If There Were No Resurrection: Why the Gospel is Essential for Counseling
by Joe Leavell
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/human-standing-beside-crucifix-statue-on-mountain-415571/
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” — 1 Corinthians 15:17
As biblical counselors, every part of our counseling is tied to the ultimate truth that Jesus has risen from the dead. When we sit with people in their suffering and struggles, our counsel depends squarely on the fact that the resurrection is true.
I want to ask, what would our care look like then if the Gospel wasn’t true? What if Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead? Do we still have anything to offer? What we would be left with would look something like this:
a conversation to seek understanding with no true resolution
a diagnosis that could name struggles but never offer a cure
a search for meaning in a world without it
I suppose we could still talk about the heart, but only to try to understand it, not to see it truly changed. We could reform identities, but never be able to experience the new creation where the old is gone, and the new has come.
We also could still address sin, but only to manage and mitigate its effects, not to see it fully forgiven. We could speak of forgiveness, but never proclaim the completeness of Christ’s work that removes guilt and shame.
We could still sit with suffering, but without any assurance that it will ever be redeemed. We could acknowledge pain, but never proclaim that God is working His purposes for good for those who love Him.
We would offer coping mechanisms and have to settle for managing behavior because we would have no promise of transformation at the deepest level.
We would try to quiet guilt, but have nowhere to point for its permanent removal.
We would try to soften shame, but have no righteousness of Christ to replace it.
We would sit with your pain, but never know the one who took your pain to help you overcome it.
We would have you look inward for answers to the same heart that is already weary, conflicted, and broken because there would be no savior.
We would trade in our peace for techniques, tips, and best practices, but never be able to share about reconciliation with the God we were created to worship.
We would give language and naming for your struggles, but could not point to any final victory over them.
We would sit with you in the darkness with compassion, but we would never be able to bring light into it.
We would be limited to what we can observe, measure, and manage, but that will never be enough for what people truly need.
We might be able to help people survive this life, but we could never show them newness of the life to come.
But Christ is risen.
And because He lives:
We approach your heart with the truth, not just to understand it, but to see it redeemed and transformed.
We go with you to the cross, because sin is not managed or overlooked, but forgiven and paid for in full.
We enter into your suffering with compassion, because our Savior has entered in and taken your grief and sorrow as His own.
We talk through your story, because Jesus invites us to enter His.
We speak to you with purpose, because the resurrection means real change is possible.
We labor with you for true transformation, because new life is already at work within each believer.
We point you to Gospel hope, because this story ends in full restoration.
We do not offer empty promises that cannot be redeemed.
We do not offer temporary answers that cannot last.
We do not rely on human strength and wisdom alone, which can never save us.
We bring the good news of a living Savior who reconciles, restores, and makes all things new.
This is why we do what we do! That is why we provide Gospel-centered biblical counseling!
Because Jesus is alive!
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” — Galatians 2:20
You aren’t meant to walk alone. If you would like to pursue counseling through BCA or have additional questions, please reach out today! You can register here or contact us at info@biblicalcounselingaz.org.
Biblical Counseling of Arizona is a 501 C3 non-profit counseling center that relies on the generosity of donors to provide affordable care for those in financial need. If you are interested in asking specific questions about our counseling or are interested in financially partnering with BCA, please reach out to us at (480) 406-1791, write us at info@biblicalcounselingaz.org, or click here to donate.
