Biblical Principles for Education Nos. 1-3

Let’s dive in and talk about some biblical principles for education. What does the Bible say about educating your children?

Principle #1:  Children are a great joy and reward!

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3–5, NIV)

Principle #2:  Children are our legacy!

Children are what we leave behind. In our Bible Fellowship (that's Sunday School for those of you not into the new Baptist lingo) class at church about a month ago, we all went around the room and told the group what we wanted to have carved on our tombstone as our epithet. Every single man in the room said “I want to be known as a good husband and father.” Every single woman spoke of wanting to be known as a good wife and mother. No one talked about being known for their job. Or fame. Or fortune. Why? Because our children are our legacy. They are our heritage. When they are trained well, they are like arrows in the hands of a warrior. What does that mean? It means that they will advance the kingdom of God in ways we cannot. They will further God’s purposes in ways we can only dream of.

Principle #3: It is our responsibility as parents to oversee the education of our children.

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. ” (Ephesians 6:4, NIV)

Bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. The word “training” is a broad one. It refers to the training and care of the body, the cultivation of the soul, and instruction which aims at increasing virtue.

The goal of education, then, is not about getting a good job. The goal is to feed and nourish the soul on truth, goodness, and beauty, to cultivate the virtuous man or woman.

Notice whose responsibility it is to educate children. It is not the state’s responsibility. Nor is it the church’s job. It is yours, as the parent of the child. This may be a radical concept to you to think about.

There is a beautiful passage in Ps. 78.

“I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old— what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. They would not be like their forefathers— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him. ” (Psalm 78:2–8, NIV)

This passage is rich with application. Our generation is a stubborn and rebellious generation. Their hearts are not loyal to God. Their spirits were not faithful to God. But we can be different. We can teach our children and make them different.

In our society, we are used to the idea of the school doing the educating. Or more recently, many people have the idea that it’s the government’s responsibility to educate our children. But that’s not the Biblical answer. Daniel Schneider of the Nehemiah Institute says:

The Bible is very clear that the primary responsibility for education of children belongs to the family. Thus the attitude that Christian parents can drop their children at the state’s door to be educated by the civil government is in error. But so is the attitude that says Christian parents can drop their children at the church door and expect them to be educated by the church. The responsibility to bring up his children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” rests squarely on the shoulders of the father of the family.

Now, of course, this does not mean that all parents have the ability to teach all aspects of education. Some do and some don’t. And of course, you can delegate the task of educating to a school if you so choose.

The key, according to this principle, is that you make an informed choice, that you stay involved, and that you as the parent are responsible for the results. In other words, this principle requires that we as parents have a thorough knowledge of what kind of education our child will receive and are receiving in a particular educational setting. We need to determine whether the school choice we make will assist us in bringing up our children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” We as parents are responsible before God for the result.

Does this idea of parental responsibility let the church off the hook completely? No. The role of the church is to come alongside and support parents as they attempt to fulfill their education responsibility. It is to provide biblical guidance and encouragement to parents in parenting. That includes providing guidance and support in the realm of education.