Professional counselors are wonderful people who bring wonderful truths into our lives, however sometimes we tend to think that counselors are the only people who can help others, when the truth is far from that. In Paul David Tripp’s book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Tripp explains that we all pour into each other on an everyday basis, and therefore we are all made to help each other through biblical love and fellowship.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Tripp has a Master of Divinity degree he has used to better understand the application of the gospel to everyday life. In 2006 he founded Paul Tripp Ministries which focuses on just that! Paul has also planted a church and is currently the Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Life and Care in Fort Worth, Texas.
In Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands, Tripp slowly transforms the reader’s paradigm of the gospel by reinforcing and reiterating his message from cover to cover. Heavily based on scripture, Tripp explains that the heart is the target in biblical counseling. “Change the person, not the problem,” is what the book says. He also explains that everyday ministry does not give Christians the right to walk around condemning everyone, but does cause them to look deeper into their own lives and recognize the ever-present need for change.
The methodology of the book is love, know, speak, do, and biblical process to helping others really grasp the life-changing power of the gospel. The entire book is filled with biblical reference and citation, something that is very important for most Christian readers. At the back of the book Tripp has even included an appendix with charts, activities, and illustrations for real-life opportunities to help other people.
Overall, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands is mind-changing and awakening. Each page is filled with deep, overwhelming truths of the gospel that we often overlook. Tripp does a phenomenal job loving, knowing, speaking, and doing what he recommends the reader to do, which is to change lives by changing hearts. I recommend this book to anyone considering counseling, ministry, or living a life worth following.
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