A Word from Bob: You’re reading Part 10 of a 10-part blog series on 10 Common Mistakes Biblical Counselors Sometimes Make. This blog series ended up becoming my book, Consider Your Counsel: Addressing Ten Mistakes in Our Biblical Counseling. 

• Mistake #1: We Elevate Data Collection Above Soul Connection.
• Mistake #2: We Share God’s Eternal Story Before We Listen Well and Wisely to Our Friend’s Earthly Story.
• Mistake #3: We Talk at Counselees Rather Than Exploring Scriptures with Counselees.
• Mistake #4: We Practice Half-Biblical Counseling If We Address Sin but Neglect Suffering.
• Mistake #5: We Fail to Follow the Trinity’s Model of Comforting Care.
• Mistake #6: We Tend to View People One-Dimensionally.
• Mistake #7: We Devalue Emotions Rather Than Seeing Emotions as God’s Idea.
• Mistake #8: We Minimize the Complexity of the Soul-Body Interconnection.
• Mistake #9: We Maximize Sin While We Minimize Grace.

Mistake #10: We Confuse the Sufficiency of Scripture with the Competency of the Counselor

Today’s title—with words like “sufficiency” and “competency”—may seem like the most “technical” of these ten mistakes. However, this final topic may be one of the most practical.

I was recently contacted by a lay biblical counselor (let’s call him Jim) who was just beginning his MA degree in Biblical Counseling. Jim was approached by a man who was hearing voices, among several other concerns. Jim explained:

“Bob, I feel out of my league. I’m a rookie counselor at best. But I keep hearing that since the Scriptures are sufficient for all soul issues, therefore every Christian is a competent biblical counselor. The implication I feel like I’m hearing is that since the Scriptures are sufficient, then I should have the faith to take on any counseling issue the Lord sends my way. I feel guilty for doubting whether I’m equipped to take on this case…”

If you’ve counseled at all, then you’ve likely felt like Jim—confident in God’s sufficient Word, concerned about your competency, and wondering whether your concern is wisdom-based or fear-based. This is why as biblical counselors we need to clarify the relationship between scriptural sufficiency and counselor competency.

A Brief Introduction to the “Sufficiency of Scripture” 

To address this practical issue, it’s important that we understand what the biblical counseling movement means by scriptural sufficiency. In Part 6, we introduced the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Confessional Statement. The first of the twelve statements highlights scriptural sufficiency under the header of Biblical Counseling Must Be Anchored in Scripture. Here is the succinct (379 words) summary of what sufficiency is and what it is not.

       We believe that God’s Word is authoritative, sufficient, and relevant (Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 4:12-13). The inspired and inerrant Scriptures, rightly interpreted and carefully applied, offer us God’s comprehensive wisdom. We learn to understand who God is, who we are, the problems we face, how people change, and God’s provision for that change in the Gospel (John 8:31-32; 10:10; 17:17). No other source of knowledge thoroughly equips us to counsel in ways that transform the human heart (Psalm 19:7-14; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). Other systems of counseling aim for other goals and assume a different dynamic of change. The wisdom given by God in His Word is distinctive and robust. He comprehensively addresses the sin and suffering of all people in all situations.

       Wise counseling is an insightful application of God’s all-embracing truth to our complex lives (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6; Philippians 1:9-11). It does not merely collect proof-texts from the Bible. Wise counseling requires ongoing practical theological labor in order to understand Scripture, people, and situations (2 Timothy 2:15). We must continually develop our personal character, case­-wise understanding of people, and pastoral skills (Romans 15:14; Colossians 1:28-29).

       When we say that Scripture is comprehensive in wisdom, we mean that the Bible makes sense of all things, not that it contains all the information people could ever know about all topics. God’s common grace brings many good things to human life. However, common grace cannot save us from our struggles with sin or from the troubles that beset us. Common grace cannot sanctify or cure the soul of all that ails the human condition. We affirm that numerous sources (such as scientific research, organized observations about human behavior, those we counsel, reflection on our own life experience, literature, film, and history) can con­tribute to our knowledge of people, and many sources can contribute some relief for the troubles of life. However, none can constitute a comprehensive system of counseling principles and practices. When systems of thought and practice claim to prescribe a cure for the human condition, they compete with Christ (Colossians 2:1-15). Scripture alone teaches a perspective and way of looking at life by which we can think biblically about and critically evaluate information and actions from any source (Colossians 2:2-10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Thus, by “sufficiency of Scripture” we mean that God’s Word provides comprehensive wisdom for life in our broken world. While other resources can contribute to our understanding of life, only the Scriptures provide the overarching perspective by which we can critically evaluate all other potential sources of truth.

