Closing the Semester with BIBL 110 Honors
In our final BIBL 110 Honors class, we turned our attention to what the Lord had done throughout the semester. Students shared about the depth of Scripture, the beauty of Christ, the gift of God’s Word, the reasonableness of faith, the importance of obedience, and the call to spend our lives in service to others.
Below are some of the main themes that emerged from our time together.
1. Thanksgiving Is Worship
True biblical worship is a response to the attributes and works of God.
Worship is not merely singing. Worship is not merely emotion. Worship is responding rightly to who God is and what God has done.
That means testimony can be worship. Thanksgiving can be worship. Encouraging one another by naming the Lord’s kindness can be worship.
The goal of the final class was not to talk about ourselves. It was not to impress anyone. It was to turn our eyes to the Lord and say, “God is good. This is what He has done.”
2. Scripture Is Deeper Than We Often Realize
One of the first testimonies focused on the depth of Scripture. The Bible is not merely important in a general sense. Its words matter. Its order matters. Its details matter. Its structure matters.
God has revealed Himself through words. Therefore, the study of Scripture requires careful attention.
The Bible is not a vague religious resource. It is the Word of God. Through it, we learn more about the nature of God, the person of Christ, the work of redemption, and the way we are called to live.
The more carefully we draw near to the Word, the more we see the beauty, wisdom, holiness, and love of the God who gave it.
3. God’s Word Is a One-Sided Gift of Grace
Many religions elevate human wisdom, human enlightenment, human effort, or human achievement. Christianity begins somewhere else.
God spoke.
His Word is not the product of human enlightenment. It is a gift of divine grace. God loved us so much that He did not leave us in darkness. From the beginning, He has given His Word.
We do not worship the Bible. We worship the God who gave the Bible. But because the Word reveals Him, drawing near to His Word is one of the primary ways we draw near to Him.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Jas 4:8).
The same principle applies as we come humbly to His Word. When we draw near to what He has spoken, He reveals more of Himself to us.
4. Nothing More, Nothing Less
A major theme of the semester was learning to say what the Bible says: nothing more, nothing less.
This brings freedom.
We often place burdens on ourselves that Scripture does not place on us. We also avoid demands that Scripture actually does place on us. Careful interpretation helps us avoid both errors.
The goal is not to force Scripture into our systems. The goal is not to win theological arguments. The goal is to receive what God has said and submit to it.
This is especially important when theological labels and “isms” dominate the conversation. One can talk about theology without truly talking about Scripture. One can speak about the things of God while losing sight of the Word of God.
So we must learn to speak Scripture. Learn to say what the text says. Learn to treasure the Word itself.
5. The Old Testament Reveals the Son, and the New Testament Reveals the Father
One of the testimonies focused on seeing the Son revealed in the Old Testament and the Father revealed in the New Testament.
This is one of the great wonders of Scripture. The Bible is not divided into disconnected parts. The character, plan, and love of God are consistent throughout.
The Old Testament prepares us to understand why the New Testament can say that no one has seen the Father. It prepares us to understand why Paul says God dwells in unapproachable light. It prepares us to understand why Jesus reveals the Father.
The Gospel according to John is especially significant here. John gives us the revelation of the Father in the Gospel and the revelation of Jesus Christ in Revelation.
The more we read Scripture as a unified witness, the more we see the magnificence of God’s redemptive plan.
6. Read Each Biblical Book with Its True Center in View
The class also reflected on how important it is to read each biblical book with its proper focus.
In Matthew, the Old Testament references matter deeply. In John, the Father is central in ways readers often miss. In Acts, the Word of God itself advances, spreads, travels, and triumphs. In Luke, the Gentile focus changes how we understand the account.
This matters because our assumptions can cause us to miss what the biblical authors are actually emphasizing.
If we go to the Gospels looking for something other than Jesus, we are missing the point. If we go to Acts and see only human leaders while missing the advance of the Word, we are missing something central.
The Bible teaches us how to read it. We must pay attention.
7. The Beauty of Christ Is Better Than Anything Else
Another major theme was the centrality and beauty of the person of Christ.
Jesus is not merely a figure in the story. He is the revelation of God. He is the crucified and risen Lord. He is the one whose glory the apostles beheld.
Isaiah 52:13–53:12 shows us the suffering servant. He had no stately form that would make people naturally notice Him. He was marred. He was rejected. He was acquainted with grief.
And yet John says:
“We have seen his glory” (John 1:14).
