Understanding the Purpose of Christian Education
At the heart of Christian education is the understanding that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” He is the Sovereign Lord of History, the Author and Revealer of Truth, the Creator, and Sustainer of life. Without Christ pre-eminent in all things, life is meaningless and education is misdirected. Christian education is based on God’s Word because the God of the Bible is the basis for understanding all subjects. We understand the sciences more completely by recognizing they are a tool for describing God’s handiwork in creation. We appreciate math for its ability to define and describe the countless processes that take place as the Lord God directs and sustains our world with His sovereign hand. We see history as ultimately ordered by God’s plan of salvation and affected by man’s sinful nature. By examining every subject in the light of God’s Word, students learn to formulate their own Christian worldview.
Christian parents are responsible for training their children. The parent is the God-appointed leader and teacher of their child. The overwhelming task of raising a child is in the hands of the parents. The education of children is a 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week process that must take place from birth through maturity. As parents, we ensure a healthy diet and exercise for their physical well-being, but what we feed their minds and souls also has immense consequences. But teach them what? Let’s first answer: “What or who is the most important thing or person for the child to know?” The answer is, “God is the most important person for a child to know.” The goal of Christian parents is for their child to know God in a personal way and to know all about God. Nothing could be more important.
Christian education provides training for young minds to make wise choices in their lives. Christian education prepares a child to understand the Bible, to know how to defend the faith, and share the gospel and disciple others. It also provides a Scriptural perspective so students can understand and analyze the world through the lens of God’s Word, the ultimate Truth. The education of children must be based on God’s Word as absolute truth. Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Psalm 119:89: “Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” The Christian school brings the Word of God to every situation in the lives of the children. The Christian school is able to apply the Word of God to every instance of sinful thought or action, and by God’s grace, renew the mind of the child.
Besides the obvious benefits—academic excellence, nurturing environment, Christ-centered environment—there is one encompassing reason to choose Christian education: to gain the mind of Christ—and in so doing, to love the Lord God with all of their heart, soul and might (Deuteronomy 6:5-7). When we train our children’s minds, we affect how they think and thus how they live. Our hope and prayer is that our children will grow in the love of the Lord and will gain the mind of Christ. In so doing, they will be equipped for works of service in God’s kingdom. Christian education is an eternal investment!
“Christians grow and are made more like Christ as they hear the Word of God.”
“The Christian school is able to apply the Word of God to every instance of sinful thought or action, and by God’s grace, renew the mind of the child.”