LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Biblical Counselors: Seeking to Be Compassionate, Comprehensive Whole Person Maximizers
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
Biblical Counselors: Seeking to Be Compassionate, Comprehensive Whole Person Maximizers
Biblical counselors do have some concerns about some ways that the label mental illness is
used and applied (and how it reifies). I’ll discuss those concerns in future posts. However, that
is not to say that we are brain illness minimizers or sin maximizers.
Here’s the challenge that I think we biblical counselors need to address:
• How do we speak compassionately and comprehensively about mental illness and about
the complex interaction of the brain/body/mind/soul?
• How do we address any concerns about root causes of life struggles without being heard
to say that we are ignoring the whole person or lacking empathy for social factors and
physiological issues?
To address those issues, I agree with David Murray—we need to speak clearly and
emphatically about our desire to be compassionate and comprehensive care givers.
Samplers from the BCC Confessional Statement
Biblical Counseling Must Be Founded in Love
We believe that Christ’s incarnation is not just the basis for care, but also the model for
how we care (Hebrews 4:14-16; John 13:34-35). We seek to enter into a person’s story,
listening well, expressing thoughtful love, and engaging the person with compassion (1
Thessalonians 2:8). The wise and loving personal ministry of the Word takes many appropriate
forms, from caring comfort to loving rebuke, from careful listening to relevant scriptural
exploration, all while building trusting, authentic relationships (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15; 1 John
4:7-21).
Wise counseling takes into account all that people experience (desires, thoughts, goals,
actions, words, emotions, struggles, situational pressure, physical suffering, abuse, injustice,
etc.) All of human experience is the context for understanding how God’s Word relates to life.
Such awareness not only shapes the content of counseling, but also shapes the way counselors
interact so that everything said is constructive, according to the need of the moment, that it
may give grace to the hearer (Ephesians 4:29).
Biblical Counseling Must Be Comprehensive in Understanding
We believe that biblical counseling should focus on the full range of human nature created
in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). A comprehensive biblical understanding sees human
beings as relational (spiritual and social), rational, volitional, emotional, and physical. Wise
counseling takes the whole person seriously in his or her whole life context. It helps people to
embrace all of life face-to-face with Christ so they become more like Christ in their
relationships, thoughts, motivations, behaviors, and emotions.
We recognize the complexity of the relationship between the body and soul (Genesis 2:7).
Because of this, we seek to remain sensitive to physical factors and organic issues that affect
people’s lives. In our desire to help people comprehensively, we seek to apply God’s Word to
people’s lives amid bodily strengths and weaknesses. We encourage a thorough assessment
and sound treatment for any suspected physical problems.
We recognize the complexity of the connection between people and their social
environment. Thus we seek to remain sensitive to the impact of suffering and of the great
variety of significant social-cultural factors (1 Peter 3:8-22). In our desire to help people
comprehensively, we seek to apply God’s Word to people’s lives amid both positive and
negative social experiences. We encourage people to seek appropriate practical aid when their
problems have a component that involves education, work life, finances, legal matters,
criminality (either as a victim or a perpetrator), and other social matters.
Biblical Counseling Must Be Thorough in Care
We believe that God’s Word is profitable for dealing thoroughly with the evils we suffer as
well as with the sins we commit. Since struggling people usually experience some combination
of besetting sin and personal suffering, wise counselors seek to discern the differences and
connections between sin and suffering, and to minister appropriately to both (1 Thessalonians
5:14).
Biblical counseling addresses suffering and engages sufferers in many compassionate ways.
It offers God’s encouragement, comfort, and hope for the hurting (Romans 8:17-18; 2
Corinthians 1:3-8). It encourages mercy ministry (Acts 6:1-7) and seeks to promote justice.
Biblical counseling addresses sin and engages sinners in numerous caring ways. It offers God’s
confrontation of sins, encourages repentance of sins, presents God’s gracious forgiveness in
Christ, and shares God’s powerful path for progressive victory over sin (1 John 1:8-2:2; 2
Corinthians 2:5-11; Colossians 3:1-17; 2 Timothy 2:24-26).
As biblical counselors, we seek to avoid sin maximizing. And we seek to avoid body
minimizing. As biblical counselors, we seek to maximize compassionate, comprehensive care for
the whole person in their whole life situation so that they can grow toward wholeness in
Christ.
