Christian teachers are warriors. They voluntarily enter a battle for the souls of their students every day that they enter the classroom. They are not alone in the battle, though, as the three-fold partnership of family, church, and teacher can together forge a strong frontline against the world’s best efforts to win the affections of the students. But it cannot be forgotten that it is a battle; a fight; a war being waged by the very enemy of God, Himself: “Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
The problem of evil is real; it started vying for the hearts of mankind in the garden with Adam and Eve, and it has not stopped. The truth is, the family, church, and Christian education institution could do everything right and STILL evil might prevail and win the hearts and minds of the students. So is it a futile effort? Or is it a battle worth fighting? One might say, is hope worth fighting for?
Hebrews chapter 11, the famous “faith chapter,” begins with, “Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.” There is something mathematical in that verse:
Faith = Truth + Hope + Conviction
Reading further in Hebrews chapter 11, it becomes evident that the Old Testament saints thought that hope was worth fighting for. They never received what they hoped for, what they fought for, sacrificed for, died for, but God, in His word, commended them for their faith. They looked ahead to the promise; they longed for the new country; they sought a heavenly reward. This is the hope, coupled with truth and conviction, which leads to faith.
Families, churches, and teachers must cling to the hope that is the promise of God’s Word, that it will not return void (Isaiah 55:11), just as the Old Testament saints clung to the hope of promised salvation. The Bible says to teach them diligently, to instruct in righteousness, to train in the way he should go, to not forsake gathering, to think on what is true and honorable, to clothe with compassion and kindness, to seek HIM while He may be found…Christian educators have this amazing privilege to stand with parents and churches, on the front lines of the battlefield, to wield swords of truth and shields of faith; to fight, for what is worth fighting for, the good fight of faith.
Concluding Thoughts
Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable; if anything is excellent or praiseworthy…(Philippians 4:8), this is the standard of excellence in Christian education: for the selection of curriculum, for the creation of the learning environment, and for the implementation of rules and expectations. Students are full-time learners for only a short time in their lives and sit under any given teacher for an even shorter period of time; what a blessed and awesome opportunity a Christian teacher has to pour out the gift that God has given him into the life of his student through the means of carefully selected curriculum, carefully prepared lessons, and a well-kept soul; for the malnourished or neglected soul cannot pour into the life of another. This is why the Bible tells us that not many of us should be teachers (James 3:1). A Christian teacher does not hold only the mind of a pupil in her hands, for any educator can teach. A Christian teacher holds in her hands the soul of a child, made in the image of God; entrusted to her care by the living God, briefly, and in partnership with the church and the parents, to train up in the way he should go.