Uses of Scripture in Counseling

I believe there are three critical uses of Scripture in counseling. First, as Johnson (1992) highlights, Scripture can be used to provide a standard of truth. Without God’s Word, the understanding of right and wrong becomes blurred.

Second, Scripture provides a proper frame of what the client is experiencing. When a client is suffering, he or she may feel confused, guilty, or depressed to name a few emotions. By sharing Scripture such as James 1 or 1st Peter 1 in which suffering is seen as a helpful experience in knowing our Savior more intimately, the counselor uses Scripture to provide the proper frame.

Third, it can be used in cognitive therapy to correct faulty thinking (McMinn, 1996). The Bible is full of hope. Many people are not able to see hope in their lives. Thoughts such as being unlovable or not good enough are common. Clients may feel that they will always feel this bad and that the future can only be worse. By exposing clients to Scripture, a counselor can discuss these false thoughts in the light.

Each of these three uses ultimately serves one purpose: to help the client grow closer in his or her relationship with God.

Johnson, E.L. (1992). A place for the Bible within psychological science. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 20, 346-355.

McMinn, M.R. (1996). Psychology, theology, and spirituality in Christian counseling. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

The Two Books of God: The Word and His Works

I do believe that all truth is God’s truth (Entwistle, 2004). Both the book of God’s word and the book of God’s work allow us to see our Creator more clearly. However, Entwistle himself highlighted that the world as we see it has distanced itself further from the truth than the Bible could have been mistranslated. Because of this, I view the Bible as superior to lessons learned in this world. Early on in my walk, I did not believe in Satan. Everything was either of God or of my flesh. I now believe Paul as he wrote in Ephesians 6 that our fight is not against the world that we see, but against the evil in the spiritual world that exists all around us. I now view problems of the natural world, such as sickness or deceit, in a new dimension. These are to be tackled with natural means, such as medicine or intervention, as well as with spiritual warfare, such as prayer or fasting. The two worlds are interwoven, both of God. Both trusting in God’s Word and acknowledging the spiritual world require faith in God. Both produce an overwhelming peace in me that God is in control.

Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.

My Sources of Truth

First and foremost I believe the Bible is the supreme authority when it comes to matters of relationship. God Himself is relational as the Trinity highlights. Throughout the Bible, there is God’s wisdom showing how to relate with Him and how to relate with others. The Bible is also my supreme authority with regards to morality. It is God’s direction for how we should live. I believe in empirical knowledge when it comes to the sciences. The Bible was not intended to answer all of the world’s mysteries. Instead, God provided us with the ability to discover His world through the sciences. I believe in personal experience when it comes to empathizing with others. Through my sufferings, I am more able to feel a person’s hurt and walk along side of him or her. It is reason that I am most skeptical in giving authority. With reason, we can too easily dismiss miracles. With reason, we can potentially limit our spiritual growth and faith in God. In all of these circumstances, I believe, as Entwistle (2004) states, that we must stay humble, keeping open the possibility that our thinking may be in error.

Entwistle, D.N. (2004). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of integration. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers.