Page 7 - Biblical Counseling I Textbook

1. Believes there is no fellowship between Satan and Christ (2 Cor. 6:14-18), so rejects partnership with
or integration of secular philosophies.

If we truly believe what the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, we must fight to protect the
church from the integration of satanic teachings into our own preaching and counsel. The biblical
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counseling movement is conducting such a fight. It is a fight for pure doctrine.

2. Built upon the belief that there are no issues affecting the human soul that are outside of biblical
instruction (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).

This is not to say that the Bible addresses every issue or topic of humanity. Clearly the Bible does not
address mathematics or the physical sciences, but it does address the matters of the soul. As the
designer of humanity, God certainly understands us better than any other source of knowledge, and
He has provided us all that we need for a righteous life, that is, a life that functions in keeping with
His purpose and design.

3. Rejects a “professional” view of counseling. Believes that the real qualification to help people is
spiritual maturity (Gal. 6:1) and that all believers have a duty to care for one another.

4. Seeks to restore the place of the church in the care of souls.

5. Believes that only Christians can understand the various categories of life that cause trouble, and
“counseling” assumes trouble.
• Human sinfulness:
Sin destroys, and its destructive effects reverberate out into every aspect of human existence
dragging along all peoples, even those who are not directly responsible for the destruction
around them. Romans 3:23 means not only that you’ve sinned, but those around you have also
sinned and will inevitably sin against you. Christians understand the basic sinfulness of humanity
and thus understand why there is so much evil and conflict in the world.

• The world (1 John 2:15-17)
Christians understand the concept of a “world system” that encompasses the things that tempt
us away from believing that God is enough. It is a system of thoughts, ideas, philosophies,
values, etc. that are at odds with God and that suggest to humanity that something other than
God is true and truly satisfying to the soul.

• The Devil (1 Peter 5:8).
Christians understand that there are real spirit beings who are at work in the world and that
they have a great master, Satan. Many, especially those in the West, reject the idea that there is
some great demonic force at work in the world. From the world’s perspective, this is nothing
more than a great myth, but Christians are “sober minded” about these things and understand
that Satan is real and that he is scheming and conniving with the goal of destroying God’s work.

1 By “satanic”, I simply mean anything that finds its source in the philosophies of the world that stand in opposition to God.
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