In 2013 I set out to earn a second Master’s Degree. I had just completed a Master of Science in Organizational Psychology and was faced with an opportunity to earn a Masters Degree in Biblical and Theological Studies from Knox Theological Seminary. The offer was too good to pass up and I love being a student so I embarked on a 2.5 year journey. Recently, I finished all course requirements and finished my degree. As I’ve been reflecting on my time in Seminary I’ve come to realize that much of what I learned and will take away with me are the intangibles. The following are five of the most important skills that Seminary taught me aside from the standard academic goals of proficiency and aptitude in the area of theological and biblical studies.

Pursuing Excellence in the Area of Time/Calendar Management:

Throughout my seminary journey I balanced a full time job at Faithlife which had me traveling over 100K miles a year around the world. I did my best to be a faithful husband and loving father to my three sons. I also attempted to be apart of the local church and serve to the best of my ability. Somewhere in that mix was serious study time for seminary which included lots of reading and writing. Oh, I also had to fit in fantasy football and watching and playing basketball! I’ve been constantly asked, “How do you manage it all”. I typically responded with, “It’s really just the way God wired me”. As I reflect on that season of my life I agree that God has definitely wired me in a way to enjoy balancing multiple projects, however; I think an overlooked skill that was forcibly developed was pursuing excellence in my time and calendar management. The most important part of this for me was redeeming possibly wasted time. For instance:

• Get all my reading and as much of my writing done during airplane rides instead of falling asleep (which sadly I did to often!).
• Create blocks of time that was dedicated to school, work, family, and fun/activities. I built this in my iCal and shared it with my wife so we had visibility in my schedule.
• Evaluate my calendar and how successful I had been the previous week – I learned quickly how much I could manage and had to make some difficult decisions in different seasons on things that I had to lay down in order to get my priorities done. For instance, I took a 4 month break on this blog to finish seminary strong and achieve the grade point average I needed to have a competitive application for a PhD program

Ultimately, this allowed me to finish my goals without having to many things slip. If they did slip, it would be taken care of in the evaluation of my previous week. Learning this has been vital and really has overflowed into every area of my life.

Think Critically about Literature and Scripture:

Until I got into Seminary I didn’t realize how much of my reading was on auto pilot. I took almost everything I read to be fact without really engaging and thinking critically about what was being said, why it was being said in that way, and if I even agreed with what was written. This showed up specifically in engaging with commentaries, modern surveys, and biographical research and study on influential people such as Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, and Augustine. It is easy to just assume what they have to say is correct because of the great platform they have in the development of theology and doctrine. However, I was forced to come to terms with parts of their writings I didn’t agree with or where they missed the point or were simply negligent in. This is not isolated just to writing but the life that was lived. For instance, for all the good that Edwards has done for the church the fact is he was also a slave owner. Some how in his study, this was a blind area of his life.

Thinking critically about literature and scripture caused my mind to work in ways that it hadn’t previously. I found my self asking different questions which led me to a deeper and better understanding of scripture and theology.

Funnel my Scholarly Pursuit Through the Lens of Ministry:

One of my honest fears of Seminary was that I would turn into a snobbish academic elitist with little time for ministry and people. I didn’t want to become a modern Pharisee who was so caught up in the details of the scripture that I missed the heart and mission of God. This fear actually served as a lens that I funneled my academic pursuits through. I made it a habit of asking the simple questions, “How and why would this relate to my church or the body of Christ?”. Crossing the bridge of application between the scholarly and ministry worlds is so important. I think its when we neglect this bridge that we lose our way. Again, I am greatly influenced by Augustine who spent 35 years as Bishop of Hippo preaching up to two times a day and still accomplished academic excellence. It took Augustine 16 years to write his influential work on the Trinity in his “spare time”! Possibly my favorite Augustine quote is:

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Better is it that scholars find fault with us, than that the people understand us not – #Augustine
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Being an Academic and Still Have a Relationship with Christ:

Another fear going into seminary was that my heart would turn cold towards God and that the scriptures would become a textbook filled with information that needed to be studied and researched. Again, this fear propelled me to engage with the Lord personally through seminary. I made a commitment to read books that were more devotional in nature and caused me to realign my heart with the creator of the universe. Dr. John Piper’s Desiring God was monumental for me in seasons where I felt myself slipping.

While this is a serious danger, especially as I consider further academic pursuits; I am encouraged that there are those out there that have also been down that road and are more in love with Christ than ever before as a result of their academic journey.

