Why do we study? For interest? Sure. For better prospects? Certainly. Because study is a worthwhile pursuit in its own right? That too. But are these the only reasons?

Maybe it would help to ask another question: why has God left you here on this earth? Why not take you to heaven right now? (It would certainly be a lot better than facing all night essay sessions!) Simply, he wants to use our time here to make us more like Jesus. He does that by giving us opportunities in absolutely everything we do to live his way and to behave as Jesus would behave. That is what it means to glorify God with our lives.

So what about study? Maybe you have never thought about your study as something God uses to make you like Jesus - but it is. A great danger in life is that we divide things into Christian and non-Christian categories. Going to church or praying - that goes in the Christian box’; doing an essay or sitting through a boring lecture - that goes in the non-Christian box. Thinking like this is dangerous because it is not true. That is why the Bible says:

On that day, HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the LORD’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the LORD Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD Almighty.
Zechariah 14:20-21

In other words, what God wants to achieve in the life of his people (Israel) is a time when no thing or activity is unholy. He wants all we have and all we do to be holy – dedicated to and like him.

The reason God has allowed you time to study is so you can be holy. You were made for holiness. He has provided all sorts of means for you to grow in holiness as a student.

For example: the way you apply your mind to your course can be holy or unholy. You can ask yourself how God feels about what you are learning, what he would say in essays, what he would affirm and what he would refute. Or you can take it all in unthinkingly and just regurgitate it for your exams.

Another example: the way you behave towards other students speaks volumes about what you actually believe. Do you go with the flow or do you stand for Jesus? Do you agree just to be popular and get good marks, or do you stick your neck out when there is ungodly stuff going on?

We do not drift into being like Jesus. It is a matter of decision. Decide now that everything you do, say and think will be holy, and it will be easier when the pressures come later. And pressures do come - to deny what God has said. If you are a scientist there will be strong pressure to swallow the idea that humans are steadily improving and can make paradise on earth. If you are a humanities student, you will be taught that there is no such thing as truth and no such thing as right and wrong. These ideas are powerfully at work in universities and colleges.

Facing The Challenges

How do we face challenges like these and still remain holy? Here are some quotes from real students about some of the things they have faced at university:

An Arts student:

I am required to view material which is sometimes perverted and unhelpful spiritually. I don’t think there is a distinction between right and wrong in the art world.

A Sociologist:

In my social science classes we were invited to lay hands on people – not in a Christian way. It was very awkward to decline.

An English Student:

In my classes liberal values are simply assumed without question. Christianity is deliberately excluded from discussion in favour of radical theory.

Many of the challenges we face come from what is called ‘Postmodernism’. Postmodernism is a way of looking at the world that says there are no absolutes, no right and wrong. So if you claim to believe in truth you may be ridiculed. If you claim that there are some things that are inherently right or wrong for everyone you may be written off. If you claim that there are absolutes to life you may be accused of religious bigotry. That is where postmodernism leads and it is active in all university departments, science as well as arts.

The best advice is simply to know what you believe. Jesus said that people who build their lives on the foundations of his word will not be shaken by life’s storms. We must build on the word of God. Not only is this vital for our own Christian walk and growth in holiness, it is also essential for our outreach. Building on the word of God is the only way to learn to be faithful to Jesus and credible at the same time. That is why Peter says:

‘But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.’ 1 Peter 3:15

Having Jesus as Lord of your heart means we must know how to explain why Christianity is true and good. Is Jesus Lord of your thinking? The Bible tells us we must think Christianly (Romans 12) by having our minds transformed by the gospel. Now there’s a challenge at university.

The idea that you can love Jesus by how you study at university might not have occurred to you. But you can! God has put amazing opportunities before you to live for Him and challenge the world's view of Him. And that isn't the half of it. As you deliberately live for God at university, taking the knocks that the world gives you and relying on Him, you can be confident that you will grow in your Christian life and that God will provide you with all the resources you need to be a vibrant Christian.

As you rise to the challenge, there are plenty of people who can help you out. Many church pastors have been to university themselves and know just what it is like. UCCF provides staffworkers and Relay workers (recent graduates) who have been CU leaders and would love to spend time encouraging and helping you. Many people in your home church or college church know what university is like too and would be only too pleased to pray for you and support you. You only have to ask