The Biblical Counselor’s Message, Method, and Might

28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may
present everyone mature in Christ.
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
(Col. 1:28-29 ESV)

As biblical counselors, we find in this text our message, method, and might. Our message is
Jesus Christ. It is him we proclaim. He has redeemed us. He has purchased our forgiveness.
Christ is the image of the invisible God. Through him, all things were created and are now held
together. He has reconciled all things to himself and made peace through the blood of his cross.
It is to Jesus that we take our counselees. Biblical counseling is not merely a process into which
we plug people and get the desired product. Biblical counseling is about proclaiming Christ and
his supremacy to those across the desk from us. We proclaim Christ, not ourselves and not the
latest self-help techniques. We aim to help others see Christ more fully and more clearly and in
doing so help the counselee see how Christ comes to bear on their circumstances. Through a
knowledge of Christ, Peter tells us, we have everything that pertains to life and godliness.
Friends in all that we do with and for our counselees be sure that you are proclaiming Christ.

We also find our method; warning and teaching. Warning is one way to translate the word
noutheteō which means to place before the mind for consideration. It is Christ that we place
before those we counsel. We set his perfections, his glory, his commands before the counselee’s
mind to be considered. We warn them of continuing to follow their sinful wicked desires. We
warn them of the consequences and the outcomes of foolish choices. We warn them of God’s
discipline and chastisement for disobedient followers.

We also teach with all wisdom. So, we must teach others to fear God. We must teach them how
to study the bible and how to rightly interpret the bible that they might obey the bible. We teach
them God’s principles for self-discipline and interpersonal relationships. We teach them how to
respond to God and what he commands. We teach them how to live understanding that all of life
is lived Coram Deo before the face of God.

We proclaim Christ. We warn and we teach in the hope and prayer that we may present everyone
mature in Christ. Our prayer is that our counselees will grow in Christlikeness. We work to see
them strengthened in their faith and confident in their Savior. We desire to see them rightly
handling the word of God and able to teach others to do the same.

We also find our might. How is it that we undertake the privilege of biblical counseling? In the
strength supplied by Jesus Christ. It will not be done in our own power. It will only be
accomplished through “all his energy that he powerfully works” with us. In fact, the word for
struggling is the word from which we get our English word agonize. So, we agonize over those
who seek counsel but we do so in the strength, in the energy that Christ himself supplies. He has
called all of us to the task and he richly supplies the power to accomplish that to which we are
called.

By His Grace Alone,
Josh