In a few days, hundreds of students will set foot the campus of Golden State Baptist College, anticipating a great fall semester. In much the same way, there will be many hundreds of other young people who will enroll in other Bible colleges in various places throughout America. Why would these young people choose to go to Bible college? Why would they not rather choose some other kind of institution? It is certainly not for a lack of choices. A plethora of institutions of higher learning are available to these young people. What would cause them to want to go to Bible college?
There are many different reasons that young people decide to go to Bible college, and I would imagine that most college administrators could make quite a long list of benefits that students may receive from attending; but why do we need Bible colleges? What can be accomplished at Bible college that is not being accomplished anywhere else?
The Great Commission
Just before our Saviour went back to heaven, He gave us what we call the Great Commission. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:19-20) In these verses, we find the command to teach. Believers are to teach others the Gospel, the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As people are saved, the next part of the Great Commission begins—teaching them to follow Christ, to teach others the Gospel, and to teach those who are saved to follow Christ and eventually teach yet other people the Gospel.
“When a Bible college loses its focus on the Great Commission, that college loses its purpose."
This is a continual process, and it is what Bible college is all about. When a Bible college loses its focus on the Great Commission, that college loses its purpose. This singular purpose should motivate all that we do. You might ask, “Then why do we need to offer English Grammar? Shouldn’t we just offer Personal Evangelism and be done with it?” No. The soul winner must communicate God’s truth clearly, and in order to be able to do that, he must understand grammar. What about General Math? The servant of God who understands basic math is much better prepared to function in life, and this advantage will make it easier for him to fulfill the Great Commission. On and on we could go, attaching the underlying reason for every class to our main purpose. This must be the focus of Bible college. If we become distracted by other goals, though they may seem worthy in and of themselves, we lose our distinctive as an institution. Most of the Ivy League schools were originally started for the purpose of training preachers and Christian workers. Somewhere along the line, they definitely lost their focus.
My purpose in raising this point is not to lift an accusatory finger at any other institution, but rather to remind each of us what our purpose as a Bible college must be. At Golden State Baptist College, we believe that our main goal is to accomplish what Christ left us on this earth to do—to teach others the Gospel, and then teach those who have accepted the Gospel how they can best “teach others also” (II Timothy 2:2).
E-mail Brad Boruff
