Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life (Kellemen)

Martin Luther was not only a theologian, a writer, and a preacher, he was a pastoral counselor who longed for peace with God. Now, 500 years after he posted his 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church, his teachings on gospel-centered and cross-focused pastoral care can transform our approach to soul care, and teach us that daring faith in Christ alone can change our life today and give us peace forever.

In Counseling Under the Cross, biblical counselor and noted author Bob Kellemen mines the riches of Luther’s letters of spiritual counsel to give readers a new understanding of how Luther engaged in the personal ministry of the gospel. He guides pastors, counselors, lay leaders, and friends toward a deeper understanding of the gospel that will directly impact their personal ministry to others. Through lively vignettes, real-life stories, and direct quotes from Luther, readers will be equipped to apply the gospel to themselves and others, and learn that pastoral care is what every believer does in one-another ministry.

As one of the most influential figures in Christian history, Luther was not only the father of the Reformation, he was also the father of “gospel-centered counseling.” As sons and daughters in the faith, we have much to learn from him. Counseling Under the Cross equips us to apply the gospel richly, relevantly, and robustly to suffering and sin so that we find our hope and help in Christ alone. 

Author

Bob Kellemen, PhD, is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Chair of the Biblical Counseling Department at Crossroads Bible College and the founder and CEO of RPM Ministries. He is the author of many books, including Counseling Under the Cross: How Martin Luther Applied the Gospel to Daily Life, Gospel-Centered Counseling and Gospel Conversations. Bob and his wife Shirley have two children and two grandchildren.

Endorsements

“Counseling Under the Cross exalts our Lord Jesus Christ. It has enlarged my appreciation for Luther and given me a new perspective on Luther as a pastoral counselor. I pray that the Lord will be pleased to use this book to call us back to the cross of Christ, that we might more fully follow the example of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2 and Galatians 6:14 by glorying in the cross above all else. I am personally grateful for Bob and for the clear and practical teaching he has provided in this book about the centrality of the cross in counseling and by extension the entire Christian life and ministry.” -Wayne Mack, ACBC Member of the Academy; Director and Professorat Strengthening Ministries Training Institute; Counseling Pastor at Lynnwood Baptist Church; author of Preparing for Marriage God’s Way

“And I thought I knew something about Luther! Counseling Under the Cross is such a well-researched and beautifully written book. Because Martin Luther desperately needed gospel counseling himself, he developed a perspective of soul care that reaches deeply into the heart of broken sinners who long for (and yet fear) intimacy with God. And although he wrote 500 years ago, we still need his perspective—a perspective that proclaims God’s self-giving love for anxious sinners demonstrated by the perfect life and substitutionary death of the Son he loved. Perhaps if the church had paid more attention to Luther’s paradigm for soul-care, she wouldn’t have given herself over to the futile philosophies of the world as she has. Bob Kellemen has given us a gift that has been sorely needed by the church: a revival of Luther’s deep, gentle, and loving counsel. What a gift!” -Elyse M. Fitzpatrick, Author of Counsel from the Cross

“In Counseling Under the Cross, Bob Kellemen has written an insightful work concerning the implications of Luther’s theological observation that will greatly help the Christian pastor and biblical counselor address serious issues of the heart. Living under the cross changes people for the better! If you want to learn the theological impact of this truth, you must read this book! The transformation that occurred in the heart of Martin Luther happened because he was a fervent student of the Word. His observations concerning Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 were completely life-transforming because he learned salvation was wholly a work of God, solely secured by the work of Christ on the cross.” -John D. Street, Chair, Biblical Counseling Graduate Programs, The Master’s University & Seminary; President, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC)

“We all know Martin Luther, the Reformer who recovered the bedrock scriptural principles summarized in the great solas. Five hundred years later, as the church stands in need of a recovery of biblical soul care, Bob Kellemen introduces us to Luther the biblical counselor. In Counseling Under the Cross, Bob shows how Luther faithfully ministered God’s Word to those in his day who were simultaneously sinners and sufferers. Bob also shows how Luther addresses the challenges faced by biblical counselors today, including the proper balance of the gospel indicatives and the corresponding imperatives. One of the greatest benefits of this book is that it offers the reader the cream of Kellemen’s years of extensive research in a very concise and readable format. I highly recommend it.” -Jim Newheiser, Director of the Christian Counseling Program, Associate Professor of Counseling and Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC