The Bible on Biblical Counseling

In April of 2024, the Association of Biblical Counselors published my latest book: 

Parakaleo and Noutheteo: Understanding and Applying Two Richly Practical Biblical Counseling Words.    

As the title and subtitle suggest, both parakaleo and noutheteo are important biblical words for biblical counseling.

Yesterday, I shared an excerpt from my book:

12 Reasons Parakaleo Provides a Comprehensive Summary of Biblical Counseling

Today, I’ll share another excerpt from Parakaleo and Noutheteo. Our focus:

How does the Bible compare the significance of parakaleo and noutheteo for developing a model of biblical counseling?

The Noutheteo Word Group Is an Important Ministry Term 

In theology, we learn of the verbal, plenary inspiration of Scripture. Every word of Scripture is important because every word in God’s Word is inspired—breathed out—by God.

So, even if noutheteo and nouthesia were each only used once, they would be God-breathed words of importance. Since we find noutheteo 8 times in the New Testament and nouthesia 3 times, these concepts are biblically important—to God and to us.

The Specific and Limited Biblical Context for Nouthetic Ministry 

The New Testament uses the noutheteo word group in specific ministry settings related to:

• Cautionary instruction.
• Words of warning to ward off wandering.

Noutheteo was used exclusively in the contexts of:

• Potential external danger.
• Potential internal temptation.
• Already existing internal straying.
• Positive challenge to stay Christ-centered and not to stray from Christlikeness.

Jay Adams on the Importance of Nouthetic Ministry 

Jay Adams sought to nuance the importance of nouthetic ministry.

“I have no great zeal for the label ‘nouthetic’ beyond its obvious advantages. However, since every school of thought eventually must be identified by an adjective, I should prefer to choose that adjective for myself. The importance of the word, however, as describing a regulative central activity involved in the ministry of the Word should not be missed.”[i]

Adams derived his assessment, in part, from Acts 20:31. “So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”

“The regularity and intense nature of Paul’s counsel during his three-year ministry at Ephesus is emphasized by these words. If Paul found it necessary to counsel nouthetically for that entire period, as he said, surely our churches need it, too.”[ii]

“…nouthetic confrontation took up a fair share of Paul’s time if he engaged in it night and day for three years without ceasing.”[iii]

I concur. Nouthetic ministry is an important part of the personal ministry of the Word.

However, is it accurate to say that nouthetic ministry was “a regulative central activity” of Paul? What does the Bible say?

Keeping Biblical Counseling Comprehensively Biblical: Paul’s Comprehensive, Multifaceted Ministry in Ephesus 

Jay Adams’s observation about Acts 20:31 and the nature of Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus was a catalyst for me to examine additional biblical passages about Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.

• What all did Paul do in Ephesus?
• Did Paul only or primarily engage in nouthetic ministry?
• Or, did Paul engage in multifaceted ministry in Ephesus?

Let’s allow the biblical text to answer these vital questions.

1. Paul strengthened (episterizo) all the disciples: Acts 18:23
2. Paul taught about the Holy Spirit: Acts 19:1-7
3. Paul taught about the baptism of Spirit: Acts19:1-7
4. Paul spoke boldly (parresiazomai) for three monthsabout the Kingdom: Acts 19:8
5. Paul reasoned (dialegomai) for three monthsabout the Kingdom: Acts 19:8
6. Paul persuaded (peitho) the people for three monthsabout the Kingdom: Acts 19:8; Acts 19:26
7. Paul continued daily for two yearsreasoning (dialegomai) (interactive dialogue/trialogue discission and discourse from the Scriptures) so the people heard the Word of the Lord: Acts 19:9-10
8. Paul performed miracles: Acts 19:11
9. Paul healed the sick: Acts 19:12
10. Paul cast out demons: Acts 19:12
11. Paul turned away (methistemi) many from following false gods: Acts 19:26
12. Paul encouraged (parakaleo) the disciples: Acts 20:1
13. Paul encouraged (parakaleo) many with many words: Acts 20:2
14. Paul lived as an example/model to the believers for three years: Acts 20:18
15. Paul served the Lord in their midst with humility and tears for three years: Acts 20:19
16. Paul modeled trust in the Lord in the midst of severe testing/persecution: Acts 20:19
17. Paul did not hesitate to preach/proclaim (anangello) (to bring back word, announce, report, declare, set forth, teach) anything that was helpful to the Ephesians for three years: Acts 20:20
18. Paul taught (didasko) the Ephesians publicly for three years: Acts 20:20
19. Paul taught (didasko) the Ephesians from house to house for three years: Acts 20:20
20. Paul testified/declared (diamartyromai) (to declare solemnly, to make an affirmation) to turn to God in repentance and to have faith in Christ: Acts 20:21
21. Paul testified (diamartyromai) to the Good News of God’s Grace: Acts 20:24
22. Paul proclaimed (kerysso) (to proclaim, herald, announce openly and publicly, to announce doctrine, to inculcate, to preach the Kingdom) for three years: Acts 20:25
23. Paul testified (martyromai) (call to witness, make a solemn appeal): Acts 20:26
24. Paul did not cease for three years from announcing/proclaiming (anangello) to the Ephesians the whole purpose/will (boule) (counsel, purpose, design) of God: Acts 20:27
25. Paul did not cease warning (noutheteo) each of the Ephesian elders for three years: Acts 20:31
26. Paul commended (paratithemi) the Ephesian elders to the word of God’s Grace: Acts 20:32
27. Paul lived a godly life among them: Acts 20:33-35
28. Paul worked hard to supply his own needs: Acts 20:33-35
29. Paul gave sacrificially to help the weak: Acts 20:33-35
30. Paul prayed: Acts 20:36

