Where Does the Christian Receive Psychē Counselling?

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.

 

 

 

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[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 

It’s Not Fair I Had To Go Through This Disease.

The death of Matthew Perry on October 28, 2023, was tragic and brought real grief to many.  It ought to be considered tragic not because of his popularity but because Matthew Perry was a human being created in God’s image. Although tarnished in us all, this imago Deo is what made him a person of dignity, value and honour.  His death is a tragic loss.   He starred on TV’s popular show Friends. Matthew Perry, the Emmy-nominated actor died at 54.  Perry's 10 seasons on Friends made him one of Hollywood's most recognizable actors, starring opposite Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer as a friend group in New York City.

On the CBC National, October 29, 2023, a video clip of Perry being interviewed by __ was shown in part.  It can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/vrZsyBhmMro?si=yUhRity3Wu3clmHC.  It was in this interview that Perry left his saddest legacy.  It was in this interview that mental health as social condition was given its greatest setback.  This is not a condemnation of Perry, for he simply parroted what our culture teaches. Much of my concerns can be heard approximately at 29:25:00 minutes in the interview.

He talks about going into Rehab and says, “I was placed in some kind of spiritual guys office and we talked a little bit and as we were done talking he turned around . . . And said ‘just remember it’s not your fault’ . . . and I said ‘what do you mean it’s not my fault, I’m the one who’s doing it what do you mean’?  And he saved my life because I then knew that it wasn’t my fault that I it was that I wasn’t weaker.  It wasn’t my will that was screwed up. It was that I have this disease  and I need to get help . . .  It’s not fair.  It’s not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn’t.” (Emphasis mine.)

The most pervasive and culturally acceptable paradigm to view addiction is to view it through the lens of a disease model.  The backstory to Perry’s condition was that as a 14 year old, he and several of his friends drank excessively.  His alcoholism and drug abuse continued but theirs didn’t.  His conclusion: they didn’t have the disease.  He did.  By his own story, the disease model gave him something to hang his hat on. But here’s the problem: the disease model didn’t heal the disease.  The other problem in his story is that the disease model proves it to be unfair and ultimately created a mentality of victimhood.  He was dealt a bad hand and he got the disease.

This blog is not to be dismissive of Matthew Perry. I felt nothing but compassion for him as I learned his story. He truly was a victim — but not of drugs and alcohol.  He was a victim of a health system that views non-organic crises as diseases rather than sicknesses of the soul.  Full disclosure, I am no expert in this field of discussion and I admit that the secular literature supporting the “disease model” is enormous.  My only claim is my view that the Bible is the inerrant authority and sufficient authority of matters of the soul.  My expertise is questionable. My God is irrefutable. 

The Bible describes the soul of human beings as broken.  It is malfunctioning.  The word ‘futile’ describes its ability, meaning that it cannot do what it was intended to do. The Bible is also clear that the cause of the soul’s condition is sin or stated otherwise rebellion from God.  Where the problem is “non-organic” or “a matter of the soul” the remedy can only be found in the Creator of the human soul.  Genesis 2:7 (ESV): “. . . then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”  That word “creature” in the ESV is from the Hebrew word translated into English to be “living being” or soul.

The Bible doesn’t avoid the matter of alcoholism or addiction.  Note:

Proverbs 23:29–32 (ESV): “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.”

Without addressing matters of the soul it is impossible to resolve non-organic problems. Proverbial wisdom from the Scriptures remind us that issues of the soul determine vitality of life. We read in Proverbs 4:23 (ESV): “Keep your heart [= soul] with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Again, I have nothing but sadness and compassion for Matthew Perry.  His story is a stark reminder that those who are afflicted non-organic horrors should seek the only true Physician of the soul. There are specific matters of human suffering that cannot be resolved by determination, discipline, doctors or drugs.  Matters of soul-sickness can only be healed through the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV): “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ‘Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’”