“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
(Proverbs 22:6, NLT)
My church — CityChurch Lawrence — recently spent a couple gatherings discussing the way of wisdom as it relates to the education of our children. We discussed several passages including Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Ephesians 6:1-4, Romans 12:1-2, Titus 2 and many others. The following list is a list of the primary principles we identified. We would not suggest this list is exhaustive, but we believe it is very helpful.
PARENTS HAVE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY.
Parents have the primary responsibility for the discipleship of children. We have freedom in how we pull this off, but the emphasis on this in Scripture is undeniable. Parents must walk in wisdom if they expect to help their children walk in wisdom.
EDUCATION IS PART OF DISCIPLESHIP.
Discipleship includes education because every area of education is related to worldview. Therefore, teachers/schools are either working with parents in helping them develop a Biblical worldview in their children, or working against them.
THE CHURCH IS INCREASINGLY INVOLVED.
The believing community is critical in training and encouraging the parents of young children, and then becomes more directly involved in the adolescent years and later.
DISCIPLESHIP BEGINS WITH RENEWING THE MIND.
The mind is a critical part of spirituality — the beginning of action. We behave based on what we believe.
OUR NATURAL BENT IS TO CONFORM TO THE WORLD.
We tend to conform to this world (not the people of the world, but the world system, led by Satan and rebellious against God in every way). It’s a natural consequence of being born sinful. We must lead children to fight this tendency.
THE WORLD SYSTEM WILL TEACH OUR CHILDREN MUCH.
The “world” is indirectly involved in the training of our children. They will learn from the world system, it’s ugliness and deception. We must not take them out of the world, but be prepared to help them grow in discernment as they begin to encounter the world.
WE AND OUR CHILDREN NEED TO LEARN TO THINK GOD’S THOUGHTS.
Because we are all born sinful, we do not think right. We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. “Be transformed” is present, passive imperative, which means we must be actively engaged in cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He uses our study of the Word of God to transform our thinking — to give us the mind of Christ.
