Closing the Semester with Thanksgiving in BIBL 350
Receiving the Word and Passing It On
Every semester, I try to conclude class by setting aside time to give thanks to the Lord. It is not a normal lecture day. It is a moment to pause, reflect, worship, and acknowledge what the Lord has done through His Word.
This kind of class session is not about giving updates. It is about saying, “Thank You, Lord. I see what You did.” The semester belonged to Him. The books were His. The assignments were His. The classroom was His. The time was His. The strength was His. And if anything eternal happened among us, it was because of Him.
Below are some of the main themes that emerged from our final BIBL 350 class together.
1. The Goal Is Not Novelty but Faithfulness
One of the great lessons of the Christian life is that the goal is not to be novel. The goal is to be faithful.
The things that are true, biblical, and life-giving are not ours to reinvent. They are ours to receive, cherish, live, and pass on. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:2:
“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
That is the pattern: receive the truth, guard the truth, live the truth, and entrust the truth to others.
Faithfulness means doing the most we can with the time, energy, resources, opportunities, and truth that God has placed in our hands. We do not need to be impressive. We do not need to be original. We need to be faithful.
2. Christ Was Present in Every Class Session
Jesus is not absent from the classroom. He is not merely the subject of Christian study. He is present with His people.
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says:
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20).
That is not sentimental language. That is reality. Jesus is with His people.
Yes, Christ is at the right hand of the Father. Yes, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But Jesus also says, “I am with you.” His name is Emmanuel, “God with us.” His presence is not an idea. His presence is a promise.
This matters for study. When we open the Word, we are not merely interacting with a religious text. We are sitting under the Word of the living God in the presence of the risen Christ.
3. Christ Is the Teacher
Matthew 23:8 says:
“You have one teacher, and you are all brothers.”
No professor is the ultimate teacher. No author is the ultimate teacher. No theologian is the ultimate teacher. Christ is the Teacher.
The goal of biblical interpretation is not to be impressed with the human instructor. The goal is to become more devoted to Christ.
The professor can serve. The professor can point. The professor can help uncover what is there. But Christ is the one who knows us, searches us, convicts us, strengthens us, and teaches us through His Word.
4. The Word Is a Lamp, Not a Full Map of Life
One of the testimonies in class focused on discerning the will of God through the Word of God.
This is crucial. Scripture is not a secret decoder ring that maps out every detail of the future. The Word is a lamp.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105).
A lamp does not illuminate every mile ahead. It gives enough light for the next step.
God’s Word is not dim. It is not insufficient. It is designed to teach us to walk by faith. We are not called to a blind walk, but we are called to a trusting walk.
We obey what God has revealed, and we take the next step in faith.
5. We Should Be Thankful for the Written Word
Imagine if the Christian faith had remained only oral. Imagine being told that Jesus died and rose again but having no written Gospel, no apostolic letters, no lamp, no sword, no inscripturated Word to carry with you.
But God has given us His Word.
The written Word is a mercy. It is a gift. It is the lamp by which we walk, the sword by which we stand, and the testimony by which we know the Lord’s works, promises, commands, and character.
We should not take the Bible for granted.
6. Do Not Exceed the Text
One of the repeated lessons of biblical interpretation is simple: see what the text says, and do not go beyond it.
We must not import our assumptions into the Bible. We must not force the Bible to say what our flesh wants it to say. We must not ignore the context because the context makes us uncomfortable.
Every word matters. Every phrase matters. Every structure matters. Every context matters. The Word of God is inspired, and because it is inspired, it deserves careful attention.
The goal is not to use the Bible to confirm what we already believe. The goal is to let the Bible speak and to submit to what God has said.
7. The Word Is Full of Treasure
God has placed treasure all throughout His Word. The question is whether we will search for it.
There is something beautiful about diligently chasing truth through Scripture. The Lord is faithful to reveal Himself through His Word. The goal is not merely that the Bible enables us to live a holy life, though it does. The greater wonder is that through Scripture God reveals Himself.
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
There may be seasons when the Word feels sweet, alive, and full. Drink deeply in those seasons. There may also be seasons when we open the Bible and it feels dry, distant, or difficult. Keep reading.
When we are sick, food may lose its taste, but it still nourishes us. The Word is still nourishing even when we do not feel its sweetness.
