There are many people offering help today. You’ll find titles like “Christian coach,” “faith-based counselor,” or “spiritual mentor.” Many of them are kind, experienced, and even prayerful. But that doesn’t automatically make their counsel biblical.

That’s why we need to ask: What is this counseling actually built on? This counseling says it’s Christian, but is it really? How do I know? That’s what we’ll seek to address today.

For counseling to be Christian, God’s Word must be at the center, not the outskirts (Jeremiah 23:22). Prayer must be taught and modeled. And the goal must be more than feeling better—it must be about becoming Christlike. Because if there’s no Christ, it’s not Christian.

1. The Bible is Foundational to the Counseling

Whether we realize it or not, we live in a culture shaped by Scripture. Most Americans have heard of David and Goliath. Terms like grace, forgiveness, and loving your neighbor are a part of many American vocabularies, but hearing a story and being shaped by its truth are two very different things.

If your counselor isn’t a good fit, you might only meet for a session or two—but when counseling becomes ongoing, Scripture is a must-have for truly Christian counseling. Without Scripture, God’s voice isn’t in the room.

God’s Word teaches us what’s right, convicts us when we’re wrong, and shows us how to walk in obedience (2 Tim. 3:16–17). It brings life and light (Ps. 119:50, 130), produces faith (John 20:31), and gives hope (Rom. 15:4). It comforts, warns, revives, and restores.

Scripture also revives the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart, enlightens the eyes, and is righteous altogether. “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb,” the Psalmist exclaims. “Moreover, by them your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.”

The Bible isn’t just an important part of Christian counseling. It’s a nonnegotiable aspect — the foundation that Christ-honoring counsel is built on. 

As you look for counselors, make sure that any counselor you consider makes Scripture the non-negotiable bedrock of their counseling. A sound counselor should be able to teach you the Bible, what it means, and what it means for you. If Scripture isn’t at the center of the counseling, the counseling isn’t Christian. 

2. Christlikeness is the Goal

While relief and healing are good, they aren’t the finish line. Christian counseling aims at something more than hope and healing: conformity to Christ.

God wants to shape His children into people who look like Jesus—in thought, action, conviction, and deed—and he does that through His word (John 17:17). That’s what truly Christian counseling aims for: Christlikeness, even if it’s uncomfortable. And after all, isn’t that what “Christian” means? Becoming like Christ?

Moreover, we don’t merely imitate Biblical principles because they’re psychologically beneficial. Even non-Christians can observe that forgiving, demonstrating patience, being gentle and kind, and loving others as we already love ourselves are good things to do. But Christians do these things in obedience to Scripture, because God commands us to. Joy and peace are byproducts of denying self and obeying God—but they cannot function as Gods, themselves.

If you’re harboring bitterness, a Christian counselor should grieve with you, help you grieve, and then help you forgive. If you’re navigating relational or marriage issues, your counselor must be able to help you seek, find, and obey God’s written instructions for your circumstance. It might take some practice, but that’s okay—the Christian life is marked by progress, not instant Godliness.

And as you seek God’s perspective on your circumstances, examine yourself in light of Scripture, and learn how to apply God’s word to tricky situations, you should notice that things begin to change. You begin to change, and you start to bear fruit of the spirit: among them, joy and peace. That’s what real growth looks like, and it comes from staying close to Jesus. Counseling can help clear the way, but only He can change your heart.

So, if your counseling never brings you back to the Word and never helps you look more like Christ, it may still offer some help, but it won’t bring lasting hope; it isn’t Christian counseling.

Choose your counselor wisely.