Is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy the Same as Biblical Mind/Heart Renewal? (Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:1-10) 

My short answer is, “Absolutely not.” 

I’ll develop my longer answer in a moment. 

In the last three days, I’ve shared three posts on depression, medicine, and counseling: here, here, and here 

These have been part of my interactions with my friend, David Murray. 

In one of David’s posts, he stated regarding cognitive-behavioral therapy that: 

“It’s actually one of the ways way the Bible describes and portrays how we work as well (Psalm 42; 73, 77; Proverbs 23:7; Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:8-9). If CBT is guilty of anything, it’s of unwittingly plagiarizing the Bible’s insights!” 

Now, David doesn’t specifically mention Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; or Colossians 3:1-10). (I’m not sure if his reference to Romans 12:12 was meant to be Romans 12:2?) 

However, many Christians who equate CBT with the Bible’s thinking on mind/heart renewal, attempt to link CBT with the three major passages where Paul discusses the biblical concept of putting off and putting on a whole way of life—Romans 12;1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:1-10. 

Let’s think about that attempted linkage. 

The Christo-Centric Context Foundational to All 3 Passages  

All three passages follow Paul’s extended discussions of Christ alone—Christ alone for salvation, Christ alone for sanctification, Christ alone for all of life. We can’t read Romans 1-11, Ephesians 1-4, and Colossians 1-2, and miss the gospel-foundation of everything! 

Before Paul ever talks about renewed minds in Romans 12, he has spent eleven chapters discussing works, the law, and self-effort versus grace, the gospel, and redemption in Christ alone. 

Before Paul ever talks about putting off the old unregenerate way of life in Ephesians 4:22-24, he spends Ephesians 1:1-4:21 grounding the Ephesians in their gospel identity in Christ. 

Before Paul ever talks about putting on the new self in Christ, he spends two chapters building the foundation that wisdom for living is found in Christ alone and in warning believers not to be taken captive by shallow, hollow, and deceptive human philosophies about how to live a healthy, holy, whole life in Christ. 

So…for secular cognitive-behavioral therapy to be correlated to biblical mind/heart renewal and putting off/putting on, it would need to build on a Christ-centric foundation. Of course, it does not, and that makes all the difference in the world. 

We must be incredibly careful not to “baptize” a secular concept as a Christian concept simply because they both appear to cover similar terrain: cognitions and behaviors. Yes, they both address beliefs and behaviors, but from diametrically opposed worldviews—one that is Christo-centric and the other that is self-centric. 

The Unregenerate/Regenerate and the Folly/Wisdom Focus in All 3 Passages 

In all three passages, Paul’s central theme is an eternal contrast between the unregenerate and the regenerate way of thinking and living. Paul develops the same theme we find in Psalm 1—the eternal contrast between folly and wisdom. 

Paul is not simply saying, “Change some thoughts which will then change behavior which will then positively impact your feelings.” 

Paul is clearly saying, “Put off the worldly way of thinking/living/being and put on in Christ the scriptural, biblical, Christ-focused, redeemed way of thinking/living/being.” 

Romans 12:2: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” CBT is not saying that. It is not addressing foolishness versus wisdom. Just because CBT talks about cognitions, does not mean its worldview about cognitions has anything to do with Paul’s discussion in Romans 12:2. 

In Ephesians 4:17-21, Paul’s entire point is to insist that we must no longer think like and live like the unsaved do in the futility of their thinking about the source of life. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God. Paul is saying: 

“Don’t go to those who are separated from the life of God to find out how to live wisely for and through God!” 

In Colossians 3:1-11, Paul highlights that since we have been raised with Christ, we are to “set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and set our minds on things above, not on earthly things.” He goes on to say that “we have to put on the new person we already are in Christ—the new self, being renewed in Christ-centered knowledge and wisdom in the image of the Creator.” 

Paul’s entire point in these passages is that the Christian must eschew the old unregenerate, foolish, self-effort, non-Christ, works-based way of thinking about life. That is not the message of CBT. 

