4. Antechomai. to cling to, to hold fast to, to take an interest in (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13)
5. Makrothumeo: to be patient (Matthew 18:26,29; Hebrews 6:15; James 5:7)

Combined, these words provide a biblical definition of what it means and takes to counsel another brother, sister, teenager or friend.

In order to be spiritually helpful, an effective, biblical counsellor will employ all of these attributes at one time or another.

The Perfect Counsellor

The Lord Jesus Christ was and is the greatest counsellor of all. Pattern your counselling after the Lord's, and you will be effective. He excelled in counselling primarily for the following six reasons:

1. He knew what was in man's heart; he understood human nature.
2. He had the ability to cause introspection with his ability to ask precise, soul-penetrating questions. Next, he also was a great listener.
3. He really cared for those he came into contact with.
4. His close relationship with His Father provided Him with a strong biblical basis on which to draw spiritual insight.
5. He knew what people needed to do to change, and he knew how to motivate them to want to change.
6. He had spiritual balance: he knew when to be directive and when to be indirect. He knew when problems rooted in the past had to be dealt with, and he knew when and how present problems had to be addressed.'s ¹⁸

Imperfect Counsellors

There's something to be said for vicarious learning. We can learn how not to counsel from the example of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar and their running discourses with Job: