Message from Phil Adams, Principal JH/SH & Central Elementary

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die." Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin."

Exodus 20:18-20 English Standard Version


In this passage we are told not to fear, but then are told of the benefit of fear. The first kind of fear – an emotion rooted in a belief that we may be harmed in some way is different than the second kind. This fear is a reverence or awe of God. This is the fear we are to have. This is the fear we are to live our lives by and the kind we teach to our children.

Never have there been two more incompatible concepts than sin and the fear of God. When I sin, I may blame it on a variety of things. But one thing I can never claim is that God has changed His mind or His standards. That is because God Himself cannot change. God does not have a standard – He is the standard.

Of all the compelling reasons for the Christian school, this is right near the top: Christian adults teaching children to fear God in every area of their lives. That is what I want (and I believe commanded) for my children and grandchildren. Moral neutrality is about all a parent can hope for in secular education. That concept is foreign to the God of scripture. One of the most important reasons Christian schools exist is to come alongside parents who are scripturally mandated (Deuteronomy 6:1-9) to instill a fear of the Lord in their children. Why fear? Well, aside from the fact that God is entitled to it, it will, as the passage says, keep them from sin.