Read my classmate post. Think and write your thoughts and feelings about his post. (1 page)
Classmates Post
I can know that God is because the creation reveals the existence of the Creator. The majesty of our world leads me to acknowledge His power and might. The intricate design teaches me that God is intelligent, far more than I. The orderliness indicates that God planned an intentional creation with no accidents or mutations. The world teaches me several things about God, but what it cannot teach me is what to do about God. That is why God revealed Himself to us in the book we call the Bible, and it is why we must educate ourselves about Him.
Gods revelation about Himself began in Eden. His bringing Adam the animals to name was not an exercise in zoology, but a wonderfully creative teaching moment. It was so Adam would understand that animals were not sufficient; he needed a woman for companionship (Gen. 2). When Adam and Eve hid from God, He asked them where they were. He knew the answer, but He was guiding them to the understanding that they had left His side (Gen. 3). These two examples show us that from the beginning of creation, God was teaching man. He intended for man both to know Him and to be in the right relationship with Him.
Christian education has a different goal, then, than other types of education. It is not about passing a class, making a grade, or developing manual skills. Our purpose is to teach others to know God (Jud. 2:10) in both mind and heart. The emotional response to learning about God is valid and vital, but Paul offered a stark warning about the emotional without the factual (Rom. 10:1-3). God is against heart without head; He is equally against head without heart (Jam. 2:19; Matt. 15:8).
How do we ensure we have head and heart? We begin with the facts from the Bible. Faith in God is not faith in God if we do not accept the facts the way God gave them to us; it is only faith in what we can prove extra-biblically. We must believe that God created the world in 6 literal 24-hour days as recorded in Genesis 1 and 2. If we do not, we have no basis for believing anything else the Bible says. We must believe that every geographic and historic detail is accurate even if secular academia lacks proof. When we learn Bible facts, we are learning what God is teaching. We understand how right God is and has always been, and we begin to think right about God.
But Biblical education is not a just the facts, maam endeavor. Powers (1996, p. 22) used the phrase tutored emotions to describe where this education should lead. Our journey into the text should provide more than facts to assimilate; it should provide us with a connection not only to Bible characters, but also to God. When we follow Abrams story from Ur to Egypt, we learn what it means for man to trust God for He is worthy of that trust. When we observe the body-wracking sobs of Peter the Denier as the Christ turns and looks upon him (Luke 22:60-61), we remember our own failures and cry with him, knowing that Christ is looking at us, too. When we travel in our minds eye to the cross, we are moved by the love of Mary and devotion of John. These are proper emotions, tutored emotions, because they are based on the foundation of facts. When we experience this kind of education, we feel right about God.
Effective Bible education is not finished yet. Our thinking right and feeling right about God must lead us to do right about God. Abrahams faith challenges us to step out in faith as we serve God, even though we may not know where we are going! Peters repentance galvanizes us not to stop with sorrow but to correct our behavior and seek forgiveness. Mary and John inspire us to stand at the foot of Jesus cross no matter how big the evil crowd is. This education directs us in living an obedient faith, a faith that does right about God.
When our teaching guides our students to think, feel, and do right about God, we will have fulfilled our mission to teach them to know God. Our work is not done, though. Now, we can train them to teach others, too!
