THEOLOGY - The Series

What makes biblical counseling biblical?  Why can't we just counsel out of our own experience and thoughts?  Theology is the foundation of biblical counseling because without good theology, we cannot counsel biblically.  (A bit redundant, but it makes the point.)  Over the next few weeks, I will be looking at theology.  Why theology?  To be able to counsel biblically, we must first know the Bible.  Having good theology helps us counsel in the way that God intended.  The questions asked were taken from the NANC theology exam for certification in biblical counseling that I took this Spring.  I pray that this series will be a blessing to you and help you in your counseling ministry and in your life.

BIBLIOLOGY

Question 1: The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.”  What does this mean?

I believe that every word of the Bible is God’s Word and has its source in God.  In His sovereignty, God chose to use human authors, by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit to write His Word down. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”[1]  Breathed out or inspired indicates that the human authors were moved to write, but with their own styles of writing.  In 2 Peter 3:14-17, Peter tells us that the letters the apostle Paul wrote were also Scripture.  At the end of verse 15, Peter states, “…our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him…” and then in verse 16, Peter equates the writings of Paul with the other Scriptures saying, “as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.  There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”  Paul wrote according to the wisdom given him, by the power of the Holy Spirit.  In 1 Corinthians 2:4, Paul states, “and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,” thereby establishing that his writings were not of mere human wisdom or good words, but were in fact a demonstration of the Holy Spirit. Paul says again in verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 2 that he is not imparting his words by human wisdom but by the Spirit’s teaching.  Therefore, God accomplishes His written Word by inspiring or moving the human authors to write by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.  The whole of God’s Word, in the original manuscripts, is in fact God’s very Word because God is the very source of His Word.  It did not just appear.  God chose to use His imperfect people to write down His perfect Word that is without spot or blemish and without error.  God’s Word is inspired because of the direction of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the human authors.  Paul further states in 1 Thessalonians 2:13,  “¹³And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” Paul is praising God that when he preaches, it is being received as the Word of God.  Finally, 2 Peter 1:21 says, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

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[1] All Scripture references are in English Standard Version