Therapy and the Great Commission
Roger & Christine Day
‘Preach the gospel at all times; use words when necessary.’
– Francis of
How can helping people deal with their emotional problems possibly relate to Jesus’ clear command to make disciples of people from all nations? Does therapy have a place in the Bible side by side with evangelism, or is it ‘just another job’? In this article we seek to answer these questions.
God’s call
In early 2004, after a short visit to Romania in December 2003, we as individuals and as a couple sensed God’s call to set up therapy services for children and families in Romania. We sold our house and then, in January 2006, moved from the relative comfort of living in the
Our work has involved training professionals in therapy skills and in helping children at risk, and working directly in therapy with children, adults and families. We each see ourselves as a missionary (‘one who tries to make converts or advance some cause’ – Penguin English Dictionary; ‘one sent to propagate religion’ – Concise English Dictionary). Yet we usually do not discuss our Christian views with the people with whom we work.
So far in
Jesus’ command
When Jesus Christ rose from the dead he gave a command to his disciples, a command that we now call the Great Commission.
He said: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matthew 28:18-20).
Clear mandate
Every believer in Jesus Christ thus has a clear mandate from God to go and take the gospel message to others, whether locally, regionally or elsewhere in the world. George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilisation and senior missionary statesman, has often said: ‘The call of Jesus is to go. We need a specific command of God to stay.’
The assumption is often that we must speak out the message rather than merely live it out. After all, ‘how can they hear without someone preaching to them?’ (Romans 10:14).
This seems to present a dilemma for the vast majority of Christians, who work in ordinary jobs and who are not preachers. Many find it difficult to present the gospel verbally to people with whom they work. Others are in positions where talking about their personal faith openly may put their job itself in jeopardy. This applies to much therapeutic work, where codes of ethics often require respect for others’ viewpoints, regardless of their religious beliefs. Are people involved in these jobs to spend the rest of their lives feeling ashamed and guilty that they are not speaking on a daily basis about the Saviour they love?
The very next verse in that Romans passage gives a clue to resolving the dilemma: ‘How can they preach unless they are sent?’ (Romans 10:15). It seems that preaching the gospel verbally requires a specific calling, whereas living out the gospel in our daily life – often known as lifestyle evangelism – is a calling for every one of us. When we as Christians live out the gospel then people will notice. As the old saying goes: ‘Your actions speak so loud, I can’t hear what you’re saying.’
We may not all be called to ‘preach’, but we are all called to ‘make disciples’, showing by our love for others that we are followers of Christ (John 13:34-35). Jesus himself majored on the twin commands of loving God and loving our neighbour (see for example Mark 12:28-31; John 15:12-13). Offering therapy to help people resolve deep personal issues can be seen as part of the love in action that Jesus commands us to show.
Stages of evangelism
In most cases there is a series of stages for a person coming to know Christ as Saviour and Lord. A Christian may invite a neighbour around for a meal, then introduce the neighbour to other Christians and finally take him or her to a Christian meeting. The neighbour may attend many meetings before being ready to make a commitment to Christ.
Once he or she has made that commitment, there is a process of craving ‘pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow in your salvation’ (1 Peter 2:2). That spiritual milk may include Bible study, prayer, baptism, communion and many other stages of spiritual growth.
Rarely does just one individual Christian help a person with all these steps. The usual process of evangelism involves many people. Not everyone is called to the stage of reaping the harvest of people for God’s kingdom. Paul wrote: ‘Each of us did the work God gave us to do. I planted the seed and Apollos watered it. But God is the one who made the seed grow’ (1 Corinthians 3:5-6).
In this context, therapy is a form of pre-evangelism involving the removal of obstacles to the gospel and the preparation of fertile soil to receive the spiritual seed.
For example, therapy can be effective for a person who has suffered sexual abuse in childhood and whose concept of love has therefore been warped by the so-called ‘loving’ actions of her or his abuser. By starting to break down the obstacles, therapy can help the person become ready to understand and accept God’s genuine love, often shown through Christians.
An adult – Christian or nonChristian – struggling with depression, anxiety, panic attacks or sleeplessness is less likely to be open to spiritual input than someone who is learning to handle his or her emotional difficulties. Children and young people who through therapy have faced up to their problems of abuse (often by a father) or abandonment (often by a mother) are more ready to hear about a heavenly Father who genuinely loves and cares for them.
Spiritual or soul problems?
