ISBN: 9781433503177
This is the first book I've read on biblical counseling and I have come away from this experience with a deep appreciation for the authors and their devotion to the Word of God as the only true remedy for people who are struggling. Their attidude is best summed up in the preface, where they write that "[w]e believe that when God the Creator provides a cure-all, it really cures all, and that when He sent His eternal Son as Redeemer, He set in motion a new creation power that will eventually eradicate both the sin-twisted self-centeredness of our hearts and the sin-infected wounds that we have inflicted on one another." (page 13)
The cure-all, of course, is the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...and this is the thrust of the book. The book is helpful in many ways, including the examples included and the study questions at the end of each chapter. In addition to this, there are three appendices included, one of them a very helpful list of issues and the Scripture one might use when counseling people dealing with it. Ultimately, what I loved most about this book is that the authors take the issue down to its basic element of sin. Why do people commit adultery? Why do they abuse family members? Because they are sinners in need of the Gospel! And why do Believers engage in such behaviors? Because they have forgotten the gopel! Personally, I think that it is also because too many who profess Christ are not truly saved!
There are many excellent examples throughout the book of how to counsel people, but my favorite one characterizes how this book uses the Word of God as its foundation. In the chapter entitled "The Gospel and our relationships" we find the following:
"If we forget that we are sinful and flawed, it will be easy to become self-righteous and harsh with our spouses; [p]arents who forget that they are law breakers expect their children to keep the law and to make them look good; Even children can forget the gospel. If they forget that they are sinful and flawed, they are quick to judge their parents' inconsistencies and failures." (page 158-159)
I cannot recommend this book enough! I think that for the layperson like myself it can serve as a useful tool not only in relating to our brothers and sisters but in ministering to the lost. So buy this book and read it over and over. This is the book you will want close at hand for easy access, the kind that will soon need to be replaced from excessive use!
This is the first book I've read on biblical counseling and I have come away from this experience with a deep appreciation for the authors and their devotion to the Word of God as the only true remedy for people who are struggling. Their attidude is best summed up in the preface, where they write that "[w]e believe that when God the Creator provides a cure-all, it really cures all, and that when He sent His eternal Son as Redeemer, He set in motion a new creation power that will eventually eradicate both the sin-twisted self-centeredness of our hearts and the sin-infected wounds that we have inflicted on one another." (page 13)
The cure-all, of course, is the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...and this is the thrust of the book. The book is helpful in many ways, including the examples included and the study questions at the end of each chapter. In addition to this, there are three appendices included, one of them a very helpful list of issues and the Scripture one might use when counseling people dealing with it. Ultimately, what I loved most about this book is that the authors take the issue down to its basic element of sin. Why do people commit adultery? Why do they abuse family members? Because they are sinners in need of the Gospel! And why do Believers engage in such behaviors? Because they have forgotten the gopel! Personally, I think that it is also because too many who profess Christ are not truly saved!
There are many excellent examples throughout the book of how to counsel people, but my favorite one characterizes how this book uses the Word of God as its foundation. In the chapter entitled "The Gospel and our relationships" we find the following:
"If we forget that we are sinful and flawed, it will be easy to become self-righteous and harsh with our spouses; [p]arents who forget that they are law breakers expect their children to keep the law and to make them look good; Even children can forget the gospel. If they forget that they are sinful and flawed, they are quick to judge their parents' inconsistencies and failures." (page 158-159)
I cannot recommend this book enough! I think that for the layperson like myself it can serve as a useful tool not only in relating to our brothers and sisters but in ministering to the lost. So buy this book and read it over and over. This is the book you will want close at hand for easy access, the kind that will soon need to be replaced from excessive use!
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