A Philosphy of Christian Education
Jesus Christ: The Glory of a Christian School
The Lord Jesus Christ is the purpose, the motive, the means, the fruit, and the glory of a Christian education (Colossians 1:15-20 & 3:17). For there is no other greater thing to know and no greater reason to live than for Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:7-8). He created us, saved us, and sustains us. The importance of everything else falls under the greatness of our Lord (Colossians 3:1-4).
A Christian education starts with a knowledge of Jesus Christ (Mark 8:34-38), continues with a heart given to God (Hebrews 12:1-3), that loves people, learning, wisdom, knowledge and the discipline to achieve these virtues because these are the fruits of a regenerated heart (Galatians 5:22-24, Philippians 4:8).
Jesus Christ and the Framework of the Christian Faith
Knowing and loving Jesus Christ needs a context. Christ is not properly understood if He stands outside of why God created people and what is wrong with us. The world can be best understood and any form of ministry is best undertaken within the framework of Creation, the Fall, and Redemption.
Creation addresses why God created us and why we are here on earth (Isaiah 43:7). Much of what is wrong in our culture and in many Christian lives and ministries is a misunderstanding (and often through miseducation) of why we are given the life that we have. We have been created to enjoy God (Psalm 37:4). There is no other reason why we are here and what we are to do with our days. And we enjoy God by giving Him glory. This is not egotism from God, but rather the setting of the direction of our lives that gives us the only true and enduring happiness we look for (Psalm 36:9, 130:7, John 6:35, 8:12, 15:5). Creation also addresses the place of everything else created, putting them into balance with the creation of man, and man being the highest creation (Genesis 1:27-31). Everything is designed by God through God for God. Everything is His and everything is for His glory (Romans 11:36).
The Fall addresses what is wrong with all of us. Man is deeply sinful. We scheme, we deceive, we lie, and we do it regularly (Romans 1:18-32, Jeremiah 17:9). The depth of our sin can be seen in our thoughts, our actions, and our words. Some sins are perpetuated in our life for years and for decades. Sin is in everything. It is in our school, our families, our churches, our city, our country, our conversations, our plans, our spending, our eating, and our entertainment . There is nothing untouched by it. Any denial or downplaying of sin is part of the problem. We make light of the very things our beloved Savior died for. Sin is more subtle than it is blatant. For every blatant sin we know of there are thousands of subtle sins going on.
Redemption addresses the cure for sin and the remedy to bring creation back to God’s original intent. Redemption is not a bandage or an afterthought. Redemption was planned from eternity (Ephesians 1:3-14). God knew that man would seek the pleasure of his own glory and seek pleasure in the glory of other gods, whether they be images or things we do or own. God knew we would reject or shun him and seek our joy in other places. And He, being perfect, could not allow this rebellion to go unpunished. God is just, and He will not allow injustice to go free.
Yet in His mercy He made a way out for mankind, and not just to reconcile things for the moment, but a way for mankind to rediscover God and rediscover that true, lasting, joy is found in Him by giving Him glory instead of giving glory to other things. Through this rediscovery man could be not only be forgiven, but also live a life that has real meaning and purpose and joy. Through the Lord Jesus Christ mankind can re-enter much of the way God designed life before the Fall (Ephesians 2:10).
In our teaching of students and first emphasizing a love and knowledge of Jesus Christ it is right and helpful to understand this framework. We can teach students why they are here on earth, what has gone wrong with them and their world, and what God has done to fix things.
Christ and the Academic Education of Children
Emphasizing a love and knowledge of Jesus Christ does not downplay or diminish the importance of academics, rather it fosters it. An education is a gift from God, thus it is prized. Although it is less of a prize than knowing and loving Jesus Christ, an education is a supreme gift because God designed us to grow in knowledge of Him and all the things he created for our good. God is glorified when people see and discover and are in awe of him and the things of his creation.
This also does not diminish the foundational things of education like learning to read and write. For these things also bring great glory to God, for these very things in the life of the learner are great accomplishments. Such accomplishments are to be seen as gift from God, for it is God alone who has enabled the child to make sounds out of letters. Every step of the process reveals the goodness and beauty and design of God.
Subjects like history, science, and math also point to the glory of God. History reveals the plans of good and bad men, and the sovereignty of God’s perfect plan in His redemption of mankind through their good and bad plans. Science, in all of its many facets, shows the organization and design of God. Math reveals that amazing logic of God’s orderly world.
