How Do We Know?
Epistemology and the Authority of Scripture in Counseling
“The question is not whether you have an authority—but which one.”
Every counselor—whether secular or biblical—functions with an underlying theory of knowledge. Whether they realize it or not, every question they ask, every answer they give, and every solution they offer is built on an epistemology: a belief about how we know what we know.
In this post, part of our series on biblical worldview counseling, we’re diving into the often-overlooked but absolutely foundational realm of epistemology. Why? Because without clarity on knowledge and authority, biblical counseling becomes reactive, shallow, or indistinguishable from secular advice-giving.
What Is Epistemology—and Why Should Counselors Care?
At its core, epistemology is the study of knowledge. How do we know what’s true? What counts as reliable knowledge? And what happens when different sources of knowledge seem to conflict?
If you’ve ever had someone tell you, “Well, that’s your truth,” you’ve encountered a competing epistemology—one rooted in relativism, not revelation.
As biblical counselors, we deal in the realm of truth claims. We speak into people’s pain, sin, identity, and relationships. If we’re unclear on where our knowledge comes from—or if we’re borrowing from sources that undermine biblical truth—we risk offering help that’s well-meaning but hollow.
Scripture as the Final Authority (Not the Only Voice)
We affirm what the Reformers called Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone is the final and ultimate authority for life and godliness. It’s not one authority among many; it’s the standard by which all other knowledge must be tested.
“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” — John 17:17
“All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable…” — 2 Timothy 3:16–17
This doesn’t mean Scripture is the only source of knowledge. It means it is the highest—the lens through which every other voice must be examined.
Too often, biblical counselors slip into an epistemology of Solo Scriptura—a rigid view that says, “If it’s not in the Bible, it’s not valid.” But that view dismisses general revelation, the image of God in man, and the observable patterns that arise in God’s world.
General Revelation and God’s Truth in the World
God has not left Himself without witness. Scripture itself affirms the legitimacy of general revelation—truths God reveals through nature, conscience, and reason.
Psalm 19:1–4: “The heavens declare the glory of God…”
Romans 1:20: “His invisible attributes… have been clearly perceived.”
Romans 2:15: The law is “written on their hearts.”
Truth is not confined to chapter and verse. It is sourced in God. Therefore, all truth is God’s truth—but not all truth claims are God’s truth.
This means that empirical insights from psychology, biology, or even neuroscience may contain descriptive truth about the world. But they must be interpreted and applied through a biblical lens. In other words, you can borrow tools, but not telos.
Tools, Not Telos: Discerning Between Use and Authority
There’s a helpful principle to keep in mind when engaging with extra-biblical knowledge in counseling: “You can borrow tools, but not telos.”
Tools are methods or models—ways of understanding or approaching a problem. These can include insights from psychology, communication strategies, or observations from social science.
Telos (from the Greek τέλος) refers to the ultimate aim or goal of that knowledge.
Many counseling tools are designed with a secular telos—to produce self-actualization, inner peace, or personal happiness. These goals might sound good on the surface, but they fall short of the biblical vision of human flourishing, which is about becoming more like Christ (Rom. 8:29), walking in obedience (John 14:15), and glorifying God in all things (1 Cor. 10:31).
So while a biblical counselor may wisely use a tool like thought journaling or emotional regulation exercises, they must reject the telos that frames healing as mere symptom relief or self-mastery.
Descriptive vs. Prescriptive: Where the Line Must Be Drawn
To use tools without absorbing their telos, biblical counselors must develop the discipline of discernment—especially in separating what is descriptive from what is prescriptive.
Descriptive claims describe what is—they report patterns, behaviors, symptoms, or tendencies (e.g., “trauma affects memory,” or “children in unstable homes are more likely to experience anxiety”).
Prescriptive claims tell us what ought to be done in response (e.g., “Therefore, the goal is to build self-esteem,” or “Forgiveness should not be encouraged because it invalidates pain”).
Here’s the key:
Descriptive claims can inform our understanding and provide context—but only prescriptive truth from Scripture has authority to direct how we counsel.
Example:
Descriptive insight: “People who experience betrayal often develop trust issues.”
Biblical prescriptive response: “God calls us to forgive, to speak truth in love, and to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Eph. 4:32; Matt. 10:16)
You can acknowledge the psychological reality without surrendering to a therapeutic response that contradicts the gospel.
What This Means for Biblical Counseling Practice
The faithful counselor is both a learner and a gatekeeper.
You learn from the world God made. General revelation offers useful descriptions of how humans function in a fallen world.
But you guard the telos—never allowing the world to prescribe what wholeness looks like apart from Christ.
To counsel with integrity, we must constantly evaluate:
Where is this insight coming from?
Is it describing reality or prescribing a worldview?
Does this align with the Bible’s vision of healing, wholeness, and holiness?
As Paul said, “We take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). That includes not just what we say to others—but what we allow to shape our own thinking.
What Paul and Proverbs Teach Us About Outside Sources
Paul quotes pagan poets in Acts 17. Moses listens to Jethro’s advice in Exodus 18. The wisdom literature in Proverbs calls us to listen, observe, and learn. None of these examples diminish God’s authority—they demonstrate that wise people can learn from the world without submitting to it.
Biblical counselors don’t have to fear data, research, or patterns of human behavior observed by secular professionals. But we must never treat those observations as self-interpreting. We test them. We reframe them. We use them in submission to Scripture—not beside it.
Putting It All Together: Counseling with Epistemological Integrity
Here’s what this means for your counseling ministry:
Use Scripture as your starting point and final word. You don’t just sprinkle verses on advice. You interpret people’s stories through God’s story.
Recognize that all people use some source of knowledge. Your counselees are already functioning from an authority—whether that’s TikTok, trauma narratives, or self-help books.
Don’t fear other disciplines. You can acknowledge psychological observations while still subjecting it to Scripture’s evaluation.
Be discerning, not dismissive. Not everything outside the church is poison. But not everything is pure, either. Discernment is a biblical counseling skill.
Let Scripture interpret experience—not the other way around. That’s the heart of biblical epistemology.
Final Word: Counselors as Interpreters, Not Just Comforters
Biblical counselors are interpreters. We help people make sense of their suffering, their stories, and their situations. But interpretation requires authority. And our authority is not our credentials, our experience, or even our compassion. It’s the revealed Word of God.
To counsel well, we must know not just what to say, but why we trust it.
“In [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” — Colossians 2:3
If that’s true, then biblical counseling isn’t narrow. It’s the most expansive kind of counseling there is. It invites all truth to bow before Christ—and all people to be transformed by Him.
Romans 8:5b (NET) “but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit.”