Trinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible ChapelTrinity Bible Chapel
  • Jesus
  • About
    • Service Times & Location
    • Our Mission
    • Our Four Pillars
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
      • Our Doctrinal Statement
      • Specific Issues
        • Baptism and Communion
        • Church Government
        • Church Membership
        • Church Planting Philosophy
        • Church Structure
        • Counseling Philosophy
        • Creation, Evolution and God’s Sovereignty
        • Eternal Security of the Believer
        • Sufficiency of Scripture
        • Spiritual Warfare
        • The Trinity
        • Women in Ministry
        • Worship
    • Church Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Project Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth Updates
    • King Alfred Academy
  • Connect
    • New Here?
      • Welcome to Trinity!
      • What Should I Expect?
      • How Can I Be Saved?
      • Get Baptized
      • University Bus Shuttle
    • Get Connected
      • Step 1: Connect
      • Step 2: Consider
      • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
      • Step 3: Commit to Serve
      • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
    • Resources
      • Weekly E-News
      • Events Calendar
      • Church App
      • Subscribe to Our Podcast
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Bible Reading Plans
      • Weddings
      • The Church At War Conference
      • Antichrist and His Ruin Documentary
  • Ministries
    • Trinity Kids
      • Parenting Resources
      • Web Protection Guide
      • Parenting Conference Audio
    • Trinity Youth
      • Youth Ministry Blog Posts
    • Small Groups
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Small Groups Blog Posts
      • Accountability Resources
    • University Bus Ministry
      • Adopt-A-Student Ministry
    • Worship Ministry
      • Family Worship
      • Weekend Song List
    • Sunday Support
    • Evangelism
      • Evangelism Videos
    • King Alfred Academy
    • Homeschool Collective
      • New to Homeschooling
      • Resources
      • Planning Pages
  • Sermons
    • Latest Sermon
    • View All by Date
    • View by Series
    • View by Preachers
    • View by Topics
    • View by Scriptures
    • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • Blogs
    • The Pastor’s Blog
    • Trinity Ministry Blog
  • Give

Trinity Ministry Blog

Equipping the Saints

Book Review: Addictions by Ed Welch

By Will Schuurman | March 16, 2016 | Leave a Comment |
Tagged: addictions, biblical soul care, book review, small groups

This post is part of a series of book reviews that I have been posting on this blog. Recently I took a Biblical Counseling course at Toronto Baptist Seminary. The course requires me to read through several biblical counseling books and write a “One Main Thing Paper” in response. A “One Main Thing Paper” is a two-page reflection that identifies the author’s argument and key concepts as well as draws out and develops the one main thing that I learned from the book and can apply to my ministry. I am posting each book review in case you are interested in reading any of these books.

Addictions – A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch

Human beings are worshipers. We have been created with hearts that have been designed for worship. The divine expectation and hope is that we will worship the one true God, but when we fail to do so, our hearts inevitably find something else to worship. This leads to idolatry and slavery to sin which in turn can lead to addiction. As Ed Welch argues in his book, Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave, “Addictions are ultimately a disorder of worship: we worship our desires over God. We desire the things of earth more than the One who rules it.”[1] His book elevates the sufficiency of Scripture in speaking to addictions. “Since all Scripture addresses our fundamental disorder of worship, all Scripture is rich with application for the addict.”[2]

His book is divided into two parts. The first part is titled “Thinking Theologically” and it helps the reader see addictions through the lens of a Christian worldview. Welch offers this definition of addiction, “Addiction is the bondage to the rule of a substance, activity, or state of mind, which then becomes the center of life, defending itself from the truth so that even bad consequences don’t bring repentance, and leading to further estrangement from God.”[3] The Bible characterizes addition as sin, not as a disease. Welch argues, “[Sin] is something we do rather than catch, we confess it rather than treat it, the disease is in our hearts rather than our bodies, and only the forgiveness and cleansing found in the blood of the Great Physician is sufficient to bring thorough healing.”[4] Welch equates addiction with idolatry. The addict chooses to go outside the boundaries of the kingdom of God and seek out blessing in the land of idols, much like the Israelites often did in the Old Testament.[5] Welch explains, “Drugs and sex are the modern golden calves erected by addicts to find meaning, power, or pleasure apart from God.”[6] He also discusses other themes that offer insight into addiction such as adultery, slavery, and foolishness. In chapter 4, Welch discusses the following stages of addiction: friendship, infatuation, love and betrayal, and worship.

The second part of his book is titled “Essential Theological Themes.” This section of the book is devoted to finding hope and healing for the addict in the pages of Scripture and in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This section is both theological and practical. Welch gives wise counsel and biblical insight in how to confront with truth and minister God’s grace to addicts. This takes a lot of time, effort, and patience. In all of this, “Your purpose is to lead them away from slavery to their addictive desires to freedom as they worship and obey the Lord of Lords.”[7] The final answer to everything, including addiction is “the holiness of God demonstrated in the death and resurrection of Christ.”[8]

Although there were many helpful takeaways gleaned from this book, the one main takeaway for me is how to properly think about addictions from a Christian worldview. Scripture has far more to offer the addict than a few specific texts on drunkenness  (e.g. Ephesians 5:18). When we rightly understand addiction as idolatry, suddenly there is a whole myriad of texts that can offer warnings and wisdom to the addict. When we rightly understand addiction as idolatry, the final solution is not cutting oneself off from the substance they abuse and never returning to it, but rather it is learning to find a greater satisfaction in the God they must worship.

