Over the past ten years or so there has
been a tremendous growth in the number of Christian families, from a variety of academic and
social backgrounds, who continue the education of their children at home beyond the age of five
on the basis of biblically-based convictions.
Parents are responsible for the education of their children
In Deuteronomy 6:4-7, believing parents are commanded to teach their children that God has a
total and comprehensive claim on their lives: You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Every part of life belongs to God, and
children are to be taught to lovingly submit to the Lord in everything they do, in everything they
think, in their homes, and in their life in the community (Deuteronomy 6:8-9).
The teaching of children by their parents is not limited to times of formal instruction, but is given
informally in the context of everyday life: You shall teach them diligently to your children, and
shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down,
and when you rise up.
In the New Testament we find the same stress on the responsibility of parents for the education
of their children, with a particular emphasis on the responsibility of the father: And you, fathers,
do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the
Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
The apostle Paul is writing about education in its broadest sense, consisting of discipline and
instruction of the Lord - authorised and ordained by God himself. Christian fathers, supported
by their wives, are responsible for providing their children with a godly upbringing by both word
and by action. Any other kind of upbringing will be unsatisfying and frustrating for the children
and provoke them to wrath.
The education that parents provide for their children should be distinctively Christian
A Christian education will be:
(a) Rooted in the fear of God
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7). That should be our starting
point when thinking about the instruction of our children. To fear God means to reverence him,
to have high thoughts of him, to acknowledge him in everything we think and say and do.
Without the fear of God our children cannot properly grasp the truth about anything, and any
knowledge they do acquire is liable to be misused. In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve
deserted the fear of God and sought knowledge without God, the consequences were
disastrous.
One of the stated purposes of the book of Proverbs is to give the young man knowledge and
discretion (1:4). Large sections of the book are framed in terms of a fathers instruction of his
children (e.g. Proverbs 1:10,15; 4:1; 5:1; 7:1). The wise parent will provide a broad,
comprehensive and practical training in righteousness for his children. In many ways, Proverbs
is an extended application of Deuteronomy 6:6-7 - an example of what it means to teach
children when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when
you rise up.
(b) Fully suited to the nature and character of our children
They are created in the image of God. Our children belong to God. They have been made to
reflect his glory. Therefore the education we provide for them must encourage them to reflect
his attributes: his creativity, orderliness, truthfulness, goodness, kindness, generosity and love.
They are created male and female. A truly Christian education will respect God-ordained
gender differences. We shall encourage in our daughters a sense of modesty and the
development of a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in the sight of God, while we impress
on our sons that they are to be providers, giving themselves and sacrificing themselves for
those who depend on them.
It is the chief
responsibility of believing parents to provide their children with an education that will direct them
to Christ so that they may be born again and renewed in the image of God in knowledge,
righteousness and holiness.
They are individuals - They were individually formed by God in their mothers womb (Psalm
139:13-16). They were born as individuals, and they will die and appear before God as
individuals. God has made us all different - unique. We all have different temperaments,
different gifts and different abilities. And that also has implications for how we bring up our
children and teach them. A truly Christian education will not seek to treat all children the same,
but will take into account the differences in gift and character that God has placed in them.
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Added: November 28, 2009
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Views: 209
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Category: Christian Education
