Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Equipping preachers, pastors, & churchmen for Christ's Kingdom

2018 Spring Theology Conference in Review

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“This is an assertion of glory,” Dr. Pipa declared as he preached on Christ as King during the Wednesday evening session of this year’s Spring Theology Conference. “Because Jesus Christ eternally rules over us and all things in majesty, power, and victory, we then are to serve Him in holiness according to His Word,” he continued as he proposed the main idea of his selected text, Psalm 93.

Through the course of ten main sessions, two panel discussions, one pre-conference lecture, and a multitude of small gatherings and individual interactions, the glories of Christ were extolled, and His Name was exalted among over 370 conference attendees. Preachers and teachers from a selection of faithful churches and premier seminaries expounded upon various aspects of Christ’s Person and Work.

Dr. G.K. Beale and Dr. Jonathan Gibson of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania presented the full humanity of Christ in His Incarnation and Humiliation. Dr. Joel Beeke and Dr. Michael Barrett of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan showed forth the perfection of Christ in His Deity and Beauty. Dr. Richard D. Phillips of Second Presbyterian Church in Greenville, South Carolina touted the impeccability and obedience of Christ as the spotless Lamb of God.

Dr. Ian Hamilton, Greenville Seminary Trustee and pastor in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of England and Wales preached two sermons, one on Christ as Prophet, and another on His Resurrection. Pastor Ryan Speck (MDiv ’05) of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Columbia, Missouri proved the significance of Christ’s Ascension and Session to sit at the right hand of God the Father in Glory. Joseph Pipa and Ryan McGraw preached on Christ as King, and on His promised return, respectively.

During one panel discussion, a question was raised as to the necessity and benefit of seminary experience for young men aspiring to pulpit ministry. Nearly ever participant of the seven-member panel provided an answer to the question! Dr. Benjamin Shaw (Hebrew & Old Testament, Greenville Seminary) pointed out, “Your time in seminary is part of forming you for ministry – it’s part of who you are.” The other members of the panel echoed the sentiment, which exemplifies our emphasis on cultivating experimental piety – that is, truth applied to all of life – as part of the ministerial formation of our students.

Faculty, students, and staff were deeply encouraged to see so many alumni returning to the South Carolina Upstate to be a part of the conference this year. During the annual Alumni Association meeting, Association President Jim Stevenson (MDiv ’12), who pastors Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, exhorted his fellow alumni to refer aspiring ministers to Greenville Seminary, saying, “Send people here because the church needs biblical and faithful pastors and preachers.” During the three-day midweek conference, the experience that produces such ministers was made available to hundreds of guests from around the world.

In addition to guests from across the United States and Canada, the Seminary community welcomed visitors from John Wycliffe Theological College in Randburg, South Africa, which serves as an extension campus for the Seminary. There were also attendees from South Korea and Great Britain (in addition to Dr. Hamilton), not to mention the foreign students enrolled at the Seminary this semester. The Admissions Department was pleased to host a group of prospective students for the GPTS Explore Open-House during the week, as well. Fifteen organizations took part in the conference as vendors and exhibitors: the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the Biblical Worldview Student Conference, Erskine College, Frontline Ministries, the Geneva Institute of Christian Thought, Ligonier Ministries (Reformation Bible College), Lutheran Hospice, Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship, Providence Christian College, The Rafiki Foundation, SermonAudio, Wrath & Grace, Mission to Italy, Banner of Truth, and Reformation Heritage Books.

By the final message on Thursday, the gathering received gladly from Dr. McGraw a word of encouragement relating to Christ’s Return: “We have a great hope to impel us forward.” As we fix our eyes on Christ, and meditate upon His goodness toward us, the God-given sense of that hope is intensified. If you would like to purchase audio or video recordings of any (or all) of the messages, please contact Mr. Andy Wortman at awortman@gpts.edu for ordering information.

The Reach of Grace

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One of our core values in providing seminary education to called men from all walks of life is Accessibility. Whether by Internet or some other means, we seek to make our programs available to men who are called to the ministry, but cannot relocate to Greenville, South Carolina for whatever reason. Over the years, our distance program has even made it possible for incarcerated men to pursue advanced theological education with us.

