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Cuidado Das Almas
Cuidado Das Almas
Cuidado Das Almas
The Sufficiency of
Scripture to Diagnose and
Cure Souls
By David Powlison
How do destructive people become the categories with which the Bible teaches us
constructive? How do out-of-control people to understand human life.
become fruitfully self-controlled? How do rigid Conviction alone simply waves a flag and
people become flexible? How do drifty people eventually degrades into sloganeering. But
learn focus? How do hopeless people grow in convictions demonstrated in action, convictions
hope? How do angry people learn to make shown to be penetrating, comprehensive, and
peace? And even before we can ask How? we subtle, will edify the teachable and even
must ask, Why are troubled people troubled? persuade the skeptical. The church needs
What’s wrong with us? persuading that the conviction is true. A key
In modern society, Scripture’s way of ingredient in such persuasion will be to parade
explaining and engaging people has been largely the riches of Scripture for curing souls.
displaced. What must be done to recover the In the pages that follow, we will look first
centrality of Scripture for helping people to grow at the conviction that Scripture is about
up into the image of Christ? How can face-to- “problems in living.” We will then explore one
face “helping” relationships be reconfigured to small bit of content, the term, “lusts of the
serve as instruments of the only enduring flesh.” This phrase is central to how God
wisdom and the only true humanity? explains us. It cuts to the root of our problems in
To recover the centrality of Scripture for living, but it has languished in near uselessness.
the cure of souls demands two things: conviction
backed up with content. The conviction? Conviction: Systematic Biblical Counseling
Scripture is about understanding and helping What is a genuinely biblical view of the
people. The scope of Scripture’s sufficiency problems of the human soul and the procedures
includes those face-to-face relationships that of ministering grace? Such a view must establish
our culture labels “counseling” or a number of things. First, we must ask, does
“psychotherapy.” The content? The problems, Scripture give us the materials and call to
needs, and struggles of real people—right down construct something that might fairly be called
to the details—must be rationally explained by “systematic biblical counseling.” In fact, we do
_______________________________________________ have the goods for a coherent and
*David Powlison is editor of the Journal of Biblical comprehensive practical theology of face-to-
Counseling. He counsels and teaches at CCEF and face ministry. Scripture is dense with
teaches practical theology at Westminster explanations, with instructions, with
Theological Seminary. implications. We have much work to do to
necessity. Since counselors have the same The patterns, themes, or tendencies of the
package of typical lusts, we meet on common heart do not typically yield to a once-for-all
ground in our need for grace because of pride, repentance. Try dealing one mortal blow to your
fear of man, unbelief, and love of comfort and pride, fear of man, love of pleasure, or desire to
control. control your world, and you will realize why
We can and must tackle such issues. As we Jesus spoke Luke 9:23! But genuine progress will
saw earlier, Second Timothy 3:16 begins with occur where the Holy Spirit is at work.
“teaching.” Good teaching (for example, on Understanding your motivational sins gives you
how Galatians 5 and James 1 connect outward a sense for the “themes” of your story, how your
sins to inward cravings) helps people examine Father is at work in you over the long haul.
and see themselves. Good teaching invites self- 15. Can you change what you want?
knowledge and self-confrontation. Experience Yes and Amen! This is central to the work
with people will make you “case wise” to typical of the Holy Spirit. You will always desire, love,
connections (e.g., the varied motives for trust, believe, fear, obey, long for, value, pursue,
immorality mentioned above in Question 6). hope, and serve something. You are motivated
Probing questions—“What did you want or when you feel desire. God does not anesthetize
expect or fear when you blew up at your us; He redirects our desires. The Holy Spirit
wife?”—help a person reveal his ruling lusts to works to change the configuration and status of
himself and to the counselor. our desires, as He leads us with an intimate
In the light of self-knowledge before God’s hand.14 The desires of the heart are not
face (Heb. 4:12-13), the Gospel offers many unchangeable. God never promises to give you
promises: mercy, help, the Shepherd’s care in what you want, to meet your felt needs and
progressive sanctification (Heb. 4:14-16). “The longings. He tells you to be ruled by other,
unfolding of Your words brings light” (Ps. different desires. This is radical. God promises to
119:130). Repentance, faith, and obedience change what you really want! God insists that
become vigorous and intelligent when we see He be first, and all lesser loves be radically
both our inner cravings and our outward sins in subordinate.
light of God’s mercies. Work hard and carefully The best way to understand this is to think
both on motivation issues (Romans 13:14: the about prayer. Prayer means asking. You ask
lusts of the flesh versus putting on Jesus Christ) because you want something. You ask God
and on behavioral issues (Romans 13:12-13: the because you believe He has power to accomplish
varied deeds of darkness versus proper
“daylight” behavior). _______________________________________________
14 Gal. 5:16-25; Rom. 6:16-18; 8:12-16; Ps. 23:3.