Whenever I teach the Faith Bible Seminary course BC 611—Biblical Counseling Lab, I ask my students to craft a 25-word-or-less response to the question:
What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?
They’re not given a great deal of time to develop this. So it’s not their definitive answer, but their working description—that captures their heart for biblical counseling. I’ve collated responses from a couple recent lab groups. With their permission, I’m sharing (in no particular order) their descriptions for your consideration.
What Makes Biblical Counseling Truly Biblical?
Response #1
Biblical counseling involves lovingly journeying with one another as we relate the whole gospel story to the whole person’s whole story.
Response #2
Biblical counseling is believers in community connecting intimately, while drawing near to God’s heart to practically apply biblical truth to our everyday lives.
Response #3
Biblical counseling is graciously and compassionately applying the Word of God together to the challenges of life for the purpose of heart change.
Response #4
Biblical counseling is the Christ-centered, Word-based, gospel-focused, church-embedded, Spirit-dependent, progressive sanctification ministry of loving comprehensive soul care/spiritual direction addressing suffering/sin heart issues.
Response #5 (Notice the Acronym “Counseling”)
Christians with
One another,
Understanding the
Nuanced ministry of
Scripture and
Empathy,
Leading to
Intentional, Incarnational ministry,
New life in Christ, and
Growth in grace
Response #6
Authentic believers ministering to one-another as they encounter sin and suffering with the love and truth of God for His glory and their eternal good.
Response #7
Biblical counseling is lovingly comforting the afflicted and confronting sinners with the truth of Scripture, to bring about change through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Response #8
Biblical counseling is applying the comfort, hope, and truth of God’s Word to the heart of sinners and sufferers through the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit.
Response #9
Biblical counseling is coming alongside saints who suffer and sin to provide comfort, hope, repentance, and biblical wisdom through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Response #10
Biblical counseling is biblical when the counselor, counselee, and the church are committed to growing in their love and obedience to the two greatest commandments.
Response #11
Using Scripture to show the beauty of God’s redemptive story through Christ, who redeems His people by Holy Spirit, to live their lives for His glory.
Response #12
Biblical counseling is biblical when it recognizes Christ, the gospel, and the Scriptures as authoritative and sufficient to address all of life’s issues.
Response #13
Counseling that lovingly explores biblical principles to not only help sufferers to heal, but also helps them reconcile to God and grow spiritually for God’s glory.
Response #14
Biblical counseling embraces the pain of the sufferer and provides scriptural hope as people embrace Christ’s forgiveness and grow in Christlikeness—encouraging the church family.
Response #15
The loving and wise use of Scripture to help the whole person, connecting their life with the gospel story to bring wholeness into their life.
Response #16
Biblical counseling recognizes that it is the Word of God united with the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that truly changes a needy soul.
Response #17
Biblical counseling is jars of clay, who, while refusing to preach themselves, seek to disperse the knowledge of Christ while sharing their very souls with one another.
Response #18
Biblical counseling is ministering the truth, compassion, and solutions found in Scripture to the felt and true needs of a person who is suffering or sinning.
Response #19
Biblical counseling is helping people to increasingly submit all of life to the lordship of Christ.
Response #20
Biblical Counseling happens when one Spirit-filled believer strives to help another overcome struggles, suffering, and sin through the caring application of Scripture and prayer.
Response #21
Using the biblical story of redemption and gospel promises to fulfill the mission of filling up what was lacking by incarnating Christ for the church.
Response #22
Truly biblical counseling is when the Scriptures are the primary method of diagnosing, treating, and developing a perspective that addresses our need to glorify God and exalt Him forever.
Response #23
Biblical counseling is truly biblical when it emerges from Scripture, interweaves the person’s story with God’s story for sanctification and one-anothering with truth and love.
Response #24
Counsel flowing from: View of God (Holy/Love), Diagnosis of root issue (Sinful Heart), Foundation of solutions (Bible), Motivation (Please God), Method of change (Holy Spirit).
Response #25
Biblical counseling is biblical when the purpose is to glorify God, the goal is sanctification, Christ is central, Scriptures are sufficient, Christ’s love is shared.
Response #26
Biblical counseling is Heart 3: It is soul to soul ministry that connects the hearts of the counselee, the biblical counselor, and the Divine Counselor.
Response #27
Biblical counseling is the whole counsel of God, anchored in the sufficiency, authority, and inspiration of Scripture applied in a Christlike manner to the soul.
Response #28
Biblical counseling is believers helping other believers walk through suffering and overcome sin with the help of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Response #29
Biblical counseling is fallen, redeemed people using God’s Word to walk along side one another to grasp a slice of heaven in a fallen world.
Response #30
Biblical counseling is God graciously revealing in His Word, ministered by His Spirit and people, the only hope from our suffering and sinning—Christ’s grace.
Response #31
Biblical counseling is leading fellow sufferers and sinners to the cross to find hope and healing in the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin.
Response #32
Biblical counseling is God’s Spirit and Word working in and through one human to another transforming the suffering and sinful heart into further Christ-likeness.
Response #33
Biblical counselors are broken people bringing heaven’s hope and healing to hurting hearts. Biblical counseling is One for all, and all for One.
Response #34
Biblical counseling is the Spirit-empowered body of Christ, lovingly tending to souls with the Word, to prepare the Bride for the Son, to the glory of God the Father.
Response #35
Biblical counseling is speaking/living God’s Truth in love that abounds more and more in knowledge and depth of insight as we share Scripture and soul.
Response #36
Biblical counseling is soul care that deals thoroughly/compassionately with the evils we have suffered and spiritual direction that deals thoroughly/compassionately with the sins we have committed.
Join the Conversation
If you had 25-words-or-less, and 10-minutes-or-less, how would you answer the question: What makes biblical counseling truly biblical?
