F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 7 0 WITH JANUARY RADIO FEATURES
FEBRUARY, 1970 / Volume 10 / Number 2
MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE BIOLA FELLOWSHIP
president .........................
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S.H. SUTHERLAND
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BILL EHMANN
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CONTENTS THE CHRISTIAN IN THE ’70’s 3 J. Richard Chase THE CENTRALITY OF THE WORD OF GOD ............ 5 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BIOLA’S DOCTRINAL STATEMENT ......................... 8 THE ALL-CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF FACULTY, STAFF, STUDENTS ...............11 STUDENT INVOLVEMENT ...13 S. H. Sutherland CURRENT COMMENT .............. 15 PANEL DISCUSSIONS.............. 16 STUDIES IN EPHESIANS ....2 1 Lloyd T. Anderson CURRENT COMMENT .............. 33
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Biola’s 1970 Summer Travel Program is announced on the fourth cover of this issue of the BROADCASTER. De tailed brochure® are available upon re quest which describe the entire travel program.
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Second Class postage paid in La Mirada, Calif. Printed in U.S.A. by Church Press, Glendale, Calif. Address: Biola Broadcaster, 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, California 90638.
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by J. Richard Chase Academic Vice President Biola College
THE CHRISTIAN IN THE ‘70 s
T here is a certain exhilaration for both old and young alike during the Christmas season. All the gifts, bright colors, delectable food, beauti ful music, and warm fellowship with loved ones truly make this time the high point of the year. Yet, too often our excitement can be centered in activities and things rather than in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. This often can cause a let-down feel ing as a new year approaches. This isn’t God’s prescription for our harried and hurried days. We read in Luke 2:20, that “the shep herds returned, glorifying and prais ing God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.” What a difference there is with some Christians today after Christmas! Were these shepherds any different? Surely they had their thoughts and hopes centered in the Saviour of the world. They had been told some wonderfully encouraging things by the angels. The testimony to these men was, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all peo ple.” If it’s the right kind of a mes sage, many times it will bring more joy and blessing than some tangible present that can be felt. When a young man proposes to the girl of his dreams, she wakes up the next morning with a thrill and an ticipation in her heart, if she loves him. He need not have given her a ring; it’s the fact of his love which possesses her. Similarly, the shep herds were given a fresh hope that allowed them to face the new day, despite the terrible oppression of Rome which held their land in bond age. The cause for their peace that day should be ours as well, for the
Saviour of the world had come, even as God had promised. There is an interesting story in Greek mythology about an individual named Alcestis whose husband was Admetus. He had won the gods’ favor so he was given a special favor. It was decreed that when it came time for him to die, if he could find some one else to die in his place, he would be allowed to go on living. When that day came, however, he couldn’t find anyone except his wife. Because of her love, she died in his behalf. Yet, as legend has it, she was miracu lously saved by another god, whose name was Heracles. Surely Admetus was thankful the rest of his life for not only her willing sacrifice, but the intervention of Heracles. This, of course, is fanciful, and doesn’t even begin to compare with what our lov ing Heavenly Father has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. No Grecian poet or playwright could have devised such a plot, "Sit could only be ordained and executed by God Himself. Do you realize that before we were united with God through faith in His Son, we were actually His enemies? Romans 5:8 and 10 clearly point this out. We were in far worse a predicament than Admetus or his wife. Can we ever stop to marvel that God sent Christ to save us even though we had turned our back upon Him and were vile sinners? The very heart of the Greek word translated Saviour is the concept of one who delivers and gives life. He is an in dividual who stands in the gap. God isn’t dealing with some dramatic piece of literature as the Greeks were, He’s dealing with your life and mine. No wonder the shepherds 3
returned glorifying and praising God. As mankind’s Saviour, Christ is the Anointed One whom God sent, designating Him to take away the sin of all mankind. The shepherds had known of other deliverers such as Moses and Joshua, but none of these could save them from their sins. According to Luke 5:11, He wasn’t simply Christ, but Christ the Lord! That means it is His sovereign right to rule and reign. It refers to a re lationship that signifies we’re com pletely dependent upon Him. No mat ter what our personal pride or sta tion in life, dependency is a way of life. What a leader is our Saviour! He’s not the kind of master we had in Satan. The Lord has rightly pointed out, “No man can serve two masters.” The fact is, we’re all bound to some concept, guide, or con trol in life. God’s perfect will is that the only true and trustworthy Mas ter is the Lord Jesus Christ. He wants to save us from sin and then lead us into the paths of righteous ness. Luke 2:20 says that the shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God.” They weren’t griping because they didn’t have a new staff or coat. They weren’t complaining because of their circumstances, but rather re joicing in what God had done. Glo rify in the Greek means to think or to hold an opinion. This is an internal concept. How we need to hold in our hearts the proper thoughts (Luke 6:45b). These con cepts are of such magnitude that they well up in our hearts and we can no longer control them from be ing expressed in glorification and praise. The shepherds held within their hearts the message of the angels. But what about you? Is your heart exhilarated because of what the Saviour has done for you? We mentioned a young couple who 4
had become engaged, and the joy and anticipation it brought to their hearts. What couple, after the mar riage day itself, hasn’t experienced a “let down” feeling when it was nec essary to return to a routine of life? There is not always an eternal bliss as some of the songs would have us believe. In our Christian living there is a danger of falling into a routine and forgetting the magnitude of what God through Christ has done for us. After Christmas, there needn’t be an emptiness or vacuum. There needs to be the thrill, which was experi enced by the shepherds when they heard the message for the first time. The Saviour alone can deliver us not only from sin but also from the judgment of God. Have you lost the joy of Christmas as well as the joy of salvation? You have if your ideals are centered only in activities and things. Let us catch again the thrill of the shepherds so that we might go forth glorifying and praising God.
