Graduate Profile: Neal Adrian (MTS)

My name is Neal Adrian. My wife Rebecca and I reside in the Black Hills of South Dakota near Rapid City. By the beginning of this summer, all four of our daughters will be married, three of them near where Rebecca and I live.

Although I grew up in a Christian home, I had no interest in God. I remember having a conversation with my parents, making a conscious decision to have nothing to do with Jesus. My rebellion against God was kept in check during high school. I was an apologetic sinner when caught in sin and confronted. After graduation from high school I went away to college, where I lived like the younger son in Luke 15, who “squandered his property in reckless living” (Luke 15:13). After three years of this, I was exposed for what I was. Expecting rejection, I was totally unprepared for my father’s response – one of love and encouragement, not condemnation. This motivated me to work hard to make something of myself, to prove myself to my father, but it resulted in more poor choices with huge ramifications. I desperately needed help. My heart began to turn toward God, but I feared God would see that the only reason I wanted his help was to make my life better. A year went by, with me attending church, and desperately wanting to know God but reasoning he would not want anything to do with me.

I often left church services with renewed resolve to put off sin so I could merit a relationship with God. One Sunday as I heard the gospel call go out, God powerfully saved me. It was as if a light bulb had switched on. I understood that my life up until that point was one of rebellion against God in heaven, and that I was a sinner. God opened my heart and my eyes to see “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (1 Cor 4:4b). I broke down, an emotional jumble of sorrow and joy. I could now claim what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about some who had committed sinful acts, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11). I was born again, a new creation! I was filled with incredible joy!

The next several decades brought marriage and children. Over time, God lead our family into more reformed streams of theology and gave me a desire for formal theological training; as Peter describes it, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk” (2 Peter 2:2).

In God’s providence, I found Reformed Baptist Seminary. Several years ago as my wife and I were considering God’s direction for our lives, we felt convicted to more fully give our lives back to God, “Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Rom 12:1b). As we contemplated God’s goodness to us, this growing conviction led to a desire to receive theological training. These were challenging years as we juggled finishing up homeschooling our youngest daughter, changing vocation, caring for family, and pursuing theological education. My ability to pursue theological education would not have been possible without Reformed Baptist Seminary. When degree progress was interrupted twice by unanticipated family events, I shared my situation with Dr. Gonzales and, with great wisdom, Dr. Gonzales encouraged me.

God used my pursuit of theological education to continue my sanctification, particularly in humility. It was also helpful for better understanding different theological perspectives. I grew in trusting the Lord, particularly through the challenging times. While all the coursework was helpful, several things stand out. I often felt like my heart was bursting with a renewed sense of love for our triune God and his Word at the end of Dr. Greg Nichols’ lectures. I always appreciated Dr. Sam Waldron’s straightforward and profound teaching, especially with Doctrine of Last Things. Dr. Gonzales’s apologetics course, emphasizing presuppositional apologetics, resulted in a huge shift in my perspective and understanding. God has used my time at RBS to strengthen my foundation and deepen my relationship with Christ. It has also strengthened my testimony as a teacher at Rapid City Christian School where I teach College Biology, and at my local church where as an elder I occasionally preach or teach. I have a new sense of appreciation for RBS and their church-based seminary approach to seminary education.

Finally, I thank God for my wife, Rebecca. She has always been encouraging and supportive, making personal sacrifices and major life adjustments in order for me to pursue this academic training in this season of life.