Nouthetic Counseling: A Biblical Approach for Solving Emotional Problems

Several types of counseling are available today to deal with every problem, real or imagined. Most people seek a professional psychologist or psychiatrist when they have emotional or mental problems. Many times, patients pay large fees for the expertise they are given from counseling. Most sessions of secular counseling consist of taking long trips into the recesses of the patient's mind searching for childhood or adolescent trauma which can be held responsible for the person's present distress. Once the offending incident is discovered, the person is then instructed on how they can be liberated from that experience. Others who struggle with emotional or mental problems look to Christian counselors for help. Christian counselors also have advanced degrees and charge for their services, but their approach to treating patients is much different from that of a secular psychologist.

Different from both psychological and Christian counseling is Biblical, or, Nouthetic counseling. Biblical counseling developed in the 1970s with the publication of books such as, Competent to Counsel. Though the word nouthetic sounds scientific and modern, it is actually a biblical word derived from Greek that means, "instruct" or "admonish". This type of counseling has taken place since Biblical times, but didn't gain recognition as a movement until a few decades ago.

The very bedrock of Biblical counseling is none but Christ Himself. It is the opinion of Nouthetic counselors and their adherents, as well as the opinion of this writer, that when counseling strays from the fundamental truths of Scripture, such as the centrality of Jesus Christ in all of a believer's life, it ceases to be Christian. Thus, Christian counselors who suggest treatments that blame others or permit the patient to deny responsibility for his own actions, is not Christian at all.

Biblical counseling espouses three major ideas: Confrontation, Concern, and Change. In this type of counseling, one person confronts another person out of love with the Bible. Any mature believer with a firm grasp of scripture is qualified to counsel, because his counsel is based on the Word of God. Biblical counselors believe that the Bible is timeless and relevant for every problem in life, regardless of how far removed this day and age is from the time in which the Bible was written.

The motivation for a Biblical counselor is concern. In order to biblically counsel, the counseling Christian must feel a deep concern for his Christian brother. Christian counselors often do have degrees or certification in Biblical counseling. However, they most often do not charge for their services because the Bible says, "Buy the truth and sell it not."

A person in need of Biblical, Nouthetic counseling need only go as far as his pastor's office. The pastor may then match the individual with a Godly church member who will aid in helping the person through his or her spiritual crisis.

Often, Biblical counseling is overlooked or ignored as primitive or obsolete. This is absolutely not the case. The Biblical counselor uses the authoritative, inerrant word of God to speak to real needs in another Christian's life. Hebrews 4:12 says, "For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any twoedged sword...discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart." Though there are legitimate uses of psychiatry and psychology, surely there is no greater counsel than that derived from the supreme Word of God.