Students at Biota College have the opportunity to gain practical experience from their classroom in struction. Pictured is Todd Lewis, a junior from La Mirada, Calif., speaking on behalf of the students at a recent luncheon which honored the editor of the LA MIRADA LAMPLIGHTER, Mr. Dick Hurley.
THE CENTRALITY OF THE
by S. H. Sutherland President of Biola
WORD OF GOD
T hroughout the entire history of Biola (the name comes from the first letters of “Bible Institute of Los Angeles”), the Word of God has been the foundation of every activity and area of instruction. While the school was incorporated February 25, 1908, its roots go back several years previous to that time when Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Horton organized the Fishermen’s Club for men and the Lyceum Club for women. They made no apology for the fact that their two-fold purpose was to study the Bible and to witness in a conscious and persistent effort to win the lost to Jesus Christ. As in the present hour, so in those days the earnest conviction was that this Book is the only infallible Word of God. The founders of these clubs believed the Scripture that “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” We also hold that the writers of both Old and New Testa ments, were so guided by the Holy Spirit that in the original languages, the very words which they put down were directed by the Holy Spirit Himself. From its earliest beginnings, Biola has held to the verbal, plenary in spiration of the Scriptures. We be lieve in verbal inspiration because we believe that the Holy Spirit in spired the very words of the writers; and plenary (which means full or complete), because we believe that the Bible, from Genesis to Revela tion, presents the full and complete story of redemption. We underscore the fact that the Bible in its en tirety is fully inspired by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the original
languages, it is without error or mis take of any kind. Dr. Frances L. Patten, one-time president of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, gives this helpful definition concern ing plenary inspiration: “The books of the Bible, constituting as they do a unity contributing severally to a single scheme of divine grace, claim ing to be a message to men from God speaking in terms of authority concerning duty and destiny, were composed by men who acted under the influence of the Holy Spirit to such an extent that they were pre served from every error of fact, of doctrine, of judgment, and these so influenced in their choice of language that the words they used were the words of God.” It is recognized that men from time to time make mistakes in the interpretation of some portions of the Word of God, but that has noth ing to do whatever with the fact of its complete and total inspiration. In this sense, Biola is bibliocentric. We trust for our salvation the Christ of the Bible. All that we know about the Saviour is revealed in the Word of God. Any experience we have with the risen Christ as believers must conform to that which is revealed about Him in the Bible. Otherwise we dare not trust our experience. One of the tricks of modernists in the last generation, as well as the liberals of this generation, is piously to sound forth the idea that we should be Christocentric. They de clare that we should trust the Christ of our experience. This is absolutely fatal because anyone’s so-called ex- 5
perience with Christ is just as valid as anyone else’s experience with Him. This leaves us with no norm or stand ard by which we can judge spiritual experiences. No wonder there has been confusion in some so-called Christian circles. We are told not to believe every spirit but to try the spirits.. In other words, we must gauge our experiences with the Word of God. It should be understood that we don’t worship the Bible as such. Scripture presents Jesus Christ ab solutely without error both in His person and in His work. Because of this, we can trust implicitly in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. This is the new birth whereby we become children of God. To miss see ing Him in the Old Testament is to miss the entire point of those 39 books. In the Old Testament, Christ is seen in prophecy; in the Gospels, He is seen in history; in the Epistles, He is seen in glory. The Saviour is presented in all of His beauty and fullness throughout the Word of God, beginning in Genesis with the grand consummation in the book of the Revelation. In Genesis, we find the origin of man, in Revelation, his ulti mate destiny; in Genesis, the origin of sin, in Revelation, the end of sin; in Genesis, all things began, in Rev elation, all things find their destina tion; in Genesis, the first marriage, in Revelation, the last marriage; in Genesis, Babylon the rebel city was built, in Revelation, Babylon the harlot system, will be destroyed; in Genesis, judgment was pronounced upon Satan, in Revelation, judgment will be executed upon Satan; in Genesis, man fell, in Revelation, man will be lifted up; in Genesis, we find the tree of death, in Revelation, the tree of life; in Genesis, man was ex pelled from the garden, in Revelation, man will find an abundant entrance into the city of God; in Genesis, man lost fellowship with God, in Revelation, man will find a new eter- 6
