The Master’s University: An Education Committed to Christ and Scripture

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Education is not neutral. It doesn’t merely provide job skills — it instills a worldview, for better or worse. Education is a matter of eternal consequence, and the stakes are too high to take the issue lightly. An education that honors the Lord should prepare us for all that He will hold us accountable to when we stand before Him (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10). We must learn how to discern all of life under the lordship of Christ. This assumes an absolute commitment to Christ and Scripture. Without this, education will teach the wrong worldview and will fail to equip one to please Christ or make an eternal difference. Any erosion to Christ and Scripture causes education to fall dangerously short of its intended purpose.

This commitment is more than just having a doctrinal statement. It’s more than appealing to one’s Christian heritage. It’s more than having a denominational affiliation. It’s more than being Christian in name. It’s even more than having chapel services or Christians on campus. Those are all good things, but an absolute commitment is something far deeper and broader. One way to think about this commitment is through the phrase “Christ in all things,” derived from Ephesians 1:23. This emphasizes that Christ is not only lord over some things but everything. Every assertion within any subject or discipline must be taken captive to the lordship of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 10:3-5). What does this mean for a Christian university? 

It demands that we take everything on campus, put it under the microscope, and see how Scripture determines every single thing be defined and done as an act of worship to Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31). There is a reason that the symbol of The Master’s University is a shield. The church is the pillar and grounds of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15) — and at TMU, we believe our role is to shield this sacred trust by faithfully educating the next generation of the church, ensuring that the truth is not distorted but upheld as the authoritative definer of all things (cf. Gal. 2:5; 2 Cor. 10:3-5).

Have we been perfect in our endeavor? No. But we know and pursue the standard we must hold ourselves to.

• We know we cannot just teach a variety of subjects with Christ on the side. 
• We know we cannot just have certain things look Christian on our campus. 
• We know we cannot use human observations to define Christ and Scripture.

Rather, the standard is nothing less than Christ in all things. This is what makes for a true education — one that gives the whole truth and true wisdom, one that prepares for all of life, one that makes an eternal difference, and one that pleases the God who ordained it (Prov. 8:22; Col. 1:9-11; 2:8). That has been our commitment for almost 100 years, and we pray that by God’s good grace, it will be our resolve for many more.

Learn more about The Master’s University at masters.edu.

Photo credit: ©TheMaster'sUniversity

Dr. Abner Chou is the president of The Master’s University and Seminary and John F. MacArthur Endowed Fellow. He began to teach Greek at the University in 2004 and continued to teach both at the University and Seminary. He also spent two years teaching in Jerusalem with the Israel Bible Extension program (IBEX). Dr. Chou has written several papers for the Evangelical Theological Society, completed several encyclopedia articles, contributed to a study Bible, and penned an article entitled, “Myth-Busters,” featured in Answers Magazine. He also has written a book on a biblical theology of vision, a commentary on Lamentations and Deuteronomy, a book on hermeneutics, was the head translator for the Legacy Standard Bible, and is currently involved in writing a commentary series on the Old Testament. Ultimately, he aims for students to know the Word of God deeply, study it accurately, and be driven by it to live fully for the Kingdom.