————————————

[1] Edward T. Welch, Additions: A Banquet in the Grave (Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2001), 251.

[2] Ibid., xvi.

[3] Ibid., 35.

[4] Ibid., 61.

[5] Ibid., 47.

[6] Ibid., 53.

[7] Ibid., 136.

[8] Ibid., 150.


SHARE


Comments

Related Posts

  • Isaac Watts and The Ruin of Antichrist

    By John Maggs | September 19, 2022

    The Church at War conference coming up in November which will see the premier of the Antichrist and His Ruin documentary as well as an exceptional line-up of speakers and preachers. (For more information about the conference, please see here. For the documentary, here). The theme of Antichrist can evoke different reactions, perhaps because ofRead more

  • Is the Church at War?

    By Will Schuurman | August 31, 2022

    In November of this year there will be a conference hosted at our church titled, “The Church At War Conference.” From what we have seen and heard so far, it sounds like there is widespread interest in this conference, for which we are thankful. However, I have seen at least one comment opposing the titleRead more

  • Closing Remarks From Our Constitutional Challenge

    By Will Schuurman | February 2, 2022

    Context After three days of argumentation, our constitutional challenge wrapped up today. We challenged the constitutionality of our government’s capacity restrictions on churches here in Ontario. There have been various restrictions over the past two years that have drastically limited the amount of people allowed to participate in church services. On several occasions, these restrictionsRead more

  • The Aroma of Christ in a Post-Christian World

    By Will Schuurman | February 1, 2022

    “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?” – 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 The more a culture distances itself fromRead more

  • A Plentiful Harvest in a Difficult Time

    By Will Schuurman | January 20, 2022

    Since June 2020, by God’s grace, we have had the privilege of baptizing over 100 believers, many of them recent converts, some of whom trace their salvation to worship services that we held during lockdowns. We have a couple more new believers lined up to be baptized this Sunday at our church, Lord-willing. One wasRead more

Newer PostOlder Post

Latest Posts

  • Isaac Watts and The Ruin of Antichrist

    September 19, 2022
  • Is the Church at War?

    August 31, 2022
  • Closing Remarks From Our Constitutional Challenge

    February 2, 2022
  • The Aroma of Christ in a Post-Christian World

    February 1, 2022
  • A Plentiful Harvest in a Difficult Time

    January 20, 2022

Contributors

Will Schuurman

Associate Pastor

Randy Frey

Pastor of Christian Education

John Maggs

Director of Creative Ministries

CHURCH LOCATION
Address:    1373 Lobsinger Line
Waterloo, ON, N2J 4G8

Phone: 519-658-6333
Email: info@trinitybiblechapel.ca

NEW HERE?

  • Service Times & Location
  • Welcome to Trinity!
  • What Should I Expect?
  • How Can I Be Saved?
  • University Bus Shuttle
  • Our Mission
  • Our Doctrinal Statement

OUR MINISTRIES

  • Trinity Kids
  • Trinity Youth
  • Small Groups
  • University Bus Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
  • Sunday Support
  • Evangelism

GET CONNECTED

  • Step 1: Connect
  • Step 2: Consider
  • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
  • Step 3: Commit to Serve
  • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
  • Get Baptized
  • Events Calendar
Trinity Bible Chapel on Rumble
Copyright © 2022 Trinity Bible Chapel
  • Jesus
  • About
    • Service Times & Location
    • Our Mission
    • Our Four Pillars
    • Our History
    • What We Believe
      • Our Doctrinal Statement
      • Specific Issues
        • Baptism and Communion
        • Church Government
        • Church Membership
        • Church Planting Philosophy
        • Church Structure
        • Counseling Philosophy
        • Creation, Evolution and God’s Sovereignty
        • Eternal Security of the Believer
        • Sufficiency of Scripture
        • Spiritual Warfare
        • The Trinity
        • Women in Ministry
        • Worship
    • Church Staff
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Project Rehoboth
      • Rehoboth Updates
    • King Alfred Academy
  • Connect
    • New Here?
      • Welcome to Trinity!
      • What Should I Expect?
      • How Can I Be Saved?
      • Get Baptized
      • University Bus Shuttle
    • Get Connected
      • Step 1: Connect
      • Step 2: Consider
      • Step 3: Commit to a Small Group
      • Step 3: Commit to Serve
      • Step 4: Covenant in Membership
    • Resources
      • Weekly E-News
      • Events Calendar
      • Church App
      • Subscribe to Our Podcast
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Bible Reading Plans
      • Weddings
      • The Church At War Conference
      • Antichrist and His Ruin Documentary
  • Ministries
    • Trinity Kids
      • Parenting Resources
      • Web Protection Guide
      • Parenting Conference Audio
    • Trinity Youth
      • Youth Ministry Blog Posts
    • Small Groups
      • Pulpit Curriculum
      • Small Groups Blog Posts
      • Accountability Resources
    • University Bus Ministry
      • Adopt-A-Student Ministry
    • Worship Ministry
      • Family Worship
      • Weekend Song List
    • Sunday Support
    • Evangelism
      • Evangelism Videos
    • King Alfred Academy
    • Homeschool Collective
      • New to Homeschooling
      • Resources
      • Planning Pages
  • Sermons
    • Latest Sermon
    • View All by Date
    • View by Series
    • View by Preachers
    • View by Topics
    • View by Scriptures
    • Subscribe to Our Podcast
  • Blogs
    • The Pastor’s Blog
    • Trinity Ministry Blog
  • Give
Trinity Bible Chapel