Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Jeremiah 9:23 ¶ Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jeremiah 9:23 ¶ Thus says the LORD, "Let not the one who is wise and skillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] abundance; |
Bible Question: Maybe I should have rephrased it differently. Does a formal education hold value in God's eyes in terms for everyone that's saved? I completely agree with you about how he uses education to convey his Word, but is it actually needed to serve effectively? I understand that if you want to serve God through a certain skill like engineering, you need an education in engineering. But suppose someone has no skill, only a deep love for Christ. Is any kind of education required of him to serve his Lord? |
Bible Answer: Dear TC, Wow, I hardly know where to start. Our uniquely postmodern world-view is what causes people to ask this kind of question, when in other times the value of education was such that it wouldn't have entered into our minds. The Roman Church, when it should have been about the business of teaching the people, allowed them to languish in ignorance, in order to maintain its power. The great struggle of the Reformers was to build sufficient education in the people to allow them to begin to understand, and study -- note the word -- the Word of God itself. America's founding fathers emphasized the importance of education for this purpose, plus the firm belief that an ignorant people cannot long remain a free people -- a notion that was clearly understood by the ancient Greeks. All truth is rooted ultimately in God. He created us with the ability to learn. He took great pains to provide us with text that must be studied in order to understand. He provided the Holy Spirit to "bring to remembrance" what we learn. Whole books of the Bible (e.g., Proverbs and Colossians) are predominantly about learning. There all kinds of practical reasons for an education if you are to minister in the Kingdom. Your objective in any kind of ministry is building the Kingdom of God. Preaching and teaching are coequal in the Scripture. An educated person can communicate with a broader set of people, than an ignorant person can do. An educated person will have far more opportunities of venues in which to minister. Most churches recognize this, seeking out ordained ministers who have at least a minimal seminary degree. One of the documents of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church states the importance of education in ministry in this fashion: "It is highly reproachful to religion and dangerous to the church to entrust the preaching of the gospel to weak and ignorant men." See the trouble we are in today, because of a deemphasis of education. Young man, a formal education is merely a way to make learning optimal, maximizing our effort and time. With proper training we understand the limits of our own understanding. We will be able to understand what God has taught men of long ago. If you are in a position to choose, then choose an education. Learn the discipline of study -- both academic and personal. In Him, Doc |