"For the good hand of the Lord was upon him, for Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach its statues and ordinances in Israel." Ezra 7:9-10
The major distinctive of our Seminary is that we literally study the whole Bible and expect our students to know the essentials of the whole Bible, much of it by heart.
The Seminary focuses on three areas of life implied in Ezra 7:9, 10. To study the law properly requires personal intimacy with Christ. To do the law requires Christian character, and to teach the law requires ministry skills. These are the three areas of focus of the Biblical Theological Seminary of St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Heart of the Student
We strive to influence men to set their heart on and be skilled in the personal study of God's word in the original languages with helps. Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord. The Bible teaches that the law of God cannot be studied without the heart. Psalm 27:4 says, One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and inquire in his temple. II Corinthians 3:15-18 then tells us that the beauty of the Lord is actually found in the law of the Lord. Therefore, the highest priority in the life of a man of God is that he knows Christ intimately through beholding His image personally, and corporately, in all of Scripture… >>>Read more<<<
The Character of the Student in the Context of the Church
The second part of Ezra 7:10 speaks to an essential aspect of leadership development that connects intimacy with Christ, and ministry skills. This essential bridge between our communion with God and our ministry is our character. For Ezra set his heart to study the law of the Lord, AND TO DO IT, and to teach His statutes and His ordinances in Israel. The Gospels are full of Christ's hatred of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, and ministry without character is always hypocritical and ultimately destructive in the Kingdom of God. In the Biblical Theological Seminary we aim to develop Christ-like character in our men by three means… >>> Read more<<<
The Ministry Skills of the Student
1 Timothy 3 mentions that elders and deacons should be tested before being ordained. Therefore, the Biblical Seminary tests its ministerial students by requiring that they have ongoing ministry in their local churches, and by constant oral presentations, exegetical papers and essays, and preaching and interaction in class.
These three areas of our policy may be seen in seminary logo. The letters B, T and S stand correspondingly for the name of the seminary, which is the Biblical Theological Seminary. The word “biblical” emphasizes that only the Bible (unlike apostolic tradition or personal spiritual revelation) may be the means to understand God and the foundation to build relationship with Him.
The background for those letters is the Celtic cross to signify that pastors, teachers and elders who are trained here see the Scriptures in the light of the Reformed tradition. Along with many biblical classes students study John Calvin’s Institutes, the Westminster Confession of Faith and other great examples of true exposition of the Scriptures.
The cross and the letters rest on the date 1999 – the year when the seminary was founded in St. Petersburg. Since then seminary graduates took the calls to churches, mission fields and social ministries. As a whole letters B, T and S, the cross and the date are put into a circle with three Latin words: Veritas, Qualitas and Ministerium which stand for Truth, Character and Ministry. The Latin language was chosen to signify the respect for the historical tradition of the Church. The words themselves go back to Ezra 7:9 – 10: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”
In hard times of the Israel history Ezra was looking for the Truth when he prepared his heart for the law of the Lord. This truth shaped his character when he followed this law in obedience. Finally, he served or ministered his community by teaching people and working with them shoulder to shoulder. Therefore we expect that our students will be eager for the Truth, which will build up their characters. And already in the years of their study in the seminary worthy men minister to their churches and communities “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 5:16).
