When You Rise Up

?I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.? — III JOHN 1:4

All education is religious in nature. Even non-Christians still teach a worldview, and a set of beliefs and values. The state schools refuse the God of the Bible, but they teach humanism, and this has been ruled in court to be a religion, too. So the choice is which religion will you allow your child to be taught? Would you have ?no greater joy? than to hear that your children walk in truth? Is that your primary concern? How does God define education? Since we are trying to conform our lives to Christ, and to ?grow up into Him in all things? (Eph. 4:15), here is His example: ?And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.? Luke 2:52

Notice there are four elements of Christ?s education:

1) Wisdom. Includes instruction, along with understanding the proper application of that knowledge. But notice that we cannot even begin this instruction without one qualification: The fear of the Lord..

?The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments?? Ps 111:10.
?The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.? Prov. 1:7
?The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.? Prov. 9:10.

So education must begin with a knowledge of, and respect for the Lord.

2) Stature. This would include physical growth and development, including physical activities.

3) In favor with God. This would include spiritual instruction?again, there is spiritual instruction in public school, but it teaches that man was created without God; man is god, and man will do good if we remove all restraints on him and just allow his goodness to come out. Evolution teaches that man is getting better and better, and that there is death without sin??so there is no need for a Savior.

4) In favor with man. This would include social experience and instruction. Conclusion: Because the Lord defined education as four-fold, and Biblical spiritual training is part of education, public schools or non-Christian education is not a means of God-defined education.

How does God define a proper instructor? Having established the proper ingredients of true education, and that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, we find the command:

?Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.? Prov 19:27

Obviously, any type of education that seeks to undermine your child?s faith in the true God is forbidden by this verse.

Parents are not to allow fools to instruct their children. Therefore, any instructor or educational system that does not acknowledge the God of the Bible or opposes His laws and knowledge would not be qualified to teach, because: … ?The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.? Ps 14:1

Just the thought of giving absolute power to a fool makes us shudder. Now imagine giving a fool absolute power over your children!

click Giving Power to Fools? … to continue …

This article, written by Sandy Laba, was originally published in the newsletter Moms to Moms, Home Schooling from a Distinctly Christian Perspective, September, 2006, Vol. 12, Issue 2 – Reprinted by permission.

— The book being reviewed is: When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by R.C. Sproul, Jr.