LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
The Role of the Son and the holy spirit in Counseling
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
The Role of the Son and the holy spirit in Counseling
It is just as important to develop an accurate Christology in biblical counseling, for we are
told in Hebrews 1:2 that “in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” If we want to more fully
understand the Father, we must study the Son.
Nothing could be more practical in the arena of personal counseling than the coming of
God the Son to earth. His coming fulfilled the promises God made through the ages that He
would provide a remedy for sin and separation from the Father. The Son is the best explanation
of the Father, for “the Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his
being” (Hebrews 1:3).
He is our merciful and faithful High Priest, who makes atonement for our sins (Hebrews
2:17). What a glorious comfort it is to know that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as
we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15)! This is an important truth for hurting people
because “such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from
sinners, exalted above the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). This truth is meant to have an impact
upon our mind and emotions: “Therefore,” the writer of Hebrews says, “…fix your thoughts on
Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Hebrews 3:1).
In one way or another, sin is the ultimate cause of mental and emotional problems. The
incarnation—the coming of Christ to earth in human form—is God’s ultimate solution. God the
Son “appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of
himself” (Hebrews 9:26). His purpose in coming was to minister to the needs of mankind: “The
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”
(Mark 10:45).
How did Jesus’ coming actually affect human dysfunctions? The apostle John explained,
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 John 3:8). This is not
just a theological overcoming of evil, for it has a practical bearing on the believer’s day-to-day
lifestyle. Jesus, having experienced the human condition, knows our desperate need to be
delivered from the clutches of evil and the fear that sin produces. As Hebrews puts it, “Since the
children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might
destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). It is literally
through Christ’s death on the cross that Satan is overcome and the believer can experience
deliverance. How does Christ do this? By giving us a new worldview, a new perspective on life’s
meaning, and by assuring us that our 70 or 80 years on earth are just the beginning. As a result,
Christ is able to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death”
(Hebrews 2:15).
Furthermore, Christ’s coming has given us an example of real mental and emotional well-
being. He encourages us to examine His life and “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in
heart, and you will find rest for your souls [psuché]” (Matthew 11:29). In this context, it is
interesting to note that the Lord offers us rest for our psyche. He is the ultimate psychologist.
We are told that “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his
steps” (1 Peter 2:21). For the suffering Christian who is seeking peace of heart and mind, no
other study is more significant than the life, character, and teachings of Jesus Christ.
The third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is equally critical for true healing of the heart
and mind. He is described by several names that help us see His role in counseling. Jesus calls
the Holy Spirit “the Counselor” in John 14:16 and then tells us that the Holy Spirit is always
available (He abides forever), that He will help us to remember Christ’s teachings (John 14:26),
that He will testify about Christ (John 15:26), that He will convict mankind of sin (John 16:7, 8),
and that He will guide us into all truth (John 16:13).
The Holy Spirit is the One who actually applies the truths of God’s Word to the believer’s
life. He makes theology come alive. He does this in several ways.
One, as He dwells within believers, He motivates us toward compliance with God’s will.
God describes this process in Ezekiel 36:27: “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow
my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Two, we are told that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can actually change our very nature,
for “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2
Corinthians 5:17). Though Paul confesses the struggle between the old nature and the new
(Romans 7), he assures us that “you, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the
Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you” (Romans 8:9). This is a life-changing and liberating truth
that must be emphasized in biblical counseling. We are no longer slaves to the past. We are not
what we once were. We are changed. We are new in Christ!
And three, the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives is continuous and complete: “As for you, the
anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you” (1
John 2:27). This does not mean that we never need instruction, but that there is no new
teaching apart from the Word that is essential for the believer’s sanctification. John emphasizes
this point in the next phrase: “his anointing teaches you about all things.” John even anticipates
the secular skepticism that questions the reality of the Holy Spirit’s work by saying that the
“anointing is real, not counterfeit”; therefore, he pleads with believers to “remain in him” (1
John 2:27).
When we seek psychic healing from the secular precepts of worldly counseling, we are, in
effect, denying the sufficiency of God. I am convinced that this is not the intention of my
integrationist colleagues. I believe that many of them love the Lord Jesus deeply and want to
serve Him faithfully. But I think they are convinced that the Bible does not deal with many, if
not most, of the problems of modern living, and that we must therefore seek solutions in
scientific research and psychological findings. They do not seem to understand that to insist the
Bible lacks essential truths necessary for man’s inner health is to deny the sufficiency of the
Scriptures.
