8 Foundational Truths for Biblical Counseling

Written by Dr. Sam Williams

Here are 8 foundational truths to help you get started as a biblical counselor:

1. We can trust God and His Word more than anything.
“Every word of God proves true.” (Proverbs 30:5a RSV) “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8 NIV) This doesn’t mean there aren’t other sources of truth. But it does mean that there’s only one totally trustworthy, infallible source of truth.

2. Medical science, especially brain science, is a work in progress.
Those who are actually doing the research exhibit much more humility than popular magazines and television shows.

3. Behavior can be affected by medical causes.
Since all creation has been infected with sin, including our bodies and brains, we must acknowledge the possibility that some of these problems may be medical. The practical difficulty, for you as pastor and for physicians as well, is that we just don’t know which of those who are symptomatic are truly diseased.

To date, there are no commonly accepted, readily available medical tests to distinguish between sickness and sin.

4. The human heart is the true source.
Regardless of the relative degree of health or sickness in our bodies, it is our hearts that are the source of our lives. The body may be sick or diseased, but the Bible says that our hearts are the source of our actions, words, thoughts, intentions, beliefs, attitudes, desires, and delights. (Proverbs 4:23, Mark 7:21-23, Luke 7:45, Hebrews 4:12-13, James 4:1-3) Our bodies do not make us sin. On some level we’d all like to believe that the difficulties in our lives are biological. “I’m not the problem. My body is. Pass the medication, please.”

5. We are all disordered by sin.
The Bible provides a shocking diagnosis: we’re all disordered. Sin has infected everybody, everywhere. Before a Holy and Loving God, we’re all insane. “The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.” (Ecclesiastes 9:3 NIV)

6. A clinical diagnosis is not equivalent to an explanation.
Don’t be intimidated by diagnostic labels by mental health professionals; they are not equivalent to explanations. Sin is often complex and comes in many shapes and sizes. Sin is deceptive and sinners are often self-deceived. Jeremiah 17:9)

7. There is a cure for sin.
Oddly, but because of the power and wisdom of God in Jesus Christ, sin is the one diagnosis for which there is a sure cure. “For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

8. We can offer compassionate, Christ-like counsel.
Christ-like counselors “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.” (Micah 6:8) Troubled people need both truth and grace. Addressing sin in those you counsel is not an act of self-righteous condemnation, but instead an act of compassion, coming alongside a fellow struggler and offering hope! “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you won't be tempted also. Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)

God’s Word is relevant and true to life. There is no gaping canyon between real life, our problems, and Biblical truth. Counsel the Word. It restores the soul and rejoices the heart. Counsel Christ. He is the Wonderful Counselor, from whom we “receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Sam Williams is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C.

Related Articles: