Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 8)

Man As Spirit, Soul, and Body (Chapter 8)
By John Woodward
Undated

APPLICATIONS OF A TRICHOTOMOUS MODEL OF MAN IN BIBLICAL COUNSELING

The Relevance of Theological Anthropology

The study of the model of man is an important aspect of theology, yet its value is not limited to obtaining accurate belief. All theology relates to Christian living and all Christian living should be anchored upon scriptural theology. In discussing the role of a theology of personal ministry, Lawrence Richards calls the theologian to apply doctrine to life.
Theology should not be a treatment of [mere] abstract ideas . . . theology must deal with reality . . . The theologian is called . . . [to] struggle with the ways in which what the Scriptures reveal finds expression in the life of the individual and the Christian community.169

Some Christian psychiatrists have affirmed the rele-vance of the Christian view of man in their approach to counseling. For example, O. Quentin Hyder stated,
For the committed Christian there is an additional dimension [to mental/ physical health]. To him God is the ultimate reality, and spiritual and psychological health is to be in contact with that reality.170

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Likewise, Jeffrey Boyd's research has validated the need to understand the patient as more than a monistic entity. He observed: In secular American culture the vitality of life arises from our bodies, and if we would be spiritually healthy then we should exercise regularly, remain trim, eat little cholesterol, and wear Nike sneakers. . . But physical monism comes with a price: those who are suffering are plunged into worse suffering because they can no longer achieve the minimal requirements of being human--namely, having a vigorous and reliable body that is full of stamina, zest, sexiness and youth . . . Patients frequently tell me that when they lost their health they lost the meaning of life. . .171

The Christian view of man is not only scriptural, it promotes a therapeutic model of counseling that is useful.

Exchanged Life Counseling is a model for strategic remedial discipleship. This approach is usually short term, and is available to professional as well as non-professional counselors. The Exchanged Life perspective can be commu-nicated through a variety of contexts such as Sunday preaching, Bible conferences, devotional literature, lay counseling, and professional counseling. A sampling of Exchanged Life ministries will be noted, giving attention to the role of trichotomy in their teaching.

As was described in chapter one, for most of the 1900's there was a gap between this Exchanged Life message and the models of Christian counseling as employed by Christian psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and pastoral counselors. Charles Solomon made a valuable contribution

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to counseling by bringing the Exchanged Life message into a practical, short-term counseling construct.
In the early sixties a Christian engineer with Martin Marietta was living a "defeated life." Charles Solomon turned to God for help. After months of study in God's Word, the solution of Christ as life (Col 3:4) was revealed. Eager to share this message with others, Solomon resigned his position . . .and began a Christ-centered counseling ministry in his home.172

Through personal counseling and seminars, Christians increa-singly recovered from chronic problems with sustained inner health. In 1969 Grace Fellowship was founded, followed by counseling branches in various cities in the United States and eventually in other nations. Handbook to Happiness explains the essential content of the counselor's teaching through what is called "Spirituotherapy." Diagrams used in this text clearly distinguish body, soul, and spirit and the functions of each. In Handbook to Acceptance Solomon elaborates on the practical benefits of trichotomy (over dichotomy) in this counseling model:
Because most Christians see no practical relevance in holding to strong conclusions about their immaterial makeup, the discussion of dichotomy and trichotomy is viewed as theological hairsplitting. But if Christians can be shown that a clear understanding of the soul's relationship to the spirit of man can clarify and solve practical problems that face him everyday, the distinc-tion may be worth understanding . . . Because we have seen the strong interdependency of identity and acceptance in man, we need to examine both models of man to see which better accommodates an explanation of the cause and solution to these needs and which of the two is more consistent with biblical language. Finding a spiritual model of man will aid the believer in understanding his interpersonal functioning and his standing before God.173

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One of those helped by Charles Solomon was Bill Gillham, a former professor of psychology at Oklahoma State University. Bill and Anabel Gillham have been actively teaching the Exchanged Life truths in private counseling, radio, and conferences through Lifetime Guarantee Ministries. His book, Lifetime Guarantee, presents a definitive explanation of the Exchanged Life concepts. Included are diagrams identifying the body, soul, spirit, and their respective functions.174

Some of the Exchanged Life Counseling centers joined together to form an alliance known as the Association of Exchanged Life Ministries [AELM]. Currently there are about twenty member ministries, plus individual associate members. This affiliation is not all-inclusive of prominent Exchanged Life ministires, however. Ministries that are similar, but independent include People to People (Bob George), Freedom in Christ (Neil Anderson), and Grace Fellowship (Charles Solomon. Also, church-based counseling ministries, such as 1st Baptist Church of Atlanta, have adopted this counseling model . In the field of Christian higher education, Luther Rice Seminary has adopted this model for use in their biblical counseling courses and specialized degrees.

