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by Jason Barrie
Like me, many seminary graduates wish they could return to seminary and do it all over again. The time spent exploring the Bible, history, and theology while in conversation with professors and classmates is difficult to recapture once you graduate. But the burdens of relentless reading assignments and regular exams can rob the joy from theological education.
As another seminary year begins, here is some counsel on how to make the most of your seminary studies.
For most students, seminary is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to devote yourself fully to the careful study of the Word of Christ in a learning community shaped by the Lord Jesus. Psalm 1 paints a beautiful portrait of the one rooted in this manifold Word: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:3).
Make the most of every opportunity letting “the Word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Relish the gifts of time and resources to dig deeply into this Word. A careful student of Scripture takes time to trace the contours of 66 discrete books of varied genre and authorship. Master the critical thread of covenant that unites all these books and search out that path to Christ from every passage. Learn to ask the right questions of a biblical text. Embrace this season of deliberate study, for it can bring you to holy ground.
As you mine the rich depths of God’s word and carefully examine the “mysteries of God”, beware that a subtle distance can develop. A growing sense of the complexities of special revelation can subtly turn the study of God’s word into a scientific exercise that lacks personal devotion or connection.
You will be tempted to read Scripture in the third person. Helmut Thielicke warned gospel ministers of this temptation:
This transition from one to the other level of thought, from a personal relationship with God to a merely technical reference, usually is exactly synchronized with the moment that I no longer can read the word of Holy Scripture as a word to me, but only as the object of exegetical endeavors.
As you embrace this season of study, how can you avoid the temptation to view the Word as merely an object of exegetical analysis?
The answer is not to neglect the deep study of Scripture, but the very opposite. Remember that the Word you are learning to rightly handle, handles you as well. Instead of shunning study, pour your heart into a growing understanding of the life-shaping Word. The blessed one of the first Psalm is enraptured by the instruction of God’s word—”his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Theological education promotes growth in both knowledge and holiness.
B.B. Warfield exhorted students in this trajectory:
Put your heart into your studies: do not merely occupy your mind with them, but put your heart into them. They bring you daily and hourly into the very presence of God; his ways, his dealing with men, the infinite majesty of his Being form their very subject-matter. Put the shoes from off your feet in this holy presence!
The pastoral epistles also put a premium on vigilance in issues of doctrine and life as the minister sets an example for his entire flock. Bishop Gilbert Burnet believed the chief mistake among students of theology is “that they study books more than themselves.” As you begin this academic year, take an honest look at your own heart—your thoughts, desires, and choices. Listen to the Lord speak to you by Word and Spirit and be transformed by his renewing grace.
The opening blessing in Psalm 1 is shaped by vigilant discernment: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1) With the threefold negation – not, nor, nor (lit. not, not, not) – the psalmist highlights the downward spiral of sin. Seminary study comes with subtle but powerful temptations. Expect it.
Some will be tempted to think they know it all. Being a seminary student often creates an expectation that you have all the Bible answers. It is indeed flattering when people expect you to answer their deepest questions: “I know you’re a seminary student, so could you please explain Saul’s encounter with the witch of Endor?”
Wanting to impress, you might pretend you know it all and offer some nugget of wisdom that starts with, “Well in the original language … .” On my first day of seminary, a professor encouraged us to remember the three most important words for a seminarian: “I don’t know.”
The know-it-all talks more than listens. The know-it-all corrects everyone around them including family members, classmates, and professors. The know-it-all reduces theological education to arming oneself to crush opponents online or classmates who may disagree. Cultivate humility by practicing the art of listening. Bonhoeffer was right: “We should listen with the ears of God that we may speak the Word of God.”
Of course, some seminarians will be tempted to think they CAN know it all. There will always be more for you to read or study. Do not neglect every other calling in life to be a stellar student. Whether married or single, each of you has callings beyond the classroom. You are first and foremost a child of the Living God called to love and serve your King, your family, and your church. You can get straight A’s in seminary and fail miserably. Make the most of your preparation without neglecting those around you. Keep a “someday list” of theological topics worthy of additional study or books you’d like to read again.
How can you prosper at seminary in this new academic year? Make the most of every opportunity, relational and academic. Look daily to the true Psalm 1 man. Christ alone delighted to do the will of the Father. Christ alone never walked the path of rebellion. Christ alone prospered in everything he did. He lived perfectly in your place and then became like chaff for you.
May the now risen and victorious Christ minister to you through his Word by his Spirit in this coming year and shape you to be a humble servant more like him.
This article was originally written for and published by byFaith Magazine and has been republished here with permission.
