Sample Chapter

About

When we face problems, we often abandon our responsibility to live like a Christian on the grounds that our problem is unique. But is it? Does God ever allow a Christian to face a test that is utterly unique? Even if he does, would that be an adequate excuse?

In an unmistakably clear reply, the apostle Paul says, "No!" He tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "There is no trial that has overtaken you but such as is common to men." Our sin simply cannot be excused. At bottom, all men in all times face the same basic problems. There are no special cases.

Jay Adams reminds us that God has not changed, his commandments have not been altered, and sinful man below his modern sophisticated exterior is still the same. As followers of Christ, we can, by his grace, change our attitude toward our problems and face whatever our heavenly father sends our way.

The Author

Jay E. Adams

Jay E. Adams (1929–2020), a pioneer in biblical counseling, served as a pastor, church planter, denominational executive, seminary professor, author, and lecturer. He taught homiletics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and was the director of advanced studies at Westminster Seminary in California. He was the founder of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly NANC), and the Institute for Nouthetic Studies (INS). Adams was the author of over one hundred books, including the best-selling Competent to Counsel, a book that launched the modern biblical counseling movement. He was a recipient of The Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor awarded by the State of South Carolina.

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