The Cross is Central to Biblical Counseling

As you can see, we have chosen the cross of Jesus Christ with our name as our logo. But why would we use a tortuous, tool of death for our logo when we are trying to bring life to our clients?

The easy answer could be because our parent ministry, the Calvary Baptist Church uses it in their logo and we want to reflect our solidarity before the community.

While that is certainly true, there is a much deeper reason for our biblical counseling ministry to elevate the cross in our logo. In Jesus’ day there was not a more brutal tool of death than to be crucified on a wooden cross. For Jesus to be crucified on a cross was horrible. He had not broken a single law (Roman, Jewish, or The Law). Yet he died on the cross bearing your sins and our sins. The death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary was necessary to pay the ransom payment for our sins. Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) 21For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

As counselors we want to offer real solutions to real problems. The first real problem people all face are being born a sinner and then sinning regularly. Some people are falsely taught they can do enough good things to merit salvation. But God says referring to Christ, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 (NLT). Through the cross we offer eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Through the cross we offer hope when death is in view for the believer (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). There is life after death and since Jesus rose from the dead, we can be assured that those who have died and had trusted in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross will live in heaven eternally with Him, for grace you are saved.

Our identity is new because of the cross of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:14–17 (NLT) describes it like this - 14Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Christ died on the cross for our sins. He was buried and on the third day he arose (1 Corinthians 15:1-3). And therefore for those trusting in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ comes resurrection life.

As counselors we depend on the Holy Spirit of God to bring transformation to our clients. As they believe the Bible and exercise faith in God we can trust Him to conform them to the image of the Son. Transformation not reformation is possible only because of the cross upon which Jesus died. As counselors we have nothing to offer and glory in than the cross of Jesus Christ. So the next time you see our logo – think about life through the death of Jesus Christ.