THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

__________________

A Research Paper

Presented to
Dr. Matthew Haste

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

__________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for 80960

__________________

by

David A. Erlandson

derlandson590@students.sbts.edu

February 11, 2022

 THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Outside of traditionally charismatic denominations, the role of the Holy Spirit has

taken a back seat throughout the past century in the evangelical church. Yet even a reading

through the Gospels—not to mention Acts and the Epistles—shows that the Holy Spirit plays a

vital role in the life of the believer. The Nicene Creed reminds that the Holy Spirit is the Lord
and is to be worshipped and glorified along with the Father and the Son.1 While the Holy Spirit

has many roles as the one who convicts, the comforter, and illuminator, the role most important

for this study is the role of empowering agent for the church and its mission.2 As with many parts

of life, it is simple to “go it alone,” trusting on human knowledge and insight and not relying on

the power of God. However, it is imperative that all forms of Christian education, whether in the

academy or church, rely on and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit for illumination and

transformation.

Before Jesus left earth, he alerted his followers to the coming of the Holy Spirit as the

empowering force for their upcoming work of ministry (Acts 1:8). These were regular people,

transformed by the Holy Spirit, to begin making disciples in the world.3 In John 16:13, Jesus

foreshadowed this moment, telling his disciples that he would send the Spirit to guide them in all

truth. The Spirit’s guiding is not simply perceiving or understanding that truth, but as Roy Zuck

states, it is “also the reception of truth.”4 The reception part is an important note, because

Michael F. Bird, Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI:
1

Zondervan Academic, 2020), 669.

2
Bird, Evangelical Theology, 669.
3
Temesgen Kahsay, “Theological Education in the Majority World: A Pentecostal Perspective: The Role
of the Holy Spirit in Theological Education,” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 24, no. 1 (February 2021): 97.
4
Roy B. Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Ministry (Nashville, TN:
Word Publishing, 1998), 42.

1
knowledge transfer cannot be the goal of Christian education. Discipleship, life transformation

and Christian service all sit at the heart of Christian education, with George Knight rightly noting

that a life lived in the service of others should be the “ultimate aim of Christian teaching.”5 In

light of this aim, it is important for the Christian educator to understand the role of the Holy

Spirit and have an openness to his work through education.

Whether teaching in the academy or in the church, the educator spends countless hours

attempting to come up with various schemes and ideas to help the curriculum “stick.” Zuck

offers a humbling reminder for teachers that they do not create these laws and structures, instead
God has already designed the structures, and the Spirit guides them to discovery.6 This humbling

reminder is foundational to Spirit-filled education: no one can truly teach the things of God

without relying on the work of the Spirit. While it may be simple to resort to a pragmatic

approach to education, it is ultimately God’s work alone that transforms people. So, if the goal of

Christian education is transformation, the educator must also understand the source of all

wisdom and knowledge is God.7

To best teach the Bible, a person should discern if they have been given the gift of

teaching. This discernment takes time, patience and potentially the help of others. Paul states in 1

Corinthians 14:26 that the main purpose of any spiritual gift, especially teaching, is to edify other

believers.8 Others may not have the specific spiritual gift of teaching but may well have a natural

ability for teaching. Both groups of people must still see the God-breathed text of Scripture as

their foundational source of truth. This is not to say that Scripture is the source of all knowledge,

instead that Scriptural principles should integrate into all areas of education.9 James K.A. Smith

5
George R. Knight, Philosophy & Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective, 4th ed (Berrien
Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2006), 215.
6
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 72.
7
R. Scott Smith, “Toward a More Biblical (and Pneumatological) Model for Integration, Teaching and
Scholarship,” Christian Scholars Review 47, no. 1 (Fall 2017): 33.
8
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 61.
9
Smith, “Toward a More Biblical (and Pneumatological) Model for Integration, Teaching and
Scholarship,” 36.

2
offers an example of this type of integration as he pulls from secular philosophies to create a

biblical model for education and liturgy. Speaking of these philosophical models, he states that,

“our incarnating, accommodating God meets us in and through these creaturely conditions.”10

Following this example, Christian educators should seek to recognize God’s design within all

areas of education whether they discern themselves to have the spiritual gift of teaching or not.

In this way, all educators may seek to build up and help form believers.11

This is what makes Christian education unique from other forms of education. The

instructor relies on the work of the Holy Spirit, carefully integrating biblical principles into the
curriculum and expecting that God will grow and form the students—or congregation—

according to his purposes. However, this definition tends to be vague and possibly something of

an excuse for the educator to do minimal work and expect some miraculous result regardless of

their effort.12 Therefore, a foundational aspect for Spirit-filled education must be an educator

who lives his life in the Spirit.13 It is through this openness to the Word of God and the work of

the Spirit in the life of the educator that enables him to teach from a place of deep understanding

of the things of God. In this way, the teacher also realizes that he is also under the instruction of

the Spirit while he teaches. He brings his Spirit-filled stories to the educational process that what

God has done in his life might serve to fill the lessons and show the students how they are part of

a larger community of faith.14 This may be the most “practical” step for understanding the work

of the Spirit in education: each person must “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matt 6:33) and not

worry that the Spirit will care for him and work in him.15

James K. A. Smith, Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
10

Academic, 2013), 33.

