“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” — Galatians 2:20
Conversations around mental health are finally happening out in the open. That’s good news. Counseling gives people language for their pain and practical tools for daily life. For Christians, there’s an additional layer of healing that speaks to identity and meaning. Galatians 2:20 offers that foundation: a new life, a new center, and a new way of relating to ourselves and others.
Integrating Faith and Mental Health
In counseling, we address emotions, beliefs, and behavior. For people of faith, we also attend to the heart of who we are and what anchors us. Galatians 2:20 names a core truth: the old, shame-driven self gives way to a self grounded in grace. That shift doesn’t erase struggle; it reframes it.
Identity and Transformation in Galatians 2:20
Paul’s words describe a deep change in identity. The “old self,” shaped by fear, failure, or performance, has died with Christ. In its place, a new identity emerges—loved, secure, and sustained by God.
Clinically, many clients arrive weighed down by harsh self-labels. Therapy helps challenge those labels. Faith adds a steady base: worth that isn’t earned. When clients internalize this, they begin to live from a healthier story: not “broken beyond repair,” but “in process and held by grace.”
Renewing the Mind: Cognitive and Spiritual Work
Much of therapy is cognitive restructuring—spotting unhelpful thoughts and replacing them with balanced, truthful alternatives. Scripture echoes the same movement toward renewal (Romans 12:2). For Christian clients, Galatians 2:20 provides the north star: “Christ lives in me.”
- From “I’m a failure” to “I made a mistake, and I’m still loved.”
- From “I’ll never change” to “Growth is slow, but real and I’m not alone.”
- From “I must control everything” to “I can act wisely and entrust the outcome to God.”
This blend of cognitive and spiritual grounding promotes flexibility, resilience, and steadier emotional regulation.
Letting Go: Therapy and Spiritual Surrender
“I have been crucified with Christ” involves more than belief. It’s a practice of release of perfectionism, constant self-critique, and coping patterns that once kept us safe but now keep us stuck. In therapy, we name and process those patterns. In faith, we entrust them to God’s care.
Letting go isn’t passive. It takes courage to face pain and choose a different path. The result is not self-erasure, but a truer self living from grace rather than striving.
Living From Wholeness: “Christ Lives in Me”
When clients shift from shame toward a secure identity, several changes tend to follow:
- Less internal criticism; more compassionate self-talk
- Reduced anxiety and guilt
- Clearer boundaries and healthier relationships
- Greater capacity for empathy and forgiveness
This is more than positive thinking. It is identity work. Clinically, the center of gravity moves from external approval to an internal, steady sense of worth. Spiritually, it reflects the reality that Christ dwells within.
Faith and Counseling: Partners in Renewal
Evidence-based approaches, such as CBT and mindfulness, will work well alongside the Christian faith. Therapy supplies tools; faith supplies meaning and hope. Together, they help clients move from symptom management to transformation.
Final Encouragement
Healing is rarely linear. There will be bright spots and setbacks. Yet the message of Galatians 2:20 remains the same: the life we now live is lived by faith in the One who loves us. That truth stabilizes the journey and keeps us moving forward.
Considering faith-integrated counseling?
If you’d like to explore these themes in your own story, Resolute Counseling offers compassionate help that integrates sound clinical practice with Christian faith when requested.
