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biblical counseling in a broken world

Writer's picture: Samuel BoppuriSamuel Boppuri

Updated: Dec 28, 2024





Local Churches Salt and Light in the Broken World


Men and women are made in the image of God. Before the fall, they lived in a peaceful fellowship with God. Since the day Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they have

Men and women are created in the image of God. Before the fall, they lived in peaceful fellowship with Him. However, since the day Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin, sickness, shame, and guilt have entered their lives. What should have been a place of absolute joy, peace, and harmony has instead become a world filled with horror, bloodshed, and calamity. The world we inhabit now resembles a war zone. So, how are we to live in this broken world?


It is in this context of the messiness of the world Jesus had called his disciples to be the salt and the light to the world. Into a world of chaos, crime, confusion, and calamity, Jesus has summoned his church to be the beacon of light. The church's mission is to share the good news of Jesus through the Word and Deed. It is through the local church of Jesus Christ, that the hidden mysteries of the gospel are revealed. When people from all walks of life come together and worship the Triune God, the radiance of God's love is displayed.


Local Churches Are Like Hospitals, Not Museums


However local churches are not immune to sin, sickness, and death. As one pastor commented, local churches are not museums where all perfect artifacts are on display, rather, they are more like hospitals where patients are recuperating. What do the patients need to get better? They need medicine and care. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Good Samaritan takes the wounded man to the 'inn' and tells the innkeeper to take care of him until he is recovered. The local churches operate as the resting places for troubled souls. Paul writes to the church at Philippi that they are to take care of each other, considering the interests of others more significant than theirs. By doing so, they would develop the mind of Christ (Phil 2:4-5). When we become sensitive to each other's needs, we are driven to help each other. It is in this context, that biblical counseling becomes a vital tool to address their specific spiritual needs and struggles in the local church.


The Word of God Is The Means of Transformation


How do we define biblical counseling? Biblical Counseling is a process through which the counselee is helped to understand his struggles and needs in light of the Word of God to find comfort and healing. Biblical counseling is a tool that specifically addresses spiritual struggles through the Word of God. The goal of biblical counseling is to help a Christian rejoice in Jesus Christ - not just overcome his besetting sins.   


Biblical counseling begins with the premise that every spiritual problem in this world can be addressed by the Word of God. We proudly claim that our God has spoken. If there is a God, he must communicate. If God cannot speak, we cannot know Him. On the flip side, we speak because he speaks – for we are made in his image. In the past, God has spoken through the prophets, but in the end, he has spoken through His Son Jesus Christ. And, the Word of God is what we need to address our problems comprehensively.


Some say that 'the Bible is not a science textbook. We need the Bible for spiritual problems and other sources for other problems.' True, in that sense, the Bible is not comprehensive. But there are two ways to look at a criticism like this.


  1. We are created in God's likeness. God is Spirit, and we are spiritual beings. We are psychosomatic entities, embodied souls - fully physical and fully spiritual. There is no separation between our spirituality and physicality. Due to the fall, both our souls and bodies are affected by sin. Sin invades and ravages the human heart. Because our heart is the seat of intellect, emotions, and the will, our entire personhood is impacted by the fall. As one theologian mentions, our cognition, affection, and volition have become impaired since the fall. Therefore, we need something that addresses our entire being, not just one aspect of us.


    On the other hand, the Word of God is an inspired record of how God redeemed his people down through the ages, culminating in his redeeming act through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. As the author of the Hebrews says the Word of God is a two-edged sword that penetrates deep into the hearts, discerning the deepest thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb 4:12). If we can compare the human heart to a place full of mountains, valleys, with many unexpected twists and turns, the Word of God is like a GPS whose battery never gets discharged - leading us to the right destination. There is no part of the human psyche it cannot reach, bringing healing to the human heart. The Holy Spirit inspired the Word of God and is sufficient to address every human problem.


  1. As the theologian John Frame comments, though you cannot find anything about Quantum physics in the Bible, it provides the ethical context in which one can apply and use Quantum Physics. For example, the Bible does not say anything about modern plumbing [1]. But it provides answers to the ethical questions a plumber cannot ignore answering - how much money should a plumber charge? Is it overrated or underrated? Should he help a poor widow whose bank balance is dismal or not? These are the ethical questions that a plumber is accountable to answer. For instance, while the Bible does not specifically address 'In Vitro Fertilization,' it provides substantial guidance on whether a couple should pursue such procedures. So at any given point in time, we cannot rule out the transformative power of the Word of God. The Word of God remains the fundamental means through which transformation and healing come to the soul.





[1] Frame, John M.. The Doctrine of the Christian Life ( A Theology of Lordship) (p.157). P & R Publishing. Kindle Edition.

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