Helping people change is part of my job. And while change looks a little bit different for everyone, there are some common features to the process of change that unify all experiences. In their erudite and practical resource How People Change authors Tim Lane and Paul Tripp walk us through that process, and the role of the counselor in the process. Years after I first read it as a seminary student I have continued to use this resource, and recommend it to others counselors. This is a tremendously helpful resource because of its theological support, practical emphasis, and its insightful case studies.
This is a book about “present grace.” As the author’s see it, there is a “gap” between what we believe and how we live. Though many Christians have fully embraced the gospel of salvation from past sins, and into future glory, they do not have a firm grasp on the presence, grace, and promises of God for today. The authors write:
Often there has been too much of a separation between the theology we say we believe and the world we struggle in every day. The purpose of this book is to bridge that gap. (15)
There is a “gospel gap” for many of us that results in trying to find other centers around which to build our life. We reduce the gospel to rules, or knowledge, or relationships, or experiences and focus our lives on cultivating one or more of these elements. The goal is to deal with the struggles of life better, but we are attempting to do that apart from Christ himself. So the authors ask us to consider a series of practical questions:
How does God grow and change us while we live here on earth? What has Christ given to help me with that tough conversation with my spouse last Tuesday night? How does his grace impact a person’s struggle with depression or fear? What has Christ given to help me deal with pressures of parenting or the workplace? What provision has he made for my struggles with lust, fear, or materialism? What do repentance and change actually look like? Why do we struggle with one area of sin more than another; doing the thing we never intended to do? (15)
These practical questions must be answered in order for us to see real change, and, according to the authors, thankfully God has answered them in His Scripture.
Answering these practical questions and bridging this gospel gap requires that we also acknowledge and confront the false hopes that tempt us to reduce the gospel. We must acknowledge that true change is not primarily about our thoughts, circumstances, relationships, or actions. It’s a bigger issue than any one of those things, though those things may be involved. Our primary need is a new or renewed heart. We need to see who we truly are, what our real problem is, and what God provides us.
This book builds a great theological case for these aforementioned points. The outline the “five gospel perspectives” that “give this book its direction” (15): the extent and gravity of our sin, the centrality of the heart, the present benefits of Christ, God’s call to growth and change, and a lifestyle of repentance and faith. Chapters four and five, in addition, develop the usefulness of the doctrines of union with Christ and the community of the church. Both doctrines are essential for us to grasp as we move ourselves or others towards change. While some may wish for more theological development in this book that is not the primary goal of the authors. They are more interested in walking readers through the practical process of change.
How People Change is a book on methodology. Chapters 7-14 walk us through the four key pieces of their philosophy of counseling. They examine the believer through the lens of a tree. Chapter 6 will introduce readers to this model, but each element of the model (heat, thorns, cross, fruit) are unpacked in individual chapters. Lane and Tripp give us a very thorough study of the elements. They want us to ask the right questions about ourselves, our situations, and our savior so that we can find the right answers in Scripture. I am struck often in this book by the importance of the right questions. They demonstrate well that by focusing on the wrong things we can become easily distracted and impeded growth. We must ask the right questions to discover the real help. They give us a plethora of tools to help develop that critical discernment. Most notably they give us repeated examples.
One of the most significant benefits of this book are the plethora of examples and case studies that the authors give us. We learn how to apply the principles in very tangible ways as the authors walk us through individual, couple, and church stories. The stories are common place examples (struggling marriages, depression, anxiety, arrogance, etc.). They reflect the kinds of counseling cases that all will encounter, and in that regard they give us real, tangible, and immediate assistance in thinking through those types of situations.
The authors never prescribe a flat approach to counseling. So even in their use of examples they aren’t prescribing a one-size-fits-all kind of model. They are recognizing, however, the commonalities in experience and the Biblical truth that is applies to every one of us, regardless of where we find ourselves in a struggle. How People Change, then, is practical without being simplistic.
This is a great resource for those who firmly believe that the Bible is sufficient for all our needs. It gives the theological support we need to develop a holistic philosophy of counseling, while also giving us the practical guide to helping lead ourselves and others towards change. The examples add skin and bone to the theory, giving us real case studies that can help us implement and apply the principles. Counselors need this book, and that’s why we are using it in our second track of biblical counseling training this January. I hope you’ll consider joining us on Wednesday nights. Even if you don’t join us, I hope you’ll consider picking up this book. We all need help in changing, and we all need guidance in helping others change. How People Change is just the type of help we need.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 