8. Christian Faith Can Stand Under the Microscope
Biblical interpretation does not require fear. Christianity does not require us to hide from hard questions.
We can place our hearts under the microscope. We can place our assumptions under the microscope. We can examine other religions, other sacred texts, other truth claims, historical questions, textual questions, and theological questions.
The Christian faith is not a “Plato’s cave” faith. It is not afraid of light. It is not afraid of investigation.
We walk by faith, but not an unreasonable faith. The Christian faith is reasonable because it is rooted in the truth of the living God, the historical work of Christ, and the testimony of Scripture.
9. Return Always to the Jesus of Scripture
In a world full of distorted images of Jesus, we must always return to the Jesus of Scripture.
Not merely the cultural Jesus. Not merely the sentimental Jesus. Not merely the sanitized Jesus. Not merely the harmless Jesus who never wounds, never confronts, and never suffers.
Return to the Jesus of Scripture.
He is the man of sorrows. He is acquainted with grief. He is the servant whose appearance was marred. He is the crucified and risen Lord. He is compassionate, holy, truthful, merciful, and glorious.
The Jesus of Scripture will never disappoint us.
10. Do Not Turn the Bible into a Textbook or a Weapon
The Bible can be studied academically, but it must never become merely academic.
It is possible to read Scripture as a textbook. It is possible to use Scripture as a prooftext. It is possible to turn the Bible into a weapon for defending theological systems while missing the God who gave it.
This is a danger, especially for theology students.
There is a place for careful doctrinal formulation. There is a place for theological precision. But Scripture was not given merely so that we could win arguments. It was given so that we might know God, love God, obey God, and point others to God.
Sometimes it is good to have “ism-free” conversations about the Bible. Talk about the text. Talk about Christ. Talk about obedience. Talk about what God has revealed. Do not let theological labels replace living encounter with the Word.
11. Let the Word Into the Soul
It is easy to say, “Jesus loves me.” It is harder to stop and let that truth enter the soul.
Revelation 1:5 says that Jesus “loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”
We should not merely look at that statement. We should read it. Receive it. Let it confront our coldness, fear, shame, and unbelief.
Biblical interpretation is not less than careful study, but it is more than information transfer. The Word is meant to reach the heart. It is meant to awaken worship. It is meant to reshape loves and desires.
Do not only study the Word. Receive it.
12. Suffering Is Part of Following Christ
Philippians 1:29 says:
“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.”
Suffering is not strange to the Christian life. It is part of following Christ.
This does not mean every hardship is the same. Some suffer in extreme ways. Others suffer in quieter, hidden ways. But the New Testament does not present suffering as meaningless.
The Lord uses suffering. He uses burdens. He uses hard conversations. He uses ministry difficulties. He uses moments when people come with wounds too deep for us to fix.
And in those moments, the answer is not human cleverness. The answer is to point people to Christ and His Word.
13. Be the Kind of Person Who Points People to the Word
People do not ultimately need our credentials. They need Christ.
A PhD does not make someone spiritually useful. A title does not make someone spiritually useful. A position does not make someone spiritually useful.
The most useful person on a campus, in a church, in a family, or in a community is someone who knows the Word, loves the Word, lives the Word, and points people to Christ through the Word.
Be winsome for the King.
Know His Word. Point people to His Word. Point people to Him.
That is not complicated, but it is rare.
14. Biblical Interpretation Requires Humility and Care
The goal of biblical interpretation is not to come to the text with theology already in hand and force the text to fit it. The goal is to come carefully, humbly, and attentively.
Approach the text like an archaeologist. Remove the layers carefully. Do not damage what is there. Do not impose something foreign onto it.
After the careful work has been done, point and say, “Look what is here.”
Biblical interpretation is not merely using the Bible to support ideas. It is allowing the Bible itself to be the source and object of interpretation.
15. Final Charge
It has been a privilege to study the Word together.
The goal is not that we transform lives. Only God transforms lives. But lives can be transformed through the offering we make to the Lord.
There is no one more valuable, no one more honorable, no one more precious, and no one more worthy of our entire devotion than the Lord Jesus Christ.
So let us go out and love Him. Let us go out and love people. Let us go out and pass on what we have received.
God bless you.
