When we talk about counseling, people often think of paid sessions in a therapist's office. However, in everyday life, the advice, admonitions, or guidance we give to others also falls under the scope of counseling, as they serve a similar purpose. For example, when a child has a conflict with a classmate at school and then communicates with their parents at home, this too is a form of counseling.
Counseling occurs even more frequently within the church. Believers often seek help from pastors or fellow workers when they encounter problems in life. Therefore, faith-based counseling is crucial. Recently, Pastor Z, an experienced pastor with extensive ministry and counseling experience, shared a lecture on the subject of counseling.
In counseling believers within the church, Pastor Z advocates returning to the Bible and conducting biblical counseling to help others. This approach differs from secular counseling, which is based on psychology.
Pastor Z believes that most non-biblical counseling focuses on eliminating symptoms as the counseling goal. For example, if a couple with marital problems seeks help, counseling that focuses on symptom elimination might concentrate on identifying the sources of conflict and providing principles, techniques, and methods for resolving them. The goal would be to reduce or eliminate conflicts between the couple, and if that happens, the counseling would be considered successful. This is typically the aim of psychological counseling.
However, Pastor Z emphasizes that such counseling does not involve our faith or our relationship with God. As Christians, our goal in counseling is not just to eliminate symptoms but to lead people toward a higher, better goal—knowing Jesus Christ and being redeemed through the gospel God brings.
Pastor Z further explained that Jesus came to bring long-lasting, not temporary changes. They are not superficial but transformative, coming from within and leading to repentance toward God. The motivation for change is not based on human effort but on God's mighty power working within us, and this brings glory to Christ. This is the goal of gospel-centered counseling.
Pastor Z pointed out that the biggest problem he encountered in counseling ministry was that believers did not walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. He often had to spend a lot of time rebuilding the foundation of their faith. "If we do not repent from this state of not obeying Jesus’ teachings and our lives are inconsistent with God’s words, it is like building a house on sand—when the wind and rain come, the house will collapse," he said.
"In both big and small matters, we must be willing to listen to Christ. Whatever we do should be to please and glorify Christ. When someone takes this as their standard for behavior, they are living in a manner worthy of the gospel. These changes are not achieved through self-cultivation but through the power of the gospel, which transforms lives. This transformation comes through Jesus’s cross, death, and resurrection, so we can be reborn by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts of stone are removed, and we no longer rebel against God with hearts of flesh."
Pastor Z emphasized that counselors should help individuals in a gospel-centered way, enabling their conduct to be worthy of the gospel they have received. Counselors should guide them to reflect on God's will and consider how to please the Lord in difficult circumstances, leading them to continual transformation by the gospel.
He shared the story of a Christian woman who had struggled with marital problems for many years. She had read many books on marriage and received diverse psychological counseling, but her marriage still hadn't improved significantly. One day, she heard a gospel-centered counseling session at church, and it became clear to her. She realized that the leading cause of marital problems is the lack of a desire to please the Lord in all things.
Later, during another unpleasant argument with her husband, she began to reflect on how she could treat her husband in a way that would please her Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit stirred her heart, letting her face her husband with kindness, with her hostility and resentment gradually dissipating. In the light of the Holy Spirit, she thought, "Christ loves me, a rebellious sinner, and has shown me the grace of forgiving all my sins. I should also extend this grace to my husband." With that thought, she let go of her bitterness and quickly reconciled with her husband. She excitedly testified that she had truly experienced the power of the gospel in her marriage.
"Someone once said that the gospel helps us break free from self-centeredness, self-love, vain conceit, the inability to love God, and the inability to love others as ourselves. Counseling that strays from the gospel tends to blame external circumstances—family background and upbringing—rarely addressing the need for personal transformation. Gospel-centered counseling, however, inspires people toward a higher goal of knowing, pleasing, and imitating Christ, and glorifying Christ," Pastor Z concluded.
