The RenewaNation Review 2018 Volume 10 Issue 1 | Page 16

Real Knowledge: The Cornerstone of True Education By Jay Jusino What is Real Knowledge? A fatal misconception in today’s culture is that getting “a good education” equates one-to-one with, or necessarily implies the acquisition of, appropriate and sufficient knowl- edge. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is the omniscient (all-knowing) and unchangeable Creator, and thus knowledge begins with Him. Being made in His image gives man the ability to acquire knowledge as a function of that special status; a status animals do not possess. 1 So, while men may know things without acknowledging God, this kind of knowing is disconnected from foundational reality and is thus incomplete and unable to be validated as knowl- edge. 2 Because all of the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ (Col 1:17), 3 real knowledge, the kind of knowledge that leads one to live a wise and fruitful earthly life (Prov 1:7), also leads toward eternal life. Therefore, any education that ignores or omits God cannot impart real knowledge 4 and thus misses the point of all life for “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things” (Rom 11:36). “All things” necessitates things like science, English, 16 history, geography, art, music, and mathematics, including their moral applications. Real Knowledge, Academics, and Education To demonstrate briefly, without contest, Jesus Christ is the preeminent figure in all of history (Col 1:18). He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Rev 22:13). The Western calendar is standardized by His appearance on earth, “in the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4). In light of this, how can the facts of history be clearly taught or learned without Christ as the center point? The answer is that they cannot!  5 Or, how can one rightly teach or learn science, the study of the material, physical universe, without acknowledgement of the Creator (Gen 1:1; Jn 1:1; Ps 39:9, 148:5) and Sustainer (Heb 1:3; Col 1:17) of that universe? It cannot be done. This is especially relevant when one consid- ers that the existence and arrangement of matter is a clear and unmistakable witness to the very nature of God Himself (Rom 1:20). After all, the very heavens (part of the physi- cal creation) declare the glory of God (Ps 19:1). Language