A Word from Bob
Recently, I concluded a three-part blog mini-series, which I turned into a free PDF: Discussing and Applying Jeremy Lelek’s Biblical Counseling Basics.
I decided to engage with another important biblical counseling book, Nate Brooks’s Identifying Heart Transformation: Exploring Different Kinds of Human Change. As with my engagement with Lelek’s book, so with Brooks’s book, my interactions are more than a book review. Instead, I want us to discuss and apply Nate’s book. Here’s how I’ll seek to do that:
- First, I’ll share my initial impression of Identifying Heart Transformation (IHT).
- Second, I’ll briefly introduce you to the author, Dr. Nate Brooks, and to his book.
- Third, to provide the context for discussing the book, I’ll provide representative quotes that seek to capture the essence of various topics covered in the book.
- Fourth, I’ll seek to apply the book by asking questions for us to ponder. As a professor, I called these “PDQs”: Prompting Discussion Q Sometimes those PDQs will be directed to all of us. Sometimes I’ll specifically ask Dr. Brooks a PDQ.
My Initial Impression: Scripture-Saturated, Theologically-Rich
They say that once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. If that’s true, then what would 401 times indicate? That’s how many times—401—that Dr. Brooks engages with Scripture, quotes Scripture, discusses Scripture, develops biblical passages, and applies the Bible to the Christian life and to biblical counseling. In a 111-page book, I would have expected perhaps 100 biblical passages. Instead, I counted 401 biblical passages. That’s about four Bible passages per page.
That’s not all. In addition to exegeting and applying specific biblical passages, throughout the book, Dr. Brooks explores and develops a biblical theology/systematic theology of the heart. In fact, we could rightly label Identifying Heart Transformation as theological anthropology.
Additionally, throughout Identifying Heart Transformation, Brooks quotes scores of conservative, evangelical, Reformed Confessions of Faith, commentaries, theologians, pastors, authors, and biblical counselors. For example, and this is just a small sampler, Brooks quotes and interacts with:
- The Second Helvetic Confession
- Puritan Thomas Watson
- Biblical counselor Jeremy Lelek
- The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament
- Reformer John Calvin
- Theologian and Christian author Anthony Hoekema
- Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck
- Puritan John Owen
- American Puritan Johathan Edwards
- Evangelical theologian John Frame
- The Westminster Confession of Faith
- The Journal of Biblical Counseling
- Commentator C. F. Keil
- Systematic theologian Charles Hodge
- Puritan Thomas Goodwin
- Systematic theologian G. T. Shedd
- Systematic theologian Louis Berkhof
- Biblical counselor David Powlison
- Biblical counselor Jim Newheiser
- Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung
- Commentator David L. Turner
- Commentator Philip Graham Ryken
- Biblical counselors Krista and David Dunham
- Theologian and commentator D. A. Carson
With its 401 biblical passages and with its theological anthropology, Nate Brooks’s Identifying Heart Transformation is Scripture-saturated and theologically-rich. One might even say that Brooks’s writing is Bible-infused and theology-infected.
Meet Dr. Nate Brooks
Dr. Nate Brooks is Associate Professor of Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He joined the faculty at Southeastern in 2023 after previously teaching at Reformed Theological Seminary. Dr. Brooks teaches both introductory and specialized biblical
counseling courses, covering theological method, history, and the biblical evaluation of psychological theories as well as the supervision of students throughout their practicums. Pastor Brooks also serves as the Counseling Minister at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville.
Dr. Brooks is the founder and director of Courage Christian Counseling, a practice that specializes in providing virtual counseling for survivors and perpetrators of abuse and trauma. He also frequently does consulting and training for churches across multiple denominations on the topic of abuse and trauma.
Dr. Brooks lives in Youngsville, NC with his wife, Kate, and three children. Kate too is a counselor, with a specialty focus in chronic pain and illness. Dr. Brooks enjoys distance running in his free time.
Dr. Brooks education includes:
- The Master’s University, B.S. (2009)
- The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, M.Div. (2016)
- Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Ph.D. (2019)
What Is Identifying Heart Transformation (IHT) About?
The following is the book’s description from the publisher, Shepherd Press.
“Some people think that only Christians can experience “real change” or “lasting change.” However, such observations don’t hold up in real life. Confusion about change often exists because our understanding of the nature of the heart is underdeveloped. Both unbelievers and believers can change their thoughts, desires, and choices, because doing so doesn’t require a change of heart. Only Christians, however, can experience change at the deepest level of their humanity, as the Holy Spirit fundamentally changes them by renovating their hearts through the process of progressive sanctification. In this helpful book, Nate Brooks provides penetrating analysis and practical application.”