nal relationship with God; in Gene sis, man lost paradise, in Revelation, man finds the new paradise; in Genesis, man lost peace with God, in Revelation, man finds the new peace with God; in Genesis, the be ginning of the nations, in Revela tion, the end of the nations; in Gene sis, the beginning of this world, in Revelation, this world is destroyed and the new world is set up. Many other truths are presented helpfully for our admonition and spiritual nur ture. Such doctrines become our creed, of which the Latin meaning is “I believe.” These are some of the great truths which we here at Biola not only be lieve, but also teach in our class rooms. Because of the importance of these doctrinal truths, and because of the centrality of the Word of God in our thinking, we require every one of our 1,450 students to take 30 units of Bible and doctrine, regard less of the major that he has chosen. For those not familiar with a unit of college credit, this represents the fact that a student must study a particular subject one hour a week for 18 weeks (including his final examination week). To put it anoth er way, we’re so convinced of the value and centrality of the Word of God that whereas the average Chris tian liberal arts college requires 6 to 10 units of Bible in the course of a student’s four-year undergraduate program, we at Biola require each student take a minimum of 30 units of Bible. (In the case of a Bible major, the student must take 40 units of Bible.) We want our students to be experts in the Word of God. The purpose is that regardless where they go or what they do as a pro fession, they’ll be able to teach oth ers also the eternal truths of God’s Word, in which they themselves were instructed while students here. We believe it is vital that everyone have such a firm foundation. This is true not only for those who go into what
is sometimes called “full-time Chris tian service.” We want our students to enter into such ministries as the Lord leads them. The fact is that many of our graduates are render ing diligent and outstanding service to the cause of Christ wherever they are. We’ve often said, “We want stu dents who’ll come to Biola asking, ‘how much Bible can I get?’ rather than those whose only concern is ‘how much Bible do I have to take?’ ” There’s a vast difference. Unless the potential student has an earnest de sire to learn all that he possibly can about God and His Word, that young person would be far better off in some other type of school. We em phasize again what has been one of our prime distinctions. Here at Biola the Word of God is central in our ideology, in our thinking, and in our teaching. So may it ever be until our Saviour comes again!
G O D ’ S W O R D Last eve I paused beside a blacksmith’s door And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime: Then looking in, I saw upon the floor Old hammers worn with beating years of time. “ How many anvils have you had,” said I, "To wear and batter all these hammers so?" “Just one," he answered, then with twinkling eye,' “ The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.” And so, I thought, the anvil of God’s Word For ages skeptic blows have beat upon; Yet, though the noise of falling blows were heard, The anvil is unworn— the hammers gone!
Aerial view of part of Biota's 75-acre campus in La Mirada.
7
SI6NIFICANCE OF BIOLA’S DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
by S. H. Sutherland President of Biola
the following year, the question again is specifically asked, “Do you continue to subscribe to Biala’s doc trinal statement without mental res ervation?” By his signature, the in dividual is attesting to the fact that he unreservedly subscribes to Biola’s doctrinal statement. The same is true concerning our Board of Directors. There is this conscious effort to maintain the school’s doctrinal posi tion which remains the same today as it was at our founding more than six decades ago. Let me share with you some of these great verities of the faith: (1) The Bible (consisting of all the books of the Old and New Testa ments) is the Word of God, a super- naturally-given revelation from God Himself concerning Himself: His be ing, nature, character, will and pur pose; and concerning man: his na ture, need, duty and destiny. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testa ments are without error or misstate ment in their moral and spiritual teachings and record of historical facts. They are without error or de fect of any kind. Of course, it is to be understood that by this is meant the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their original lan guages. (2) There is one God eternally existing and manifesting Himself to us in Three Persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (3) Our Lord Jesus Christ was supernaturally conceived by the pow er of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, a lineal descendant of David; He lived and taught and wrought many mighty works and wonders and signs exactly as record
B iola . has always held consistent ly to a very significant and clear ly expressed doctrinal position. There are thirteen cardinal truths which make up our creed. Doctrine means the orderly arrangement of biblical truth. The sum of these doctrines constitute one’s “creed.” That word comes from the Latin credo, signify ing, I believe. Anyone who reads his Bible and forms any conclusions, of necessity must formulate convictions concerning those facts. Everyone has to believe something about Christ. The Christian believes that our Lord is the Second Person of the Trinity; He was born of a virgin; He performed miracles; He died on the cross as a vicarious sac rifice or an atonement for sin; He rose bodily from the grave; He as cended to the right hand of God the Father from whence He is coming again. The liberal theologian believes that Jesus is not the Second Person of the Godhead; that He was bom of natural parents; that He did not perform the miracles which are re corded in the Gospel accounts; that He died on the cross as merely an example of the extent to which we should go, if necessary, for our ideals; that He did not rise bodily from the grave; that His spirit came forth and is in the world today; and that He is not coming again. You may be interested to know that whenever a professor applies for a position, the first question that must be answered is, “Have you read Biola’s doctrinal statement, and do you agree with it without any men tal reservation?” Each Spring, when faculty contracts are renewed for 8
