Monday, July 29, 2019

Whose Responsibility is Our Children's Education?


There are some parents who believe that educating their children in their own homes is just an option for Christian parents.  Some parents think it may be too difficult and not worth their time and effort.  Some parents think that homeschooling may work for some families, but not for theirs!  They do not have enough patience and could never manage (so they think).  Some parents even give little or no thought about where their children will be spending their time and receiving instruction when it comes to about age five or so.  But this should not be so for parents who want to give every area of their lives and families over to Christ.

Ever since I had my first child, the Lord laid on my heart the importance of educating our children at home. I felt the Lord drawing me to homeschool--that this was His best and His desire for His children. If you do not think so, I encourage you to pray and search the Scriptures, and consider these well made points by Israel Wayne:
"Every passage in Scripture that talks about education is directed to parents. No one else in the Bible is ever commanded to teach children other than parents (and in a supplementary role, grandparents). While the Bible doesn't expressly forbid anyone else from teaching our children (in a supplementary role), the Bible does lay down these ground-rules:
1. All education must begin with the fear of the Lord (which is the beginning of wisdom). (Proverbs 9:10
2. It must avoid the counsel of the ungodly, the way of sinners and the seat of the mocker, but instead provide a context where the child can meditate on the law of the Lord day and night. (Psalm 1:1-1
3. It must not be instructing children in learning the ideology of the heathen. (Jeremiah 10:2, Ephesians 5:11, Colossians 2:8
4. We are expressly forbidden to partner with unbelievers in the education of our children. (2 Corinthians 6:13-18
5. Any education that does not begin with faith in God, and declare His is a sin and cannot please God. (Romans 14:23, Hebrews 11:6
6. Any education that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Creator of everything that exists, the visible things and the invisible things, will not be acknowledged by Christ, but instead are denounced by Him. (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Matthew 10:32-33
7. We are expressly forbidden to put our children in an environment where they have a sinful peer culture. (Proverbs 13:20, 1 Corinthians 15:33)" 
~ Israel Wayne

Hopefully these Scriptures will clarify the Lord's will for your children's education if you had any doubt. And for us parents who are already homeschooling, this is a great encouragement and reminder of why we are doing what we are doing! Don't give up, even on the harder days. In due season, we will reap, if we faint not.

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