On Education

What is the purpose of education? John Milton, the great English poet, wrote, “The end of learning is to repair the ruin of our first parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him…” Although the Gospel (and the regeneration that flows from it) is actually the first step of God repairing the ruin of our first parents, I would agree with Milton that the overall goal of education is to know God to the end that we love God.

In answering our question, knowing and loving God is the highest purpose for those living in the kingdom of God. As the Westminster Confession puts it, “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” To know, love, and imitate God is glorifying to Him and education can play a vital role toward this end. Sadly, this is a rare goal in education today as humanism, with its anti-supernatural biases, has sunk its roots deep into educational institutions whose purpose today is to teach a student certain skills, in order to make a good income, in order to buy lots of stuff. This type of education is temporal and ultimately empty and meaningless. Instead, Christian education contains other means and purposes.

There are certain elements about education that I want to highlight. First, true education should involve exploring both God’s general revelation (i.e., nature) and special revelation (i.e., the Bible). We come to see God’s majesty, power, sovereignty, and transcendence through general revelation. We see these as well in His special revelation, but we also see His imminence in the Bible, most significantly through the person of His Son.

Second, learning about God through His revelation should help us grow in the discernment of what is good, true, and beautiful. The knowledge of God and the working of His Spirit can lead to improved discernment of what is black, white, and gray in the world.

Third, knowledge is not an end in itself. Gathering knowledge should lead to loving the Maker of the universe more. He is glorious and our greatest joy and delight is found in loving Him.

Fourth, if glorifying God through knowing and loving Him is our greatest end, then we should have a great love of learning. Education should not be viewed as a race to complete by the age of 18, 21, or 24, but rather as a life-long pursuit, even an eternal pursuit. It is through a love of learning that we continue to grow in the Faith, both in the knowledge of Christian doctrine and the cultivation of a radical spiritual life in Christ.

Fifth, education should be done on our knees. In other words, it should be humble and devotional. It has been reported that when A.W. Tozer felt he needed a knowledge of Shakespeare, he read the great poet’s work on his knees in prayer to the Lord for illumination. We can best learn when we submit our minds to Christ’s authority.

In conclusion, the end of education is not the creation of doctors, lawyers, teachers or scientists, but rather Christian men and women who know and love God. All of education, from kindergarten to university, can and should aim at instilling the knowledge and love of God in the minds and hearts of the young. Long ago, Solomon provided sound ideas regarding the purpose of education that we would be wise to meditate upon today: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)

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