The Lord Jesus is coming again to this earth personally, bodily and visi bly. The return of our Lord is the blessed hope of the believer and in it God’s purposes of grace toward mankind will find their consumma tion. (7) The Holy Spirit is a person and is possessed of all the distinc tively divine attributes. He is God. (8) Man was created in the image of God after His likeness but the whole human race fell in the fall of the first Adam. All men, until they accept the' Lord Jesus as their per sonal Saviour, are lost, darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignor ance that is in them, hardened in heart, morally and spiritually dead through their trespasses and sins. They cannot see nor enter the king dom of God until they are born again of the Holy Spirit. (9) Men are justified on the single and simple ground of the shed blood of Christ and upon the simple and single condition of faith in Him who shed His blood, and are born again by the quickening, renewing, cleans ing work of the Holy Spirit through the instrumentality of the Word of God. (10) All those who receive Jesus Christ as their Saviour and their Lord, and who confess Him as such before their fellowmen, become chil dren of God and receive eternal life. They become heirs of God and joint- heirs with Jesus Christ. At death, their spirits depart to be with Christ in conscious blessedness and at the second coming of Christ their bodies shall be raised and transformed into the likeness of the body of His glory. (11) All those who persistently re ject Jesus Christ in this present life shall be raised from the dead and throughout eternity shall exist in a state of conscious, unutterable, end less torment and anguish. (12) The church consists of all those who in this present dispensa- 9
ed in the four Gospels; He was put to death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate; God raised from the dead the body that had been nailed to the cross. The Lord Jesus after His cru cifixion showed Himself alive to His disciples, appearing to them by the space of forty days. After this, the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven and the Father caused Him to sit at His right hand in heavenly places far above all rule, authority, power, do minion and every name that is named —not only in this world but also in that which is to come and He put all things into subjection under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church. (4) The Lord Jesus, before His incarnation, existed in the form of God and of His own choice, laid aside His divine glory and “took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.” In His pre-existent state, He was with God and was God. He is a divine person possessed of all the attributes of deity and should be worshipped as God by angels and men. “In Him dwelleth all the ful ness of the Godhead bodily.” All the words that He spoke during His earthly life were the words of God. There is absolutely no error of any kind in them and by the words of Jesus Christ, the words of all other teachers must be tested. (5) The Lord Jesus became in every respect a real man possessed of all the essential characteristics of human nature. (6) By His death upon the cross the Lord Jesus made a perfect atone ment for sin by which the wrath of God against sinners is appeased and a ground furnished upon which God can deal in mercy with sinners. He redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming accursed in our place. He who Himself was absolute ly without sin was made to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
tion truly believe in Jesus Christ. It is the body and bride of Christ which He loves and for which Christ has given HimSelf. (13) There is a personal devil, a being of great cunning and power. He is called, “the prince of the pow er of the air,” “the prince of this world,” “the god of this age.” He can exert vast power only so far as God allows him to do so. He ulti mately shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and shall be tor mented day and night, forever. Personally, this statement thrills my heart every time I read it. Biola is not rethinking these truths. Our conviction is that we should be re affirming them. During the course of a student’s studies here, before graduation, he will have studied every one of them in detail. They are included in the 30 units of Bible and doctrine each student takes, re gardless of his major field of study. Because of the intensive study in God’s Word and the disciplines prac ticed here, we do not knowingly al low young people to enroll who are not professing Christians. Biola is
not a spiritual incubator nor even a spiritual nursery. We want to en roll Christians as mature and dedi cated as possible, for they are the ones who will realize the greatest blessing and benefit at this great school of the prophets. I t is true that many other schools throughout the country have started with the same high and holy pur pose. It is sad to see that some of these institutions of higher learning long since have departed from the faith because administrators and faculty members were allowed to come in who were not convinced of such a necessity for doctrinal dis tinctives and a rigid adherence to them. We are profoundly thankful to God that in His providence He has kept this school true to the faith even after more than 60 years of its dis tinguished history. Now, more than ever, we covet your prayers that the school will ever remain thus; that the students who come here will be led of the Lord that they may receive their education and go out to all parts of the world as His witnesses as the Lord Himself directs them.
Currently under construction at Biola College is a men’s residence hall. Located at the southern part of the Campus, the facility is scheduled for completion thissummer. 10
ALL-CHRISTIAN CONCEPTOF FACULTY, STAFF, STUDENTS qeople have often asked why it is r that over the years Biola has held so rigidly to the requirement that every student, faculty member, and board member must be a born-again Christian. As a background, let me say that Liberal Arts colleges have developed throughout the history of the United States into a distinctive type of edu cational institution. These are cen ters of learning where various ideas are expressed, discussed, and argued by faculty with faculty, faculty with students and students with students. By the end of one’s college career, ideally he had thought through the great issues of life, arriving at a solid foundation for his future years. Such liberal arts colleges do not in doctrinate students, but merely ex pose them to philosophies and ideolo gies so that they can determine their own goals. The true academician is not supposed to make known his per sonal convictions to those of his class room. It is evident that it is one of the reasons for so many serious prob lems young people face today. They are not guided to show a love for country or develop an admiration for noble ideas and purposes. To some modern educators, talking about our faults is not indoctrination, while stressing our virtues is, and this is to be avoided at all costs. We know there are professors who avidly espouse our American heri tage and this God-blessed way of life, but the many who shout down these wonderful privileges, even boasting of the socialist or commu nist way of life, seem to obtain the majority of the publicity. These lib erals harangue students about the
by S. H. Sutherland: President of Biola
evils of our political ideological his tory. They encourage our young men to burn their draft cards, spit upon the flag, and demand that classes be taught advocating their particular ideological philosophy. There is a total incongruity in this educational system. It is pointed up in the fact that, under the guise of academic freedom, the same individuals who refuse to allow our young people to be “indoctrinated” in ou r own American way of life insist that these flag-desecrating, America-de stroying hate mongers be allowed to teach their nefarious ideas as freely and as enthusiastically as they care so to do. We are thankful to the Lord that Biola is not, nor has it ever been, a typical liberal arts college. The purpose of our founding fathers was not to establish a school where stu dents of any and all types of environ ment and conviction might congre gate to talk about the “pros” and "cons” of their ideas. Biola was brought into existence for the pur pose of educating young people from various areas of our country and the world who already have arrived ait the ideological position of our school. They come, wanting to better equip themselves so that they can give a good solid rationale for the hope that is in them. Our purpose is to educate these students in the doctrines which already they have heard and ac cepted. We do not knowingly enroll as a student an unsaved person. Along with being trained in the various liberal arts courses and the elements of the various sciences, students are also instructed in the basic philoso- 11
come and visit the campus and com munity here in La Mirada. The Christian testimony of our young people is making itself felt in a thrilling manner. The manager of our largest retail store in the area told me that he has given orders to his cashiers that if a Biola student comes requesting a check to be cashed, and properly identifies him self, it is to be cashed without any questions whatever. They trust Biola students. Many civic leaders have said repeatedly that whenever they want a baby-sitter, the first place they call is Biola. They know they can trust our students. Biola College is well respected because of the posi tion we have steadfastly maintained. Our students do not dance, smoke or indulge in any of the many so-called worldly social activities. No wonder the school has such a moral and spiritual impact upon the community. Whether people believe theologically as we do or not, these are some of the net results of the all-Christian concept of the administration, facul ty, staff and student-body at Biola College. We earnestly covet your continu ing prayers and support. We want you to send us the very best young people you have in your homes and churches. We pledge to do our best in giving them the type of education that will equip them to go out and serve the Lord Jesus Christ wher ever He may call. He who has helped you hitherto will help you all your journey through. Faith is the soul riding at anchor. When men speak III of you, so live that no one will believe them. Gifts are what a man HAS; graces are what a man IS. Whatever your faith says God is, He will be.
phies and ideologies of the world. They learn the elements of commu nism. These subjects are taught by men of God for the purpose of show ing the fallacy of this godless way of life. If a young person does not agree with our doctrinal position, we recommend that he attend any one of more than 1700 other colleges and universities in this country. It should also be pointed out that our students do not lead sheltered, cloistered lives. When they graduate, they are equipped to go out into the world with a strengthened faith. Through Christian service opportu nities, they learn by doing, putting into practice things which they have gained in the classroom. The ma jority of Christian leaders in the homeland and abroad today have largely come from schools such as ours. This is the reason why we must have a faculty who believe the sys tem of doctrines expressed in our Statement of Faith, which is based wholly upon the Word of God. Be cause of this positive stand, in re cent years we have had three or four applicants for every available posi tion on the faculty. These scholars, men and women of God, apply to teach here because they believe as we do. They want to invest their lives by inculcating these truths in to the lives of the next generation of spiritual leaders. While our sal ary scale may not be equal to that of public institutions or well-en dowed private colleges, yet these men and women are willing to sacrifice in order to teach what they most surely believe and that which has become a vital part of their lives. This is true of our entire Biola fam ily, Board, administration, faculty, students and staff. This makes for a unanimity of purpose and fellowship. It produces an environment which is in reality a positive testimony to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish it were possible for you to
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by S. H. Sutherland President of Biola
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT
