As part of our continuing education, we’ve been digging deep to determine what we believe about various theological issues and writing essays to defend it.
Since the final documents are about 100 pages each, we’re going to start a series called “Theology Thursdays” and one of us will answer one question a week. Because of the original context, many questions relate to counseling, but all are founded upon our theology (because what I do ultimately comes from what I believe about God, right?).
We’d LOVE to hear your comments since we’re still learning and growing and maybe we can learn from each other here on the blog.
The Bible is spoken of as “inspired.” What does this mean? by Krista
Inspiration teaches that the words of Scripture (as the were originally written) were inspired or “breathed” by God (2 Tim. 3:16). It was the words that were inspired, not the authors. Therefore, it would not have been possible for an author then, nor is it possible now, to add to the inspired Word of God. It is sufficient as it is written.
Certainly, if one is convinced of the inspiration of Scripture, than disobeying its principles and commands carries a greater weight. As for the counselor, there are hundreds of issues for which he has clear and unmistakeable instruction for life. For example, when a counselee wants to know why his life is in shambles, the counselor can point to the way he has disregarded biblical principles in exchange for satisfying his own desires and is now suffering the results. It is not the counselor’s opinion that motivates the counselee to change, but as he learns from Scripture directly, the Holy Spirit gives him the understanding and enables him to do the hard work of obedience. For this reason, there is incredible power in biblical counseling, because the counsel is not focused on the counselor but on God’s Word which is unchanging. Therefore, a counselee can work on an issue with a biblical counselor in one state and move across the country and receive the same counsel (though with a different perspective, of course, as God made us each individually). The counsel, if truly coming from God’s Word, would not be contradictory.
Even more exciting, though, is that the counselee himself, as he looks into God’s Word, will be able to counsel himself in the future and come to the same conclusions that he would have if in counseling! Biblical counseling is unique in this perspective as a great emphasis is placed on training and properly exegeting and applying God’s Word, but it is not outside the reach of the laypeople of the church and it is the goal of the counselor to cultivate counselees who are able to counsel themselves. This is the power of inspiration of the Scripture. It does not just hold weight and power when “dispensed” in the counselor’s office, but carries the same authority God’s Word has for all of time.