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
谈到辅导，人们很容易将其定义为在诊疗室里面收费的辅导。但其实在日常生活中我们给予旁人的一些建议、劝诫或者引导都在辅导的范围内，因为它们也具有辅导的功能。比如孩子在学校跟同学有了冲突，回到家里，家长和孩子的沟通，这也是一种辅导。
在教会中，辅导更是时常发生。信徒在生活中遇到问题时会和牧者同工交通，以寻求帮助。因此，如何在信仰的根基上来进行辅导就显得尤为重要。最近一位具备丰富牧会和辅导经验的资深牧者Z牧师关于辅导方面的讲座，与大家分享。
在教会里面辅导信徒时，Z牧师极力主张回归到圣经，以合乎真理的原则来辅导帮助别人。这和社会上以心理学为本的辅导理念和方向是不同的。
Z牧师认为，大多数不以信仰为根基的辅导，是以消除当事人的症状来作为辅导目标。就如一对婚姻有难处的夫妻来寻求帮助，如果以消除症状为辅导目标，辅导者可能会很专注在帮助他们找出冲突的原因，提供解决冲突的原则、技巧、方法；好让他们从原本经常吵架到慢慢减少冲突，甚至不吵架了。症状消除了就认为这个有效，社会上一般从事心理咨询是以此为目标的。
Z牧师认为，这种辅导不涉及我们的信仰和跟神的关系，而身为基督徒，我们的辅导目标不只是消除症状而已，因为信仰是要领人去向一个更高更美好的目标，就是认识耶稣基督以及被他所带来的福音而救赎。
Z牧师进一步说到，耶稣基督的福音带给当事人的改变不是一时的，而是一种更持久的；不是表面的，而是从里到外的改变，是向着神的悔改和改变。而且改变的动力不是靠自己，而是靠着神在人里面的大能；并带给基督荣耀，这是以基督福音为核心的辅导目标。
Z牧师提到，在辅导事工中他发现最大的问题就是，福音跟弟兄姊妹的生活割裂了，他要花很多时间重新建立他们信仰的根基。如果我们不悔改这样子割裂的状态，不悔改和信仰不一致的生活；就如把房子盖在沙土上，风吹雨淋，房子就倒塌了。
“大事小事愿意听从基督，做什么事是为取悦基督、荣耀基督。当一个人将其作为行事为人标准时，就是与福音相称的。这些改变不是靠人自己修心养性可以实现的，而是福音的大能带来的生命的改变。这个改变是根基于耶稣基督的十字架和死里复活的工作，使我们被圣灵重生，石心换为肉心，不再悖逆神。”
Z牧师指出，辅导员应以福音为核心帮助当事人，让他的行事为人能够与他所得的福音相称。引导当事人去思想神的心意，思想如何在每个处境、每个难处中去讨主喜悦；引导人持续的被福音来改变。
他提到，曾有一位姐妹，她有长达很多年的婚姻问题。她读了很多婚姻方面的书，也接受了不少以心理学为本的辅导，但是婚姻关系还是没有很大的改变。有一次她就在教会里听到以福音为核心的辅导，她恍然大悟；明白过去她婚姻有问题是因为缺少了最重要的东西，就是凡事讨主喜悦的心志。
之后，她再次跟丈夫吵得很不愉快时，当下她就开始思想如何对待她的丈夫会让天上的父亲高兴，里面的圣灵让她愿意有乐意的心面对丈夫，敌对、憎恶逐渐消散。在圣灵真理的光照下，她想到：“基督爱我这样一个悖逆的罪人，给我这么大的恩典，我所有的罪孽祂都赦免了。我也应当效法基督给我的恩典，把这样的恩典转过头来也给我旁边的这个人。”想到这儿，她愿意放下对丈夫的不满跟苦毒，很快就跟丈夫和好。她兴奋的见证说自己真的在婚姻当中经历了福音的大能。
“曾有人说，福音救我们脱离的是自己，帮助我们脱离自我专注、爱自己、贪图虚浮的荣耀、不能爱神、不能爱人如己等境况。偏离福音核心的辅导总是会怪罪环境、怪罪原生家庭、怪罪、怪这个那个；很少说当事人有需要改变的地方。以福音为核心的辅导是要把人带向认识基督、取悦基督、效法基督、荣耀基督这个更高的方向。”Z牧师总结道。
回归以福音为核心的辅导
When we talk about counseling, people often think of paid sessions in a therapist's office. However, in everyday life, the advice, admonitions, or guidance we give to others also falls under the scope of counseling, as they serve a similar purpose. For example, when a child has a conflict with a classmate at school and then communicates with their parents at home, this too is a form of counseling.
