The Pastor as Soul Physician: Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

Ever Feel a Little Lost?

Some Signs Are More Helpful Than Others

Some Sign Are More Helpful Than Others

Need Some Directions?

Whet Your Appetite

The Tale of Tim’s Two Counselors  The Tale of Tim’s Two Counselors:  Which pastor/counselor/spiritual friend/soul physician do you tend to be more like? Why?  Has anyone ever interacted with you like either of Tim’s counselors? What did it feel like? What were the results?  What content does a person need to know to be a biblical counselor, pastoral counselor, spiritual friend, soul physician? What biblical theology might have motivated Tim’s counselors?

The Great Soul Physician The SPDR!

The SPDR  Nourishing the Hunger of the Soul:  Preventative Medicine—God’s Word  Knowing the Creator of the Soul  The Great Physician—The Trinity  Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul:  People—Creation

The SPDR  Diagnosing the Fallen Condition of the Soul:  Problems—Fall  Prescribing God’s Cure for the Soul:  Solutions—Redemption

The SPDR  Envisioning the Final Healing of the Soul:  Home—Glorification  Dispensing God’s Care for the Soul:  Spiritual Friends—Sanctification

Nourishing the Hunger of the Soul: Preventative Medicine—God’s Word  Our Passion: Coram Deo Sola Scriptura—Colossians 2:8-10  Our Principle: Truth and Love Must Kiss—Philippians 1:9

Nourishing the Hunger of the Soul: Preventative Medicine—God’s Word  Our Pattern: Relating God’s Truth to Human Relationships through Trialogues

Knowing the Creator of the Soul: The Great Physician—The Trinity  Start before the Beginning  Who God Is  The Soul Physician  Reality Is Relational  Who We Are  For Knowing Images Bearers

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  The CFR Narrative  Creation  Fall  Redemption

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  A Biblical Theology/Psychology of the Nature of Human Nature  RRVEP (Relational, Rational, Volitional, Emotional, Physical)

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Relational Beings:  Romancers: Intimacy  Loving Passionately  Affections  Longing

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Spiritual Beings: Communion

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Social Beings: Community

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Self-Aware Beings: Conscience

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Rational Beings:  Dreamers  Thinking Wisely  Mindsets  Thinking

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Volitional Beings: Will/Choice/Goals  Creators  Choosing Courageously  Purposes/Pathways  Choosing

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Emotional Beings:  Singers  Experiencing Deeply  Mood States  Feeling

Examining the Spiritual Anatomy of the Soul: People—Creation  Physical Beings:  Actors  Living Fully  Habituated Tendencies  Acting

Diagnosing the Fallen Condition of the Soul: Problems—Fall  “Not the way it’s supposed to be!”

Diagnosing the Fallen Condition of the Soul: Problems—Fall  Our descent into the abyss of sin.  Our only explanation for sin and suffering.  Our Fallen Personality: Hamartiology  Our Fallen Planet: Sufferology

Diagnosing the Fallen Condition of the Soul: Problems—Fall  “Our World Is Fallen and It Often Falls on Us!”

Prescribing God’s Cure for the Soul: Solutions—Redemption  Creation: Biblical Psychology  Fall: Biblical Psychopathology  Redemption: Biblical Psychotherapy  Our Passion: Coram Deo Sola Gratia

Prescribing God’s Cure for the Soul: Solutions—Redemption  The Bible Is Comedy Not Tragedy  Regeneration: Who We Are In Christ: Nature  Reconciliation: Who We Are To Christ: Nurture

Envisioning the Final Healing of the Soul: Home—Glorification  God’s Promise: Heaven  What is our destiny?  Impact our present reality?  We’ve read the end of the story!

Dispensing God’s Care for the Soul: Spiritual Friends—Sanctification  Sustaining: “It’s Normal to Hurt to Hurt

Dispensing God’s Care for the Soul: Spiritual Friends—Sanctification  Healing: “It’s Possible to Hope” Hope”

Dispensing God’s Care for the Soul: Spiritual Friends—Sanctification  Reconciling: “It’s Horrible to Sin, But Wonderful to Be to Sin, But Wonderful to Be Forgiven” Forgiven”

Dispensing God’s Care for the Soul: Spiritual Friends—Sanctification  Guiding: “It’s Supernatural to Mature” to Mature”

Personal Applications  Of nourishing, knowing, examining, diagnosing, prescribing, envisioning, and dispensing:  Which seems most important for you to learn?  What if you omitted any one?  Which could you apply to your life now? How?  How might your daily life change if you lived coram Deo sola scriptura?  How might your daily life be different if you lived coram Deo sola gratia?

Ministry Implications  What is your approach to helping people, your map/model? Where did you learn it? Where could Scripture further shape it?  As you leave here today on track toward growth as a soul physician, what will you be doing differently as you further develop as a biblical counselor?  Rate your level of “what to know” for biblical counseling compared to ninety minutes ago, with 1 being “the same as when I entered,” and 10 being “incredibly higher”.

The Pastor as Soul Physician: Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth