Pastoral Counseling In Light of Man’s Fallen Nature

I) A Biblical View of God

As one begins the ministry of pastoral counseling with a counselee, it is vital that the minister begin with a biblical view of God.  This is important because if we do not start with a right view and understanding of God then when we think of righteousness and the goal of biblical change, we will adopt a less than adequate goal.   We will be thinking in terms of human comparison rather than looking to Christ and seeing where we must change.  In other words, I may look to be more righteous than the man in jail awaiting trial for murder simply because I have never actually pulled the trigger of a gun and shot someone.

To begin with God means that we begin by catching a clear glimpse of His holiness and holy requirements.  Begin with the counselee by leading them to Scripture that addresses a clear biblical view of God.  A suggestion would be to expose the counselee to Scripture that presents God and His holiness.

One practice for the counselor is to find a good systematic theology text book and begin looking through the Doctrine of God sections and accumulating various texts.  A very good place to begin is to have the counselee focused on the character of God highlighting His communicable and incommunicable attributes.  Assimilate these texts in such a way as to provide very rich homework assignments for your counselees.  Use various methods and worksheets that will cause the counselee to spend time filling out and looking for the correct answers.  By spending time in the Word of God the counselee is set in a right position for the Holy Spirit to begin working. Continue Reading