Counseling occurs even more frequently within the church. Believers often seek help from pastors or fellow workers when they encounter problems in life. Therefore, faith-based counseling is crucial. Recently, Pastor Z, an experienced pastor with extensive ministry and counseling experience, shared a lecture on the subject of counseling.
In counseling believers within the church, Pastor Z advocates returning to the Bible and conducting biblical counseling to help others. This approach differs from secular counseling, which is based on psychology.
Pastor Z believes that most non-biblical counseling focuses on eliminating symptoms as the counseling goal. For example, if a couple with marital problems seeks help, counseling that focuses on symptom elimination might concentrate on identifying the sources of conflict and providing principles, techniques, and methods for resolving them. The goal would be to reduce or eliminate conflicts between the couple, and if that happens, the counseling would be considered successful. This is typically the aim of psychological counseling.
However, Pastor Z emphasizes that such counseling does not involve our faith or our relationship with God. As Christians, our goal in counseling is not just to eliminate symptoms but to lead people toward a higher, better goal—knowing Jesus Christ and being redeemed through the gospel God brings.
Pastor Z further explained that Jesus came to bring long-lasting, not temporary changes. They are not superficial but transformative, coming from within and leading to repentance toward God. The motivation for change is not based on human effort but on God's mighty power working within us, and this brings glory to Christ. This is the goal of gospel-centered counseling.
Pastor Z pointed out that the biggest problem he encountered in counseling ministry was that believers did not walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. He often had to spend a lot of time rebuilding the foundation of their faith. "If we do not repent from this state of not obeying Jesus’ teachings and our lives are inconsistent with God’s words, it is like building a house on sand—when the wind and rain come, the house will collapse," he said.
"In both big and small matters, we must be willing to listen to Christ. Whatever we do should be to please and glorify Christ. When someone takes this as their standard for behavior, they are living in a manner worthy of the gospel. These changes are not achieved through self-cultivation but through the power of the gospel, which transforms lives. This transformation comes through Jesus’s cross, death, and resurrection, so we can be reborn by the Holy Spirit. Our hearts of stone are removed, and we no longer rebel against God with hearts of flesh."
Pastor Z emphasized that counselors should help individuals in a gospel-centered way, enabling their conduct to be worthy of the gospel they have received. Counselors should guide them to reflect on God's will and consider how to please the Lord in difficult circumstances, leading them to continual transformation by the gospel.
He shared the story of a Christian woman who had struggled with marital problems for many years. She had read many books on marriage and received diverse psychological counseling, but her marriage still hadn't improved significantly. One day, she heard a gospel-centered counseling session at church, and it became clear to her. She realized that the leading cause of marital problems is the lack of a desire to please the Lord in all things.
Later, during another unpleasant argument with her husband, she began to reflect on how she could treat her husband in a way that would please her Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit stirred her heart, letting her face her husband with kindness, with her hostility and resentment gradually dissipating. In the light of the Holy Spirit, she thought, "Christ loves me, a rebellious sinner, and has shown me the grace of forgiving all my sins. I should also extend this grace to my husband." With that thought, she let go of her bitterness and quickly reconciled with her husband. She excitedly testified that she had truly experienced the power of the gospel in her marriage.
"Someone once said that the gospel helps us break free from self-centeredness, self-love, vain conceit, the inability to love God, and the inability to love others as ourselves. Counseling that strays from the gospel tends to blame external circumstances—family background and upbringing—rarely addressing the need for personal transformation. Gospel-centered counseling, however, inspires people toward a higher goal of knowing, pleasing, and imitating Christ, and glorifying Christ," Pastor Z concluded.
- Edited & translated by Abigail Wu
Pastor: Return to Gospel-Centered Counseling
