Counseling Convictions

(Romans 1:18-32; John 4:21-26; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; 10:31)

The chief end of man is to worship the one true God. In fact, worship is both pervasive and unavoidable in human life. Worship happens in the hearts of all people every day. We worship, whether consciously or not, rightly or wrongly, truthfully or falsely, compelled by the Holy Spirit or compelled by the sinful flesh. Beholding the splendor and beauty of creation will always provoke worship, either of God the Creator or creation itself (Romans 1:18-32). Fear, for example, should be viewed as an expression of worshipful reverence, whether toward God or man.

(Psalm 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The word of God provides the critical words for counseling, the lens through which we interpret life, the light for our path. God’s word is “the truth” (John 17:17), alive and active in our hearts (as yeast in dough), able to transform (1 Thessalonians 2:13), make wise (Proverbs), convict, comfort, heal, restore, and judge. The Word of God helps us discern good from evil, truth from falsehood, and everything else necessary for fruitful life before God and one another. The word of God is spiritual bread (Deuteronomy 8:2-3) and introduces us to the truth bread of life, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 6:35-40).

(Genesis 1:26-28; Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 15:10-20)

Understanding and applying a biblical anthropology to counseling is essential to biblical counseling. People are made by God in the image of God. Human nature is composed of inner person and outer person, these aspects of human nature being inseparably interdependent, with the inner person being dominant in our affection, cognition, and volition.

Faithful biblical counseling accepts God’s word on depravity and sin, where sinfulness is not primarily about doing sinful things, but a condition of heart, a soul orientation that devalues God and exalts itself at the very core. We cannot save ourselves, and utterly depend upon the grace of God in Christ for salvation, from justification through sanctification unto glorification. We are futile to please God or be transformed apart from Christ and His Spirit. Whatever rules our hearts, rules our lives, whether the Spirit of God or the sinful flesh (Galatians 5:16-23). The reason we think, feel, and act as we do can be explained by the ruling orientation of our souls. Master, mission, and treasure of our hearts drive and shape everything else.

(Romans 8:18-39; James 1:2-5; 1 Peter 5:6-11)

Suffering tends to be the reason we seek counseling in the first place. Suffering is an inevitable byproduct of human life in a fallen world; the context of normative human life; a means by which God exposes, speaks to, redeems, and sanctifies our souls. Amidst suffering, the gospel is sweeter and the Lord displays himself more glorious than ever, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or sword?” (Romans 8:35)

(Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5; 15:1-5)

The gospel is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). It refers to “the good news” of the Bible; everything that can be truthfully said about the Person and work of Jesus Christ for our salvation. The gospel represents the centerpiece of our message in biblical counseling. The story of God’s redeeming grace in Christ is the main storyline of the bible and Jesus is the hero. Christ crucified and resurrected is the climatic event of Scripture and, therefore, should be the climatic event of our counseling ministry. Understanding and applying the gospel brings real, substantial, and eternal transformation.

(Nehemiah 8:4-8; 2 Timothy 4:1-5)

If preaching Scripture represents the public ministry of the word in the church, and our individual time studying Scripture represents the private ministry of the word, then biblical counseling refers to the personal ministry of the word. Counseling represents one vital aspect of biblical discipleship. Namely, the part of discipleship focused on helping a brother or sister in the Lord respond to trouble in their lives. Faithful Counseling in the church compliments faithful preaching as they work together for building up the body of Christ in truth and grace.

(2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Peter 4:10-11)

Biblical counselors are ministers of the gospel, ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), ministers of reconciliation, and lowly mouthpieces for our crucified and risen Lord. We are stewards of “the manifold grace of God.” While biblical counselors can be licensed by professional boards or certified by associations, they do not have to be. They can serve in a wide range of settings, formal or informal. More than anything, they must be faithful to Christ and His word. They must be wise, godly, and loving.

(Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Corinthians 11:2-3)

The church is the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, and the priesthood of believers. The Lord redeemed, established, composed, commissioned, and enabled the members of His church to impart the gospel and exercise the gifts He gives for bringing about salvation and sanctification in the hearts of His people to the glory of His grace. Pastors and elders are given by God to equip the saints for the work of ministry to the building up of the body of Christ. This work of ministry can be summarized by the words, “speaking truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

(John 14:15-26; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Titus 3:4-7)

“The Change Agent” in life transformation; the Person who opens blind eyes, softens hearts to receive the message of Christ crucified and resurrected, and compels our sanctification. He is our Helper, the One who comforts us in affliction, seals us, teaches us, and brings us to repentance. The Spirit grows our faith and conforms us into the image of Jesus Christ.