Education Is Not the Enemy

by Doy Moyer

Knowledge is not the enemy of God’s people, and this means that education is not the enemy either, for one must participate in some form of education in order to receive knowledge. While knowledge without love puffs up (I Corinthians 8:1), knowledge itself is not the root problem. On the other hand, ignorance is a problem for it results in the blind leading the blind so that both fall into the pit.

Education is not what causes people to leave the faith. It is not what causes people to interpret the Scriptures poorly or to take wild positions that threaten the faith of others. Education is not the enemy and ignorance is not something to celebrate. God’s people are to love God with all the mind (Matthew 22:37), so we must foster the mind in service to God and beware that we are not promoting a form of anti-intellectualism and calling it righteousness.

I’m not saying that Christians must have college degrees to be good Christians. Education comes in many forms, and there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to this matter. Yet seeking to do what we do in excellence is a matter of commitment to the Lord no matter how much ability each person has. We are to seek to be the best workers, students, teachers, (name it) that we can be because we are serving the Lord. Being satisfied with minimal effort isn’t what the Lord accepts (cf. Matthew 25:24-26). As Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are connected in Scripture, so if we want to be able to use wisdom with understanding, we need to seek excellence in our knowledge as well. Let this wisdom guide us:

"For learning wisdom and discipline;
for understanding insightful sayings;
for receiving prudent instruction
in righteousness, justice, and integrity;
for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced,
knowledge and discretion to a young man —
let a wise person listen and increase learning,
and let a discerning person obtain guidance —
for understanding a proverb or a parable,
the words of the wise, and their riddles.
The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline" (Proverbs 1:2-7).