I believe children come from God, as a blessing.. a reward… a profound responsibility.
Children too, are a gift from Adonai; the fruit of the womb is a reward. The children born when one is young are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. How blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them; he will not have to be embarrassed.Psalm 127
A dominant and repeated theme of the scriptures is this: responsibility and authority for the children is given by God to their parents.
Scripture also clearly shows parents that it is their responsibility to see their children trained in the knowledge, love, fear and admonition of God and His Word. Hebrew/Jewish tradition dictates that God gave his people two assignments that can be seen in Psalms 78 and Deuteronomy 6:
To know, love and obey God
To pass it on to the next generation
I also believe it takes a family and the local church, in this fallen world and culture we live in, to raise Godly children.
Everyone has a world view, but the difference is where it comes from.
Are we adopting the world’s philosophy and actions, or are we determining that God and His Word
must define our philosophy and actions in this life?
My viewpoints are not to point the finger and say everyone belongs in a Christian school or home school. This is a decision that needs to be made by parents and the Lord. No education is perfection! However, I would like to share my personal reasons for why I believe in and support Christian education.
Some of the goals and purposes of Christian education simply make them different, even spiritually healthier.
In I Corinthians 11, Paul says “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
They typically:
Partner with parents
Communicate and impart the Gospel of Christ
Teach and develop a Christian worldview
Convey, model, affirm and develop character based on Jesus character
Teach right from wrong; per Jesus example of a love for righteousness and a hatred for evil
Work to proclaim, present and live out the Gospel in every day life
Hire staff that love God and His Word, love children and feel called to teach
Honor the principle of revelation: God must be embraced as God… God first, foremost and throughout
Practice the principle of integration, educating from a Biblical and Christ-like worldview in all subjects
We live in a fallen world; unfriendly and even hostile to Jesus, Biblical Truth and the church.
Sometimes, we have earned that cynicism and dismissal through our imperfect actions. Still, our world fights against God and His Truth! We can see the evidence of this in all of our major institutions. Sadly, as a culture we are failing and falling apart. We need Jesus in every area of our lives!
Christian education cannot guarantee our children will become perfect, or even great Christians. They can only endeavor to present Jesus Christ and teach from a Christian perspective. My prayer is for each parent to earnestly seek God for what is best for their individual child and family.
Author:
Pastor Liandro Arellano
Loving husband, father and grandfather
Retired Pastor & Superintendent of Faith Christian School