What the Bible says about Education

The first step of education is to have one's eyes opened and be turned from darkness to light. (Acts 26:18) It is not good that the soul be without knowledge. (Proverbs 19:2) Only in God's light can we see light. (Psalm 36:9) He says:
Prov. 4:7 - "Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding."
Prov. 2:3-5 - "Call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the
knowledge of God."

All training for life, and for Church and State, starts in the family. If children are not brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, then both Church and society suffer. If people are ignorant of reli-gion they are of no use to the nation. For it is written: "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." (Proverbs 20:11) Young people prepare themselves for life's responsibil-ities through the discipline they receive at home. Therefore it is so important that a father "manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect." (1 Timothy 3:4) The Bible says to fathers: Bring up your children "in the training and instruction of the Lord,"(Eph. 6:4) for He is the source of all knowledge and understanding. If parents neglect to instill Christian values in their children, then there will be major problems in family, church, and state. Fathers and mothers have the duty to care for the souls in their family in the same way as a pastor cares for the souls in his church. The Bible says: "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

1. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.
Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding."
Deut. 31:12-13 - "Assemble the people - men, women and children… so that they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land…"
Colossians 2:8 - "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
2 Timothy 3: 16-17 - "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform… to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is..."

2. All education starts with knowing God.
Isaiah 44:6 - "This is what the LORD says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am
the first and I am the last, apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me?"
Psalm 34:11 - Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD."
Psalm 92:5 - "How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! The senseless man
does not know, fools do not understand."
Jeremiah 23:24 - "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the LORD.
John 3:16 - "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him."
Romans 11:33 - "O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"
2 Corinthians 4:6 - "God… made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Christ."

3. All children must be taught Christian faith and values.
Prov. 22:6 - "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
Exodus 20:1-17 - "And God spoke all these words: 'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for
yourself an idol… You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God… Remember the Sabbath
day by keeping it holy… Honour your rather and your mother… You shall not murder. You shall not
commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony… You shall not covet…"
Colossians 3:5-10 - "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality,
impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such
things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each
other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is
being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."

4. Children must know the consequences of dishonouring God.
Prov 8:36 - "All who hate God love death."
Prov. 14:12 - "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
Romans 1:18-20 - "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is
plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's
invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood
from what has been made, so that men are without any excuse."
1 Timothy 6:12 - "Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called
knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith."
1 John 4:1 - "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
God… Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every
spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you
have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

5. Children must learn who and what they are in God's plan.
Genesis 1:27; 2:7 - "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them… And the LORD formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."
Psalm 8:3-4 - "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You
made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honour. You made
him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet."
Romans 5:8 - "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to
die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
1 Corinthians 15:22 - "Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also
through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive."

6. God promises blessing and prosperity to all who trust and obey Him.
Deut. 6:1-9 - "These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you
to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their
children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and
commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life… Be careful to obey so that it may go
well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the
LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you… Love the LORD your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your strength… Impress [these commandments] on your children."

Education originates with God and the knowledge of God. The Christian worldview holds that God is sovereign over everything (Psalm 24:1). The Sciences are a study of God's creation (Ps. 19:1; Romans 1:20). History is the story of God's judgments and promises. (Ps. 33:11) The Arts express human culture based on faith and ethics. - Education is thus more than just school. (Deut. 6:7; 1 Cor. 15:33) Education is to be under the control of parents, and parents are told by our Lord Jesus Christ to "let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."