By God’s grace I’ve had the privilege of being a biblical counselor for over 20 years, and I want to share six things the Lord has taught me along the way.

1. All Christians are biblical counselors.

Is it possible to study counseling as an occupation, be certified, and become a respected voice in the broader vocation known as biblical counseling? Yes. 

However, biblically speaking all Christians are called by God to admonish, reprove, correct, rebuke, edify, encourage, disciple, sharpen, and bear with (I Thessalonians 5:14, II Timothy 4:2, I Timothy 5:20, I Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 3:13, Matthew 28:19, Proverbs 27:17, and Galatians 6:2). 

No one who calls himself a Christ-follower should ever feel unqualified to give counsel as long as he gives God’s truth from God’s Word with God’s love. Too many times I find myself dealing with counselees who have spiritual authorities who’ve neglected their responsibilities. Don’t relegate counseling to your pastor or some other “professional.” Share God’s Word!

2. We’re all in need of biblical counseling. 

In the same way that we’re all called to be biblical counselors, we’re all called to be faithful counselees.

None of us make perfectly sanctified decisions every day, all day. I know for sure that I don’t. Therefore, we all need men and women in our lives who’ll keep us accountable and to whom we can turn for God’s truth. 

You’re not the exception. Neither am I. For this reason, I strive to follow the Lord by applying the Sunday sermon to my life. I also have a tight group of men and women to whom I regularly turn for advice and accountability. But God also wants us engaged in life-on-life discipleship. That’s why I have various disciplers in my life. I also regularly read articles and listen to podcasts because I know I need to grow. And, clearly, you understand the importance of this or you wouldn’t be here reading this article.

3. Our opinions don’t matter. 

Humans like to seek out those who will agree with their own decisions and add another voice to their echo chamber. But we need to pursue men and women who (regardless of what they think about you or your decision) will share with you truth from the inscripturated word of God. 

Everyone has an opinion, but if they don’t source their philosophies in absolute truth, there’s no guessing from where’s it’s coming. Do you really want to ground your reality in Wikipedia, your friend’s capricious emotions, the Disney Channel, The View, or the many other outlets of the ever-changing arena of humanistic philosophy? Ephesians 4:14-15 tells us “we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” God’s truth in God’s love is all we need.

4. Sometimes God allows sin to destroy the sinner.

“Getting away” with sin is never what it seems. Your sin is always known to God, and it seems to me (from biblical, historical, and personal experience) that having your sin “find you out” earlier is ALWAYS better than later. 

Romans 1:18-32 details for us what happens to unsaved people whom God turns over to their sin. It’s not pretty. Get help early! 

And though God won’t give up His children, the failure of so many “celebrity pastors” have taught us that consequences are always more bearable in the spring of a sin-season than they are in the winter.

5. God chastens those He loves. 

When we’re caught in a sin, the temptation is to feel defensive. The authority is the “antagonist,” you’ve been “caught,” and you will now have to “suffer some terrible consequences.” But in reality, Hebrews 12:6 and Revelation 3:19 tell us that God chastens those He loves. 

This means that chastening is a joyous thing designed to communicate God’s love for us. He knows our sin will destroy us, and He doesn’t want that to happen, so He allows our sin to find us out. We should be thankful for the men and women God tasks with being his truth-channels. God hasn’t given up on us, He has a wonderful plan for us, and He’s actively working in our lives to accomplish it!

6. Authorities need as much admonition as everyone else does. 

There’s something really diabolical about being a pastor, parent, teacher, and other spiritual authorities that frequently deceives so many of us. Look, I’m a parent, counselor, teacher, discipler, etc, too. But no one’s perfect, and we’re not fooling anyone pretending to be. The only thing that keeps spiritual authorities from acknowledging their own sins is pride. 

When those under my spiritual influence make bad choices, I always question myself first. Now, don’t misunderstand; my kids/students/discipees are completely responsible to God for their own choices, but I always check myself to see if I’ve been a bad example, allowed certain behaviors to go unaddressed, or faltered in my discipling. 

And, believe it or not, when my children have regular sin problems . . . there’s always something I can do better. This is why there’s not a child with whom I’m blessed to work that I don’t make the opportunity to speak with mom and dad. The point is, don’t be prideful. You need to grow too.

So, let’s review:

1. Dad and Mom need as much admonition as the kids do.

2. The beautiful reality of chastening is that God chastens those whom He loves.

3. However, if we fail to repent, we need to be careful because sometimes God lets our sin destroy us.

4. This a reminder that our opinions don’t matter. The Scriptures show us the only perfect philosophy of life.

5. We’re all in need of that same admonition in our lives.

6. And despite the fact that we’re all sinners, God would have all of us be biblical counselors as we rightly apply God’s Truth to another’s life.

I know it can be daunting, and—yes—20 years of ministry probably makes it a little easier for me to counsel the hard cases than someone who hasn’t done it yet, but my counsel comes from the Bible, and so should yours. The fact that God’s perfect wisdom is right there in His Word, and all we need to do is mine it and lovingly share it with those in need should encourage your heart and motivate you to give it a try.

More From Striving for Eternity

If you want more information on studying the Bible and how to interpret it correctly, check out the store section at strivingforeternity.org/store. There are tons of resources to help you get started on your journey to interpreting the Bible better. Also, invite Andrew Rappaport and Aaron M. Brewster to come to your church and teach you biblical interpretation with their Biblical Interpretation Made Easy Seminar. Andrew Rappaport, Aaron M. Brewster, and other guests on Apologetics live would also enjoy answering your questions on the live show on Thursdays from 7pm–9pm CST with the link to the stream yard at strivingforeternity.org/apologeticslive. Lord bless you and strive to make today and eternal day for Christ Jesus.