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:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Work Out Your Own Salvation, Part 3 appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

“Not sure. Trouble in the world?”

Sure is a problem—but, “basic?”

“I guess not.”

There are two; interested in knowing what they are?

“Somewhat.”

Well, ready or not here they come:

1. GUILT
2. CORRUPTION

“Are you going to explain them?”

Somewhat.

‘Well, OK. Go ahead.”

Adam represented all mankind in his sinful act, so all became guilty before God. The wages of sin is death. If children were not judicially held guilty, they couldn’t die in birth or infancy. Obviously, we are, as Jesus told us in John 3, still under God’s wrath until we believe.

“I can see that. What about corruption?”

Man is born totally depraved.

“You mean as bad as he could be?”

No. no. no. What that phrase means is that every part of man has been corrupted. There is nothing about him that hasn’t been affected adversely by sin. There is nothing in man that can reach out to God; God must take the initiative. Men are born “dead in trespasses and sin.” And dead people don’t respond. So, even when God reaches out, man won’t respond until He also enables him to do so by giving him spiritual life.

“Hmmmm . . . What about the corruption?”

That’s what it’s all about—man’s total inability to do anything to save himself or to please God. Consider Romans 8: 8 sometime. Well, God has a way to deal with each of these two problems.

“Tell me.”

He dealt with guilt by the death of Christ Who bore the penalty for the sin of those who would believe. That takes care of the first basic problem. It’s called “JUSTIFICATION.” When God justifies, it means that he considers the believer as righteous and holy as if he had never sinned. And looks on him as perfect. As to the second basic problem, God deals with that (or, rather, is dealing with that) by means of SANCTIFICATION (separating us from sin to righteousness). God is gradually making us what He already legally considers us to be in Christ. As believers, He is in the process of actually making us more and more like Christ.

“Got it! Neat. God has covered all the bases—and basics!. Have you given me the whole picture?”

I could say a lot more about each issue, but that’s enough for now.

“Do I have all that I need?”

Somewhat, anyway.

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:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Basic Problems appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

“Yes, I’d like to, but I’m not sure that it’s possible. I keep trying, but then find myself going back to my old ways again and again.”

You are a Christian?

“Yes. I believe that Christ died for my sins and rose again from the dead.”

Well, then, there’s every reason for you to expect to be able to change. Jesus is deeply concerned about helping believers change. Listen to this:

. . . as the One Who called you is holy, you yourselves must become holy in all of your behavior
1 Peter 1:15

He is holy—set apart from sin and to righteousness—and wants you to be like Himself. He asks a believer to do nothing that He doesn’t supply the wisdom and the ability to do. He will help you. Listen to Philippians 2:13

. . . Since it is God Who is producing in you both the willingness and the ability to do the things that please Him.

If you truly desire to change in order to please Him, He’s already beginning to fulfill the first promise in that verse.

“It would be great, but I don’t see how. I try not to sin, but fall into sin anyway.”

Let’s consider some things that may make a difference.

“OK. Go ahead. I can’t seem to break my old habits.”

You recognize that you have old habits? Good. We’ll get into what they are in time. For right now, let’s examine how you are trying to deal with them. Did I hear you say that you are trying to “break” them?

“Right.”

Well, change is a two-factored process. You can’t bring it about by merely breaking habits. In Ephesians and Colossians, Paul says that you must not only “put off” the old manner of life (“old man” or habits), but that you must at the same time “put on” a new set of godly patterns.

“Oh! I didn’t realize that.”

Well, we’ll begin there, then. You can’t break habits; you must replace them-with their biblical alternatives. If you truly, from the heart, desire to live in ways that honor Christ you can do it, because the Spirit will help you more and more to put off and put on those things that He tells you in His Word that you must change. Are you certain that you want to change in order to please Jesus?

“Yes.”

Good. Then, let’s begin . . .

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

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:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

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

Sorry—but things don’t work that way.

