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 Article I |
| Article II |
| Article III |
| Article IV |
| SBABC Board |
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."
2 Peter 1:3
The Affirmations and Denials are the distinctives of the Biblical Counseling movement and are the foundation for the beliefs and practices of SBABC members.
The purpose of the Affirmations and Denials is to honor Christ, strengthen the church, and to promote God's Word as a vital force in the believer.
It is the prayer of those of us in SBABC that the Affirmations and Denials will challenge you to become a partner with us in developing them into a viable tool for the equipping of the saints.
GENERAL REVELATION is truth about God revealed through creation.
SPECIAL REVELATION is truth revealed through Holy Scripture (the Bible).
BIBLICAL COUNSELING is the Christ-centered, Holy Spirit empowered, practical and therapeutic application of Biblical truths to a person's life through nurture, instruction, correction, and prayer, with the goal of personal maturity and fruitfulness.
The Authority of Scripture
The final and supreme AUTHORITY of the church and of every Christian is the Word of God. It is God's final word in everything that relates to faith and practice.
The Sufficiency of Scripture
SUFFICIENCY is the inherent authority of Scripture guaranteeing and providing in Christ all that man needs for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) As inerrancy speaks to the rule of faith, so sufficiency speaks to the rule of practice.
Revelation
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that God reveals Himself through both Special and General Revelation.
DENIAL
We deny that General Revelation is God's only means of revealing Himself.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that Special Revelation is God's means of revealing truths pertinent to human belief and practice.
DENIAL
We deny counseling theories and practices that are not based on Special Revelation.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that God's revelation in toto (including both General and Special Revelation) is necessary for holding man accountable to God.
DENIAL
We deny that General Revelation alone was intended to provide the data necessary for life and godliness.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm Special Revelation (the Bible) to be the immutable, supreme, and absolute expression of God's truth to man.
DENIAL
We deny that either man's wisdom or General Revelation can be given equal authority with Scripture.
The Authority and Sufficiency of God's Word
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that biblical truths are sufficient, when presented in the power of the Holy Spirit, to enable the Christian to love and obey God and to seek to please Him in every way.
DENIAL
We deny that man's wisdom (secular theories and practices) can enable the Christian to love and obey God and to seek to please Him in every way.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm the Bible to be the indispensable textbook on human and divine relationships and behavior.
DENIAL
We deny a lesser role for the Bible in addressing all aspects of human behavior and relationship to God.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm God's Word as the voice of God to us today.
DENIAL
We deny that there are other voices of God ("truths") in addition to God's Word. (Jer. 23:25-31)
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that the Bible establishes the norms for right and effective living.
DENIAL
We deny that secular sources are sufficient to establish norms for right and effective living.
The Nature of Biblical Counseling
AFFIRMATION
We affirm the fundamentals of the faith as the foundation of Biblical Counseling.
DENIAL
We deny the validity of any counseling model that ignores or minimizes the fundamentals of the faith.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that the Biblical Counselor builds his system of counseling, including its presuppositions, principles, and theories from Special Revelation.
DENIAL
We deny that the counselor can build a "Biblical" system of counseling that syncretizes secular sources and the Holy Scriptures.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that evangelism and discipleship indispensable parts of the Biblical Counseling process.
DENIAL
We deny that it is unethical or unnecessary for a Christian who counsels to share his/her faith in the counseling process.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm the necessity of a close, vital relationship with Jesus Christ for spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being, and that this is the objective of Biblical Counseling in the life of the counselee.
DENIAL
We deny the value of anything that obviates or supersedes the necessity of a close, vital walk with Jesus Christ.
The Calling and Equipping of the Biblical Counselor
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that the equipping of the saints, the work of service, and the building up of believers, all are to be done by those within the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:1 112)
DENIAL
We deny that Christians, by virtue of their training in secular theories and practices, are qualified to equip the saints, build up the Body of Christ, or to do the work of service. .
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that Biblical Counseling falls under the authority and oversight of the`body of Christ, the church.
DENIAL
We deny that Biblical Counseling falls under the authority of psychology.
AFFIRMATION
We affirm that Biblical Counseling must be Christ-centered.
DENIAL
We deny that Biblical Counseling can be man-centered.
We welcome any response to the Affirmation and Denials from any who see reason to amend them or to enlarge upon them in light of Scripture itself.
We encourage you to write for further information concerning SBABC membership and certification for Biblical Counselors. We further encourage you to consider membership in IABC and/or NANC.