Christian Released Time Education, Youth for Christ, Campus Crusade and the like. Some participate in street teams and in missions. Hospi tals, jails, juvenile halls, are still other places of spiritual outreach. There are unique opportunities for witnessing through athletic Gospel teams. As an example, we have an outstanding wrestling team, but this is not an end in itself. Through con tests there are ways to testify, plus the fact that church young people’s groups and conferences invite our young people in for meetings. This provides a most intriguing means of presenting the Gospel. To see out standing Christian young athletes with a real purpose in life is most convincing. Our baseball team went to Mexico to play college teams, where they presented the claims of Christ both before and after sched uled games. The Biola Psychology Department has a very interesting program called, “Dialogue.” Only advance ma jors are allowed to participate. Two telephone lines are in existence here on Campus and high school and col lege young people know that if they have a problem, they can call in and talk with someone who has an under standing and compassionate concern for the needs of others. Our coun sellors are on the phones throughout the day and night. How thrilling it has been to hear of the spiritual vic tories won! It is tremendous to pre sent the claims of Christ in this manner. Here is another way in which the Gospel is made relevant to today’s needs. Every effort is made to keep in touch with these young people who have made decisions, so 13
H OW thankful we are for the many' wonderful and faithful friends whom the Lord has raised up in prayerful support of this min istry! Over the years, and certainly in an important way today, student involvement at Biola is a distinctive aspect of the Christian Education program. When the Bible Institute of Los Angeles was founded in 1908, it was the firm conviction that the best way to learn personal work was by doing personal work. The same was true of Bible-teaching, preach ing, and the other Christian minis tries. The purpose always has been to help the young people put their faith into action. Each student, ever since the school was started, has had a practical work assignment. This is one important way of maintaining a spiritual vitality. This is not to be a perfunctory type of activity in any sense. This weekly outreach is varied from semester to semester. The types of involvement are many and varied. You would be surprised and thrilled if you were aware of the wide vari ety of witnessing that is carried on. Several hundred go into the South Los Angeles district of Watts to work with the black young people. This is not social service because stu dents have an opportunity to present real Bible study and messages of salvation. The same type of work is going on in the Mead area among people of Mexican background. Addi tionally there are students involved in more than 300 churches through out Southern California. They teach Sunday school classes, preach, work with youth, and perform in the field of music. Other established programs in which our young people assist are
that they may be channeled in to areas aiding Christian growth. This same Psychology Department of Biola has a team of students who go to the Metropolitan State Hospital where they have opportunity to deal with emotionally-disturbed patients. Officials there are giving every co operation as the ministry goes for ward. Sometimes our professors and those who administer Christian Serv ice assignments have to counsel stu dents not to take on too many re sponsibilities for they are here pri marily to receive a solid education based upon the Word of God. A group of our students cany on a “canteen” type of program as they seek to reach for Christ the small “hippie” element in surrounding communities. The young men who do this have found a number who have received Christ as their Saviour. They have seen that there is a world of reality. Another e x trem e ly fascinating ministry here at Biola is ouir Evan- gelistic drama team. Now in its third year, “Revolt at the Portals” has been presented to numerous young people’s groups, church services and other gatherings throughout the Southern California area. Their ma jor effectiveness, however, lies in summer trips taken to the mission fields. The students themselves raise the money for the trips. They have traveled for the Lord throughout the Orient and report several thousand decisions for the Lord. Only eternity will reveal the results which the Holy Spirit has given. Your heart would be thrilled if you could follow these students from week to week in their various Chris tian Service assignments. This is one reason why we believe God has so abundantly blessed the outreach of Biola. These young people are not doing this for the sake of publicity, but for the glory of the Lord. We want you to know the way in which 14
the money you send to Biola is in vested in lives for Christ. Our young people are not engaged in marches or demonstrations. They do not make demands of the administration, nor are they rioting. As a matter of fact, while students on other campuses staged the Viet Nam moratorium, our student body’s demonstration consisted of prayer for the Presi dent, his administration and for a speedy, just end to the entire con flict. Our Student Council prepared this resolution, “Whereas there have been a number of demonstrations on campuses scattered throughout the country in protest against the Viet Nam conflict; whereas there are plans for a nationally organized pro test demonstration; and whereas the demonstrations, although considered meritorious by some persons, do not protect a constructive consideration of our position in Viet Nam; and whereas we believe the Nixon admin istration is doing what it can to achieve a peace with honor in Viet Nam; therefore, be it resolved that the students of Biola College yield in a positive form of demonstration; and be it further resolved that our demonstration will consist of spend ing a period of time each hour of the day, during which the demonstra tions are planned, in prayer, as a student body, as well as smaller groups and individual prayers in be half of our administration, that wis dom might be given to these leaders in order to bring about peace as speedily as possible; be it further resolved that we are praying for our armed forces and especially the needs of the men in Viet Nam; and finally, be it resolved that a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the Presi dent of the United States in the hope that it might be an encouragement to him and to those who are working with him in the interest of peaceful settlement of the Viet Nam conflict.” Make no mistake, we have a lively bunch of young people here. They
enjoy good times and are allowed them through picnics, socials, and athletics. Yet, underneath it all, there is this wonderful seriousness of purpose that characterizes Biola young people who grow to maturity in the things of the Lord. They have the thrilling experience of learning by doing. Frankly, what they are doing should put to shame some of us of the older generation. Yet we can pray and encourage them along the way. We want them to be thor oughly equipped by the time they leave the school and go to serve the Lord wherever He may lead. Thank you again for your continued prayer ful support and interest. CURRENT COMMENT J. Richard Chase/Gerald Gooden D r . C hase : One of the most im portant facilities on Biola’s 75-acre campus is its Library. This modern and functional structure of approxi mately 50,000 square feet contains about 90,000 volumes. To service our growing student body, there are five professional librarians, four semi professionals and twenty-five staff workers. Heading up this extensive operation is Mr. Gerald Gooden. Be cause of the significance of the li brary, we thought you would like to know just how essential it is in edu cation. M r . G ooden : The Library is actu ally the heart of the Campus. Here at Biola especially, our goal is to provide the best education possible for our young people so that as the Apostle Peter exhorted, they may be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within them. At the heart of readiness is reading. A college may operate, making other provisions if they don’t have a cafeteria, dormi tory, auditorium, or administration building, but the institution would be of little value or lasting service with out a library.
