Dr. Greg Mazak

“Live and Let Live” (That’s what my grandmother said every time she found a spider in our house and released it outside. And that describes what used to be my philosophy of life. Everyone should be free to do whatever he wants as long as he doesn’t hurt anyone else. So when my mother tried to talk to me about God, I didn’t get mad; I just didn’t listen. Why should I? I had been raised in church and had even been an altar boy. I went to a Catholic school for twelve years. But being a religious “fanatic” wasn’t for me.

She liked to read her Bible. I liked to drink, get high, and ride my motorcycle. Life was one big party, for the most part at least. Some things did slow me down a bit—getting kicked out of school, and then totaling my car when I was too inebriated to drive. But I viewed these as mere setbacks.

He’s Really Going to College?

When I announced that I was going to the university, a few people were surprised. But I had gotten a little more serious about life, and I now had two goals: to help people and to make a lot of money. So I majored in psychology at Ohio State University as my first step toward becoming a clinical psychologist. To get into a top-notch graduate school, I would have to graduate summa cum laude. So when I was sober, I studied. In fact, my whole first year of college life was divided between the library and the bars. There was little time for anything else.

How About Coming to My Bible Study?

Kevin invited me to attend a dorm Bible study that he hosted. I had no interest in going, but I went out of respect for our friendship. I attended sporadically for over a year. Then one day the leader asked if he could talk to me. He showed me that according to Romans 3:23 I was a sinner (I already knew that). He then showed me that because of my sin I would go to hell unless I accepted the free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). I would go to hell forever unless I called on the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him to forgive me of my sin (Romans 10:13). That Thursday night in October of 1980 in a crowded dormitory lobby, I knelt down and called on the Lord, repenting of my sin and asking Him to save me. That night I was born again (John 3:3)! That night I became a child of God (John 1:12)! In a single supernatural moment of time my life radically changed.

What Happened to Mazak?

When I told people that I wouldn’t be partying with them anymore, they laughed. My family thought I had gone off the deep end. But God was working in my life. I became active in a campus Bible study and began going to church. I witnessed to my friends, including my girlfriend, who soon accepted Christ as well as my proposal to marry her! After I finished my psychology degree at OSU in 1983, we were married. We then moved to South Carolina, where I enrolled in the seminary at Bob Jones University. I still hoped to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology but thought it best to complete a Master of Divinity degree first. But after those three years of biblical study, I saw how God through His Word continued to change my life! So I abandoned my dream of earning a PhD in psychology and enrolled in the New Testament doctoral program in 1986. That was when my wife and I began attending Trinity Bible Church, where we soon started to work with the youth group. After completing my studies, I was ordained at TBC and became the assistant pastor. By that time, I was also teaching classes in psychology and counseling at BJU.

So Why Didn’t You Become a Psychologist?

A number of people asked me this very question. I certainly was aware of how psychotherapists seek to change people since by this time I had earned a masters degree in counseling from Clemson University. But there was one problem. I had personally seen God miraculously change my life apart from psychotherapy. And as I studied Scripture, I found that the Bible really is able to equip believers to do what God has called them to do (2 Timothy 3:16). At the moment of salvation, a person is freely given everything that is necessary not only for his salvation, but also for his sanctification (2 Peter 1:3). Believers really are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10). That’s why I abandoned my plan of becoming a psychotherapist. As a biblical counselor, I now show people what God says about who they are and how He wants to change them into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). As an instructor, I now teach students how to counsel biblically and how to critique psychological theory from a biblical viewpoint. As a youth pastor, I seek to communicate to our young people that a loving God has given them an inerrant Word that shows them the path to love, joy, and peace. ”Is It Really That Simple?”

I never said that it was easy. But yes, it’s really that simple. I hope that you’ve experienced the radical change that Jesus Christ alone can work in a life. You will never know true peace until you do (Isaiah 26:3-4)—not in this world or the next (John 3:36). If you don’t believe me, grab a Bible and look up each of the verses I’ve mentioned. If you don’t have a Bible, let me know. I’ll send you one! If you already know the Lord Jesus Christ but find yourself struggling with problems, the answer is in His Word (Psalm 19:7). If you seek it, you will find it (Matthew 7:7). If you lack the wisdom to apply it, He will give it to you (James 1:5).

If I can help, please contact me. Blessings!

—Pastor Mazak