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

“While movements may bear a leaders name, we must never forget the source of a leaders famegrace alone. Dr. Bob Kellemen, practically, powerfully, and beautifully illustrates how God ministers his grace to and through sinful and broken vesselslike Martin Luther and us! It is refreshing and encouraging to see our weaknesses and the all-sufficient grace of God mirrored through Martin Luthers discovery and application of Gods grace to himself and others. Dr. Kellemens excellent work and writing in Counseling Under the Cross motivates us to thank God that our counseling does not lead to ourselves or any other human being but rather to the victory won at the cross!”

“Counseling Under the Cross by Bob Kellemen is Martin Luther expertly assembled so we witness how the cross of Christ yields honesty, transparency, compassion, comfort, wisdomfull-on humanity. In wonderfully accessable form, it is as if Luther were speaking to us at his table or writing to us the most personal of letters. And we, in turn, cant wait to speak of such matters to those we love!”

“Most know of Luthers preaching, but Bob Kellemen powerfully and practically shows the commitment Luther had for using Gods Word in biblical counseling. Bob creatively shows how that commitment was rooted in the same great gospel that initially rocked Luthers world at salvation. Luther, more than any other from the Reformation, has been the one I return to again and again. I love his passion, his raucous laughter, and the way he not only preached great sermons but poured his life into others at close range. Counseling Under the Cross demonstrates that in living color.”

“Would it surprise you to know that Luther, the Reformer, was also very much Luther, the tender shepherd? Passion for soul care grows best in the soul that needs care. In Counseling Under the Cross, Bob Kellemen shows how Martin Luthers biblical theology, fashioned on the anvil of his own desperate need, inevitably shaped him to be a lover of souls who longed to see gospel truth bring freedom to fellow sufferers. We do well to sit with him at Jesuss feet and learn, along with Bob Kellemen, what he meant when he called us to love one another. Counseling Under the Cross is accessible, insightful, instructive, encouraging, and it has been a means for me to worship God as Bob has masterfully portrayed his faithfulness to build his church one needy soul at a time.”

“With the flood of Reformation 500 books coming out, Bob Kellemen offers a unique contribution and perspective with Counseling Under the Cross. Like pulling up to Luthers famous dinner table in Wittenberg for a table talk, Kellemen guides us through the pastoral care of one of the heroes of the faith. Luthers counsel on suffering is particularly needed in our contemporary church. Im happy to commend Dr. Kellemens book to any Christian wanting to know Luther and the God Luther served.”

“When I first heard Dr. Kellemen talk about Luther as a soul physician, I was somehow surprised. After all, Luther is the bold Reformer, not a caring shepherd of suffering people. However, Counseling Under the Cross proved me wrong. Bob masterfully describes the transformation of a fearful monk into a faithful, bold, and loving pastor. And he does so not in a merely historical fashion, but by applying eternal truths for today. Praise God for the work of the Cross then, now, and forever.”

“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 Gods 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 Kellemens years of extensive research in a very concise and readable format. I highly recommend it.”

“When he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg 500 years ago, Martin Luther didnt just spark a church reformation, he started a personal revival for soul care. Bob Kellemens insightful book, Counseling Under the Cross, keeps the Reformation alive. When it comes to the cure of souls, Dr. Kellemen writes like few others. Now we know why. He has been deeply influenced by the suffering and victory of Martin Luther, a man once under a hopeless works theology. Luthers deliverance is ours too. Grace-saturated and gospel-focused, Counseling Under the Cross will change the way you counsel yourself and others. I highly recommend it.”

“In Counseling Under the Cross, Bob Kellemen has written an insightful work concerning the implications of Luthers 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.”

“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 perspectivea perspective that proclaims Gods 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 Luthers paradigm for soul-care, she wouldnt 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 Luthers deep, gentle, and loving counsel. What a gift!”

“Bob Kellemens decades of experience as a counselor, teacher, leader, and author make Counsel Under the Cross a rare gift for pastors and counselors. This book provides an inspiring account of Luthers journey from fear to faith, a comprehensive explanation of the classic forms of pastoral counseling, a practical theology for helping sufferers and sinners, and a Christ-centered focus throughoutall leading to faith working through love. Read Counseling Under the Cross and be encouraged, instructed, and equipped.”

“Think you know Martin Luther? Think again! Bob Kellemen has done a masterful job at highlighting the Augustinian monks heart and pastoral care. Meticulously researched and thoughtfully presented, in Counseling Under the Cross, Kellemen brings his trademark organizational skill, creative writing, and warmth along with a compelling insight into an oft-overlooked aspect of Luthers ministry. Join Kellemen on this journey to the past and be encouraged that gospel-centered counseling is not so new after all.”

“We know Martin Luther as the father of the Reformation, not as a counselor. But as you read Luther in Counseling Under the Cross, what you find is a theologian who cared deeply for Gods people: Luthers cross-centered theology translated to gospel-centered counseling. Kellemens Counseling Under the Cross is a rich collection of Luthers stories, quotes, and lively vignettes that trace out how Luthers care of souls puts Christ squarely at the center of everything!”

“I LOVE this book! Im with Bob. Martin Luther has instructed and encouraged and reformed my life and ministry, too. Beyond the helpful unpacking of the key elements of Luthers theology and methodology, Counseling Under the Cross reminds us that the issues that we wrestle with in our current soul care ministries are not new. What must be renewed in each generation is the courage to challenge the status quoeven within the churchwith practical, biblical answers. This book will help you with that reforming process.”

“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.”