So, if someone wants to practice CBT, fine, but please, let’s not make a simplistic equation between CBT and Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; and Colossians 3:1-10. They are not covering the same terrain in any similar foundational way. 

The Richer, More Robust, More Relational Emphasis Embedded in All 3 Passages 

Someone might say, “Well, then, are you suggesting we ignore cognitions and behaviors just because CBT may handle them in a non-Christian way?”

Not at all. 

Instead, with Paul, I am suggesting that we address beliefs and behaviors in the much richer, more robust, much deeper way Paul does in these three passages. 

Why take the shallow scraps from secular thinking when we have the full feast in Christlike thinking? 

Ephesians 4:17-24 is just one example that is illustrative of all three of these rich passages. In this passage, Paul dissects our thinking, our understanding, our relationship to Christ, our hearts, our volitions, our motivations, our emotions, our longings and our lusts, and much more. 

In in each case, Paul talks not simply about individual beliefs, actions, or emotions to put on or off. Instead, he talks about deep-seated patterns of relational affections, rational mindsets, volitional motivations, and emotional mood states that we put off and put on. Paul talks about “the attitude of your mind”—the very spirit, core, or center of the depths of the heart—Paul goes deep. 

And Paul does all of this in the context of holiness versus sinfulness. Our relationships, thoughts, beliefs, motivations, actions, and emotions are not neutral. We do all that we do in relationship to God as coram Deo beings. 

Additionally, Paul does all of this in the context of the believer already having been changed by Christ. “Since you are already a new creation in Christ, no longer live like the old you. Instead, live like the new person you already are in and through Christ.” 

The question is not so much, “How do people change?” The question is, “How has Christ changed people?” Then we ask, “How do we, through the Spirit of God, Word of God, and people of God live out the changed life that we already have in Christ?”

So, I am not saying and Paul is not saying to avoid cognitions and behaviors. Instead, Paul is saying to address the depths of the full human personality with Christo-centric richness. That is not CBT. 

The Body Life Context Embedded in All 3 Passages 

Others might say, “Well, this is all the domain of the ‘professionals’ and the ‘experts,” and certainly not something a lowly pastor, or heaven forbid, a lay person, should get involved in!” 

Well, let’s use Colossians 3 as one example of how all three passages are embedded in a body life context. 

Throughout Colossians, Paul is talking about the very matters that send people today to a psychologist. Read Colossians 1-4, and we quickly see that Paul is talking about relational problems, anger, addictive behavior, family matters, lust, poor parenting, emotions, habitual behavior problems, suffering, etc., etc., etc. And he’s always talking about how to handle these significant life issues in a Christlike way. 

And who does Paul send the Colossians to in order to address these significant life issues? 

To one another! 

It is right in the context of all these matters that we need to put off and put on that Paul writes: 

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:15-16). 

Paul is saying to the Church: 

“Don’t take a back seat to anyone in addressing your significant life issues!” 

So What? 

Is cognitive-behavioral therapy the same as biblical mind/heart renewal? 

Absolutely not. 

  • CBT’s foundation is not Christo-centric. 
  • CBT’s focus is not unregenerate foolish thinking/living versus regenerate wise thinking/living. 
  • CBT’s emphasis is not nearly as rich, robust, and relational as biblical mind/heart/soul/motivation/emotion renewal. 
  • CBT’s mindset is that there is some superior, expert, secret knowledge necessary to help struggling people, rather than the encouragement that members of the body of Christ can minister effectively to one another. 

 Do we need to address beliefs and behaviors? 

Absolutely. 

But let’s do so from a Christ-centric foundation, with a focus on regenerate wisdom thinking, with an emphasis on a rich, robust, relational comprehensive whole-person renewal in Christ, and with a respect for the calling and ministry of the body of Christ. 

Join the Conversation  

Is cognitive-behavioral therapy the same as biblical mind/heart renewal? 

RPM Ministries: Equipping You to Change Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth

RPM Ministries--Email Newsletter Signup

Get Updates By Email

Join the RPM mailing list to receive notifcations of my latest blog posts!

Thank you so much! You have been successfully subscribed to our newsletter. Check your inbox!