In counseling, we often deal with what was and is, sometimes referred to events from the clients past and present. With but a few exceptions, the purpose of counsel is related to “what will become, in light of what has happened, or is happening”.

As an example, If I am counseling a person who has experienced a terrible accident that has left them traumatized, I must acknowledge this event has happened and had such a significance that it is still impacting them, not just physically but emotionally, and presumably even spiritually. This is obvious. What requires more investigation is how the totality of their life leading up to this point (their was) has been integral in their current state (their is). This is what I understand to be the “self”. Its ancestral and sociological amongst many other factors. No two individuals will ever experience the same life as anyone else. We are all as unique genetically speaking in our DNA, as we are in the known circumstances of our actual being.

In other words, I am most certain that it is equally impossible that you or I or anyone else for that matter will ever experience the exact same tragedy, to the way it is equally impossible that we would ever respond to same tragedy or be impacted by it in the same manner. It would be wrong to think so.

In this manner, it is true that we all have a certain uniqueness, or personal identity. Biblically speaking, you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Yet counselors overwhelmingly rely on probability and predictors to understand how individuals may respond to certain situations and circumstances. Perhaps life isn’t as random as we have presumed.

Scripture argues humans have two forms of self; the natural man and the New Man.

In verse 19, Jude writes, “These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.”

The natural man follows his natural instincts. Sin rules him. His past, present and future are understood within the limitations of his own depravity, according to the universal grace and mercy God has gifted. His worldview is nearsighted. His very existence is selfish, seeking to fulfill his own desires.

The Spirit creates the New Man This new man is born again. He follows the Spirit. He is no longer a slave to sin. His total existence is understood in light of scripture and the revelation of Christ. He revels in the lavish gifts of Gods mercy and grace. His worldview is definitively Kingdom focused. His existence is selfless, seeking to glorify God.

C.S. Lewis, in his musings on personality spoke about The New Man.

I was pointing out last time that the Christian life is simply a process of having your natural self changed into a Christ self, and that this process goes on very far inside. One’s most private wishes, one’s point of view, are the things that have to be changed… When you’ve completely given up your-self to His personality you will then, for the first time in your life, be developing into a real person. He made the whole world. He invented it as an author invents characters in a book, all different men that you and I were intended to be. Our real selves are, so to speak, all waiting for us in Him. What I call my “self” now is hardly a person at all. It’s mainly a meeting place for various natural forces, desires, and fears, etcetera, some of which come from my ancestors, and some from my education, some perhaps from devils. The self you were really intended to be is something that lives not from nature but from God.

So what does any of this have to do with the original anecdotal story involving the individual in the accident? We are not the mere sum of our circumstances, or the probably outcomes of statistics. You are not an accident, and, although this is very difficult to understand, neither is your accident, whatever that may be. Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” For the New Man, this accident is part of Gods working together for good. This is the hope biblical counselors can offer. That despite what past or present event has occurred, our future self is secure in Christ.

Every one of us has the old self, the natural man. Your past, your trials, your testimony. It’s all relevant for who you are in Christ, and who you will be in your Newness. We don’t simply discard what was or has happened, just as much as we can’t disregard what is currently happening. But we can’t let the lie of determinism and mere psychological probabilities set our course for what will be. In short, you are not defined by your past, or present. No matter what, tomorrow is always a gift of Newness.

CS Lewis broadcasted his piece The New Man days before one of the most traumatizing days in humanities history unfolded, D-Day. As if speaking directly to the brave soldiers who would go into battle, Lewis said “Give up yourself and you’ll find your real self. Lose your life and you’ll save it. Submit to death, submit with every fiber of your Being and you’ll find eternal life. Look for Christ and you’ll get Him, and with Him, everything else thrown in. Look for yourself and you’ll get only hatred, loneliness, despair, and ruin.”

Some of us feel like we face an insurmountable enemy. The weight of our past and present circumstances may give us hesitation to “storm the beaches” like the brave soldiers did for our very own sake. The natural man has everything to fear, with nothing to hold unto. The new man has nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Watch his broadcast in its entirety below, and enjoy!