A BIBLICAL LOOK AT HOMESCHOOLING
By Elder David M. Green

INTRODUCTION
First of all, let me say this I experienced home school but I also experienced public school. Unlike most people, I can honestly say I have been there and done that in regards to both issues of this subject. May the Lord bless us as we study His word!

1. A LITTLE BAD IS STILL BAD.
Recently, I have heard some arguments that the public school system has some good points to it, in spite of the decay in morals we have seen in the past few years. The public school system teaches evolution, immorality, homosexuality (called "alternate lifestyle"), etc.

The Bible teaches that a "little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (I Corinthians 5:6). God does not have varying degrees of bad in His Word. Bad is bad, and good is good. Period.

2. HOMESCHOOLING WAS GOD'S ORIGINAL DESIGN
God's original design was for the children to be taught at home.

"Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth." (Deuteronomy 11:18-21).

"And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

A parent cannot teach the things of God to his children like the Bible says we are supposed to if they are sent away for several hours a day. It is supposed to be an all day thing!

3. GOVERNMENT HAS NO BUSINESS OF EDUCATING CHILDREN
The Bible teaches a very limited role of government in Romans 13:1-7. "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour."

Education was never intended to be a part of the government. By the fact that they are public is against God's Word in the first place. That does not even take into account what they teach. The fact the government teaches at all is wrong and rebellious.


4. HOMESCHOOLING BETTER PREPARES CHILDREN FOR THE WORLD
Like I said at the beginning, I have experienced both home education and public education. Looking back on it, I wish I had never gone through the public school system. Some have claimed that by sending their children into the public school system, they are better prepared for the "real world." I do not need to know what the "real world" is like by experiencing the sin of it. Children of God's people who are in the public school system, most of whom are unsaved do get to see what the "real world" is like and they enjoy every minute of it. They will say curse words, smoke cigarettes, try other drugs, date ungodly people, and other things most parents never know about. I not only experienced some of these things (to my shame), but I also witnessed other children doing similar things who went to church with their parents faithfully every Sunday.

The problem is children should not be put into the "real world" because they are children. They are not disciplined enough to say no to peer pressure. They cannot make correct decisions by themselves. That is why you do not send them out on their own. That is why they still live under your roof.

In the public school system, children are bombarded by errors that are very convincingly taught as fact. They spend almost seven hours in a classroom per day, five days per week. This goes on for nine months out of the year. That means they spend more time learning at the public school system than they spend learning at home or in church. When the kids come home, there is homework to do, plus any extra curricular activities that are done on top of that. And how long is the TV on? What about video games? Very little time is left for instruction, and the sad fact is, the parent not only must teach but also "unlearn" the error that is taught at school.

And evolution is only one part of it. The public school system curriculum is packed full of wickedness and evilness. And we are only talking about what they are learning from their teachers. What of the peers? I can tell you, the kids they play with on the playground are not good examples to learn from!

On the other hand, if you home school them, then you are preparing them for the world. But you are not putting them into it! When a home schooled person has been properly prepared, that young adult will be well-prepared:

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6).

That word "train" is a word that means in the original "to initiate or discipline." Homeschooling trains much better than public schooling does. With the public school, your children are available for you to teach a little every evening and on the weekend. But you also have to defend the truth.

With homeschooling, on the other hand, your children are available to you all the time to train. You discipline them in the things of God, and prepare them for the world. When I was home schooled, we learned all about Creation, but we also learned the evils of evolution. We learned about marriage, but we were also taught about the evils of sodomy. Etc. Etc.

Think of it this way. How utterly ridiculous would it be for a king to put untrained soldiers on the battlefield for their training? Why should the anyone criticize his decision to keep them sheltered from the enemy? Nay, but all the time, the soldiers might not be in the enemy's battlefield, but they are being prepared for battle.

An untrained soldier in the world is an unfit soldier indeed. Yet, Paul, when he wrote to the Corinthians said, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (I Corinthians 13:11)

I graduated from home school prepared for the world. Sure, I had missed out on some things that the world had to offer. But so what? I am a better man because of the education I received. And I'm thankful to the Lord that my Mom realized I needed it.

5. HOMESCHOOLED CHILDREN ARE BETTER PREPARED SOCIALLY.
"And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?" (Exodus 4:11).


It is amazing that I even need to address this. But, I have been around churches the last 10 years preaching in Baptist pulpits and this and quite a few of God's people are afraid of home school because of social skills. Well, first off, I do not want my child to learn the social skills of the world! The world does not speak my language, nor do they know the first thing about being Christian.

My social skills were not damaged at all by home school. And any of you who know me will agree with that. In fact, home schooled children are better prepared socially to be among adults than children who are in today's public schools. In the home, they are taught proper Biblical respect. They are taught how to act as adults. How adults expect them to act. Public schools do not adequately do this.

CONCLUSION.
Homeschooling is not for everyone. Some are not able to do it for various reasons, and I respect that. However, this is an option that should be prayerfully considered. If you cannot do it, then look for a good Christian school. I hope this study has been a blessing to all who read. May the Lord bless!

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