John Michael Lane

Rationality is an essential aspect of God’s character. We see this in the creation story. Creation was made in a very rational and thoughtful process.

• On the first day God created the heavens and the earth.
• On the second day God created separated sky and waters.
• On the third day God gathered the waters into one place allowing dry land.

The events that we see in the creation story are no doubt the work of a rational and thoughtful God.

Rationality, reason, and thinking are attributes that we inherit by virtue of being created in God’s image. It something that is inescapable of humans. We think and act with rationality in everything we do. This is something we do by virtue of existing and bearing God’s image. Learning to think and reason correctly is something that must be taught to students.

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” – Romans 12:2

We must teach our students and children to think correctly, to reason as image bearers of God, and to view the world as God views the world.

Now, this next part is VERY important. There are those who would say it is better to wait to teach children reason or logic until they are older. They say that the “child” is not capable to be taught how to reason correctly; however, this view is incredibly incorrect and dangerous. To say this is to deny that children, regardless of age, are image bearers of God. It says that the “thinking” aspect of God’s character doesn’t apply to young children. But any parents who’s child has argued and convinced them to stay up past bedtime knows that children are capable of thinking rationally.

All of the attributes of God that we inherit by being made in his image are present in us from the beginning. They must all be developed and trained to be used correctly from the earliest age.

When we look at our children or students, we must understand that they bear the image of a rational and thoughtful creator. We must acknowledge this ability for students of all ages. It is something that we must develop and instruct correctly and with purpose in order to educate them to perfectly and completely fulfill the purpose that God has for them.

This post is Part I of the Educating In the Image of God series. When I listed the attributes of God that we inherit by virtue of being created in his image, Purposeful was the first one I listed. We start with this attribute because it is profoundly important to wrap our brains and hearts around this concept so we may explore the remaining attributes with a proper frame of reference. We all know that God acts with purpose, but do we always act like we know it?

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” –  Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

God has a purpose for everything he does and if we are bearing the image of God, we must do all things (including educating) with purpose. As parents, teachers, and educators, we must know the goal and our purpose in education. Donavon Graham, author of the book Redemptive Teaching, gives the best goal of education I’ve ever read.

The task of true education is to develop knowledge of God and His created reality and to use that knowledge in exercising a creative-redemptive dominion over the world in which we live. Such an outcome can be attained only by loving God and communing with him, resulting in the wholehearted worship of God.

You notice that in this “purpose statement” of education, there is nothing about concepts. There is no list of subjects or standard course competencies that should be taught. The entire purpose of education is to allow us to see God, God’s created reality, and to use that knowledge to serve and glorify Him. Every course should be designed with this purpose in mind – from conception to outline to final exam, always giving priority to the “Who” over the “What”.

Created in the Image of God. That is quite a bold statement. As Christians we know that this statement is true. We teach it in Sunday school, homeschool, and in private schools; however, we don’t teach it in a way that its applicable to our lives. We teach it as an abstract concept that, while true, doesn’t offer any guidance as to who we are, how we should live, teach, parent, or educate.

I’m a teacher at Artios Academies (A homeschool program) where I teach among other things, Worldview. Right now we are talking about this very idea. We are asking ourselves and delving into what it means to be an Image Bearer of God. Surely such an idea has profound implications that should impact every area of life, especially the areas of parenting, education/homeschooling, and our chosen vocation. However, in order to begin to understand the implications of such an idea, we must first begin to understand in what areas are we image bearers of God. While there are many possible areas, I am going to focus on nine areas (or atributes) that we see this idea.

1. God is Purposeful
2. God is Rational
3. God is Creative
4. We are Creators
5. We are Creatures of Morality
6. We exercise Free Will
7. We Exercise Dominion
8. We are Emotional
9. We are Relational

Obviously, this is to much to go through in one blog post. With that in mind, I’ve decided to turn this post into a series of posts. I will try to post about it once a week until we cover all nine areas. I hope this series will be a thought provoking series that will both challenge and encourage all who read it. But before we begin, what are your thoughts?  What do you think about these nine areas? Do you agree or disagree with these attributes? Post your thoughts and comments below.