Scripture teaches that Christian education is a vital duty of parents and the church, aimed at turning hearts toward God and grounding the youth in the gospel of Jesus Christ. While Reformed traditions agree on the necessity of this instruction, they vary in their views on how this responsibility is shared between the family, the church, and the state.
The instruction of the youth is not a mere cultural preference but a sacred command. From the Old Testament to the New, God directs His people to saturate the lives of their children with His Word. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 emphasizes that the commandments of God should be central to daily life, spoken of in the home, in the way, and at rest. This is echoed in the New Testament, where parents are exhorted to raise their children in the "nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Ultimately, this education is intended to turn hearts toward God and prepare a people for the Lord, as seen in the ministry of John the Baptist (Luke 1:17).
The ultimate goal of Christian education is not merely moral behavior, but to make the student "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." As the Apostle Paul reminds Timothy, the Holy Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God "complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Grounding our children in the gospel ensures that they are not swayed by every wind of doctrine, but are instead equipped to walk in the freedom of Christ, having been taught that they are profoundly flawed yet deeply loved and accepted in Him.