The following reflection was penned by a first-year student who is taking correspondence classes from behind bars. He was referred to us by a PCA pastor who has studied with us. He and his session have affirmed this man’s call to the ministry. The author is in the final years of a decades-long prison sentence, and hopes to join us on-campus upon his release from prison. His identity is being withheld for his protection.

What does God’s sovereign work of grace really look like?
Among those who do not instantly assume battle stations when “sovereignty” is
mentioned, there is in most cases agreement about human inability to produce divine
satisfaction for sin. But, does our agreement that all men are sinners and need
God’s free grace reach far enough to include those who are unable to sit beside
you during Sabbath worship? Can you imagine the grace of God reaching into the
depths of a prison to save the despised and rejected? Can you fathom that there
are elect souls living as social lepers?

Since 1999, my physical world has been contained within a
perimeter lined by fences capped with razor wire. However, the most secure
barriers erected by the South Carolina Department of Corrections to separate
its residents from the outside world could not bar the entrance of God’s
extended arms of love. In 2001 the free and irresistible grace of the Sovereign
One transformed my life so that I am now free to live for Him. He looked beyond
the criminal record, beyond the depravity that marked my life, beyond the
contempt in which I held Him, and He saw His eternal intention. Can I offer you
the 20/20 hindsight of this dreadful situation? In most respects, I was merely
a sinner just like you. God saved me with the same infinite grace by which He
saved you!

Dressed in my prison garb, I don’t look like you, but I worship
the same Lord. Our homes are drastically different, but we daily look forward
to the same reward and eternal place where we will dwell in His presence. Our
neighbors are as different as we are from each other, but I join you in
proclaiming to them the doctrines of grace and the necessity of the local
church. I even experience the same contempt as you do from men that want their
feelings to dictate to them the meaning of Scripture, who desire a god that can
be summoned to grant their wishes of health and wealth, and who ultimately live
for personal glory. My desire and my need are just like yours, to preach the
gospel first to myself and then to others daily.

My prison environment is not always conducive to making progress
in my seminary education, and the pursuit of my studies is often hindered by
the very worst expressions of human depravity. Yet, the unique challenges I am
facing make the theological treasures I am unearthing so much more precious.
The examples we have in our godly heritage, men that I strive to emulate, allow
no room for complaint. Be it chains or persecution, abandonment or expulsion;
the prophets and apostles, the Reformers, and unwavering preachers of God’s
Word have walked the most dreadful paths. Yet, they have been used to pen
Scripture, to launch reform and revival, and to draw men into the ministry of
the Word. From Moses to Paul, Scripture grips my mind and heart. Godly men like
John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, R.C. Sproul, and Sinclair Ferguson preach my mind
and heart to greater devotion. Just like you, these things stir my heart for
the glory of God! Hallelujah – He has visited prison!

It is an honor to be a different
kind of Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary student echoing the same message of Sovereign Grace.

From the Classroom – Winter Term at GPTS

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Once the New Year passes, activity picks up at Greenville
Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Students and faculty flood the classrooms
for week-long intensives in a variety of areas during our Winter Term. This
year, the Seminary offered five intensive courses in the opening weeks of the
year.

Dr. C.N. Willborn took our first-year students on a
whirlwind tour of Presbyterian Church History, beginning with Calvin, continuing
with Knox, charting the development of Presbyterianism in Scotland and America,
and including his famous walking tours of Columbia and Charleston. A number of
friends of the Seminary joined the class “in the field” as Dr. Willborn led the
group to sites of special significance in the history of American
Presbyterianism.

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Pictured above, Dr. Willborn with his students before heading out to the eastward parts of South Carolina; pictured below, Dr. Willborn shows his students a collection of manuscripts handwritten by nineteenth-century American Presbyterian James Henley Thornwell, longtime pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, and professor of Columbia Theological Seminary.

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Prof. Breno Macedo taught Introduction to Homiletics to a
group of second-year students over the span of two weeks. This course
culminates in sermon delivery by each student from an assigned text from 1
John. Highlighting the integrated approach of our instruction, these students
have already translated 1 John in their Greek class that they finished last semester.

Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. annually provides what can only be
described as a “master class” in Reformed Worship. Rich in theological depth as
well as practical applicability, this course prepares students to think
biblically about corporate worship, and to prepare “bulletin-ready” orders of
worship that could be used in a congregational setting. We are working on
making this course’s audio lectures publicly available, and Dr. Pipa is finishing up a book
project based on the course as well.