Being a Perpetual Student of the Word of God: There is no “Arriving”

Just because you graduate with a diploma and have the ability to add a few letters after your signature doesn’t mean you have “arrived”. Throughout my entire seminary process what became more and more evident is how little I am and how much there is to learn and grow in. This goes for both the academic and spiritual parts of our life. We will ever be servants of Christ and it bodes us well to position our selves in humility before the creator of the universe. That he reveals himself to us through his Word is evidence of his grace and love for the people whom He created. This sense of humility allows us to approach the scriptures with an eager mind and humble heart.

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One of the challenges in our theology is in regards to how we view Christ. Our theology of Christ (Christology) is vital in regards to how we interact with the Word of God and how we relate to scripture. In fact, our theological framework serves as the lens in which we apply the text in our lives. So, if we don’t consider the wider and deeper implications of theology, our interpretation and application can be found limited and undeveloped. One of the areas that is incredibly important is how we view Christ. As we unpack the character and nature of Christ we find that he serves as the perfect prophet, priest, and king. In fact, Calvin taught the work of Christ in the context of Prophet, Priest and King. As we are able to unpack the nature of Christ and see how he functions in these three particular categories, our understanding of how marvelous Christ is will expand.

Christ As Prophet:

Throughout the Old Testament we find God interacting with his chosen people. Prior to Genesis 3 God spoke intimately with Adam and Eve face to face. After the fall and as sin enters humanity we see a shift in communication as God uses specific people as his spokesmen. The term prophet as used in the Old Testament can be closely associated in terms of a person who is the actual “mouthpiece” of someone else, in this instance, the prophets of the old testament are “mouthpieces” of God. However, these prophets are limited and found wanting. They deliver a specific message from the Lord, but they themselves are not a clear and perfect reflection of God. As Christ enters in the New Testament he calls himself a prophet (Lk 13:33) bringing the message of his Father. He also functions perfectly as a prophet as he foretells (Mt 24), speaks with authority (Mt 7:29), authenticates his message with signs, and is recognized by the people as a prophet (Mt 21:11, Lk 7:16, Jn 3:2). While the prophets of the Old Testament proclaimed the truth, Jesus Himself was and is Truth (jn 14:6).

As we read through the Old Testament and encounter these incredible prophets such as Moses and Aaron we can remember that as great as they were, they are but a shadow of who Christ is. Jesus is our perfect Prophet and a clear reflection of God the Father.

Christ as Priest:

As we consider Christ as our Priest we can turn to Hebrews 5-7 which gives us a clear picture of this great High Priest who intercedes on behalf of His people. Again, throughout the OT we see the offie of the priest hood established. These priests served as a form of mediator between a fallen humanity and a perfect God. They interceded on behalf of fallen humanity, yet, they themselves needed cleansing and purification because they were with sin. One interesting fact is that once a year the High Priest would enter into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice. The priests would tie a rope around his ankle just in case he went in and was struck down dead due to unrepentant sin. No one was allowed into the Holy of Holies, and even the High Priest could be slain and struck down for his sin. How wonderful to know that we have a High Priest who intercedes, is in the very presence of God right now, and is for us! He was found without sin and therefore is counted as the perfect High Priest

As we read through the Old Testament and see how the priests function and serve the people of God we can take hope in Christ who serves as the perfect High Priest and continually intercedes on our behalf.

Christ as King:

Throughout the entirety of Scriptures there has never been a priest who was also a king other than Melchizedech King of Salem (Ge 14:18-20). Christ, enters into humanity in many ways as the suffering servant. He comes and humbles himself, in obedience to the will of the father, to death on the cross. During his time on earth he teaches his disciples of the coming Kingdom. He conquers both sin and death and ascends into heaven giving a promise to his disciples that he would return again. In revelation we find that kingdom of this present world will come under the final rule and authority of Christ as King and within the boundaries of His Kingdom (Rev 11:15). Geerhardus Vos describes Christ’s final Kingdom reign by stating, “It is the ocean into which all the rivers of history roll their waters from the beginning of the world”*.

As we consider  the tragedy that takes place in our world, we can find rest and assurance in the coming Messiah who will bring all the broken fragments of this world under His perfect Kingship and authority to create the most magnificent Kingdom.

The Perfect Jesus:

As we study and consider our perfect Jesus we see that he exercises all three offices. As prophet he declares both the law and his gospel and outshines the prophets of the Old Testament. As priest, he is not limited to an earthly temple but ministers in the true sanctuary in the presence of the Father. Finally, as King he entered humanity, conquered sin and death, setting the prisoners free from the bondage of the law. Jesus is perfect. He is sufficient. He is Prophet, Priest, and King.

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Geerhardus Vos, The Teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews (repr., Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock, 1998), 194.

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