How to Help People Change

I enjoyed the Bible-centeredness of Adams writing. He writes clearly and with simplicity. He will help anyone see the Bible as a useful and set apart book from any others that the culture has created!

Just as new. Arrived on time.

I was looking for a book that would help teach me how to better use the Bible in counseling and I found it in this Jay Adams book. He does a marvelous job in showing that the Bible is totally sufficient in correctly identifying and labeling our problems as well as fixing our lives.The outline of the book can be found in 2 Timothy 3:14-16 where it deals first with the Bible's total sufficiency in giving a person wisdom for salvation. Jay then shows, as the Apostle Paul did, that the Bible is totally sufficient to teach us what is true, convict us of what is wrong in our lives, corrects us so we get back on the right path, and trains us to live a faithful, godly life. I love how Jay shows each of these parts as essential to counseling and how psychology distorts or even skips some of the essential elements of counseling people for change. And when counseling, not all change is good. Change must be to make us more like God. Psychologist who do not go strictly by the essentials of what the Bible teaches sometimes do more harm than good. They teach people a "victim" or "disease" mindset in which there is little or no hope for them. God's Word teaches "forgiveness, repentance, and deliverance." God's Word solves our problems instead of ignoring, falsely diagnosing, and mistreating them.Jay shows that the Spirit of God working through the Word of God can make a person pleasing to God. Therefore, God wants to use a Biblical Counselor to teach, convict, correct, and train a humble, repentant person back into a fully restored relationship with God and others.

The problem with Adams’ theory, as I see it, is the complete lack of scientific evidence for anything he claims. Adams rejects any integration of psychology with counseling because he believes counseling is properly the domain of the Christian counselor. Adams claims that this is because only God can achieve the goal of counseling which is the transformation of a person. Adams acknowledges that psychology may be a worthwhile pursuit, so long as it does not attempt to address counseling. While he acknowledges that secular counselors may help clients, he emphasizes that the help is temporary and insufficient. While I believe it is true that only God can transform a person, secular counseling can be effective for the duration of a person’s life, which is all a non-Christian is looking for anyway.Adams makes many theologically solid statements but overall he comes across as quite arrogant and even downright dangerous. As a case in point, he stated that schizophrenia could be treated with Scripture alone. If, as Adams claims, Scripture is wholly sufficient for every counseling situation and the use of anything except Scripture is an insult to God, then why did Jesus not use Scripture when counseling the woman at the well (John 4:1-42)? Why didn't he use Scripture to rebuke the Pharisees and Scribes with the woman caught in adultery, and why didn't he spend time with that woman teaching, correcting, and discipling her with Scripture (John 8:1-11)?There were many things that Adams said that I cheered and underlined. However, I was also left with a distinctly unsettled feeling, to the point of vehement opposition to Adams' claim that truly effective, long-term transformation could only result from the use of the Scriptures alone in counseling. Furthermore, it seems that despite Adams' claim that the Holy Spirit works in the counseling session to bring about transformation through the Word and the counselor, too much emphasis is placed on the counselor’s role.

A necessary resource for every biblically counselor in a world where many a believer believe it is impossible to live a life of righteousness

This book teaches you how to counsel to help people change their lives. Gives all the steps needed to give good counsel

This book is simply written and highlights the far superior quality of biblical counseling as opposed to modern psychology. It makes the bold case for the word of God as the only true source of principles that if applied in faith, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, will bring about the changes that we all so desperately seek and need. I recommend this book for anyone who is engaged in teaching the Bible, mentoring christians or who just simply want to build their confidence in using the Word to effect personal change.

I would recommend this book if you are thinking about counseling using God's Word. Jay Adams knows what he is talking about and bases the book on II Timothy 3:16-17.

Arrived promptly. More a mix of practical insights & their justifications, than the step by step training manual I wanted. Found one for free on the internet.

A very good book.

Interesting