, practically for someone like “Jill” (not her real name).

Viars recounted that as part of her counseling, he asked her to write out a history of her depression. What were some of the key people and factors that had led her to this point. Some of the things she noted were: her parents divorced when she was 7 months old, her biological father rarely spent time with her, her mother remarried and her stepfather sexually abused her while her mother didn’t believer her, her mother signed her over to state care at age 15 while her stepfather continued to molest her, she ended up in a state home when her mother moved away with the stepfather. As horrendous as Jill’s story is, sadly, it is not uncommon. Immediately, the themes of rejection and loneliness arose.

He then asked her to recount some present issues. At this point, her both her biological parents were back in her life but she was devastated that her biological father didn’t give her the attention she so earnestly craved. Rejection and abuse in the past led to craving approval in the present. Again, such situations are sadly common. From all of this, Viars observed that in the entire story, Jill never mentioned Christ, Jill told the story as if she wasn’t there or involved and, simply addressing depression like this as merely “biological” would be irresponsible.

It would not have been appropriate or effective to simply push Jill immediately to Romans 12 and urge her to return good for evil. She was not ready for this truth, though it is certainly true. She needed to hear the theological truths that lead up to that command. Too often, biblical counseling jumps merely to the behavioral aspects without first addressing to the heart. Once again we are confronted with the supremacy, the sufficiency and the centrality of Christ.  There is no Christian life apart from Christ. Christ alone is the source of the true fundamental changes that we so desperately need.

While many of us acknowledge that at some point in the past, Christ saved us, and some point in the future, Christ will bring us home, sadly, we practically leave Christ out of the center of that equation. But what is the center of that equation other than our current struggles, dark though they might be? Christ not only saved us, Christ not only will save us, Christ is save us. We, even now, in the midst of our struggles, if we are believers, are united with Christ! Shouldn’t this have deep, lasting impact, not just on our past, not just on our future, but on our now? Surely He who promised that He would never leave nor forsake meant it!

Jill did not abstract theological truths. Nor did she need commands without the power to fulfill them. Jill needed the hope of Christ for her present, for her now. Jill needed to understand that changed identity that comes only through Christ and adoption through Him and union with Him. She needed to understand what it means to no longer have condemnation, to no longer mine the things of the flesh but of the spirit! Jill needed to understand and apply the practical, real aspects of the Gospel for all of life, including the evil that had been done to her and her response to that evil.

Once we establish the theological truth, we must emphasize the union between heart and hands. We must take specific actions because of our union with Christ. Paul says in verse 11 that because of our union with Christ, we can consider ourselves dead to sin! What an overwhelming, empowering truth that we all need to hear and apply! For Jill, this meant dealing with the “idol of approval.” What does it mean for you?

We must learn to not just fight but hate sin because we have been washed in the blood of the Lamb! We stand washed in the imputed righteousness of Christ. Surely this has practically implications and applications for all of life! This approach can make us secure, not in our actions but in our Savior! This is the core of perseverance; not us but Christ. He is our security and He is our fountain of joy!

In Christ Jesus, we are not only dead to sin, but alive to Him! There is indeed new hope, hope which many have never had previously. This can also give us new authenticity. Many are amazed that even a mature believer might speak so candidly in Romans 7 of the many ways in which he continued to fail. But if we understand the necessity of our union with Christ, it will come as no surprise when we fail. This certainly doesn’t excuse our failings but it puts them into our perspective. It means we no longer have to put on appearances of perfection, it means we trust in Christ. This is one of the many facets of the joy of repentance. It’s interesting that Christians, true Christians are often able to admit their own failures when many others are not.

Throughout the text, Paul uses the term “present.” We must learn to present ourselves to a new master. The idea here is of reporting for duty. We no longer belong to ourselves but to Christ. Our agenda must then become His.  Salvation is to be an utter, drastic change, presenting our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God (Romans 12:2). We now report to duty before God through Christ! Our lives, our choices and our responses to suffering reveal our allegiances.

One of the upshots in putting off self-righteousness is that we will become much more forgiving. Love for God will always result in love for others. Our love for others does not stand alone but grows out of God’s love for us and our responding love to Him. Love for others is one of the most practical demonstrations of presenting ourselves for duty to God.

Romans 8 says that we are to “let God’s spirit produce a humble and joyful confidence.” We must never underemphasize the power of the Spirit in the counseling room and in all of life. The Christian life cannot be lived apart from Christ and it is the Spirit who points God’s people to God’s Son. Just as Elisha prayed that God would open his servants eyes to see the spiritual realites, we too pray that God would open the eyes, not just of our counselees but us, to see, understand and stand in the spiritual realities of union with Christ.

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