What did Paul do during his three years in Ephesus?

• Paul had a richly multifaceted ministry of the Word with the Ephesians for three years.
• Contextually—when the need for warning arose, Paul never hesitated during his three years to provided nouthetic ministry.
• However, outside the context of a need for warning, Paul engaged consistently in nearly three dozen other non-nouthetic types of ministry.

Nouthetic ministry is important, but it is only one facet in our multifaceted personal ministry calling from God.

Even in the 11 verses that use the noutheteo word family, Paul uses at least 9 other terms for word-based ministry: (didasko/teaching), (paidea/training), (parakaleo/encouraging, comforting), (katangello/preaching/proclaiming), (proistemi/caring, working tirelessly), (trepho/nurturing), (paramytheomai/comforting), (antecho/helping), and (makrothumeo/patience).

The Scriptures do not designate the noutheteo/nouthesia word group as a stand-alone model for biblical counseling.

Comparing Parakaletic Ministry and Nouthetic Ministry 

Both parakaletic and nouthetic are legitimate, important aspects of the personal ministry of the Word. That’s why I wrote Parakaleo and Noutheteo.

That said, it is important to consider how the Bible itself uses these terms. I would encourage you (pun intended) to read yesterday’s post

12 Reasons Parakaleo Provides a Comprehensive Summary of Biblical Counseling

Here are just a few sample summaries from that post:

• New Testament writers use the parakaleo word group 143 times, while using the noutheteo word group 11 The parakaleo word group is used 13 times more frequently than the noutheteo word group.
• In at least 48 verses, Paul, in many diverse ways, describes his ministry calling, identifies his regular practice of ministry activity, and labels the goal of his ministry using the parakaleo word family. By contrast, Paul describes his own ministry with the noutheteo family of words only 3 
• The Bible uses the noutheteo word group in the specific context of warning about temptation and sin—a valid, important, and even frequent context in the Christian life. However, the parakaleo word group comprehensively covers the four classic aspects of historic Christian soul care:

1. Sustaining Empathy for Saints Who Suffer
2. Healing Encouragement for Saints Who Suffer
3. Reconciling Exhortation for Saints Who Battle Against Sin
4. Guiding Empowerment/Equipping for Saints Growing in Sanctification

Noutheteo highlights one primary aspect of biblical counseling: warning for temptation and sin.

Parakaleo expansively emphasizes a full-orbed, comprehensive, multifaceted approach to who we are in Christ as saints who endure suffering and battle sin on our sanctification journey. 

 

3 Assessments of Our Biblical Counseling

1. Because Paul engaged in over two dozen non-nouthetic types of ministry in Ephesus, I concluded that nouthetic ministry is important, but it is only one facet in our multifaceted personal ministry calling. Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? In your ministry, what would the implications be if you agreed with this assessment?

2. Parakaleo expansively emphasizes a full-orbed approach to who we are in Christ as saints who endure suffering and battle sin on our sanctification journey. In your ministry, what might be some applications of this summary of parakaleo?

3. The Bible uses the noutheteo word group in the specific context of warning about temptation and sin. The Bible uses the parakaleo word group comprehensively covers the four classic aspects of historic Christian soul care (sustaining empathy, healing encouragement, reconciling exhortation, and guiding empowerment). How could you apply these biblical truths to your biblical counseling ministry?