The only obedience that God accepts is that which comes from the work of the Spirit within the believer. It is, therefore, both the fruit of the Spirit and the work of the Christian. To position one of these aspects of biblical obedience over against the other is the error of those who believe that sanctification hardly, if at all, necessitates the efforts of one who is converted. But that work—and it is work—is the effort of the believer spurred on, and assisted, by the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” He made it clear that these two elements are juxtaposed, not placed in opposition to one another. It’s foolish—not only unbiblical, therefore—to think or teach otherwise. Those who do so, serve only to confuse believers about a matter that was cleared up early in Reformation theology. Why do they now think they are wiser than the Reformers?

This seems to me to be an unsuccessful effort, of people who have nothing new in biblical interpretation, to discover something anyway. If a matter has been settled by the church, it is wrong to stir up the thinking of the general population of Christians about any change in such long-settled theology unless it is clearly an exegetically-supported change that can be demonstrated to be a genuine advance in thought that improves upon accepted Reformation doctrine.

And, in particular, it’s dangerous to play around with the Gospel, which is good news to be believed: it is the news that Jesus died to save His people, bearing their punishment for their sins, and that He rose again from the dead. When one by grace, through faith, trusts Jesus as Savior, all His sins are forever forgiven, His righteousness, now placed on the books, is that perfect righteousness of the Lord, and He now possesses the Spirit Who enables Him to please God by obedience (as he could not beforehand: Romans 5:5).

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. The Use of Scripture in Counseling by Jay Adams
5. Sanctification and Counseling by Jay Adams
6. Critical Stages in Biblical Counseling by Jay Adams
7. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
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The post If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Work Ethics appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Check out our online course, Counseling Problems taught by Donn Arms!

Books related to dealing with problems:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. Christ and Your Problems by Jay Adams

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Homosexuality, Part 2 appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Love Commandments, Part 4 appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Love Commandments, Part 3 appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and  The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
3. How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
4. Check out our Bookstore for all the best counseling books!

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For more biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Love Commandments, Part 1 appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

However, there are all sorts of questions that arise concerning biblical commands that must be worked out practically, to which the Scriptures simply don’t give us precise directions. God expects us to wisely suggest ways of implementing these commands according to the general principles of Scripture which cover all we do.

Let’s take an example. The Bible says “you must not commit adultery.” That is clear, unambiguous, and straightforward. It is a divine command. Because of that, a counselor may consider it his right and obligation to say to a counselee, “You’ve got to break up that sinful relationship.” He need not hesitate about the matter because he is simply repeating what God has said.

However, supposing the counselee decides to repent and do what God commands. He then asks, “How shall I go about doing so? Shall I call her, go see her, write her a letter or email—how do I go about breaking the relationship?”

There is no biblical command about the way to do this. How should a counselor respond?

Having gathered adequate data concerning the persons and concerning the situation involved, the counselor will then advise his counselee in an entirely different manner than he did concerning the command. He will say something like, “In these circumstances (as I best understand them), I would suggest that you . . . ” Then, he adds what seems to be the wisest course of action to take within general biblical principles.

Note, in this little episode two things:

1. The counselor commands what God has commanded.
2. The counselor suggests its implementation.

ALWAYS DISTINGUISH, AND NEVER CONFUSE A COMMAND WITH A SUGGESTION!

The post A Difference appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.