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Comparison Paper: Benner Assignment
PACO 507
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Primary Goal
Surrender to Love, authored by Dr. David Benner, is a book whose core theme is
the unconditional love that God has for humankind. It is a book that every Christian or
person willing to embrace the faith must read once in a lifetime. The two main themes that
the author has chosen to focus on are complete submission and absolute love. It is
important to understand that only when we truly know that we are deeply loved by God, we
will be able to show genuine love towards God as well as other fellow humans. In the self-
reliant world of today, most people forget the concept and importance of surrendering to the
supreme power (Benner, 2015). According to the author, absolute submission is the sole
response for the perfect love shown by God. He goes on to state that “Love inspires
surrender, and submission is at the heart of Spirituality.”
The Bible also sheds light on the powerful love of God that can transform a human.
Love is much more than just an idea or an attitude. It is not possible to sustain without the
love of God. The primary goal of the method is to make the counsellors capable of assisting
the counselee in order to move out of hopelessness and step into a new life of hope and
God’s love. The counselee must learn to build their lives around the love of God.
Development of Problems and Personal Need
In the book, the problem that the author tries to address is the tendency of humans
to lead a life of self-reliance. According to Benner, one of the biggest voids in the lives of
people is the lack of genuine love (Benner, 2015). We, as humans, always try to win the
love of God by doing something for Him. However, God’s love is not dependent on what
humans do for Him. He has loved humanity without any conditions. As the Bible says,
“God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son.” God has constantly shown
His love to humans and comforted them. The biggest proof is the manifestation of His son
in person. Because humans have received the love of God, they are capable of loving
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others. People who are satisfied with God’s love tend to give credit to God for all their
happiness. After God, they may give credits to their family members and friends. People
who completely surrender to the love of God can truly experience love within as well as
around people.
Biblical Integration
The method of Benner focuses on the truths written in the Bible. According to 1
John 4: 18, it is written that “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear;
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” In addition to this,
there are a number of references in the scriptures that talk about the abundance of God’s
love for His people. When discussing about the need for complete surrendering to God’s
love instead of trying to win his favor, there are various scripture references and spiritual
issues. God is capable of transforming the hearts of people who seek God’s approval
through personal experience with Him. All that is said by the author can be found in the
scriptures.
Formula for Change
The formula for change, according to Benner, is the one that he himself has
experienced and has been benefitted from (Benner, 2015). His formula for change is very
simple. The formula is to completely surrender to the love of God by obeying the word of
God. In the book, Benner shares his own experience. His personal experience clearly shows
how the power of God’s divine love can completely transform a person. When a person is
able to develop a close relationship with God, the person can truly understand himself or
herself. In order to completely surrender to God’s love, we have to give up following our
own will and show a desire to fulfil the will of God. Only when we surrender ourselves, we
are able to see the real transformation and get introduced to a completely new version of
ourselves. Everyone can be a part of the change. God knows the truth of every individual,
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and He is willing to accept everyone. When a person is able to deeply immerse in God’s
love, the transformation will be very evident.
Balance of Theology and Spirituality
The author has been able to ensure a perfect balance between theology and
spirituality. The theology of the book is that God is a loving God who loves all His children
unconditionally despite all their flaws in life. Having an understanding and knowledge of
this enables the counselee to experience spiritual transformation. It transforms a person
from an individual seeking favor to one acting in a completely different way because the
favor has already been granted.
Human Personality
Humans are broken and in dire need of forgiveness. The souls of humans long for a
sense of interaction and belongingness. One of the important characteristics of human
personality is self-dependence and self-reliance. In order to gain acceptance, they tend to do
something good. However, as that is not possible to have that on our own, it is important to
turn to the love of God for all our needs. Love can provide our souls with a sense of
belongingness and assure us that we will return to our real home one day.
Counsellor’s Function and Role
Pastoral counselling is a kind of structured partnership that aims at providing
comfort to the individuals who are in need of it. The role of the counsellors is to encourage
the clients to shift focus from themselves and start focusing on God and His love. It will
enable the counselee to see what God has done in order to prove His love for mankind. The
realization will allow the counselee to lead a happier life and increase his or her awareness
of the grace and faithfulness of God. It is the role of the counsellor to interpret the truth or
meaning of God’s word and show the counselee that God is indeed a loving father who
patiently waits to transform His children.
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Major Contributions to Counselling
Benner has written a number of articles relating to his own perceptions relating to
psychotherapy, spirituality, as well as nature of spirituality. The articles have clearly
demonstrated that humans cannot achieve anything through self-dependence and reliance.
This is a method of psychological and spiritual development on the basis of
multidisciplinary analysis included in anthropology, psychology, and theology. Spiritual
awareness helps in bringing about a psychological shift in the personality of an individual.
Limitation of this Counselling Theory
Despite so many advantages, the theory of Benner has a number of flaws. Not all
people seek validation from others or try to please others throughout their lives. The theory
of Benner may prove to be ineffective or uninteresting for the people who are not
performance-driven and struggle in life. Moreover, unbelievers may not be able to accept
the theory. They cannot buy into the idea of the unconditional love of God. It would be
quite challenging in order to convince a person who never had a relationship with God.
Moreover, people who are badly hurt due to difficulties in life may blame God for all the
suffering in their lives. It might be difficult for them to believe and accept that God is
loving towards mankind.
Classification
I would characterize the technique of Benner as integrational. It is mainly because it
depends on the testimony of the Bible relating to the love of God. Benner is a proponent of
change and leading a life that clearly shows the change. In the theory of Benner,
spirituality, as well as theology, has a major role to play.
Practical Application
The author has done a great job in convincing the readers to accept, see, as well as
surrender to the love of God. We need to completely surrender to God. Without the will of
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God, we cannot obey His words. The book provides the readers with guidance to discover
and develop a personal relationship with God. This book will help the believers to increase
their faith through their spiritual journey.
An example of a counselling moment when the theory had an impact is a woman
was dealing with very low self-esteem due to her past failures and mistakes. She was
feeling abandoned and rejected. According to the theory of Benner, the woman can confess
all that is in her heart to God and completely surrender herself to Him. It will enable the
women to experience the love of God and feel His comfort (Benner, 2015).
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References
Benner, D. G. (2015). Surrender to love: Discovering the heart of Christian spirituality.
InterVarsity Press.
