My Philosophy of Christian Education

"For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off,
as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:39)
"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good.
In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned ..." (Titus 2:6-8, NIV)

A Statement of Philosophy of Christian Education

* All people are dead in sin, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12b).

* God is the only one who can bring them back into a right relationship with himself. He does this through the atoning death of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As God’s word states, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:10-11).

* In education, students must be taught the content of the gospel and be exhorted to repent from their sins for forgiveness and the reception of the Holy Spirit. As Peter declared, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39).

* Without God’s salvation, a person cannot fully understand God’s world, since their consciences are “seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:2) and “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe” (2 Corinthians 4:4a), so that they “suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18, NIV). Thus, education of young people is incomplete without a saving knowledge of God.

* God has “made every thing beautiful in his time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). All truth comes from God, so that even the “heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1a). Truth is given in God’s revelation, which shows the beauty of truth and the requirement of obedience. As the Bible says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29). This truth is to be taught and passed on to children. God-given truth also generates praise to God among God’s people since “Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works” and "He has made His wonderful works to be remembered" (Psalm 40:5; 111:4; 139:14).

* A teacher must not hesitate to teach what is helpful (Acts 20:20), but should "declare to you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Following Jesus' example, who explained to two disciples what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself (Luke 24:27), a teacher must also explain carefully how Jesus is shown in all the Bible - previewed in the Old Testament and reviewed in the New Testament. He did not come to abolish the Old Testament, but to fulfil the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17), since they prophesied until the time of Jesus (prepared for by John the Baptist, Matthew 11:14).

* Teaching methods must aim to foster in the children obedience and service to God, service to one another, and a pursuit of godliness. Thus, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13), and, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

* A teacher must aim to display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22-23) and teach by “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

* A teacher must foster students without evoking “the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does” (1 John 2:16, NIV), for example, by appealing to their worldly desires or by promoting their competitative boasting.

* Parents are accountable to God for their children to be brought up “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, KJV) and to “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). Teachers are gifted by the Holy Spirit and assist parents in their task (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:27-29; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:11-12).

* A student may grow in knowledge alone, which only exalts the ego, since “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1c, NIV). Instead, to be truly fruitful, a student should diligently pursue "faith ... virtue ... knowledge ... self-control ... perseverance ... godliness ... brotherly kindness ... love" (2 Peter 1:5-8).

* Paul prayed for the Christians at Thessalonica, "May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23). So also the Christian teacher consistently prays for the students entrusted to his/her care. In words, actions and witness (Titus 2:6-8), the teacher fosters the spiritual and mental well-being of these students within community and empowers them to be resilient to the external and internal pressures that may come, to know the power of God's forgiveness, to trust the promises in His word, to hold onto the hope given by the Lord, to fulfil their God-given purpose and to look forward to the great things the Lord will do.

Note: All verse quoted from the New King James Version, unless otherwise noted.