FEBC has the highest view of the Holy Scriptures. Our founding principal—the late Rev Dr Timothy Tow—chose these two watchwords for FEBC, “Holding forth the Word of Life” (Phil 2:16), and “Holding fast the Faithful Word” (Tit 1:9). It is only the Word of Life that can give life, not our good thoughts, good heart, intelligence or eloquence, not our own philosophy or psychology, human reasoning or methods that will change a person’s life for eternity. It is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Words of everlasting life that will do that. The source of life is in the Word of Life, the living Word—the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is also the written Word—the Holy Scriptures. Do we have them? Yes we do—the living Word who lived for us, died for us, and rose from the dead for us; who is now in heaven as our Great High Priest interceding for us. We also have all the Words of Holy Scripture which were breathed out by God in the beginning and then supernaturally preserved throughout the ages by “His singular care and providence”, and do certainly have them in our hands today.

We have a faithful God and He is true to His promises. As such, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (Heb 10:23). It is important that faithful Words of God be handled by faithful teachers.

Faithful Teachers

Paul was a faithful teacher who has committed faithful words to faithful Timothy—his son in the faith. Both Paul and Timothy were faithful teachers of the Word. How we need such faithful teachers today! Timothy was well trained by Paul and well tested in ministry and found to be worthy to be ordained as a minister of the gospel. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:6, 11-16, “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. … These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

We thank God for the late Rev Dr Timothy Tow who taught us good and sound and God-honouring theology. He taught us what is the Reformed faith—which is true to the gospel—that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, based on Scripture alone and to the glory of God alone. The Reformed Faith rightly emphasises the sovereignty of God and the faithfulness of God which are soundly expressed in the Westminster Standards of 1648. We also learned the premillennial faith from him which stresses the imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are we ready for His return? Have we been faithful?

Thank God we have directors and lecturers at FEBC that are of the same mind and spirit as our founding principal, the Rev Dr Timothy Tow. FEBC has a most united faculty and board who are committed to the Dean Burgon Oath, and take it without reservations.

Yes, we need faithful teachers, but we also need faithful students.

Faithful Students

Paul tells Timothy, “the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” We thank God if He were to give us many students to disciple and train for the ministry of the Word, but our desire is not so much for many students but for good and faithful students who are truly called by God and sincere to serve the Lord humbly and unconditionally. We pray for students who will become faithful teachers and not traitors of the faith.

All students and graduates of FEBC need to be tried and tested before they can be ordained as ministers of the Gospel. Paul warned Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:22, “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” It is important that teachers make sure they take in students and ordain graduates who have proven themselves to be faithful and true in ministry. That is why we do not ordain our graduates on the spot. They have to prove themselves out in the field. Will they be faithful? Or will they be failures? Time will tell.

How many have fallen because of sin? The temptation to sin is very great and the tempter is always out there using all kinds of ways and means to tempt us to fall— the main ones being money, women, and pride. Don’t ever preach for money! Don’t ever fall into the sin of pornography and adultery! Don’t ever seek the power, popularity and fame of the world! Paul was faithful for he sought to please God and not man. Paul says in Galatians 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” Be a politician if you want to please men; don’t be a pastor!

If we are to be faithful servants, then we must be prepared to suffer for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord says in Revelation 2:10, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

I am very encouraged by members of the Church, lay people, who come so faithfully semester after semester, year after year to study God’s Word in our night classes and through distance learning courses online. We see so many of them graduating tonight with their certificates. Many of them have taken 4, 5, 6, 8, even 10 years to earn the required credits for their certificates. They have persevered in their studies and have seen their lives transformed by the power of God’s Word.

Graduands, you have the faithful Words of God taught to you by faithful teachers. May you continue to be faithful students when you leave the College. We never stop studying God’s forever infallible and inerrant Words. For those who commencing full-time service in their respective countries, may the Lord mould and make you to be faithful ministers in the days to come.

My prayer for all of you is that at the end of the day, you might hear our Saviour’s commendation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matt 25:21). Amen.