How should biblical theology inform pastoral counseling?
- A pastor should apply all of Scripture to his people’s lives in light of the gospel. Biblical theology teaches a pastor how to do this. And this enables Christians to draw comfort, encouragement, and hope from all of Scripture, even parts of it that seem more distant from our lives.
- A pastor should help his people understand their stories in light of God’s story. In order to rightly interpret our lives, we need to set our personal story within the context of the Bible’s one great story of redemption. Good biblical theology will enable a pastor to personally teach his people how the whole story of redemptive history illumines our own lives as they fit into that story.
- A pastor should inspire a struggling sheep with the greatness of God’s power and plans as displayed in the whole history of redemption. This will encourage the discouraged, comfort the struggling, and inspire the weak.