A Brief Introduction to Growing as a Competent Biblical Counselor

In Romans 15:14, Paul states that he’s convinced that Christians have the capacity to become competent to comfort, encourage, confront, and disciple one another. When Paul used the word “convinced,” he chose a word that means an internal conviction based upon external evidence. Here’s the “4C” evidence or résumé from Romans 15:14 of a Christian who is becoming competent to counsel:

• Christlike Character: We are growing in goodness—“full of goodness.”
• Biblical Content (Applied to Life): We are growing in biblical wisdom—“complete in knowledge.”
• Counseling Competence: We are growing in our ability to relate truth to life—“competent to instruct.”
• Christian Community: We are growing in Christian one-another relational ministry—“brothers,” “one another.”

This foundational verse highlighted by the modern biblical counseling movement has embedded within it “markers” that we can use to assess our growing competency. This is why a central hallmark of the modern biblical counseling movement has always been ongoing equipping:

• Ongoing self-counsel and one-another mutual ministry to grow in Christlike character.
• Ongoing reading, training, and education to grow in biblical content.
• Ongoing supervised experience to grow in counseling competence.
• Ongoing connection to the larger body of Christ to grow within the context of Christian community.

Thus, no Christian is automatically competent to counsel every issue that any person might ever have. Initial and ongoing growth is biblically required. As we read earlier from the Confessional Statement:

Wise counseling requires ongoing practical theological labor in order to understand Scripture, people, and situations (2 Timothy 2:15). We must continually develop our personal character, case­-wise understanding of people, and pastoral skills (Romans 15:14; Colossians 1:28-29).

Further, no Christian is self-sufficiently competent to counsel. Our competency is dependent on Christ. Speaking of his ministry—after years of education and ministry experience—Paul states:

“Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6).

We are incompetent to counsel in our own strength and knowledge.

Additionally, no Christian is independently competent to counsel. We are one body made up of many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-31). No part of the body can say to another part, “I don’t need you!” (2 Corinthians 12:21). The Scriptures are sufficient; we are not sufficient.

Christians can become increasingly competent to counsel through being equipped by the body of Christ, through humble dependence upon Christ, and through mutual ministry within the body of Christ.

2 Preliminary Ways to Assess Our Competency 

Let’s return to Jim. By his own admission, he’s a “rookie counselor.” If he read this post, he’d be quick to say:

“I agree. I’m not automatically, self-sufficiently, or independently competent to counsel this man who is hearing voices! Yet, I’m a rookie counselor who believes and trusts God’s sufficient Word. So, what should I do, Bob?”

1. Competency Assessment #1: “What’s my level of overall growth and maturity in the ‘4Cs’ (Character, Content, Competence, Community) of Romans 15:14?”

Before we counsel others, we should be doing some self-counsel and we should be receiving feedback from others.

• “To what degree am I growing in Christlike character, biblical content, counseling competency, and Christian community?”
• “What equipping and discipleship am I receiving to help me to grow in Christlike character, biblical content, counseling competency, and Christian community?”
• “What feedback am I receiving from others about my own progressive sanctification journey in Christlike character, biblical content, counseling competency, and Christian community?”
• “Am I at a stage in my Christian life where I’d be better off receiving formal counseling rather than giving informal one-another ministry or formal biblical counseling?”

2. Competency Assessment #2: “What’s my level of ‘4C’ equipping related to this particular issue I’m being asked to address?” 

• Character Assessment: “I’m being asked to help someone with anger issues. To what degree do I evidence growing Christlike maturity and progressive sanctification with this issue?”
• Content Assessment: “I’m being asked to help someone with self-harm and cutting issues. What’s my level of biblical knowledge, formal training, and personal research about this issue?”
• Competency Assessment: “I’m being asked to counsel someone dealing with past sexual abuse. What’s my level of supervised experience with this sensitive issue?”
• Community Assessment: “I’m being asked to counsel someone hearing voices. Am I the best person in our church and in the surrounding Christian community to address this issue? Or, are there others who are more qualified, and should I play more of a support role?” “If I am qualified to counsel, what additional help do I need to ensure that I minister well?”

5 Guidelines to Assure That Competent Help Is Provided 

Notice the precise wording in this header: to assure that competent help is provided. The united body of Christ through the power of Christ and the sufficiency of Scripture is competent to provide help for soul issues. However, no one individual is competent to provide all help for all issues.

We’ve been talking about Jim “the rookie counselor.” Let’s talk now about Bob “the experienced counselor.” After almost four decades of counseling and almost three decades of equipping counselors, I do not see myself as automatically competent to counsel every person with every issue. For example, I’ve not had a great deal of education, nor do I have a great deal of experience counseling people regarding cutting and self-harm. So, if someone came to me requesting my help with that issue, what might I do? What should you do? If we self-assess and determine that we don’t have enough “4C” qualification, what might we do?

1. Guideline #1: Always Insist Upon a Comprehensive Body of Christ Team Approach

Regardless of whether I have sufficient training and experience with a given counseling issue, I always insist on a team approach. If a Christian is coming to a biblical counselor, they should be attending church, spending time in the Word and prayer, be involved in a small group, men’s group, or women’s group, have had a recent complete physical, etc. Depending on the issue and the resources in the church and community, they should also be involved in an issue-specific “recovery” group. They should be reading good Christian resources related to their issue. Ideally, they also have a family member or friend attending counseling with them as an advocate.

