As the school-year begins, it’s important to be reminded what we’re doing in the education of our children. Children, your education isn’t just something to keep you busy during the day. According to Scripture, the instruction of wise parents & teachers is better than silver & gold (Pro. 8:10). Thus, education is receiving the wealth of wisdom which your ancestors have accumulated. But not all forms of education are equal.
Some advocate for a child-directed form of education. This assumes a view of children that’s unbiblical. Children aren’t founts of wisdom & discerning innocence. There’s folly in children’s hearts which must be driven out through discipline & training.
Others think to treat children as widgets on an assembly line. Get them to pass enough multiple choice questions, and, tada, more federal grants. This dehumanizes children, treating them like consumable products instead of a blessed legacy.
Education, in biblical terms, is receiving wisdom from above. The key which unlocks this treasure chamber is the Wisdom of the Gospel: our redemption through Christ’s blood. The Gospel is the first treasure which unlocks all others, and wise instructors ensure their pupils have this key.
So children, diligently apply yourself to this work of sorting the treasures in this storehouse. Your schoolwork is the labor which God sets before you to do. So you’re commanded to work at it heartily & joyfully, as an offering to the Lord.
Parents, this task is yours to superintend. You must be diligent to ensure that your children are indeed receiving all the riches of all the wisdom & knowledge of God. You’re training them to spot the difference between gold & fools gold.
In short, an education is worthwhile only insofar as Christ is central to it. To repurpose a proverb of Solomon, a Christ-less education is like a golden jewel in the snout of a swine.
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