Biola University - Biolan Yearbook (La Mirada, CA)

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COMMANDMEN T CONCEPTS pure heart. Such sincerity is the prerequisite for honest authentic living which should be our aim as Christians. Authentic living leaves no room for any sort of hypocrisy or double standards. We cannot put up facades or give others false impressions and expect to live authentic and pure lives. The Lord assures us that those believers who maintain pure hearts shall one day see God Himself. This promise should inspire us to pursue loving the Lord with our whole hearts in greater earnest. Matthew 7:18 is another passage of Scrip- ture through which we gain information con- cerning the heart. After advising us against hording worldly treasures and instructing us to channel our energies toward securing trea- sures in heaven, the Lord reminds us that for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. lf we truly prize Christ as our most valued Treasure, then loving l-lim wholeheartedly should follow naturally, as this verse makes clear. Experiencing Biola from the Heart Just as loving Him with our whole hearts is a vital part of maximum Christian living, it is equally essential to enjoying an optimum ex- perience at Biola University. The Christian standards which have historically distin- guished Biola as a thoroughly biblical, doctri- nally sound institution continue to facilitate an ideal environment for exploring the trea- sures of the Scriptures. Wholehearted love for the Lord can only make scriptural truths live more vividly for the student of God's Word. The functions of the heart as outlined by Scripture are indispensible factors in the edu- cational process. Evaluating motives, chal- lenging intellects, stimulating emotional re- sponses and prompting choices characterize real, profitable learning - especially in the university setting. Weighing facts and philos- ophies against heartfelt Christian convinc- tions also serves to incorporate these func- tions of the heart in every field of study at Biola. A love for the Lord that consumes the heart can also set the tone for quality rela- tionships with friends and colleagues - rela- tionships which form such a large part of

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r in ., ... L 5 Through working together, hearts become united toward realizing a common goal. influenced by emotional heart also prompts volitional activity. Notice the choice made in Psalm 1411: The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.' Consider as well the numerous times Pharoah's hardened heart influenced his choices during the time of the plagues and the Exodus. More Than Warm Fuzzies From these passages, it is more than ap- parant that the heart dictates far more than warm, fuzzy feelings. The heart really seems to qualify as the nucleus of one's spirit - comprised of motives, rationale, emotions and volition. The combined functions of the heart are essential to salvation as well. Romans 10:9- 10 states, lf you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be savedg for with the heart man believes result- ing in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses resulting in salvation. It is completely valid that God should ask for the devotion of our whole hearts. Loving in this degree involves being certain that our motives, our thoughts, our emotions, and our choices conform to His standards. This is all part of presenting ourselves to Him as living sacrifices - our reasonable spiritual service fRomans 12:1l. Pure Hearts, Authentic Living If we are seriously committed to loving the Lord wholeheartedly, we should give special attention to what Jesus Himself emphasizes about the heart. For example, among the beatitudes, those promises which Jesus enu- merated in His Sermon on the Mount, we can find both direction and encouragement as we pursue loving the Lord with our whole hearts. In this passage Jesus commends eight par- ticular virtues, including the quality of a pure heart. By a pure heart, Jesus is referring to an uncontaminated, unviolated cleanness which pervades one's deepest motives and inten- tions. As Chuck Swindoll writes in his book Improving Your Serve iWord Books, 1981l, this measure of purity does not refer simply to doing the right things, but doing the right things for the right reason ip. 114l. The Lord desires that we be thoroughly sin- cere in all that we do and that our sincerity would issue from the genuine motivation of a 7 a-............ -,......,.........

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t mf campus life. Christ has commanded us to love our neighbors as our own selves - just as He has commanded us to love the Father, the Holy Spirit and Himself, our triune God, with an undivided and unreserved heart. And, as He has said, There is no command- ment greater than these lMark 12:31l. We must remember too that even as the Tin Woodsman's path to Oz and ultimately to his heart was not without complication, learn- ing what it means to love God wholeheartedly is neither automatic nor without trials. How- ever, our Saviour's call to devote our whole heart to Him in love is well-worth heeding. For as Solomon writes He who keeps a royal command experiences no trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure llicclesiastes 8:5l. Bob Williams, a junior EnglishfPrint Media major, is editor-inschief of the 1982 Biolan. Top Left: Dr. Kwast expresses hearty enthusiasm dur- ing a missions lecture. Bottom Left: Beth Peters shares an exclamation from her heart. Above: Pastor Chuck Swindoll shares with Orlando Lafika after Orlando proposed to Stephanie Hipps during chapel - truly a moment that will live in the hearts of many Biolans. Left: Barry Drake relates to a young friend on a heart- to-heart level. 9