Peter, James, and John saw His glory on the mount of transfiguration. John later received the revelation of Jesus Christ on Patmos and was commanded to write what he saw.
The beauty of Christ cannot be reduced to outward appearance, sentimentality, or cultural images. His beauty is the glory of the Son who reveals the Father, suffers for sinners, rises from the dead, and reigns forever.
8. Be Students of the Word
The wisdom of the world pales in comparison to the wisdom of Scripture.
Philosophy, literature, and the great books of civilization may have value, but they cannot compare with the Word of God. The greatest wisdom this world can offer is nothing compared with what God has spoken.
And one of the wisest lessons ever given is this:
If you want to be great, do not go up. Go down.
Jesus taught this repeatedly. Greatness in His kingdom is not self-promotion. It is humility, service, and sacrifice.
The way of Jesus is the downward way.
9. Do Not Settle for Bible-ish Content
One of the warnings from the class was that not everything called “Bible study” is actually Bible study.
Some materials look biblical. They may include a Bible verse, a religious image, or a short outline. But they may quickly move away from the text into stories, opinions, summaries, or moral lessons.
Other teaching may leave the Bible almost entirely behind. The pastor or teacher may summarize Scripture without reading it, quoting it, or letting the text itself lead.
Do not settle for the appearance of water. Thirst for the water itself.
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God” (Ps 42:1).
Do not be satisfied with the idea of Scripture. Pant for the Word itself.
10. Faith Is Reasonable, Not Blind
Christian faith is not blind faith.
We do not believe because reason must be abandoned. We believe because the truth of God is reasonable, coherent, and trustworthy.
It is reasonable to believe that God created the heavens and the earth. It is reasonable to believe that if God created the world, He would engage the world. It is reasonable to believe that if God engages the world, He may at times act in ways that transcend the normal patterns He established within creation.
That is what we call miracles.
Faith trusts what God has revealed. It does not require that we see everything with our eyes. But it is not irrational. It is not unreasonable. It is rooted in the God who speaks, acts, creates, sustains, redeems, and reveals.
11. The Greatest Apologetic Is the Downward Way of Jesus
Arguments have their place, but the greatest apologetic is not merely intellectual argumentation.
The greatest apologetic is a life shaped by the downward way of Jesus.
If we want to commend the truth of Christianity to a Muslim, an agnostic, an atheist, or anyone else, we should become their servant. Love them in a way that costs something. Let their contact with us be the closest thing on earth to an afternoon with Jesus.
This does not mean doctrine does not matter. It means truth must be embodied.
Jesus said greatness goes down. The servant way is difficult to argue with.
12. Give People the Scandalous Love of Christ
One of the remembered exhortations was simple: give people the scandalous love of Christ.
Do not use people. Do not draw near to people merely because they can benefit you. Do not treat relationships as ladders for your own advancement.
Look for ways to serve. Look for ways to love. Look for ways to stay faithful when others disappear.
The Christian life is not about becoming important. It is about becoming a vessel of Christ’s love.
As one dear believer used to say, “I just want to be a glove on His hand.”
That is a beautiful picture of Christian usefulness: not self-exaltation, but availability.
13. Spend Your Life in Service to Others
The class included a moving reflection on a faithful believer who continued ministering to others near the end of her life. Even while weak, even while dependent on others, even while near death, she prayed, encouraged, taught, served, and gave thanks.
That is the life we are called to live.
The purpose of studying the New Testament is not merely to know more. It is to honor Christ with every breath.
Every ounce of strength is to be spent in service to others.
We do not need a PhD. We do not need a title. We do not need worldly recognition. We need faithfulness.
Spend your life loving Christ and serving others.
14. Obedience Is a Privilege
The final testimony reminded us of a beautiful truth: God does not need us, but He chooses to use us.
That means obedience is not merely a burden. It is a privilege.
It is a privilege to hear His Word. It is a privilege to obey His commands. It is a privilege to follow Him, even when what He says is not what we wanted to hear.
The proper posture before the Word is not, “Will I like this?” but “Has God spoken?”
If He has spoken, we listen. If He commands, we obey. If He sends, we go.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
15. Final Charge
Let the Word of God be the center of life.
Thirst for the real thing. Do not settle for summaries of Scripture when Scripture itself has been given. Do not settle for the appearance of wisdom when God has spoken. Do not settle for a blind faith when God invites us to taste and see that He is good.
Read the Word. Trust the Word. Obey the Word. Speak the Word. Serve in the way of Jesus. Love people with the scandalous love of Christ.
And spend your life in service to Him.
