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Home > Articles > Where Scripture Meets Life
Where Scripture Meets Life
How to use Scripture in pastoral counseling.
Chris Blumhofer

Topics:Counseling, Leadership styles, Pastoral care, Shepherding
Filters:Counseling, Pastoral care, Shepherd, Small group leader, Volunteer
Purpose:Ministry
References:2 Timothy 3:16-17
Date Added:July 22, 2008

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Posted: July 25, 2008
drh  (Guest)
A wise and helpful article. It is good to hear of first hand examples of the principles he is teaching. But, let us not forget that the gospel is "the powwer of salvation for all those who believe."

Posted: July 24, 2008
William  (Guest)
As a lay minister of a recovery ministry, I have found that for both the counselor and the counselee the main focus should be honesty. Until we are able to cut through all the false belief of our problems and dig deep into what is really there, no real progress can be made. But there is a word of caution that any counselor must be aware of.....'How should I tell this person the honest truth?' I have seen and experienced how saying the right thing at the wrong time can really effect the outcome of any counseling session. When someone comes to us for help, we must understand that the pain they may feel is so real, that being 'blunt' can have a very adverse effect on what we and the persons who are there for help, are trying to accomplish.

Posted: July 24, 2008
Morris McDonald  (Registered User)
Greetings, I would care to state that I found the content both informative and valuable. As a pastor and patient of depression I recognized the value and accuracy of both Pastors Powlison and Bullmore. My personal experience in the medical treatment of PTSD with depression post military service in the Army's Combat Engineers in Desert Storm, I know first hand the struggle of dependence on Scripture alone for treatment without allowing attention to my physical being from mental health professionals. However, by applying the truths of scriptures and the benefit of my relationship with God, and submitting to the expertise of competent counselors who respected my personal religious beliefs and the tenets of my faith I was able to see the connections as Tim Keller says and Pastor Powlinson akin to "double exegesis." I engage in pastoral care and counseling being reminded of my fragility and dependence on God to guide me in meeting the counselee where they are, then directing them to Him.

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Pastors walk a fine line when they open their Bibles to help hurting or struggling people. On one side of that line is what David Powlison, editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling, calls verse magic," stereotyped as "take two verses and call me in the morning." On the other side is "far horizon exposition," safely but vaguely applying the Bible to the distant future, failing to make specific connections between God's Word and life's struggles.

Recognizing these risks, Powlison still boldly advocates using the Bible in pastoral counseling. But this means more than believing in the truthfulness and relevance of Scripture. Learning to apply Scripture effectively to life's problems is a developed skill.

Do you see the connections?

If, as Tim Keller says, "All our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel," then biblical counseling means (1) understanding the truth of God's Word, and (2) understanding at what point in her life a counselee is failing to apply it. Powlison calls this task "double exegesis."

Rather than interpreting only the text, the pastor must also interpret the problem by asking: Who is this person? What is she facing? How does she understand the world?

Todd Augustine, a pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, recalls ministering to a couple in the hospital whose premature baby had just died. "Holding that lifeless infant, I realized that my words were going to feel flat and empty, but I knew there was a substantive word that could speak to their grief and loss—God's Word."

Augustine didn't open his Bible to the "obvious" account of David's dead son in 2 Samuel 12. Rather, sensing the parents' questions and pain, he opened his Bible to passages about God's wisdom, purpose, and ceaseless love, beginning in Lamentations 3: "Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail."

Is the timing and touch point right?

Mike Bullmore, pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, prays before meeting with someone, "Lord, help me to know not just what to say, but when to say it."

Waiting on God's timing, many who counsel advise against turning to Scripture too quickly. Instead, as they focus on the personal side of "double exegesis," they try to locate patterns of sin, sorrow, and pain in the life of a counselee.

"I remember counseling a young man through mild depression," recalls counselor Michael Emlet. "As we talked through his condition, two issues surfaced: 'fear of man' issues—the absolute control that the opinions of others held over him; and perfectionism—higher standards for himself than God had."

As Emlet turned to Scripture, he opened not to passages about "joy in the Lord" to counter depression, but rather to passages dealing with his patient's core issues of fear and perfectionism.