D r . C hase : H ow does Biola meet the challenge? M r . G ooden : With today’s explo sion of information and the plethora of new books and periodicals being produced, it’s virtually impossible to keep up. Because funds are limited, and we seek to use the money en trusted to us to the best advantage, certain projects have to be set aside, at least temporarily. You may be in terested to know that we have book sales at least twice a year. Students, faculty, and friends can buy some of our duplicates which otherwise we couldn’t use. These materials come from interested friends and alumni who know how valuable books can be for such purposes. It was most helpful when many members of our Biola Alumni Association contribut ed money so that specific volumes we need could be purchased. Recently a friend of the school was given a tour of our facilities. He saw that with our new addition being completed, we had a real need for furniture. When he got home, he wrote out a check to help in this area. It’s a real en couragement to see how the Lord is leading. We would encourage our friends to consider this specific min istry in their stewardship. Also that they remember books of any type are always a welcome investment for the Lord’s service. We hope many will be reminded to participate. Actions don’t always speak louder than words, but they usually tell fewer lies. To live Is not merely to breathe; it Is to act. Don’t just be good. Be good for some thing. Live so the preacher can TELL THE TRUTH at your funeral. Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. 15
came to earth. Yet this verse seems to indicate that part of the Second Person of the Trinity was also in heaven.” A. This portion of the Word refers to an ascension unlike that experi enced by Enoch or Elijah. This was accomplished under Christ’s own power, authority, and majesty. It isn’t true of any other person. In referring to the Saviour laying aside His glory, this has nothing to do with a divestment of His deity. Philippians 2:5-11 gives us a very majestic picture of this. It was the entire Person of the Son who came. He set aside no essential part of His glory. He was all God but He was also altogether man. He was perfect God-Man. Deity cannot be confined to the earth or heaven. Be cause of this, our Lord is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. With our finite minds we cannot compre hend this anymore than we can ex plain that He’s seated at the right hand of God as well as dwelling in our hearts by faith. Christ is a di vine Person. He can choose to be in one place residentially but He is po tentially everywhere at one time. Q. Providence, R.l. — “Someone asked me how the Bible can declare the Jews to be God’s chosen people while at the same time asserting that He is no respecter of persons. Isn’t this a contradiction? A. This is a good reason for the dispensational teaching as given to
Q. Phoenix, Ariz__ “I heard a preach er say that there aren’t any children or babies in heaven. Is this true? Also, are the horses referred to in II Kings 6:17 real? I didn’t know there would be animals in heaven.” A. There is no specific scripture which tells us that there are babies in heaven. We believe that children who die before the age of accounta bility do go to heaven. While a baby may be beautiful, its strength comes through maturity. The Bible does tell us that when we receive our resur rection bodies, they will be fash ioned like unto His glorious body. Many theologians teach that through out eternity we will be in the very prime of adulthood which was His at 33 when our Saviour was cruci fied. We shall know, even as also we are known. How wonderful to con template that everyone in glory will be at full maturity! In answer to your second ques tion, horses, as we know them here, certainly will not exist in heaven. This scene was a very special reve lation from God in answer to Elisha’s prayer. This was a testimony to the power of God in the prophet’s life. It is similar to the account of Jonah and the large fish which God specif ically prepared. Be assured, we won’t need horses to ride around on in heaven! They referred to angels as they do in the book of Revelation. Q. Kansas City, Mo. — “John 8:13 confuses me. I always thought that Christ laid aside His glory when He 16
us in Scripture. As an example, many things God said to Adam and Eve would not be true of us in ap plication. While all of the Bible is for us, yet not all of it is to us. The Jews are God’s chosen people. Through God's sovereign will this is seen clearly throughout the Old as well as the New. Abraham was prom ised certain eternal privileges ex plained in Scripture. At this present hour we’re living in the dispensation of grace. God temporarily has set aside these promises. Right now there is no difference or respecter of person with God (Rom. 3:9). We are all sinners in the sight of God. Today individuals are being saved, not nations. Q. Vancouver, B.C., Canada — “I ’m having t r o u b l e understanding I Kings 18:11-32. Why didn’t the old prophet die instead of the young one? It was his fault that the young er man disobeyed the Lord.” A. The background is about 930 B.C. after Solomon’s kingdom had been divided. The northern kingdom went into idolatry. A man of God came from Judah to Bethel where he an nounced to King Jeroboam, “I’ve been commissioned by God to tell you that you’re following a practice contrary to the will of God. Today the altar is going to be torn down. The ashes upon it shall be burned out.” Hear ing that the king stretched out his hand and ordered, “Take that man!” But just then his hand withered supernaturally. The king couldn’t bring it back to his side. The proph ecy was fulfilled. The ruler then be came touched and asked, “Will you please ask God to take this disease away from me?” The man of God did so. As he prayed, the king’s hand was restored. Being grateful, the prophet was invited to his palace to enjoy royal hospitality. The prophet declined, explaining, “God told me not to become involved* but to return