Here’s how I would summarize the book:
Identifying Heart Change takes a step back from the details of specific changes, such as how to change when struggling with anxiety, or battling pornography. It goes behind the scenes and inside the heart to examine what the Bible says about change at the heart level—legitimate, genuine Christian change that is the foundation for all specific change in desires, thoughts, and choices.
Here’s a review at the Biblical Counseling Coalition, by Dr. David Deuel, that introduces the book: Book Review of Identifying Heart Transformation. In the review, Deuel notes:
“Because understanding heart change is essential to the spiritual growth of every believer, Nate Brooks’ study is a must-read for all. Christian leaders who constantly challenge God’s people to change in their hearts before they can change in their character and behavior will especially benefit from the author’s gift for explaining complex details in understandable and memorable ways. In fact, the book could be used in Sunday school classes as well as seminary classrooms. This reader enthusiastically recommends Nate Brook’s study.”
And here’s a 30-minute video interview with Dr. Brooks: How Do We Identify Real Heart Transformation?
What Others Are Saying About IHT
Endorsements provide a good introduction to a book’s focus. Numerous biblical counseling leaders endorsed Identifying Heart Transformation. Here’s a sampling:
“Dr. Nate Brooks has provided the reader with thoroughly biblical and helpful categories. Dr. Brooks provides clarifying categories of anthropology and sanctification in a way that sets the stage to better understand and help people. This important work provides clarity on the human heart and change in a way you, perhaps, have not seen until now”—Greg Gifford
“Nate Brooks takes the reader on a deep journey into the one place where the deepest kind of change begins: the human heart. By peeling away misconceptions and misunderstandings of the way the heart works, this book leaves the reader with renewed hope that God-honoring change is possible through the power of God’s grace. It will be a great blessing to the church”—Mike Kruger
“Nate takes us through necessary theology, then helps us discern what it looks like for us to be in Christ”—Ed Welch
PDQs About Embodied-Souls
Brooks’s first chapter starts with a focus on “Mankind As Body and Soul” (21). As Brooks describes us:
“God created both the body and the soul (Genesis 2:7). First man’s body is formed out of the dust, and then the soul comes into existences as God’s breath of life fills that lifeless body. Together, the body and the soul make up a human person” (22).
While highlighting the unity of body/soul, and the importance of the body, Brooks equally emphasizes the ultimate role of the soul in change.
“The deepest change a person can experience happens in their soul because the soul is the core of who they are” (23).
In a section reminiscent of Romans 8:17-27, Dr. Brooks acknowledges the tension of living in a fallen body with a redeemed soul.
“Although our bodies will be made new, that event is still future and will occur only at the final resurrection. In the meantime, every Christian feels the tension of being half alive and half decaying as our regenerated souls are not matched by regenerated flesh and blood” (23).
Prompting Discussion Questions (PDQs) for Dr. Brooks: In your biblical counseling ministry to people who have suffered traumatic suffering, how do you apply the truth that we are embodied-souls? How do you apply the reality that as Christians we are redeemed souls living in fallen bodies?
PDQs About Biblical Terms for the Inner Person
Next, Dr. Brooks provides a lengthy section where he discusses various biblical terms for our inner person. He sees these as overlapping terms, yet with some distinctives:
- Soul: Often used to refer to our immaterial substance and often stands for the entirety of the inner person (24-25).
- Spirit: While soul speaks to our aliveness, spirit highlights how human beings are related to God (25-26).
- Mind: Like soul and spirit, mind often refers to the whole of our inner person, while it tends to highlight our ability to reason (26).
- Heart: Highlights how our inner person has a moral orientation, and is often used as the origin point for our thoughts, desires, and choices (26-27).
In summary, Brooks explains, “the Bible uses the terms ‘heart,’ ‘soul,’ ‘mind,’ and ‘spirit’ in coordination with one another and not in contrast” (28).
Brooks asks himself a prompting discussion question, when he asks, why then highlight “heart” in the title of the book—Identifying Heart Transformation?
“The term ‘heart’ is the proper term to use when talking about sanctification or moral change, as ‘heart’ is the term that speaks to our inner person’s moral condition…. The reason we speak about ‘heart change’ is because the Bible views ‘heart’ as the most encompassing term for how you and I function in life. The heart is where our moral orientation lies” (30).
PDQs for All of Us: Brooks explains that “the heart is where our thinking, our desiring, and our choosing take place as we dynamically interact with ourselves, others, and our circumstances” (30). In this, Brooks is applying Proverbs 4:23. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Practically speaking, what do you do to guard your heart—your moral, rational, affectional, volitional, emotional control center?
