The Affirmations and Denials are the distinctives of the Biblical Counseling movement and are the foundation for the beliefs and practices of IABC 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 IABC 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).
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Affirmation |
| We affirm that God’s revelations in total (including both General and Special Revelation) are 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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| 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”) other than God’s Word. (Jer. 23:25-31 ) |
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| 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. |
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| Affirmation |
| We affirm the fundamentals of the faith as the foundation for Biblical Counseling. |
| Denial |
| We deny the validity of any counseling model that ignores or minimizes the fundamentals of the faith. |
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| 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 |
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| Affirmation |
| We affirm that evangelism and discipleship are 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Affirmation |
| We affirm that principles of behavior are to be drawn from Scripture first, and then corroborated by observation. |
| Denial |
| We deny that principles of behavior can be determined on the basis of observation alone. |
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| 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 4:11-12) |
| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Affirmation |
| We affirm that Biblical Counseling must be Christ-centered. |
| Denial |
| We deny that Biblical Counseling can be man centered. We would welcome any response to the Affirmation and Denials from any who see reason to amend them or to enlarge upon them in the light of the Scripture itself. We would encourage you to write for further information concerning IABC membership and Certification of Biblical Counselors. |
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