Dr. Ian Hamilton flew in from Inverness, Scotland to lead a weeklong
seminar entitled Reformed Pastor. Drawing from books by Charles Bridges,
Sinclair Ferguson, Richard Baxter, Thomas Murphy, William Still, and more, Dr.
Hamilton pointed the students to Jesus Christ as the proto-typical Reformed
pastor. Like Christ, biblically faithful pastors must have a vibrant personal
piety, multi-faceted preaching ministry, and serve as a model of Christian
grace and integrity to the church.

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Pictured above, the faculty and students of Reformed Worship (Pipa), Reformed Pastor (Hamilton), and Introduction to Homiletics (Macedo)

Finally, Dr. Ben Dunson (pictured right, below; with Dr. L. Michael Morales) visited from Reformed Theological
Seminary’s new campus in Dallas, TX to teach a New Testament Biblical Studies
course handling the books of Hebrews through Revelation. This course is
designed to equip students to explore and articulate reading strategies for
Hebrews, the General Epistles, and Revelation, understand the central
theological themes and contexts of each of the letters, and grasp how these
letters contribute to our overall understanding of biblical teaching.

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Our Spring semester begins on Tuesday, January 23rd.
Please keep our students in your prayers as they prepare to launch into the new
semester. Ω

Thankful for God’s Goodness

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Zachary Groff, Director of Advancement & Admissions

This week, we are thankful to God for our supporters and friends like you – for your prayer support, for your evident concern for our students, and for your Christian witness. As our seminary community grows, we praise God for new students, new supporters, new church relationships, and new opportunities to rejoice in His eternal faithfulness and obvious goodness to our school.

Millions of Americans will sit down with their families tonight to celebrate Thanksgiving together. However, as alumnus Pastor Nick Batzig (BD ’08) points out in a recent short article, many of us may be coming to the dinner table more anxious than thankful. For any one of a number of reasons, Thanksgiving can be a stressful time. There is encouragement in God’s Word, however.

The Apostle John wrote his third epistle to encourage a faithful believer confronted with unrighteous opposition from within his local Christian community. Though God’s revealed will for the church is that it would be a safe haven for believers, such was not the case for John’s dear friend. Perhaps you are facing a similar kind of conflict in your family, or even in your church this Thanksgiving season. If so, keep these truths from 3 John in mind:

  • You are beloved of God (verses 1, 5, 11).
  • Your expressions of love, hospitality, and support for the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom are both “mission-critical” (verses 5-8) and grounds for holy rejoicing (verses 3-4).
  • Christ our King will defend you (verses 9-10).
  • You are called to persevere in the truth, just as the Holy Spirit fortifies your soul (verses 11-12).

May this Thanksgiving be a time of much rejoicing for you as you think much of Christ, and of the Father’s goodness to you in Him.

A Reflection: Our Enduring Reformation

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Today is a remarkable day.

For lovers of church history, October 31st is noteworthy for being the date on which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses upon the church door at Wittenberg. Today is especially notable for being the 500th Anniversary of what Dr. Luther did. The Reformation of European Christendom that began in the 16th Century has shaped the global church, influenced the rise and fall of nations, and reestablished the centrality of the Word for Christians in every generation.

As we remember and celebrate God’s mighty works of providence in history, we must not forget that the Word remains “living, active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12). In fact, through the ministry of the Word, the Spirit of God continues His work of convincing men, women, and children of their sin and misery, enlightening their minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing their wills, by which He persuades and enables them to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel (seeWestminster Shorter Catechism, Q&A 31).

Ours is an enduring Reformation.

As a theological seminary committed to the Inerrancy of Scripture as expressed in the doctrinal standards of confessional Presbyterianism, we are wholly invested in this enduringReformation. Today, would you pray with us for the future of the church – for this enduring Reformation?

  • Pray that the Spirit would continue to draw His people to the Father, through the Son, in whom we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:4).
  • Pray for the reformation of the church’s worship, that it would be regulated by the Word of God, unto the glory of God alone.
  • Pray a word of thanksgiving for God’s free grace, so brilliantly displayed in the preaching and writing of faithful ministers of the gospel in every age. And finally,
  • Pray for the next generation of  ministers for the church – “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2).

Soli Deo Gloria!

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