WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT EDUCATION ? Many people believe the Bible has little or nothing to say about education because the term never appears in Scripture . We only find a single reference to the word school in Scripture , Samuel ’ s school of the prophets . 3 Despite this reality , the Bible has a lot to say about education .
Here is a sample of what Scripture says about education :
KNOWLEDGE : The core task of education is to lead a child from ignorance to knowledge . The Bible ’ s chief concern in education is the knowledge of God , which is contrasted with foolishness ( Prov . 1:7 ). Apart from God , knowledge cannot be properly understood , and foolishness abounds . The Bible provides guidance regarding how to navigate godless knowledge . We are told , “ Have nothing to do with godless myths ” ( 1 Tim . 4:7 ). “ Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘ knowledge ,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith ” ( 1 Tim . 6:20-21 ). Knowledge is never neutral ; it is for or against God . “ We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God , and take every thought captive to obey Christ ” ( 2 Cor . 10:5 ).
TEACH : The Hebrew language is rich in words that have to do with instruction ; at least thirty-four root words imply the idea of teaching , and the words teach and teacher are used in the Bible over 350 times . Biblical education is focused on teaching the knowledge of God and obedience to His law to the next generation . The Bible is prescriptive regarding what children are to be taught .
Here is a sampling of what God commands :
• God ’ s law : “ Teach them [ God ’ s laws ] to your children and children ’ s children ” ( Deut . 4:9 ). “ Teach them diligently to your children ” ( Deut . 6:7 ).
• God ’ s work and character : “ One generation shall commend your works to another , and shall declare your mighty acts ” ( Ps . 145:4 ). “ Tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord , and his might , and the wonders that he has done . . . . which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children . . . so that they set their hope in God and not forget the works of God ” ( Ps . 78:4-7 ).
• God ’ s Word : “ How from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings [ the Bible ], which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ . All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching ” ( 2 Tim . 3:15-16 ). “ Command and teach them these things ” ( 1 Tim . 4:11 ).
• The fear of God : “ Come , O children , listen to me ; I will teach you the fear of the Lord ” ( Ps . 34:11 ).
LEARN : The words learn , learned , and learning appear in the Bible over 100 times . The Bible is concerned with what we learn . Christians are to learn to revere God ( Deut . 14:23 ), to fear God ( Deut . 31:12 ), to serve God ( 2 Chron . 12:8 ), what is good ( Job 34:4 ; Titus 3:14 ), God ’ s righteous laws ( Ps . 119:7 ), His decrees and commands ( Ps . 119:71- 73 ), prudence ( Prov . 19:25 ), to do right ( Isa . 1:17 ), to control one ’ s body ( 1 Thess . 4:4 ), to praise God ( Ps . 89:15 ), wisdom ( Prov . 30:3 ), the meaning and purpose of life ( Eccles . 1:17 ), contentment ( Phil . 4:11 ), and to learn the gospel ( 2 Tim . 3:14-16 ). If God commands His followers to learn these things , doesn ’ t it make sense to educate our children so that they learn these truths ?
INSTRUCT : The Bible provides guidance about who is to instruct a child . Jesus states , “ A student [ disciple ] when he is fully trained will be like his teacher ” ( Luke 6:40 ). The biblical principle to recognize is that teachers reproduce themselves in their students . Children absorb the beliefs , values , and views of the teacher .
THINK : The Bible teaches , “ For as he thinks in his heart , so is he ” ( Prov . 23:7 ). What a child thinks about , he or she becomes . What does the Bible want us to think about ? Here is how the Bible answers that question : “ Meditate on God ’ s word day and night ” ( Josh . 1:8 ). “ Whatever is true , whatever is honorable , whatever is just , whatever is pure , whatever is lovely , whatever is commendable , if there is any excellence , if there is anything worthy of praise , think about these things ” ( Phil . 4:8 ). Lastly , “ Do not be conformed to the world , but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ” ( Rom . 12:2 ).
The biblical vision for a child ’ s education is centered on and saturated with God ’ s Word , God ’ s laws , God ’ s works , God ’ s character , the fear of God , and godly living . Many parents believe the fallacy that they can obey these passages of Scripture by teaching their children at home on the evenings and weekends , despite sending their children to a school that teaches God is irrelevant , even non-existent , and instructs children in secular morality and unbiblical ideas . Individuals who do this compartmentalize education in a way the Bible never does and fail to understand there is no distinction between faith and learning . When education is viewed as reading , writing , and math while discipleship is seen as character formation , spiritual disciplines , and sharing faith , we create a false dichotomy the Bible never does and provide our children with an education that is foreign to Scripture .
RENEWANATION . ORG 39