James 2:14-20

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 

16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 

17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

The relation between faith and works has been a fiery topic of debate for a very long time. But, the relation between faith and works as explained in James could not be simpler or more important to Christians. It works like this, you can know what you really believe, or what other people really believe not by listening to what they say they believe, but by observing what they do. 

A person acts out their true inner beliefs and they also teach their true inner beliefs to others. 

In the world of education it is not possible for a Christian with deep rooted convictions to work in educational institutions such as the government schools that opposes and denies every sacred doctrine taught in the Word of God that they profess to hold to.

It is possible for those that profess sincerely to be Christians to work in government schools and help deny the Word of God and teach children in opposition to Biblical truths and morality, but the profession and the actions of such a person are in conflict. If James is correct concerning the relation between a man’s profession and his actions, then these person’s true beliefs are not rooted in the Word of God but lie somewhere else. 

Wait a second, are you saying that we are to judge a person’s profession of Christian faith on something more than what they say? No, that is not what I am saying. That is what James is saying, and that is what the Word of God is declaring. 

If this sounds foreign to you or even outrageous, that is only because the vast majority of Christians and their institutions teach that a verbal profession of faith is enough, and nothing could be further from the truth, or more in contradiction to what James is teaching. When you encounter something that comes in conflict with the Word of God you have to choose what is your standard, the Word of God, or what other people are teaching. 

The teacher’s inner self will not only be revealed by their actions, but the teacher’s inner self will impact what they teach to their students, and what they allow others to teach their students. 

This is the same for us as parents. If you want to know what your true faith is, look no further than what you teach your children and what you let others teach your children. When you stop and take an honest look at those two things it may startle you that you do not hold as tightly to certain convictions as you think you do. 

The Christian teacher is known by the life that they live in and out of the classroom. And they are especially known by what they teach their students about God, life, and morality. Theology is the subject that all other knowledge and wisdom rests upon. In every classroom in the world, if it be in a home with only one child, or in an educational facility with thousands of students, there is a religious bedrock that everything that the teacher will teach or the student will learn rests upon. 

Christian teachers and educational institutions must have the Word of God, the truth of God, and the morality of God as it’s foundation or they are not Christian at all. If the Word of God is denied in any part, if the truth of God is distorted in any way, if the morality of God is rejected on any subjected, than the education that the child receives from the teacher or educational institution is not a Christian education but is instead and anti-Christian humanistic education that will progressively destroy the pupil and society. 

Christians should become teachers because there is no education that is not religious education, and only Christians have the truth that will help children grow and prosper their entire lives.

 

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Rev. Jeremy Walker

Rev. Jeremy Walker is a Christian minister and educator who has been working with his wife of 20 years to operate a successful Christian preschool that has ministered to thousands of children and families. Rev. Walker and his wife Abigail have 11 children ages 3 to 18 and have worked together to raise, educate, and apprentice their children while ministering to the children of the community.

Rev. Walker is a Christian education and entrepreneur advocate who seeks to inspire, equip, and train young men and women to become the next generation of Christian teachers, to own and operate Christian schools, and to become financially independent and to live without debt.

Rev. Walker has created a Christian internet radio station CR101 Radio, a Christian podcast network, and is the host of a number of podcasts that cover various topics related to Christian doctrine, the family, and society. His hope is that other Christians will get inspired, get equipped, and get involved in the work of the great commission.

In addition, Rev. Walker has created Rushdoony Radio, a website that is dedicated to the promotion of and making available the works of Rousas John Rushdoony. Learn more at Rushdoonyradio.org