Yet the supreme, most valuable, and most joyful thing to learn about is Jesus Christ. And out of a joyous relationship with Him comes the desire to gain wisdom and knowledge in the other parts of life.
The Blessing of Compulsory Education
Compulsory education is not a negative thing for a Christian, for he is a humble disciple, hungry to be and know more. Learning is good thing to him. Resistance to learning is a sin. Passivity and procrastination hinder spiritual and academic growth. A Christian who seeks to know and love Jesus Christ will exhibit an eagerness to learn a wide variety of things.
Compulsory education is good for Christians, for they know they are weak in the flesh and prone to seek only the things they prefer. A Christian with the heart of a humble disciple will willingly submit to education because they know that under the wisdom and maturity of someone wiser than them, they will grow, and that growth will bring glory to God.
The Problem of Sin
Sin in a believer’s life will work against all these things. His love for Jesus will ebb and flow, his love for people will go against his fleshly desire to be selfish, and his appetite to learn will wane.
Sin, seen in the light of loving Jesus, is a decision to love Jesus less than whatever becomes more desirable. Sin is spiritual infidelity, as adultery is marital infidelity. A love for the Lord Jesus Christ is relational. For we have died and Christ is our life (Galatians 2:20 & Colossians 3:1-4). To sin, is to exchange our relationship with Jesus for something we want more than Jesus.
Sin must be dealt with head on. It is the barrier to all things good. It hurts people. It damages relationships. It destroys reputations. But most importantly, for the Christian, it removes Jesus as the center of our life. In so doing, it is an offense to Him. It the very thing He so greatly suffered for, and died for, and paid such a huge price for.
In a Christian school environment, many problems are sins that go by another name. Disrespect for teachers is a sin. Laziness in class is a sin. Putting off homework until it is too late is a sin. Many times tardiness is a sin. Hitting, name-calling, pushing, mocking, gossip, stealing are all sins.
Dealing with sin is difficult in a Christian school because it is easier to address wrong behavior in other terms. Calling it sin and dealing with it as sin forces the student and the teacher to deal with heart issues, prayer, forgiveness, repentance, and restoration.
Yet sin must be dealt with head on because it is the heart of the child that we are most interested in. More than mere proper behavior, we want a child that behaves right for the right reason; because they know and love Jesus. And out of that knowledge and love they want to their life centered on Him.
The Spiritual Life of a Teacher
The spiritual life of a Christian school starts with the board. It is the head of the school and the head must be deeply spiritual. After the board, the principal must be deeply spiritual. The board sets the spiritual tone for the whole school, then principal embodies that tone for the teachers, staff, parents, and students.
Yet because teachers have the most contact with students and parents, they must be extra diligent to cultivate their spiritual life. Jesus Christ must be the center of their life and their job. While the workload of teaching can be consuming, the need for men and women of great spiritual depth is more important.
Much of the difficulty of staying spiritually healthy is the discipline of continually magnifying Jesus in our hearts and in our thoughts. Which will be the same problem our students will have.
The depth and strength of the spiritual life of a teacher is dependent on seeing Jesus as supremely worthy praise and honor and glory. And supremely worthy of pursuing with all of their heart.
Grace Church and Christian Education
For twenty five years, God has given Grace Church the desire to convert and educate children. The love for Del Rosa Christian School runs very deep within Grace Church. And the church feels deeply responsible to having a healthy school; spiritually, relationally, and financially.
The school is neither a burden to nor an idol of the church. Rather the church desires to serve God by educating hundreds of children to know and love Jesus Christ, and to treasure academic learning.
Christian education is done best alongside a church. The accountability and focus of a school being a ministry can best be done through a school board that guides and loves the school and is itself answerable to a church board that wants to give him glory through a school ministry.
Conclusion: Christ is our life.
As Christians we have died and we now live to give glory to Jesus Christ. We understand we are God’s creation especially designed to have the richest life giving glory to God. Sin has marred everything and God will punish each person for their sins. Yet through God’s mercy we have a way to not only be forgiven, but to live a life, through his power, that gives us meaning and deep, rich joy.
The life we are meant to have is one that cannot resist being drawn closer and closer to Jesus, and through that drawing we fall more in love with Him and want know him better and better. And part of knowing Him and loving Him is learning and loving academic subjects.
As board members, administrators, and teachers our first concern is for the spiritual life of the students. We understand that sinful behavior must be called sin, and dealt with as sin, and that we lead and teach out of our own love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.