For a lot of well-meaning Christians, therapy is seen as a secular replacement for a relationship with Jesus Christ. After all, they would argue, if you have a right relationship with God then you are not likely to suffer problems such as depression and anxiety that keep therapists so busy. A person who was abused as a child can simply forgive the abuser and move on in their spiritual walk. If you are not walking the spiritual walk free from problems, they would suggest, then there must be something wrong with your relationship with God.
Such attitudes, that are widespread in the body of Christ, are not only unscriptural but encourage new Christians with emotional issues to bury them inside themselves so they appear to be ‘good’ Christians. An issue such as abuse that has been buried (or repressed) in this way will usually manifest itself months or years later in ways that are upsetting or frightening for others. Christians might see them as not walking closely to the Lord. A few churches will even consider these (inevitable) manifestations as an indication of demon possession. The person will then be further abused and humiliated by having these so-called ‘demons’ cast out.
The church leader who is suddenly shown up for having, say, an addiction to internet pornography or a compulsion for gambling may have underlying suppressed and unresolved soul issues. Rather than condemning him for his behaviour, he could be offered therapy to deal with the source of his addictive problem. After all, there but for God’s grace go any one of us. Then he could be restored to his leadership role, becoming what Gary Collins calls a ‘Wounded Healer’. This is not to say that therapy excuses his wrong behaviour; he will need to repent and may need to be disciplined. Rather, therapy enables him to deal with the root soul issues behind the behaviour.
Forgiveness is vital for our walk as Christians. Jesus said: ‘Forgive, and you will be forgiven’ (Luke 6:37). The Rev David Crabb points out that issues such as forgiveness are called spiritual problems when they are more often soul issues. ‘Forgiveness is at the root of many problems,’ he says. ‘And Christians seem to have more emotional issues because of things such as forgiveness that cause soul conflict.’ Forgiveness is a soul issue that involves our wills. For an abused person it may be a process that could take a whole lifetime to work through.
Far better, it would seem to us, to see ‘spiritual’ issues (including demon possession/influence) as completely different from ‘soul’ issues such as abuse, depression, low self-esteem and addictions.
Our spirit is born again
Just as God is a Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – people consist of three ‘parts’: spirit, soul and body. ‘May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Thessalonians 5:23 italics added).
Jesus said: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ (Matthew 22:37). In the Old Testament there are various similar ‘heart and soul’ references: Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12; 30:6; Joshua 22:5; and 2 Kings 23:25.
In talking to Nicodemus, Jesus said: ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit’ (John 3:6). It is our spirit that is born again. The Old Testament foretells this by talking about us having a new heart (see Ezekiel 18:31; 11:19; Isaiah 57:15). Under the New Covenant we are born again and have a new heart (or spirit). See for example John 3:5-6; 2 Timothy 1:7.
Dealing with our soul (thinking, emotions, desires, etc) usually follows that process of having a new spirit. We ‘continue to work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12) and seek to develop ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Galatians 5:22-23), the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit.
Finally, our body needs taming so that we ‘honour God with [our] body’ (1 Corinthians 6:20). Because both body and soul are unredeemed, they are often linked together and called ‘soul’.
Problems in the soul
Emotional difficulties in the area of our souls are often wrongly seen as spiritual problems. This is probably why some misguided Christians will say to the person with depression or who is working through huge areas of abuse: ‘Just trust the Lord and everything will be all right.’
The discerning of soul and spirit issues is understandably difficult. But, through hearing God’s Word (both the Bible and God’s dynamic [rhema] Word to our heart), we can begin to discern the difference. ‘The Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart’ (Hebrews 4:12).
Soul issues can affect our bodies. Medical specialists believe that 70 per cent of illness is psychosomatic in origin. In other words, our soul is having a direct impact on our body. That may be why John wrote: ‘Dear friends, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along’ (3 John 2).
Take one aspect of our soul development as Christians – being thankful (often called gratitude). Paul writes: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (Philippians 4:6 italics added).
Being thankful can have a direct impact on issues of anxiety. Research at
Preparing the way
Bringing our body and soul into line with our redeemed spirit is a task that will take our whole lifetime to accomplish. For the person – child or adult – whose life so far has been filled with abuse, rejection and other problems, it may be necessary to deal with body and soul problems even before they can be ready for salvation.
When Jesus was involved in his work on earth, he did not want to impose himself on others. Like a good therapist who waits for the person to want to change, Jesus made no assumptions when he asked the man who was blind: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ (Mark 10:51; Luke 18:41). When the person wanted healing, that is exactly what he did, nothing less and nothing more.
