Emphasizing the Identity OF Jesus

This post was originally posted on the Biblical Counseling Coalition site.

The last few years have seen a significant rise in the importance of helping a counselee understand his or her identity IN Christ. We have welcomed (okay, many of us) this emphasis with open arms recognizing that this was an important emphasis in the Scriptures. Practically speaking, when a person understands their identity they are able to love because they are loved by Jesus, they are able to respond with grace because that is how Jesus responds to them, and they are able to be compassionate and merciful because
that is what they receive from Jesus.

But the Bible emphasizes not only our identity IN Christ, but the identity OF Christ. I would like to suggest that the more we reflect on the identity OF Jesus the more we will appreciate Jesus, the more we will want to run to Jesus in the midst of our suffering, and the more receptive we will be to love Jesus with all our mind, soul, and strength (Matt. 22:37), and the more we will respond like Jesus in the midst of our challenges and victories.

While the identity OF Jesus can be found in many places in the NT, the pride of place belongs to the four gospel books. John explains that the reason he writes is “so that you may believe that Jesus IS the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” In other words, one of the two primary purposes of the entire gospel of John is so that you might know the identity OF Jesus. Similarly Luke explains that his book is for the purpose of knowing “the exact truth about the things you have
been taught.” While Luke’s statement goes beyond the identity OF Jesus in the “things you have been taught,” it only takes a surface reading of Luke to understand that the identity OF Jesus is crucial to his purposes. Matthew quotes the OT on numerous occasions in order to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. Finally, Mark also begins his gospel, not with a statement of Jesus’ birth, but with a quotation from Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 showing that Jesus is Messiah, the Son of God. What is often helpful to remember is that all the gospels were written long after the events occurred (25-60 years). In some
cases (e.g., Mark), the gospels were not primarily evangelistic. They were written to strengthen the faith of those already possessing the name of Christ. In other words, God thought it was important for believers to reflect on the identity OF Jesus.

While one post is not sufficient to cover the identity OF Jesus in the gospels, some of the more common identity truths include:

1. Jesus is Yahweh (the covenant name for God in the OT). The richness of that expression is practically boundless. Israel continually struggled to keep their responsibilities of the covenant. The covenant had to be affirmed on multiple occasions and in the striking metaphor Israel is the idolatrous Gomer and Yahweh is gracious and pursuing Hosea—a love story where the love flowed only in one direction.

2. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the deliverer and the redeemer of His people.

3. Jesus is the Son of God and Son of Man. These titles gain their richness from the OT Scriptures that define them. Jesus is the one who receives the kingdom from the Father.

4. Jesus is the Suffering Servant. The servant songs in Isaiah find their fulfillment in the person of Jesus.

5. Jesus is God because he does things that only God can do. He forgives sin, he exercises authority over the Mosaic Law (the Sabbath), and in fact abolishes it.

6. Jesus is our substitute. All four gospels commit about 25% of their space to explain the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of Jesus. Jesus pays for our sin and humbly endures the wrath of God designed for us.

In our counseling and one another ministry, people need to be enamored with Jesus. They need to love Jesus more than anything else. It is their love for Jesus that will drive them to radical behavior (grace instead of wrath, compassion instead of anger, mercy instead of judgment, love instead of hate, and forgiveness instead of resentment). The gospels, accounting for more than 40% of NT literature (by word count), show that one of the way to get that done, is to emphasize the identity OF Jesus. May we follow suit.

Join the conversation: How have you used the gospels in order to help your counselees love Jesus more?

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When the Counselor Becomes the Counselee

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Contributed by Joel Bertles

One-on-one ministry is extremely intimidating! I am often overwhelmed with the feeling that this encounter is too weighty and significant to handle on my own. I want to call out for help from he one of the well-seasoned pastors who are my mentors. It’s so intimidating for a number of reasons:

  1. I can’t prepare for what is going to be discussed in the meeting. Conversations are organic, and people’s lives are full of unexpected turns.
  2. I feel the pressure to have an immediate answer to whatever ails are brought into our meeting.
  3. I am not enough to fix my counselee’s problems.

Each of these points make me feel quite inadequate to be leading these kinds of meetings. Continue reading →

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What is God’s favorite color?

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Bob Smith

One of the privileges in my life is walking.  It is also a requirement for my physical strength (which is shot) and my intellectual strength (which also is shot).  In addition, when one has lived and does live a sedentary life, being outdoors is a very pleasant addition to the day. Continue reading →

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Domestic Violence and the Image of God

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This post was written by Chris Moles, a friend of Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries. He has experience working with convicted batterers and provides all of us with a helpful reminder whenever we attempt to minister to the victim or the batterer.

Chris is a husband, father, pastor, biblical counselor and a certified batterer intervention group facilitator working with his local criminal corrections department teaching weekly domestic violence prevention classes. 

