Feature Friday: God’s Greatest Word to Man by Homer A. Kent

There have been times in human history when God actually talked with people. He spoke to Adam and Eve in the Garden. He spoke to Noah and Abraham. One of the great truths of the Bible is that God has communicated with men in words. 

People are still searching for a closer relationship with God. They ask such questions as: “Is God Real? Does He really Love me? Does God still speak to people today?” 

We are not the only Christians to wonder about God’s present interest in us, and look longingly at the past. The original readers of the Epistle to the Hebrews felt the same way. They knew God had formerly spoken with their ancestors, but they were uncertain about the present. The writer reminded them of their past, and then he showed them that God had done something even greater for them. He had blessed them with His greatest message. That message was God’s greatest word to man, and is the basis of every blessing we can hope for. But there is something very different about this message.

In Hebrews 1:1 the writer said that God had frequently spoken, “long ago to the fathers” (NASB). He was talking about Old Testament revelation, more than 400 years before the time of the New Testament. God had done this “in the prophets.” These were men, and occasionally a woman, to whom God gave a special message. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Deborah, Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel were among the group. God did this “in many portions.” No one prophet received the whole message. It came piecemeal, in fragments. God’s message also came “in many ways.” He spoke to the prophets in dreams, visions, by angles, and even by special events, such as a burning bush. Jewish people rejoiced in their heritage, and a glorious heritage it was!

But in Hebrews 1:2 the writer says that God “in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.” This reminds us of the Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (Matthew 21:33-46) who missed the landowner’s  property during his absence, kept the profits for themselves, and beat the owner’s slaves whom he sent to collect the produce when the harvest was over. Finally the landowner decided to send his son, thinking they would certainly respect him, but instead they killed the son, foolishly supposing they would now become the heirs. This is what God had done when He sent His own Son to the world. There could be no higher messenger than this. 

Now if God’s greatest message to us involved God’s Son, wouldn’t you like to know what that message was? When Jesus was here, He said some wonderful things recorded in the four Gospels. But the writer of Hebrews doesn’t quote any of those statements of Jesus. Instead, he describes Jesus Himself, rather than giving any of the Words of Jesus. The fact is: Jesus is the message. He Himself is The Word of God (John 1:1).

The author of Hebrews goes on to give seven characteristics of God’s Son in Hebrews 1:2b-3. He describes Him as “heir of all things” (Psalms 2:2-8), the Creator “through whom also He made the world,” possessor of deity (“the radiance of His Glory” – “the Glory” is one of the names of God. See 2 Peter 1:17), the perfect revealer of God, “the exact representation of His nature,” and the One who “upholds all things by the word of His power.” 

The final two characteristics of Jesus are of special importance to us. He became our redeemer (“He made purification of sins”), and is presently exalted (“sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high”).

So what is God saying to us in this greatest word to man? Simply, that He is the Sovereign Lord who keeps His promises, that He knows our deepest longings, and that He loves us and has done something to help us.

And what should be our response to Jesus, who is God’s greatest word to man? Surely we should respond with joy in knowing that we have been redeemed and will be with Him in glory forever. And we should be filled with thanksgiving, and submit to the Lordship of the Divine Son, whom God has sent to be our Savior.

(This has been reproduced from a devotional entitled Selah. The author is former President of Grace Theological Seminary Dr. Homer Kent.)

For more information on GTS please go to http://www.grace.edu/seminary.

What We Believe Wednesday

When looking for a seminary, I knew that I wanted to attend a school that was doctrinally sound and that stood for truth. In an age where society defines truth as subjective I was trying to find the seemingly impossible: a seminary that not only believed in absolute truth but also a seminary that stood up for the Truth.

Being “doctrinally sound” is the battle cry for almost every seminary. Yet, many times these mantras are followed by contradictory claims in their classrooms. I found at Grace Theological Seminary (GTS) that there isn’t a contradiction between the classroom and the doctrinal statement.

The first doctrinal statement that we are featuring deals with what we at GTS believe about the Bible. The following is taken directly from GTS’s doctrinal statement:

The Holy Scriptures
We believe in the Holy Scriptures, accepting fully the writings of the Old and New Testaments as the very Word of God, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God, altogether sufficient in themselves as our only infallible rule of faith and practice (Matt. 5:18, John 10:35, 16:13, 17:17, 2 Tim, 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:21).

Thanks for reading. Check back every Wednesday for an overview of what GTS believes and if you are curious and can’t wait a week you can go here and view GTS’s full doctrinal statement.

For more information on GTS please go to http://www.grace.edu/seminary.

Post written by current MDiv student and Seminary Representative C. Ringler

The Who, (what, why, how and other questions)

Picking a seminary is tough.

There are so many questions that seem to build on one another: what is the institution’s doctrine, who are their professors, how much does it cost, are there available jobs, should I get a MDiv, what about a MA or ThM, is seminary right for my family, is seminary right for me? 

There are many more questions that pile on these others, yet, the most important question about seminary is “Am I called?”

The emphasis of this blog is not to give you an answer to that last question. That is something that you must pray about and earnestly seek the wisdom of God and those who are close to you. However, in this blog we do hope to highlight various aspects of seminary, particularly Grace Theological Seminary, and we hope that this information can help you through your process.

The Who: 

Every good friendship I have ever had, from kindergarten to seminary, started with an introduction. So, let’s get the formality out of the way.

Grace Theological Seminary (GTS) is located in Winona Lake, Indiana. We have been here since 1939 but are actually two years older than that. Our original seminary was located in Akron, Ohio. Since the beginning of the seminary GTS has been known for having wonderful professors who are committed to the inerrancy of Scripture and boldly stand for the truth of the Gospel. We can boast in God’s grace that we still stand on these truths.

Today, just like 76 years ago, GTS is committed to teaching, training and transforming men and women to be leaders in their local churches, communities, and the world. GTS is a dedicated community that strives to create passionate people for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Our faculty have served the Lord in a multitude of ways and have had titles that include senior pastor, missionary, women ministry leader and college campus pastor. These men and woman who serve their students love the Lord, their families, and are dedicated scholars who mix academia with practical ministry.

GTS is the seminary of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren (FGBC). We have many FGBC students as well as Baptist, Presbyterian, Evangelical Free, IFCA and Independent/Non-Denominational amongst others. 

Now that we have been introduced I hope you will come back again to read more about Grace Theological Seminary.

For more information on GTS please go to http://www.grace.edu/seminary.

Post written by current MDiv student and Seminary Representative C. Ringler