Counseling is one subset of the wider encouragement and discipleship ministry of the church. Counseling is not some “magic therapy hour” that negates the other 167 hours of the week. We always want to communicate:

We are not the answer; Christ is the answer; growth in grace is a church community journey.

2. Guideline #2: Prayerfully Ponder Whether the Wider Resources of the Universal Body of Christ May Be Needed

The context of Romans 15:14 indicates that no one church is necessarily autonomously proficient to address every counseling issue. Paul writes Romans to the churches of the city of Rome. In Romans 16, he addresses some of the many house churches in Rome. In a similar context, Paul leaves Timothy in Crete to appoint elders in every town (Titus 1:5).

The New Testament assumes the interdependency of likeminded churches within a geographical area. Thus it is totally appropriate for a church to utilize the expertise of other churches (and para-church ministries) in the universal body of Christ.

3. Guideline #3: Prayerfully Ponder Whether Resources Outside the Church May Be Needed

The complexity and interrelated nature of many issues require resources in addition to the church. We saw in Mistakes #6 and #8 the need for adjunctive resources—as the Confessional Statement of the Biblical Counseling Coalition wisely reminds us:

       We recognize the complexity of the relationship between the body and soul (Genesis 2:7). Because of this, we seek to remain sensitive to physical factors and organic issues that affect people’s lives. In our desire to help people comprehensively, we seek to apply God’s Word to people’s lives amid bodily strengths and weaknesses. We encourage a thorough assessment and sound treatment for any suspected physical problems.

       We recognize the complexity of the connection between people and their social environment. Thus we seek to remain sensitive to the impact of suffering and of the great variety of significant social-cultural factors (1 Peter 3:8-22). In our desire to help people comprehensively, we seek to apply God’s Word to people’s lives amid both positive and negative social experiences. We encourage people to seek appropriate practical aid when their problems have a component that involves education, work life, finances, legal matters, criminality (either as a victim or a perpetrator), and other social matters.

4. Guideline #4: Have a Candid Conversation, Mutually Determine Your Next Steps, Potentially Refer to Others in the Body of Christ, But Remain Part of a Team Approach

If we sense that a counselee’s need might be outside our “4C” competence, then we could share:

“The issue you’re wrestling with is very important and I want to be sure you have the best help possible. Though I’ve counseled for years, I’m not all that experienced in counseling people who struggle with cutting. I know a biblical counselor within driving distance who has done so much work in this area that they’ve literally ‘written the book on it.’ Let’s talk about whether I’m the best person to provide primary care for you, or whether this other counselor might be a better fit. If so, I could come along side and provide support…” 

Ideally, you could still participate in the counseling as an advocate, or counselor-in-training, or eventually as a co-counselor. If not, the counselee could sign a release of information so you are kept informed by the other biblical counselor. And you can meet informally for one-another ministry, encouragement, and discipleship as adjunctive help.

5. Guidelines #5: Potentially Decide to Be the Primary Care-Giver, but Become Further Equipped and Be Supervised 

There are other times when you and your counselee might have a candid conversation about your competency to counsel them, and you mutually decide that you will be their primary counselor. As always, there is a team approach, and now you add even more avenues for support for them and avenues of equipping and supervision for you. For instance:

• You counsel them under supervision from a more experienced biblical counselor—who reads your case notes, listens to your recorded counseling sessions, and provides ongoing mentoring.
• You do extensive research and study—exploring the Bible’s teaching on the issue, reading biblical counseling books on the subject, and reading descriptive research on the subject.
• You attend specialized seminars, courses, and conferences to obtain further training.
• You learn from and together with your counselee. Early in my counseling ministry, a man asked for help dealing with past sexual abuse. I had my master’s degree. I had specialized course work in sexual abuse counseling. But I had not counseled anyone who had been sexually abused. He still wanted me to counsel him. I asked him to teach me, to help me to understand his heart, his suffering, his hurts, his walk with God.

It’s All About Humility… 

At the end of the day, it’s all about humility. The Word is sufficient. We are incompetent in ourselves. Any competency comes from Christ. Specific counseling competency requires ongoing “4C” growth. And even the most competent biblical counselor must depend upon the comprehensive resources of the body of Christ.

Assessing Our Biblical Counseling 

1. As biblical counselors, do we understand that while the Scriptures are sufficient for every soul issue, no individual counselor is competent for every soul issue?

2. As biblical counselors, are we committed to ongoing “4C” growth in Christlike character, biblical content, counseling competency, and Christian community?

3. As biblical counselors do we insist upon a comprehensive body of Christ team approach where we humbly acknowledge our need for Christ and the body of Christ?

4. As biblical counselors are we humbly willing to refer to other more experienced biblical counselors? Are we humbly willing to receive additional biblical supervision and equipping?

The Rest of the Story 

Our 10-part series has a bonus 11^th post! I invite you to join us for the final post in this series. We’ll collate all ten of the previous self-assessment questions into a 40-Question Biblical Counselor Self-Assessment.