What Is Nouthetic Counseling?

Most people who hear the phrase "Christian counseling" assume it means Christian psychology or Christian psychiatry. Those disciplines belong to Christians who have been educated and licensed in their respective fields and who also publicly identify as Christians. That is not what we mean by it at Nacmin. We define Christian counseling as counseling that is based on the Bible, and the name we give that approach is nouthetic counseling. In what follows, I will explain what the word means, where it comes from in Scripture, what it covers and what it does not, and why I am convinced the Bible is sufficient for the task.

Where the word comes from

The word comes straight out of the New Testament. Paul writes to the church in Corinth,

I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

(1 Corinthians 4:14, ESV)

The word translated "admonish" is νουθετῶν, a participle of the verb νουθετέω ("to admonish, to warn, to instruct"), and it is the word behind "nouthetic." What is striking here is what Paul assumes. Scripture, in this case what Paul is writing, is meant to admonish the Corinthians. The word implies that Paul will encourage them with Scripture, correct them with Scripture, and instruct them with Scripture in how they ought to live. In other words, admonishing is aimed at the real problems of life the Corinthians were facing as a result of sin and Biblical ignorance.

What nouthetic counseling is

Nouthetic counseling is a system of counseling that treats the Word of God as the primary and best source for handling all of the non-organic issues of life. It relies on Scripture as sufficient for addressing life's problems, and it focuses on helping a person understand God's Word and apply it to his specific situation. The goal is not simply to manage a problem. The goal is to bring people closer to Christ.

That is why the people who come to us are dealing with such a wide range of struggles: marriage difficulties, anxiety, depression, addiction, and more. The question in every case is the same. What does God say, and how does it apply here?

What nouthetic counseling is not

It is important to note what we mean by "non-organic." We mean issues that are not caused by a physical problem. Broken bones and head injuries belong to the medical field. In other words, we don't practice medicine. Having said that, we do help people who are struggling with the effects of medicine, and we help with matters of a spiritual or emotional nature.

It is also not psychology with a Christian label. We are not licensed psychologists or psychiatrists, and we don't claim to be. Our philosophy is that the Bible is sufficient as a counseling method. It's one thing to say that a Christian can work as a psychologist; it's an entirely different thing to say that the Scriptures need psychology in order to help a struggling believer.

Why the sufficiency of Scripture matters

The whole approach rests on the sufficiency of Scripture for life and godliness. If the Scriptures can and should help us in all of the issues we face, then the counselor's first task is to open the Bible, not to set it aside until the "real" work begins.

Two men did more than most to press that conviction on the church: Jay Adams and David Powlison. They helped focus our attention on the sufficiency of Scripture, and they helped us see that the Scriptures speak to every issue we face. Jay Adams has probably done more than any theologian or any single individual to shape me and my life, not only in counseling but in theology generally. Their legacy is one I am thankful for, and the work the Lord did through them is the work Nacmin tries to carry on. (I wrote more about both men in Remembering Two Pillars in Nouthetic Counseling.)

Counseling and apologetics together

Nacmin stands for Nouthetic Apologetics and Counseling Ministries, and the two belong together. The same Word that admonishes the believer also equips him to answer the skeptic:

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

(1 Peter 3:15, ESV)

The heart of Nacmin is that people would find ways to change their lives as they wrestle with the common sociological, psychological, and religious issues of the day.

How to get counsel

I have practiced Biblical counseling for over ten years. Counseling is one of the primary services Nacmin offers, and sessions are offered freely; donations are appreciated but finances should never be a barrier to receiving help. Sessions typically last 60 to 90 minutes and are available in person in the Albuquerque area or online by video. If you are not local, we can also counsel by email or phone. You can request an appointment here or contact us.

In short, nouthetic counseling is Biblical counseling: the conviction that God's Word is sufficient to address the non-organic problems of life, applied patiently to the person in front of you, with the aim of bringing that person closer to Christ.