The Bible has been given to us by God in order for His people to become what He has designed them to be, fully able to serve Him faithfully (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is with this in mind that we advocate the following convictions:

God’s Word should be the counseling authority of
Christians helping people with broken lives.
The basic problem of mankind is sin (Romans 3:9-18; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3). This sin problem includes our immaturity, our disobedience, our lack of knowledge and weaknesses (1 Thessalonians 5:14). It also includes the sin problem of others, which may affect us as well.

The solution found to the problem of man is found in God’s Word. The Word of God reveals the gospel message of freedom from sin and how we can be set apart from the power of sin (Psalm 119:9-11). Also, the Word of God reveals how we should respond to sin in the lives of others (Matthew 18:15-18; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:31-32; 1 Peter 4:8).

God’s Word must be the sole authority in ministering to the needs of people because God’s word is truth (John 17:17) and man’s ideas are inadequate (Isaiah 55:8-9; Proverbs 14:12; 1 Corinthians 1:25; Colossians 2:8-10). Furthermore, God has given us the Scripture for the very purpose of instructing, rebuking, correcting and training us in righteousness (abandoning sinful thinking and behavior). By His Word, God molds us into the kind of people He intends us to be. In this way He equips us to function as He intended us to live (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

God is glorified when we trust Him and respond in obedience. When we ignore God’s instructions and seek the solutions of men, not only will it not work, but far more importantly, we have replaced God with man, which is the essence of idolatry.

Counseling is a part of the basic discipling
ministry of the local church.
The goal of counseling is the same discipleship: A mature relationship with Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:28-29; 2 Timothy 2:1-2). The means of counseling and discipleship is the same: God’s Word (Psalm 1:1-3; 1 Peter 2:13).

God established the local church for the purpose of ministry. Therefore, we should expect that the ministry of God’s Word will be best served in the context of the church which God instituted.

There are several important advantages that counseling within the local church provides:

· The local church provides true accountability for the counselor. It is true accountability because God has established the local church for the oversight of souls (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 13:17). This oversight cannot be replaced biblically by any other organization. The help of any counselor ought to be overseen by the local church.

· The local church provides a much broader exposure to the counselee. In other words, more data about the counselee can be gathered in the context of the local church. More people will know the person and the person will have more opportunities to interact with others in the church. Therefore, the counselee will be less able to misrepresent information about himself or others, willfully or unknowingly.

· The local church incorporates the ministry of the body of Christ. God has established the church so that we can be helped by more that one person. It is far better for a person to have many relationships through which God’s truth can be passed and wisdom imparted to life’s issues.

· The local church is person-oriented, not just problem-oriented. God desires righteousness in all areas and what we consider to be our problems are always only a part of the areas in our life that need to change. The goal of the Christian life is not just to stop certain behaviors, it is to live a godly life (Titus 2:12).

God’s people can and should be able to
counsel effectively.
Effective counselors must be Spirit-filled (Galatians 6:1), be willing to bear others burdens (Galatians 6:2), be committed to the full authority of the Scripture and convey God’s Word in a God honoring manner (Acts 20:27,31). With these essentials in place, every believer in Christ should be able to develop the abilities that God has given them to help others in this process.

We recognize that some of God’s people will be more useful in the area of counseling. A person becomes more effective as a counselor by knowing the Word of God (Romans 15:14), by personally applying God’s Word to life with wisdom (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and experience in ministry. The knowledge and application of the Scripture is the most essential but as we learn to help others we will become better and better at discerning problems and communicating the truth of God’s Word to individual lives in a way that can be received (Proverbs 15:2).

However, while not everyone has matured to the point of being able to address the beliefs that underlie the actions that are causing difficulties in the lives of people, every believer can serve to bring comfort in ministering to the emotions. Many believers also can be useful in addressing behavior issues that are either sinful or unwise. Whether it is ministry to the emotions, to the behavior, or to the beliefs that are the root of the behavior and emotions, all believers can participate in counseling to some degree, regardless of their maturity.

Analogy from 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
God calls us to godliness (Matthew 5:48). He has provided His Spirit and His Word to bring godliness about (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Should believers go to the world’s ideas to bring spiritual health in their lives? 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 answers this question. Of course not!

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 speaks about a specific issue of conflict between believers in Christ. The Corinthians are being rebuke by Paul for seeking out the world’s help for their problems. The reasons Paul gives for his exhortation to seek help from God’s people are:

• God’s people are competent to counsel (1 Corinthians 6:2). · The people of the world are not accountable to the church (1 Corinthians 6:4).

• The people of the world should not be considered wiser than God’s people (1 Corinthians 6:5).

• Taking our unrighteousness before unbelievers is an embarrassment to Christ (1 Corinthians 6:6).

• The solution is worse than the problem itself. It is worse to seek the help of the world in the courts than it is to be defrauded (1 Corinthians 6:7).

• The world is does not know God. (1 Corinthians 6:9). This same rebuke falls on those today who turn to the world for help for their problems.