We covered the overview of the historical background of biblical counseling. Unfortunately, our class doesn’t have the time to touch on the status of biblical counseling today. Instead, I assigned them to report on the remaining two topics in our succeeding meetings.
As for the theological foundations, all the theological loci beginning with the doctrines of God, of man, of sin, of salvation, of the Holy Spirit, of the church, and even of last things have implications for biblical counseling. Starting with theological foundations is a must before proceeding to a full discussion of the biblical change process. However, it is not feasible to cover them all in one semester, and that is why I decided to select two important doctrines that would somehow provide basic theological foundations for students in my class.
We already covered the first doctrine last week. It is about the relationship between covenant theology and biblical counseling. This time, I want to explore the relationship of progressive sanctification and perseverance of the saints and biblical counseling.
Under progressive sanctification, I will cover two materials: our class notes in the Dynamics of Biblical Change course taught by Dr. Joel Wood under the MABC program and Progressive Sanctification: Understanding Our Union with Christ, a CCEF podcast by Darby Strickland, David Gunner Gundersen, and Esther Liu published on 7 July 2025. As for perseverance of the saints, the material is taken from G. I. Williamson’s exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 17.
Dr. Wood on Sanctification, The Dynamic Heart, and The Biblical Change Process
What is sanctification?
Dr. Wood, in introducing sanctification, he started with an identification of the problem as to the current status of soul care in our time. He called this as the “perspective problem.” He pointed out that the word of God has no place in the care of human souls in our global society. Except for paying lip-service, the word of God is considered insufficient in dealing with soul issues. This is evident both inside and outside the church. This is the reason why in defining sanctification, he wanted to start with the classical standard.
Unlike the CCEF podcast that avoided going to a theology lecture even though they recognized its value, I would like to start with the definition of sanctification as defined by the Westminster Standards. We go first to the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 13 Sections 1 to 3:
They, who are once effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart, and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them: the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part; whence arises a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
In which war, although the remaining corruption, for a time, may much prevail; yet, through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome; and so, the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
We see here that the WCF has devoted three paragraphs to explain sanctification. Remember that the authority of the WCF does not depend in itself, but in how it summarized the teachings of the Bible about the subject. In the above three paragraphs, there are 24 biblical passages. Since we cannot cover all of those 24 passages, we will just select two representatives. One was taken from prophet Ezekiel:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws (36:26-27).
Notice the repetition of the pronoun “I” referring to God Himself. The gift of a new heart and a new spirit, the removal of a heart of stone, and the ability to follow the laws of God are impossible for any man to accomplish in his own strength. All of these supernatural activities are made possible because of God’s initiative, and that is the essence of sanctification.
The second passage is from the apostle Paul:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:9-12).
As you can see, the passage talks about the apostle Paul’s prayer for the saints at Colosse. His prayer concern is about God filling them with the knowledge of his will in order for them to live a life worthy of the Lord. Such a life is described as productive, growing in divine knowledge, powerful, and grateful. No man in his own strength is capable to live such a life. Just like what prophet Ezekiel said, such a life is a product of God’s initiative, which is the Lord’s answer to the apostle’s prayer. Again, this is what sanctification is all about.
Turning our attention to the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 75, this is how sanctification is defined:
Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life.
From the above definition, we learn the following truths about sanctification:
It is a work of God
It leads to holiness
It is the powerful operation of his Spirit
It is centered on applying the death and resurrection of Christ
It involves renewal in the image of God
It is repentance unto life, and all other saving graces,
It is a matter of the heart
It is more and more dying unto sin and rising unto newness of life
As you can see, there is a lot of data to process in dealing with sanctification. Now tell me if you know anyone who recognize the importance of the above truths who are in the business of addressing soul issues. I think none except those in the biblical counseling movement.
The Dynamic Heart and the Biblical Change Process
In biblical counseling movement, this slogan is popular:
The heart of the problem is the problem of the heart.
In whatever situation a counselee is in, a biblical counselor always asks,
Where is the heart in this situation?
What is being exposed about the heart through the circumstances?
These are important questions in counseling. To take this for granted spells the doom in the counseling process. And that is why an understanding of the biblical concept of the human heart is a must.
What is the human heart? A human heart is both organic and inorganic, material and spiritual. They cannot be separated; they are interrelated. As such, the organic aspect of the human heart is helped by general revelation and common grace. This is the field of the natural sciences.
How about the inorganic aspect of the human heart? This is where the special revelation and saving grace are needed. This is the field of the spiritual science of dogmatics.
The reason why defining the human heart is crucial in biblical counseling is because the heart determines the direction of the person’s life. This is why King Solomon’s advice is universally applicable:
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
Jeremy Pierre confirms this biblical insight:
God designed people to live out of the deeper structure of their thoughts, feelings, and choices. . . Each of the heart’s functions––cognition, affection, and volition––has a deep, established structure that expresses itself in surface, interactive ways.
Dr. Wood reminds students of biblical counseling about our task. It is “to help people biblically reflect on themselves, so they might begin to understand their own responses and how they flow from the heart.”
The crises in life and the trauma we experience reveal what is in our hearts.
As for the inorganic aspect of the human heart, the Bible does not confine it exclusively to human emotions of feelings. It involves the whole man, his mind, affection, and will. Our minds do the interpretation on what happened to us on the basis of our beliefs or worldview. Our affection exposes our desires and feelings. Our will shows our commitments and determines our choices in life. This is the biblical idea of the human heart.
From the above concept of the human heart, we are now ready to understand the process of biblical change. This process cannot be separated from our understanding of life and reality in this fallen world, our nature as man under the influence of sin, our need of a Savior, and how He progressively transforms us by the power of His grace.
Jeremiah 17:5-10 will be our basis for the biblical change process:
Heat – Our situation in daily life. The kind of life and reality in this fallen world.
Thorns – Our nature as man under the influence of sin. Ungodly responses to our situation. It reveals the heart that drives our behavior, which determines consequences.
Cross – Our need of redemption. Grace and change.
Fruit – Progressive transformation. Godly responses. Heart renewed by grace, which determines consequences.
I think I will stop at this point and will continue the second part tomorrow.