© Collegium Ministries 2008-2014

The biblical counsellor, by definition, is committed to the Old and New Testament as the only authoritative rule of faith and practice. Both the faith and conduct of the biblical counsellor, as well as his counseling theory and practice, are formed by the standards of the Scripture that we, affirm: The Written Word of God 1. That the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God whose assertions are factually true; It is the supreme authority in everything it teaches. 2. That the Bible’s authority is not limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes but includes its assertions in such fields as history and science. 3. The final guide to the interpretation of Scripture is Scripture itself. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit 4. That there is only one God, (defined as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob) eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; 5. Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 6. The deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father and His personal return in power and glory; 7. That Jesus is returning for His bride for union with Himself and that Jesus is returning physically upon the earth to rule and reign as King of kings. 8. That the Holy Spirit enables the sinner to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. 9. The present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is sanctified and enabled to live a godly life; 10. The baptism of the Holy Spirit which is manifest through the believer in the form of the gifts of the Spirit as well as the power to witness to the unbeliever the mystery of salvation through faith. 11. The gifts of the Spirit which are available to all believers through faith that enables the believer to function in the power of God to minister to others. 12. The Fruit of the Spirit, which is the manifest nature of God being lived through the believer by the enablement of the Holy Spirit through faith. Salvation 13. All mankind are sinners, inherently from Adam and individually (by choice), and are therefore subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. 14. That for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential through faith; 15. All things necessary for our salvation are expressly set down in Scripture. 16. That salvation is a gift received by faith alone in Christ alone and expressed in the individual’s repentance, recognition of the death of Christ as full payment for sin, and acceptance of the risen Christ as Savior, Lord, and God. 17. That Jesus not only paid for our sins, but He also brought healing to the whole man, spirit, mind, and body by redeeming us from the curse of the law, which makes Him both Savior and Healer by and through faith in His name. 18. The resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation; The Church 19. The spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ which is His Church and is called Body of Christ is one body made up of many believers around the world. 20. That the believer, both men and women, are called by God for a divine purpose for which the believer is responsible to fulfill in union with Jesus. 21. That discipleship is not optional for the believer if they are to accomplish the work for which they were created; that discipleship is necessary which is in pattern with Jesus Who Himself demonstrated discipleship in submission to the Father (Isaiah 50:4) and Who calls us to participate with Him by first becoming a disciple our self. Creation 22. The account of origins presented in Genesis is a simple but factual presentation of actual events and therefore provides a reliable framework for scientific research into the question of the origin and history of life, mankind, the earth, and the universe. 23. The various original life forms (kinds), including mankind, were made by direct creative acts of God. The living descendants of any of the original kinds (apart from man) may represent more than one species today, reflecting the genetic potential within the original kind. Only limited biological changes (including mutational deterioration) have occurred naturally within each kind since creation. 24. The great Flood of Genesis was an actual historic event, worldwide (global) in its extent and effect. 25. The special creation of Adam (the first man) and Eve (the first woman), and their subsequent fall into sin, is the basis for the necessity of salvation for mankind. 26. Death (both physical and spiritual) and bloodshed entered into this world subsequent to and as a direct consequence of man’s sin. Satan 27. That Satan is a spiritual being that rebelled against God and fell from heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18) in judgment and whom Jesus defeated, disarmed, and rendered powerless to the believer through Jesus’ triumph over him on the cross (Colossians 2:14-15) and has given His church all power over Satan and his hoards (Luke 10:19) with which the church is responsible to enforce; that enforcement being executed through faith in God’s word. (1 John 2:14) 28. That Satan: o cannot harm believers (Luke 10:19) through indwelling or possessing them (1 John 5:18, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20); o can only harm the believer in the mind through deceiving the believer with the believer’s assistance (1 Timothy 4:1); 29. That if the believer is in agreement with God's Word, he or she is walking in the freedom for which Christ has set them free and are experiencing the true meaning of salvation (HEBREW – “yashuw ah” means “that which is delivered” ~~ GREEK – “soteria” means “deliverance from the molestation of your enemy”) which was purchased for them with the precious blood of Christ and is manifest in their conduct, emotions and will.