Southeastern students charged to trust the Bible at spring convocation

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Students, faculty and staff at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary kicked off the spring semester with a convocation service dedicated to the importance of God’s word.

In his opening address to new and returning students during the first chapel of the semester, Southeastern President Danny Akin encouraged students to trust, study and preach the Bible, reminding them of the importance of God’s word in salvation. 

“All of the Bible is pointing to and testifying to Jesus Christ,” Akin said. “We trust, study and preach the Bible because it is what God uses to teach us about Jesus. You came to faith because you encountered the Bible and confronted the truth about God’s word.”

Akin spoke from 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, exhorting students to trust that the Bible is reliable and useful for their ministries and their lives. He emphasized that the Bible is divinely inspired by God, one of Southeastern’s core beliefs regarding Scripture. “We make no apologies in the fact that we believe that this book is divinely inspired,” Akin said. “Apart from any reservation or hesitation, we affirm that this book is indeed the very word of God…and can trust it to be completely and utterly truthful.” 

Akin also encouraged students that the Bible will be what sustains them in ministries and on the mission field. “It is this book that will sustain you when times are tough, things are not going well, when you’re thinking about throwing in the towel, walking away, dropping out of the race,” Akin said. “It is profitable and God is using it to mature you more and more to be conformed to image of his son.”

Also during the service, Mark Liederbach, vice president for student services, dean of students and professor of theology, ethics and culture, welcomed students to the new semester, calling chapel services the “nerve center” of Southeastern and encouraging students to worship together weekly.

Regular chapel services are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. in Binkley Chapel.

To watch this service online, click here.

To view photos from the service, click here.

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