whither I have come.” His intentions were spoiled when the sons of an other old prophet at Bethel told him the erroneous words of their father, telling him to stay. This time he lis tened and ate bread and drank wa ter. But while they were in the midst of the meal, God brought a message to the prophet letting him know that because of his disobedience a lion would meet and kill him. This is exactly what happened. When the old prophet of Bethel heard it, and realized what his false testimony had done, he requested that he be buried in the same sepulchre. It’s true, we might reason that the prophet who had misled the man of God should have suffered instead. Galatians 1:8 explains why God poured out judgment on the first prophet. He had preached or listened to another message. The first proph et had gotten the message clearly not to stay under any circumstances. But, because he failed to listen, he had to pay the penalty. This is a tremendous message for today. Re gardless how many degrees a pro fessor or a preacher has, if he de viates from the Word of God, don’t you believe it. The Bible is God’s final authority. It shows us the chas tening hand of the Lord. And if the judgment of God begins with the household of faith, think of what will happen to those who have denied the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Q. Portland, Ore. — “When will the resurrection of the Old Testament saints and the unbelieving dead of that time take place?” A. There are a number of resurrec tions spoken of in the Scripture. The first is the resurrection of the Church, the Bride of Christ. This is made up of all true believers of this dispensation of grace. It takes place before the Tribulation period. We believe the resurrection of the 17
Q. Albany, Ore. — “I f the saints are all taken to heaven before the actual Tribulation, then where will the saints come from who will be per secuted during that period?” A. The saints of this dispensation of grace are members of the Body of Christ. We are His Bride. Those left to be persecuted are made up of the 144,000 Jews who become God’s evangelists during this seven-year period of judgment upon the earth. Revelation 7 :9 tells us a great multi tude of every nation are saved as a result of their testimony. Revelation 7:2-4 indicates what keeps them from being slain almost immediate ly. These would have been slain had they not been sealed and protected by God Himself until their ministry and testimony were completed. Q. Long Beach, Calif. — “Would you explain why the genealogy of Jesus Christ through Joseph in Matthew 1:16 ignores Joash and Amaziah?” A. Actually, numbers of individuals and generations have been omitted, just as we find in Genesis 5 and I Chronicles l:9ff. It’s to make a uniform arrangement. There are three important views in Israel’s his tory: David’s reign, the Babylonian, and the advent of the foretold Mes siah. These are not equal in cen turies. From Abraham to David there are about 1,000 years. From David’s reign to the Babylon cap tivity there were less than 500 years. Then to the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ were almost 600 years. The Spirit of God, through Matthew, em phasizes first Christ’s coming as King of the Jews. This is the all- ! important factor in the entire gene- i alogy.
Old Testament saints occurs at the end of the Tribulation period, along with the resurrection of the Tribula tion saints. These are referred to as the friends of the Bridegroom (John 3:29). Then, at the end of the Mil lennium we read in Revelation 20 about the Great White Throne judg ment which refers to the resurrec tion of the unredeemed of all dis pensations. According to John 5:29 they will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast, the false proph et, and Satan himself have been con signed, apart from God in eternal separation and death. Q. Port Hueneme, Calif. — “Please explain where we are concerning time computation as far as the three or four year discrepancy from Je sus’ birth. Wouldn’t this have an im portant bearing on some prophetic histories ?” A. There are some who believe Christ was born in 4 B.C. The an cient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians reckoned time according to the stars. That’s why astrology was a part of their system. There have been certain rectifications and we have the Gregorian Calendar. Of course, the Jews do not refer to B.C. and A.D. They go back to the Mon day of the year the universe was created. There is a way to check the prophetic histories of the Old Testa ment. There are other numerous ac counts outside the Bible where dates can be cross-checked, such as battles recorded elsewhere. As far as future events in prophecy, actual dates have no real bearing. As an example, the Rapture has no reference to the cal endar. It may take place in a mo ment, in the twinkling of an eye. Nothing needs to be fulfilled before this event. For a further study of this question read E. R. Thiele on The Mysterious Numbers of the He brew Kings.
Q. Walla Walla, Wash. — “What about our loved ones who aren’t saved?
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