When we talk about counseling, people often think of paid sessions in a therapist's office. However, in everyday life, the advice, admonitions, or guidance we give to others also falls under the scope of counseling, as they serve a similar purpose. For example, when a child has a conflict with a classmate at school and then communicates with their parents at home, this too is a form of counseling.
Counseling occurs even more frequently within the church. Believers often seek help from pastors or fellow workers when they encounter problems in life. Therefore, faith-based counseling is crucial. Recently, Pastor Z, an experienced pastor with extensive ministry and counseling experience, shared a lecture on the subject of counseling.
In counseling believers within the church, Pastor Z advocates returning to the Bible and conducting biblical counseling to help others. This approach differs from secular counseling, which is based on psychology.
Pastor Z believes that most non-biblical counseling focuses on eliminating symptoms as the counseling goal. For example, if a couple with marital problems seeks help, counseling that focuses on symptom elimination might concentrate on identifying the sources of conflict and providing principles, techniques, and methods for resolving them. The goal would be to reduce or eliminate conflicts between the couple, and if that happens, the counseling would be considered successful. This is typically the aim of psychological counseling.
However, Pastor Z emphasizes that such counseling does not involve our faith or our relationship with God. As Christians, our goal in counseling is not just to eliminate symptoms but to lead people toward a higher, better goal—knowing Jesus Christ and being redeemed through the gospel God brings.
Pastor Z further explained that Jesus came to bring long-lasting, not temporary changes. They are not superficial but transformative, coming from within and leading to repentance toward God. The motivation for change is not based on human effort but on God's mighty power working within us, and this brings glory to Christ. This is the goal of gospel-centered counseling.
Pastor Z pointed out that the biggest problem he encountered in counseling ministry was that believers did not walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. He often had to spend a lot of time rebuilding the foundation of their faith. "If we do not repent from this state of not obeying Jesus’ teachings and our lives are inconsistent with God’s words, it is like building a house on sand—when the wind and rain come, the house will collapse," he said.
"In both big and small matters, we must be willing to listen to Christ. Whatever we do should be to please and glorify Christ. When someone takes this as their standard for behavior, they are living in a manner worthy of the gospel. These changes are not achieved through self-cultivation but through the power of the gospel, which transforms lives. This transformation comes through Jesus’s cross, death, and resurrection, so we can be reborn by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts of stone are removed, and we no longer rebel against God with hearts of flesh."
Pastor Z emphasized that counselors should help individuals in a gospel-centered way, enabling their conduct to be worthy of the gospel they have received. Counselors should guide them to reflect on God's will and consider how to please the Lord in difficult circumstances, leading them to continual transformation by the gospel.
He shared the story of a Christian woman who had struggled with marital problems for many years. She had read many books on marriage and received diverse psychological counseling, but her marriage still hadn't improved significantly. One day, she heard a gospel-centered counseling session at church, and it became clear to her. She realized that the leading cause of marital problems is the lack of a desire to please the Lord in all things.
Later, during another unpleasant argument with her husband, she began to reflect on how she could treat her husband in a way that would please her Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit stirred her heart, letting her face her husband with kindness, with her hostility and resentment gradually dissipating. In the light of the Holy Spirit, she thought, "Christ loves me, a rebellious sinner, and has shown me the grace of forgiving all my sins. I should also extend this grace to my husband." With that thought, she let go of her bitterness and quickly reconciled with her husband. She excitedly testified that she had truly experienced the power of the gospel in her marriage.
"Someone once said that the gospel helps us break free from self-centeredness, self-love, vain conceit, the inability to love God, and the inability to love others as ourselves. Counseling that strays from the gospel tends to blame external circumstances—family background and upbringing—rarely addressing the need for personal transformation. Gospel-centered counseling, however, inspires people toward a higher goal of knowing, pleasing, and imitating Christ, and glorifying Christ," Pastor Z concluded.
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