I’ve read scores of criminal complaints, police narratives, and victim statements over the years but this one was different. Maybe I’m getting used to reading them because as I look back I was far too casual with this one, almost callused hurrying through the details eager to place it back in the file. It wasn’t until later that evening as I quieted my mind that the Holy Spirit allowed the words from that report to begin penetrating my heart. It was as if the details flew into my mind almost like they were in color and the background was black and white. Words like, “bruising on the arms and face” “lacerations” and “the victim’s blood” reminded me that this is far more than just paperwork. These are people, people who in the context of an intimate relationship find their lives reduced to a few paragraphs on a sheet of paper. I was actually reading about a victim who is far more than the extent of her wounds, and a perpetrator who in fact is more than his rage and desire for control. They are people created and subsequently pursued by the God of heaven. His desire for them far exceeds the trouble they have and will continue to face. He has comfort for the victimized, and hope for the violent man and also longs for His people to compassionately respond to both the victim and perpetrator as well. While this experience has left me with many thoughts, here is one that I hope will challenge you as well. Continue reading →

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5 Reasons the 2012 BCTC Was Totally Awesome

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First, let me say thank you to those who made the effort to attend the Biblical Counseling Training Conference this year. It was truly an awesome week. Quite frankly, when I came into work on Saturday, I was met with the reality that I was in the building alone. Just 24 hours earlier, this place was teeming with people. We could not help miss the wonderful time we had together. Hopefully, this article will bring back sweet memories. If you were not able to come to the BCTC this year, then maybe this will give you a taste of what God did here in Lafayette last week. Continue reading →

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5 Things to Expect from the Biblical Counseling Training Conference

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin
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Here are a five things you can expect when you attend the BCTC at Faith Church in 2012:

1.  A focus on God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and His written Word.  Our supreme goal is to bring our God glory and please the Lord Jesus Christ in what and how we think, speak, and do – everything!  His word is alive and active, providing a light unto our path that is profitable for life and godliness.

2.  An emphasis on personal spiritual growth.  Influencing others spiritually begins with a transparent, growing vessel ready to be used by our Savior.  Your well must contain water if you plan to give water to one who is thirsty.  One of our goals is to help “fill your well” during this week.

3.  A staff and church family that counts it a privilege to serve you with the love of Christ. We love this annual conference week around here for several reasons, not the least of which is that we get to serve some amazing people.

4. Energy! When You get over 1,700 people together who love God and want to grow personally in their walk with Christ and in their ability to effectively impact people with God’s word, you get a “spiritual energy” that truly nourishes your soul.

5. Friends, Food, and Fun.  New friends are made, existing friendships are strengthened, and people have a great time.  Oh, and the plan is to have plenty of snackage.  Some healthy, and some…well…good to the taste.

Conference guests/friends:  We look forward to seeing you, serving, and getting to know you on February 12-17, 2012. (Still making travel plans? Our travel page has some information that may help.)

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The Incomparable Yahweh—The Solution to Idolatry

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Since Genesis 3, people created in the image of God instinctively reversed their role. We who are made in God’s image now attempt to make god in our image according to our desires. The essence of the problem is our self-exalting pride—believing that other people exist for us to rule over, to heap accolades on us, to bring us pleasure. And, as we behold creation, it too exists so that we might have maximum enjoyment of its food, conveniences, and delights. Moreover, if we acknowledge God’s existence, He also is expected to bow to our every whim of pleasure as a commandable genie. This dynamic lies at the root of all of our personal addictions and interpersonal conflicts.

Idolatry is the perversion of our delight in God into enslaving delights of the created order (pleasures, power, praise of man, possessions, peace; Romans 1:21–32). When our hearts are fixated on the fleeting pleasures of this world, our ability to perceive this world (and its people) through any other lens than the pleasure afforded us is constricted. We will not be able to perceive God in our hard circumstances. We will not be able to perceive the needs of others in our encounters. And therefore, idolatry is no less than a reversal of the two greatest commandments to love God and love others. Continue reading →

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5 Things Infertile Couples Want Friends, Families, and Churches to Know

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Let’s face it: infertility is awkward for everybody involved. Friends and family members often don’t know whether to broach the subject at all, let alone know what to say. Childless couples want some help and support, but they are often silent about their struggle (as Rob Green pointed out in his first post in this series). Churches know the issue exists, but often don’t quite know what to do about it. What we’re left with is the proverbial elephant in the room. Well, let’s talk about that elephant.

We dealt with infertility for about 9 years before we adopted. We now have 2 children, and while we’re still technically dealing with infertility, that issue is mostly behind us. We cannot speak for all infertile couples (we welcome additions, subtractions, or other comments on this post), but we wanted to use our own experience—with the input of friends who have experienced infertility as well—to be very straight-up about what infertile couples want their family, friends, and churches to know. Continue reading →

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You’ll Find What You’re Looking For

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CNN’s Belief Blog recently asked a variety of religion and faith leaders to predict the way the forces of faith and faithlessness would shape the world in 2012.  Here’s a sample of the responses:

  • “The year will see an increase in the number of people ‘coming out’ as nonbelievers” – Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association
  • “Hindu Americans will continue to become better advocates for themselves, particularly in the public policy arena” – Sheetal Shah, senior director of the Hindu American Foundation
  • “There’s no question the worldview of most younger Christians already differs from previous generations regarding social justice, cultural engagement, and politics…” – Cameron Strang, publisher of Relevant Magazine
  • “Women everywhere who have been oppressed by their religions will rise up as they have already done in Egypt…” – Sally Quinn, founder and editor-in-chief of Washington Post’s “On Faith”
  • “’All American Muslim’ will become a bigger hit than “Jersey Shore” ever was…” – Maysoon Zayid, co-producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival

What Stands Out?

The question here isn’t whether any or all of these predictions might come true in 2012.  Continue reading →

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How Can You Get a ‘Glad’ Heart Starting Today?

Posted on December 9, 2011 by admin
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Have you ever wondered why some people seem so happy and joyful? Have you ever wondered what was going on in their mind or heart, or what circumstances they were experiencing that made them so happy? The more you watched them, the more intense your questions became. On the other hand, have you wondered why some people are so unhappy and practically never joyful at any time? Have you wondered what was going on in their mind or heart, or what awful circumstances they were experiencing that made them so unhappy or downcast?

The issue here: How does a person get a ‘glad’ heart? How can we say what the Psalmist wrote?: “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices“. (Psalm 16:9) Continue reading →

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