Jesus ‘went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil’ (Acts 10:38). Yet, many of those who were healed did not seem to become his disciples (see for instance Luke 17:11-19; John 1:10-13). We know that John the Baptist was seen as ‘calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him”’ (Mark 1:3). It is possible that, in one sense, Jesus was preparing the way for people’s salvation by healing their immediate and overwhelming problems so that they would be more ready to hear the gospel message.
Similarly, therapy can prepare the way for a person’s salvation by clearing up the major soul issues that are getting in the way of their functioning effectively day to day.
Therapy in the Bible
The Bible itself has plenty to say about soul issues and how to deal with them.
Jesus said: ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4). In order to cope with a bereavement, it is important for the person to go through a grieving or mourning process. Only then can a person truly experience the comfort Jesus talked about.
Many of the psalms express the writers’ deep feelings of discouragement and even depression. If depression is a sin or a spiritual problem, why are these psalms in the Bible?
An example is Psalm 42. The opening words of this psalm are often quoted in sermons or sung in worship: ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God’ (verse 1). Yet the same psalm goes on to say: ‘My tears have been my food day and night’ (verse 3) and finishes with the words: ‘Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God’ (verse 11).
It seems OK for a Christian to express such feelings and, when needed, to work through them with a therapist.
What would Jesus do?
A woman starts attending your church. Every time you shake hands with her you can smell alcohol, even in the morning. Do you condemn her alcoholism, or do you wonder if there are issues in her soul that could be helped through therapy?
Someone you met two years ago starts coming to Christian meetings, complete with Bible in hand. You recognise the person even though two years ago he was living as a man and now he/she is in the process of becoming a woman. How do you respond?
A gay man starts attending meetings, even though your church speaks out against the homosexual act. Do you tell him to leave, suggests he hides his views or wonder if counselling could be of benefit to him?
In these and many other difficult cases, therapy could be a part of the process leading to the person’s salvation. Jesus dealt with such soul problems as love of money (Matthew 19:21-22) and adultery (John 7:4-11) before tackling the spiritual need.
Ask yourself this question: If an alcoholic, transsexual or gay man had come into his synagogue, what would Jesus have done?
Does it work?
We have seen how therapy can have an impact on the soul, which often then affects the body. This can release the person’s spirit into a deeper walk with his or her Lord. In that sense therapy can contribute towards the Christian’s sanctification (being set apart for God). Jesus prayed for his disciples: ‘Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth’ (John 17:17).
But what about its effect on evangelism and the Great Commission? Is lifestyle evangelism, particularly involving therapy, merely an excuse to avoid talking about Jesus Christ? If therapy is seen as pre-evangelism, can it actually result in people being converted to Christ?
One of us (Roger) recounts personal experience in this area over 15 years as a therapist:
A nonChristian woman starts to resolve her abuse problems through therapy, problems that have been a huge burden to her since she was a girl. As she contemplates the healing process of therapy, she is drawn into seeking a greater meaning to life. Many fellow-therapists call this ‘exploring the transpersonal’, the ‘Aspiration Arrow’ or ‘striving for a Higher Self’. I prefer to call it simply ‘seeking after God’.
In therapy, we explore her desire for God, using her terminology. I don’t need to preach to her. I set her the task of seeking after God through whatever ways she wants. Eventually, without my talking about my faith in any way, she comes to a deep faith in Christ.
A man deals in therapy with his emotional baggage, then talks about his need to confess his sins to another human, as he did in his Catholic youth. Together we look at options. He finds a friendly Christian minister, confesses to him and then joins the church.
A client has three sessions of therapy and says she has started reading the Bible for the first time in her life. She can’t explain why.
A Jehovah’s Witness (one of very many over the years) finds comfort and strength in Bible verses quoted by his evangelical therapist.
Over the years I have seen many such people moving towards faith in Christ as a result of the so-called ‘secular’ therapy I use. My therapy involves quoting relevant Bible verses (often without saying they are from the Bible) and praying for the person before, during and after the sessions. God answers prayer, and people find their way to Christ, with therapy as part of the process.
Therapy helps free a person’s soul of clutter so that he or she is more ready to follow Christ. In that sense therapy can be seen as a part of the Great Commission.
Roger Day is a trainer and supervisor, a UKCP Registered Psychotherapist and a Certified Play Therapist. Christine Day is a qualified Nursery Nurse and an adult trainer with a Diploma in Counselling. They live and work in
www.therapyinromania.org.uk www.brookcreativetherapy.com