EP. 4 God & Biblical Counseling: Counseling With God In Mind
In this episode, Jeremy, from his book high centers on a couple of chapters that focus on God as the starting point, and His communicable attributes, namely, His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence, and how these attributes demonstrate themselves in counseling. How does God’s sovereignty play a part in our circumstances, pains, and suffering? The hosts tackle these realities and more in this episode.
Episode Notes:
As believers, we’re counseling from a very different location than the secular person. The secular world counsels to the ego, a man-centered location. Whereas, the believer is being counseled from a theocentric perspective, a God-centered perspective on life. In order to know ourselves, we must know the God of scripture. We cannot truly know ourselves, unless we know God. Hence, being made is God’s image, Gen. 1.26-27.
A right understanding of this helps us to think through reasoning our circumstances from God downward to us instead of reasoning upward to God. Our theology matters when we begin to ask questions to interpret the why behind our pain and suffering. In other words, the Omni’s of God’s attributes; his omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience, has everything to do with our circumstances and response.
Show References:
As believers, we’re counseling from a very different location than the secular person. The secular world counsels to the ego, a man-centered location. Whereas, the believer is being counseled from a theocentric perspective, a God-centered perspective on life. In order to know ourselves, we must know the God of scripture. We cannot truly know ourselves, unless we know God. Hence, being made is God’s image, Gen. 1.26-27.
A right understanding of this helps us to think through reasoning our circumstances from God downward to us instead of reasoning upward to God. Our theology matters when we begin to ask questions to interpret the why behind our pain and suffering. In other words, the Omni’s of God’s attributes; his omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience, has everything to do with our circumstances and response.
Show References:
- Jeremy Lelek’s book: Biblical Counseling Basics
- Colossians 1.13; Deuteronomy 29:29; Proverbs 3:5-6
- St. Augustine: The City of God
- Eric Johnson's God & Soul Care: The Therapeutic Resources of the Christian Faith
- John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion
- A.W. Tozer: knowing God
- Jay Adams: Competent to Counsel
- David Powlison - Christian Counseling Education Foundation
- Thomas Brooks: Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices