Page 7 - Advanced Biblical Counseling Student Textbook

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 satanic1 teachings into our own preaching and counsel. The biblical
counseling movement is conducting such a fight. It is a fight for pure doctrine.

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.

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.

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

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.

Confusion.
Christians understand that people are limited in knowledge and have become corrupted in their minds.
Not only is the knowledge of humanity as a whole limited, but each person is much more so. No one is

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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