A Word from Bob
Someone recently thanked me for my posts on embodied-souls (God designed us as a complex union of body and soul). Then they asked if I would share what motivates my interest in embodied-souls and biblical counseling.
Good question.
I’ll share four main reasons for my interest in embodied-souls and biblical counseling, but first some background…
What Do We Mean by “Embodied-Soul”?
Many theologians use the term “embodied soul” (which I tend to hyphenate as “embodied-soul). What do we mean by this and where do we find this perspective in Scripture?
From the very beginning, God designed us as a complex, comprehensive union of body and soul—embodied-soul.
“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
For 112 biblical passages on how God designed us, see: 112 Biblical Passages on Being Embodied-Souls.
God did not design us only as physical bodies.
God did not design us only as non-physical souls.
God did not design us as two un-united substances that do not interact and interrelate—body and soul.
God designed us as complex body/soul beings—embodied-souls. We are one being made up of a union of body/soul.
In my 2006 presentation at the Evangelical Theological Society (A Biblical Counseling Perspective on Neuroscience and the Soul), I say it with a bit more complexity:
This paper suggests that the history of soul care, historical Christian theology, scriptural exegesis, modern neuroscience, and biblical psychology/biblical counseling all unite to teach holistic functionalism. That is, a human being is one whole being with a variety of complex functioning capacities—relational (spiritual, social, self-aware), rational, volitional, emotional, and physical—with an intricate, intimate psychophysical interactionism.
What Have I Written About Embodied-Souls?
I’ve collated links and a brief introduction to most of my resources on this topic into this post:
22 Resources for Counseling the Whole Person: God Designed Us as “Embodied-Souls”
4 Motivations for Studying and Writing About Embodied-Souls and Biblical Counseling
Here are four main reasons for my interest in embodied-souls and biblical counseling.
Reason #1: 40-Year Historical/Theological Motivation—We Help People Biblically as We Understand People Biblically
For 40 years, I’ve had an interest in how God designed us. I wrote my Th.M. Thesis (Grace Theological Seminary) in the early 80s on Old Testament teaching on how God designed us—and how that relates to biblical counseling.
I wrote my first book, Soul Physicians, in 2004, on a Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation biblical view of how God designed us—and how that relates to biblical counseling.
I’ve spoken, presented, and written on embodied-souls and God’s design for us for decades—and how that relates to Christian living, biblical counseling, and our relationships to God and one another.
We help people biblical as we understand people biblically—and the Bible understands people as embodied-souls.
Reason #2: A 2-Year, Very Personal Motivation—God’s Affectionate Sovereignty
When Shirley suffered her stroke two years ago, she and I began reading everything we could on neuroplasticity related to stroke recovery/rehab. Five neurologists had warned us not to get our hopes up about Shirley ever walking again. Last month, we walked a mile together! PTL. We believe that part of what the Lord has used is our research into neuroplasticity—we are embodied-souls.
As I will say more about in my third point, I’ve since been even more motivated to study how neuroscience research might relate to biblical counseling—as we counsel people who are embodied-souls. God has lovingly and sovereignly motivated me to study this further, as He has lovingly and sovereignly ministered to and been healing Shirley as an embodied-soul.
Reason #3: Current Motivation—Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Our stroke-related research, combined with my 40-year history of study/writing on how God fearfully and wonderfully made us, has deepened and enriched my desire to continue to learn what the Bible teaches on our being designed by God as embodied-souls and the implications of that for Christian living and biblical counseling.
Under the authority and sufficiency of Scripture, I am seeking to study, understand, and apply biblical truth and scientific research to our ministry as biblical counselors.
Reason #4: Biblical Counseling Motivation—Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls
Lately, I’ve been describing my biblical counseling approach like this:
I am seeking to be a gospel-centered, theologically-saturated, relationship-focused, church history-informed, research-aware soul physician of embodied-souls.
The “modern biblical counseling movement” is, as the term “modern” suggests, a young/youthful movement. It has existed just 50 years—out of 2,000 years of church history. All of us as members of this youthful movement, need to humbly acknowledge that we have much to learn about soul care: from Scripture and from church history.
Our young, modern biblical counseling movement has tended to be slow, and even hesitant, to examine a rich, robust, relevant, relational theology of “physicality” and of how God designed us as “embodied-souls.”
I’m motivated to be a small part of the process of helping our “young movement” mature in our biblical understanding and practical application of being soul physicians of embodied souls.
If you read my recent posts (22 Resources for Counseling the Whole Person: God Designed Us as “Embodied-Souls”), you’ll quickly notice that for the most part I am not yet drawing any conclusions.
Instead:
I am seeking to collate biblical passages, theological studies, church history resources, and primary source research so that you can come to your own biblical conclusions about biblical counseling and embodied-souls—about being a soul physician of embodied-souls.
