Where do we seek help for matters of the soul? Or perhaps a better question at this point is, “What are matters of the soul?” I submit there are at least 7[1]:
1. Heart motives and desires — What do you love most? (idolatry vs. worship of God; disordered affections, cravings, lusts of the flesh—see 1 John 2:15-17; James 4:1-3; Ezekiel 14:1-8).
2. Thoughts and beliefs — Unbelief, lies we tell ourselves, faulty thinking patterns (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 4:17-24).
3. Emotions/affections — Anxiety/worry (unbelief—Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:6-7), anger (bitterness, unforgiveness—Ephesians 4:31-32), fear, guilt, shame, despair, or joyless living.
4. Will and behaviors — Sinful actions and habits that flow from the heart (e.g., lying, stealing, sexual immorality, laziness, addiction-like patterns—Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5-10).
5. Relational sins — Pride, selfishness, manipulation, lack of love, unforgiveness, or idolatry of people/approval (Philippians 2:3-8; Ephesians 4:25-5:2).
6. Responses to suffering — How we interpret and respond to trials, loss, abuse, or hardship (whether with faith/trust or with grumbling, self-pity, or resentment—see James 1; 1 Peter 4-5; Psalm 119).
7. Sanctification issues — Lack of repentance, weak faith, prayerlessness, neglect of the Word, or failure to abide in Christ (John 15; Romans 6; Colossians 3:1-17).
The ACBC[2]
standard of doctrine states: “God created the human person with a physical body
and an immaterial soul, each possessing equal honor and essential to
humanity. The Bible depicts the soul as
that which motivates the physical body.”[3] I contend that secular society and secular approaches
cannot deal with matters of the soul.
Unfortunately, our culture has created a discipline called psychology. "Psychology" derives
it’s meaning from the Greek roots psyche (soul, mind, or
breath) and logia (study, discourse, or science), literally
meaning the "study of the soul." Sadly, this is a misnomer for this
is not a field that secular psychology can legitimately enter.
ACBC’s official philosophy is “We recognize that secular
attempts to answer the ultimate questions of psychology and counseling (i.e.,
Who is man? Why do people do what they do? How do people change? Why should a
person change?) fall short in their answers since they do not acknowledge the
reality of a personal God in whose presence mankind is always functioning and
developing.”[4]
Biblical counsellors would dismiss secular approaches to mankind’s soul because
its theories are fundamentally flawed in its anthropology. It is flawed in
matters of root causes. It is impotent in bringing lasting change to a person. Some might even suggest, as I do, that secular
psychology as co-opted the Biblical approach.
The Bible could not be clearer” “Blessed is the man who
walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor
sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on
his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1–2, ESV)
Recently in a Podcast[5]
entitled ‘Evaluating Clinically Informed Counselling,’ the participants
provided a helpful checklist of areas we should look for, as Christians, to
receive trustworthy counsel for matters of the soul. Paraphrasing their advice,
here are 4 questions to ask prior to seeking counsel for your soul:
1. What is the source of the problem? Is it a physical matter? Can it be examined, tested, measured, etc., organically or is it a matter of the soul? There is no blood test for anxiety. There is no imaging data on grief. You can perform a biopsy on depression. Ed Welch’s framework is helpful: moral/spiritual problems need soul care; non-moral physical problems need medical attention. Even in physical suffering, the heart response (trust vs. despair, gratitude vs. grumbling) remains a soul matter (see James 1; 1 Peter 4–5). [6]
2. What is the methodology of the counsellor? If it is matters of the soul, do they lean on humanistic theories or do they hold firmly to the sufficiency of Scripture? 2 Peter 1:3–5 (ESV)
“3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,”
See also: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Psalm 19:7-9, and Psalm 119:05
3. Who is promoting the system of counselling? Where do you go to get it? The Bible says, “if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.” (1 Timothy 3:15, ESV) Is this counselling service a ministry of, or under the Church? Biblical counselling is essentially Christian discipleship. The call to discipleship is a corporate call. To ensure accountability and authenticity in service, Biblical counselling ministries ought to at the very least an appendage of the Church.
4. Lastly, what is the role of that counsellor? The Biblical counsellor’s mandate is clear: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28, ESV). Techniques like cognitive-behavioral methods, talk therapy focused on self-esteem, or trauma processing frameworks detached from biblical categories may offer short-term coping tools but often bypass or contradict the need for repentance, forgiveness, and Christ-centered hope. The word “warning” in Colossians 1:28 is the Greek word νουθετέω noutheteō meaning to admonish, exhort, admonish, give instruction.[7] The Biblical counsellor is essentially a Biblical expositor, and the goal is Christlikeness.
Secular ‘psychology’ produces temporary symptoms of relief
or behavioral modification through common grace[8]
observations, but it cannot produce heart-level transformation. Only the Holy
Spirit working through God's Word can do that.
The soul is not a separate “ghost in the machine” but the
motivating, directing center of the whole person (body + soul = embodied soul).
It encompasses the heart (kardia), mind (nous), affections/desires, will,
thoughts, emotions, motivations, and worship. Proverbs 4:23 is often cited:
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Problems “of the soul” are ultimately heart-level issues—rooted in relationship
to God, sin, idolatry, unbelief, or responses to suffering—that require the
gospel, the Holy Spirit, repentance, faith, and ongoing sanctification for real
change.[9]
Puritan clergy in the 16th and 17th centuries were
frequently referred to as "physicians of the soul" or
"soul-doctors".[10]
They believed that just as a physical doctor treats the body, a minister should
diagnose and treat spiritual diseases, such as sin, anxiety, or spiritual
apathy, through personalized guidance.
[1] xAI,
*Grok 3* (AI language model), accessed April 17, 2026, https://x.com/i/grok/share/650cfd9c3f4340969b3bc993a08c129a
[2] https://biblicalcounseling.com/
[3] https://nebraskagospel.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ACBC_Beliefs_And_Values.pdf
[4]
https://biblicalcounseling.com/
[5]
From Truth in Love: TIL 562: Is the Clinically Informed Biblical Counseling the
Third Generation (feat. Ernie Baker), Apr 6, 2026
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/truth-in
love/id1003845008?i=1000759500387&r=616
[6] https://www.biblicalcounselingcoalition.org/2014/09/25/how-can-christians-tell-the-difference-between-a-spiritual-issue-and-a-physical-one/
[7] Thomas, R. L. (1998). In New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries :
updated edition. Foundation Publications, Inc.
[8] “God’s
common grace that sustains the life and breath of every unbeliever (cf. Dan.
5:23) and that permits the unregenerate to partake of the multifaceted
pleasures and blessings of life in God’s creation (cf. Ecclesiastes) is,
indeed, a manifestation of God’s good and gracious character.” - https://seminary.bju.edu/theology-in-3d/the-basis-of-gods-common-grace/
[9]
https://nebraskagospel.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ACBC_Beliefs_And_Values.pdf
[10] http://tiny.cc/pr02101