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The publishing arm of A. E. L. M. produced Foundations of Exchanged Life Counseling. In this text, Richard Hall gives a concise overview of the essential principles of this counseling model.175 Hall clearly identifies man as body, soul, and spirit (portrayed in 16 diagrams). These diagrams include the symbolism of the tabernacle as illustrative of trichotomy. They are designed to clarify the difference between the unregenerate person, the carnal believer, and the spiritual believer. Similar diagrams are featured in the conference manuals of this association

As an associate member of A. E. L. M., this writer detects that Exchanged Life counselors highly value the practical use such diagrams. This does not exempt them, however, from utilizing deeper life literature which does not necessarily feature an explicit trichotomist model of man.176 The clarity that trichotomy brings to sanctifica-tion facilitates the communication and apprehension of deeper life truths, yet it is not always explicit in books with a Gal 2:20 orientation. This is demonstrated in Elmer Towns' survey of deeper life devotional literature.177

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One purpose of this paper has been to validate trichotomy biblically, theologically, and historically, and thereby endorse Exchanged Life counseling. An example of the need for such vindication comes from a letter from Charles Solomon, dated January 3, 2000. He recalled,
In 1983 a medical doctor wanted to use our approach to counseling in a holistic setting where there would be treatment for spirit, soul, and body. His name is Kurt Blatter, (he went ahead and developed the center in Langenthal Switzerland). Dr. Paul Kaschel and I went there to meet with him, and everything went well until we met with his theological committee which summarily rejected our model once they found that we believed that man has a spirit. They labeled me a heretic for having such a belief. Paul Kaschel went back to Europe and taught, but he needed to modify the Grace Fellowship model by superimposing a heart over both soul and spirit so he could teach the basic message.

A scriptural defense of trichotomy should protect Exchanged Life Counseling from such charges of heresy.

If a counselor using a model of man as spirit, soul, and body is challenged on biblical, theological, or histor-ical grounds, the material presented in this paper could equip him to respond. The rise of scholarly treatments of trichotomy in the last century facilitated a more precise study of progressive sanctification. This development gave impetus for deeper life teaching and its related counseling model. Psychology continues to explore man's observable actions, thoughts, responses, and relationships. To inter-pret this data and remain faithful to God's Word, the Christian counselor needs an accurate understanding of man's constitutional makeup, personal needs, and the gracious remedy found in Christ.

169 Lawrence O. Richards and Gib Martin, A Theology of Personal Ministry: Spiritual Giftedness in the Local Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 11.

170 O. Quentin Hyder, The Christians's Handbook of Psychiatry (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell,1971), 51.

171 Boyd, "One's Self Concept and Biblical Theology," 223.

172 Charles Solomon and Stoney Shaw, The Solomon Institute in Spirituotherapy (Sevierville, TN: Grace Fellowship, 1998), 4.

173 Charles R. Solomon, Handbook to Acceptance (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1982), 99-100.

174 Bill Gillham, Lifetime Guarantee (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1993), 27, 71-74.

175 Richard Hall, Foundations of Exchanged Life Counseling (Aurora Co: Cross-Life Expressions, 1993), 15-18, 44-51.

176 Examples would include: V. Raymond Edman, They Found the Secret (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1960); Stephen Olford, Not I, But Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1995); Miles Stanford, The Complete Green Letters (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975).

177 Elmer Towns, Understanding the Deeper Life (Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1988).

Copyright 2000 by John Woodward. Permission is granted to reprint this book for non-commercial purposes

Questions or comments about this book: Please e-mail the author .

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Grace Notes editor - Dr. John Woodward,
Grace Fellowship International.
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