PDQs About Three Operations of the Heart: Reasoning, Desiring, and Choosing
In chapter 2, Dr. Brooks contends that reasoning, desiring, and choosing are the three primary processes or “operations” of the heart. On pages 33-34, Brooks lists numerous biblical passages to support this idea. Rightly, Brooks explains that, “Now we must understand that all three of these processes are interwoven with one another” (35).
PDQs for Dr. Brooks: This is a more nuanced question here, one that arises because of my own work on understanding the Bible’s teaching on the inner person. In Gospel-Centered Counseling: How Christ Changes Us, I present my biblical understanding of the heart as having “four chambers” and not just three:
- Chamber 1: Relational Affections (Desires): We are spiritual, social, self-aware relational beings designed by God with desires and affections.
- Chamber 2: Rational Cognition (Reason): We are rational beings created by God to think in both images (pictures) and ideas (propositions).
- Chamber 3: Volition Motivation and Actions (Will): We are volitional beings created by God with a will to choose and act.
- Chamber 4: Emotional Reaction (Feelings/Emotions): We are emotional beings designed by God to respond both to our outer world of circumstances and our inner world.
So, my personal PDQ to Dr. Brooks: How do you see your three-chamber model in comparison to my four-chamber model of the heart? (Note: I believe they are both “biblical models.”) Are our two models overlapping models? Different models? Saying the same thing but in different ways?
PDQs About Heart Orientations
Dr. Brooks succinctly describes a vital aspect of this discussion.
“The Bible describes the heart as having an orientation—it treasures righteousness or it treasures unrighteousness. Our hearts are not blank slates, but rather are deeply committed one way or the other” (36).
“The orientation of our heart dictates the morality of our reasoning, desiring, and willing” (40).
Brooks then spends several pages developing how the Bible describes and contrasts these two orientations of unrighteousness (36-38) or righteousness (38-40).
PDQs for Dr. Brooks: What are the practical biblical counseling implications and applications to this reality of two orientations? What is the application of this biblical truth when a biblical counselor is working with a non-Christian counselee?
PDQs About Change and Unbelievers
Chapter three is a very nuanced chapter in a very nuanced book. Dr. Brooks starts by making two important points:
“Sometimes the idea is carelessly thrown around in Christian circles that ‘only Christians can experience real change’” (46).
“Another idea that sometimes rears its head is that ‘only Christians can experience lasting change’” (46).
While positing that non-Christians can “change,” Brooks develops a theology of the unsaved heart. The unsaved heart is unbelieving, dead, and expresses itself in rebellion (47-49). Yet, as the Westminster Confession of Faith notes, the unsaved person can be involved in “civic righteousness” (49-50).
In summary, Brooks states that an unsaved person “can have new thoughts, desires, and choices, and yet not have experienced any regeneration of heart” (55). “Until the deepest part of the person is brought to life through regeneration, none of these changes is of mora benefit before God” (58).
PDQs for Dr. Brooks: What do these theological truths about the unsaved heart have to say about the role of secular therapy and contributing to civic righteousness? What do these theological truths have to say about the role of the biblical counselor working with a non-Christian counselee?
PDQs About Christian Change
Having established that non-Christians can change, but not at the heart level, Brooks next discusses the focus of his book—the nature of Christian heart change. He develops the biblical doctrines of regeneration and sanctification (59-69).
But if we have a new heart with renewed affections, reasonings, and choices, then why do we still battle?
“The bringing of new life into our hearts does not fix everything about us instantly. Regeneration gives the heart a new nature and the ability to desire to please God. However, this new ability is far from being the only impulse within us…. The Bible teaches that we continue to struggle badly with sin because after regeneration two natures exist within us” (63).
The progressive sanctification of the new heart is “a product of ‘grace-driven effort” with “two overall means by which God sanctifies our hearts” which Brooks identifies as “the Word of God and conversation with the godly” (67).
PDQs for All of Us: As biblical counselors, how do we assist counselees to avail themselves of the two primary means of heart change—the Word of God and the personal ministry of the Word?
PDQs About the Thesis of the Book
Near the end of his book, Dr. Brooks more specifically addresses “the thesis of this book, that there are two different kinds of change that human beings can undergo…” (85).
One type of change, at the observable level, even unbelievers can experience—“change in someone’s reasoning, desires, and choices.” The other type of change at the deeper level is heart change.
“This type of change is produced only through God’s gracious work on the heart…. What we can see of heart change is the transformation of someone’s reasoning, desires, and choices” (85).
PDQs for All of Us: As biblical counselors, how do we “balance” the “gospel indicatives” that we have already been changed with the “gospel imperatives” that we are to engage in grace-driven effort to continually grow in Christlikeness?