One grows by grace: 2 Peter 3:16 (another verse for your 3:16 collection).

You see, as he pursues the elements of the lifestyle mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5ff he puts off elements of his old sinful lifestyle and replaces these with new biblical ways. Sanctification is progressive and gradual—never complete until we reach heaven.

There are those who confuse justification and sanctification.  Justification (God declaring one righteous by faith in Christ) is an act of God alone; sanctification is progressive as the Holy Spirit within believers enables them to understand and follow biblical truth (John 17:17).

Once justified, one is justified once and for all—he cannot lose.  It is a legal term—according to God’s court of justice the believer, by faith in the Good news that Christ died for his sins and rose from the dead, has his sins all forgiven and he is reckoned righteous in God’s sight.

Friend, have you been justified? If so, be sure that you progress in your daily growth by God’s grace.

Full sanctification will come at death—but not now.

Check out our online course, Theology and Counseling taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to dealing with problems:

1. A Theology of Christian Counseling by Jay Adams
2. Sanctification and Counseling by Jay Adams
3. A Call for Discernment 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 Not Now! 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. 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:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post The Will of God and Human Agency appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Indeed, before you began, you had no idea you would even take the trip.

So, that means you have a lot of catching up to do. What, ideally, you would have done before setting out, you must now do while already on the road. In some ways that makes it harder; in others easier. Either way, it’s the reality that you must deal with.

For one thing, you must realize the implications of Romans 8:8:

“Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

To be “in the flesh” is a phrase describing you before you became a Christian. It means that you had nothing better than your own sinful human ways to deal with life. Now, of course, you have God’s Word and the power of the Spirit at Work within to enable you to follow it.

But since, you couldn’t “please God” as an unbeliever, you developed patterns of life in every area that were wrong. That means that you must now examine them to see where they were wrong and what you ought to be doing instead. And you must do this in every area of your life—social, physical, work (or school), family, church, finances, etc.

Now that you have come to Christ, you must begin to develop the proper biblical ways of life in each venue. These must replace the old ways in each instance. To do so will take time, thought, knowledge, and determination. It means you may need counsel or help from your pastor or a mature Christian friend. But, however you obtain the information and encouragement needed, you must get it. Don’t wait to begin. As we saw, you’re already behind in preparing for the fascinating journey ahead.

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 The New Journey appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Counseling is not a science; it’s an art. In biblical terms, that means it is a function of divine wisdom. It does not conflict with true science, but reaches beyond science into venues about which the latter has no competence to speak.

In the wisdom literature of Scripture, truth is set forth in life-experiences. In Proverbs, for example, you will find principles pictured in pithy, portable form. In Job, there is high drama through controversy between failed counselors, a counselee, and the divine Counselor. In Ecclesiastes, short sections coupled with briefer portions comprise a book that demonstrates that life is impermanent (the proper translation of the word “vanity” as it is found in the KJV).

So, if you are looking for me to spell out what counseling is, let me say that these biblical books, not to disparage the rest, plainly point to a working definition. In simple terms, Nouthetic counseling is the wise application of biblical truth to persons who have experienced a breakdown of the normal, sanctification process, in order to remove the various causes of the breakdown while, at the same time, endeavoring to help them seize upon the breakdown as an opportunity to achieve greater spiritual growth.

In this descriptive definition three major factors stand out:

1. Nouthetic counseling is the wise application of biblical truth to persons whose lives dishonor God through the cessation (or slowing) of the progress of sanctification.
2. Nouthetic counseling functions so as to reinstitute the normal process of Christian sanctification in the counselee.
3. Nouthetic counseling seeks, in addition, to capitalize upon overcoming hindrances to spiritual growth by using the opportunity to promote greater ongoing growth.

And, it must always be remembered that, at every point, it is through the Holy Spirit Who, in accordance with Philippians 2:13, gives to obedient counselors and counselees both the willingness and the ability to do those things that please God, that all is achieved.

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 What is Christian Counseling? appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.