Bible Is Our Middle Name
Posted On February 24, 2021
Written by Dr. Stephen Nichols, president and professor of apologetics at Reformation Bible College
One of my favorite middle names from church history is that of the twentieth-century biblical scholar George Wigram. He was the twentieth child, and so his parents gave him the middle name Vicesimus, Latin for twentieth. But I think our middle name at RBC is far greater.
In 2 Timothy 3:15, Paul comes pretty close to reminding Timothy that his middle name is Bible. He tells Timothy to continue in what he has learned and what he has believed, adding “how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings.” Paul begins this chapter by informing Timothy that truly challenging and tumultuous times will come. Paul actually says things will go “from bad to worse” (2 Tim. 3:13). In light of that, Paul commands Timothy to cling to Scripture. It’s as if Paul tells Timothy that Scripture has been your constant companion up until this point in your life. It has never failed you. You can depend on it. As things get worse, stick with Scripture. Keep reading it, keep studying it, keep believing it, and keep obeying it. Let Bible be your middle name.
Our middle name at RBC defines the center of our curriculum and provides the sure and certain foundation for all that we teach. Higher education across the country and across the globe is in turmoil. Awash in a sea of relativism, postmodernism, and pluralism, the once great universities have all but abandoned the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. At Reformation Bible College, we know where we stand. Even in times that appear to be going from bad to worse, we know what has been our faithful and trusted companion.
Our middle name signals to all students that here at RBC, we will study the Bible together. In the freshman year, students take hermeneutics, a course on how to study the Bible, and they take Biblical theology of the Old and New Testaments, two courses that introduce students to the major themes and the big picture of Scripture. We also have seven courses that survey every book of the Bible, with one course set aside to focus on Romans. From that solid foundation, we study theology, apologetics, philosophy, and the great works. There is nothing more urgent and nothing more rewarding than studying the Bible. The biblical authors liken Scripture to rain in a drought, streams in a dessert, and to the sweetness of honey from the honeycomb. The Bible is the very Word of God. It is the words of life. It is our middle name.
Written by Dr. Stephen Nichols, president and professor of apologetics at Reformation Bible College
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