Skip to content ↓

Would Paul Reject Biblical Counseling?

This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care, and written by Cameron Woodall , which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor.

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead – Philippians 3:13 ESV

Forgetting what lies behind.

At first glance, one might wonder; is Paul suggesting that we stop revisiting our experiences, memories, or past pains? Or is he advocating us to ignore the parts of our stories that have distinctively shaped us in ways still evidenced today? If so, perhaps Paul would look at Biblical counseling today and say, “there’s too much remembering what lies behind!”. Yet, if there was someone with a profound awareness of their own story, especially looking back, it was Paul.

He was shown that God set him apart from birth, that his exemplary endeavoring in Judaism and subsequent violent persecuting of the church were means by which to magnify the patience of God in his own life and others. Paul was painfully aware that among sinners he was the chief. (Galatians 1:13-17; 1 Timothy 1:12-16; Acts 22; Acts 26:15-18). Paul was a man familiar with his own story and consequently a man familiar with grace.

Larry Crabb once said, “there is no greater tragedy in human existence than an unexplored life”. Perhaps more than anyone, Paul had an explored life and saw the hand of a gracious God from his first chapter to his last. Being able to see the blood-soaked fingerprints of Jesus on every page of his story is precisely what helped him live without the lingering sensation of condemnation. What lies behind was no longer a hinderance to him. Revisiting his grace-filled story filled his sails and moved him nearer to the shore of Jesus’s eternal embrace. His past didn’t derail his journey to the oasis of Christ, instead it filled his sails! In his own words, he pressed “toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). He knew the difference between incessantly reliving the past and viewing it through redemptive lenses as means to catapult him in the present towards Jesus his prize.

Does what “lies behind” feel like an anchor to your soul? If you’re a believer and you don’t see the fingerprints of Jesus in the hardest parts of your story, you’re not rightly seeing your story. If you yearn to see God with a fresh perspective and want to strain forward to what lies ahead with real hope, we at Burke Care would love to walk alongside you in that journey.

You can find more blog post like this at Blog — Burke Care.

Schedule Care Today | [email protected] | 512.522.2580


  • Anxiety and Surrender

    Combat Anxiety Through Surrender

    Life is intimidating at times. Sometimes it’s intimidating, sometimes it’s scary, and sometimes it’s downright terrifying. As we gaze into a future that is uncertain or frightening, our natural tendency is to pursue comfort through control. If we can only gain control over the situation, then we can ward off what frightens us and usher…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    A La Carte (March 31)

    A La Carte: “Adolescence” isn’t daring enough / Biblical literacy / I believe in miracles / Christian artists are not priests / The careful justice of hell / Gratitude / and more.

  • Let the Lord Choose

    Let the Lord Choose

    Though we are limited beings with little knowledge, we are proud beings with little humility. When Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to bring our petitions before the Lord, to bring to him all our cares, all our burdens, all our sorrows. We can and should plead our case before the Lord, for…

  • A La Carte Collection cover image

    Weekend A La Carte (March 29)

    A La Carte: Does God withdraw his presence? / Celebrating the Lord’s Supper / Difficult, emotionally-overwhelming seasons / Wisdom for difficult conversations / Why four gospels? / Sales and deals / and more.

  • New and Notable

    New and Notable Christian Books for March 2025

    As you know, I like to do my best to sort through the new Christian books that are released each month to see what stands out as being not only new but also particularly notable. I received quite a number of new books in March and narrowed the list down to the ones below. I…