11
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 68-69.
12
Edward Farley, “Does Christian Education Need the Holy Spirit,” Religious Education 60 (December
1965): 431.
13
Farley, “Does Christian Education Need the Holy Spirit,” 435.

Frank Rogers, “Dancing With Grace: Toward a Spirit-Centered Education,” Religious Education 89,
14

no. 3 (1994): 393.

15
All Scripture quotes taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Holman Bible Publishers, 2017.

3
 Once a personal understanding of the work of the Spirit is underway, the teacher is

then equipped to see his job as a ministry. While God does not call all teachers to be pastors, he

does call all pastors to be teachers (1 Tim 3:2).16 In light of this, the teacher should recognize a

semi-pastoral role as well. Many good teachers understand this almost innately. They teach not

only information, but to inspire and guide the student to a greater love for learning and

knowledge. Applied to the Christian context, the teacher calls on the student to see the world

through the eyes of the Spirit living inside him and live a life transformed by the Gospel

regardless of vocation. Knight states that Christian teachers are “agents of reconciliation” who
are “willing to work in the spirit of Christ, so that their students might be brought into harmony

with God through the sacrifice of Jesus and be restored to God’s image.”17 The teacher is a part

of God’s plan of redemption for the world by inspiring students to see the work of the Spirit in

their own lives and the lives of those around him.

None of these principles preclude the use of proper teaching methods. Many

thoughtful people have discovered useful methods of teaching that are helpful for conveying

information and inspiring transformation. Zuck does warn that while methods can be powerful,

they are not to be a substitute for proper preparation on the part of the teacher.18 The Spirit works

just as much during times of preparation as he does during times of instruction! There is no need

to think of the Spirit’s work as being solely spontaneous. The role of the Spirit in preparation is

guiding a submissive teacher to the proper methods. These are ultimately methods that the Spirit

chooses for the classroom, using creativity and variety to best instruct the students.19 These

methods even apply to preprinted curriculum whether for teaching the Bible or other subjects.

Again, many gifted writers constructed these methods, and they should not be discounted

16
Knight, Philosophy & Education, 211.
17
Knight, Philosophy & Education, 212.
18
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 131.
19
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 132.

4
because they came from another source. The Spirit worked through the creators of the curriculum

just as much as he will guide the teacher to deliver the curriculum in the classroom.20

When speaking on education, the first subject that comes to mind is the task of

teaching children. While church teaching certainly spans all generations, it is still important to

note the significance of the family in Christian education. Randolph Miller wisely notes that the

Christian home is a “cell of the larger body of Christ, and the ministry of the parents is one of the

chief ministries of the church.”21 The educator should certainly know and rely on the Spirit in

teaching, but the students, no matter the age, need to understand Scripture for Christian
education to properly take place. When the family becomes the center for spiritual instruction,

the job of the Christian educator is far easier since being filled with the Spirit (Col 3:16)

increases the ability and capacity to learn.22 Certainly, there are students who do not have home

lives supportive of the truths in Scripture but for those parents who claim Jesus as their savior,

they need to play an active role in their children’s education and spiritual formation.

At times, the role of the Holy Spirit can seem confusing or potentially even

unnecessary, at least from a worldly point of view.23 However, if the church is to be truly

effective in creating disciples (Matt 28:19-20) and transforming the world, the Holy Spirit is

necessary. This begins with an understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work in an individual’s life and

then moves to help students see the work of God in all subjects and in life. The Spirit’s work

happens both in the preparation and in the delivery of the information, whether the teacher

creates the materials himself or uses preprinted curriculum. Understanding the Spirit’s work

requires constant discipline and surrender. But God is delighted to give his people more of the

Spirit in their lives when they come to him in humility and simply ask (Lk 11:13).

20
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 133.
21
Randolph Crump Miller, “The Holy Spirit and Christian Education,” Religious Education 57, May-
June (1962): 237.
22
Zuck, Spirit-Filled Teaching, 124.
23
Farley, “Does Christian Education Need the Holy Spirit,” 431.

5
6
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bird, Michael F. Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction. Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020.

Farley, Edward. “Does Christian Education Need the Holy Spirit.” Religious Education 60
(December 1965): 427–36, 479.

Kahsay, Temesgen. “Theological Education in the Majority World: A Pentecostal Perspective

The Role of the Holy Spirit in Theological Education.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal
Studies 24, no. 1 (February 2021): 97–111.

Knight, George R. Philosophy & Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective. 4th ed.
Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2006.

Miller, Randolph Crump. “The Holy Spirit and Christian Education.” Religious Education 57,
no. May-June (1962): 178–84, 237–38.

Rogers, Frank. “Dancing With Grace: Toward a Spirit-Centered Education.” Religious Education
89, no. 3 (1994): 377–95.

Smith, James K. A. Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic, 2013.

Smith, R. Scott. “Toward a More Biblical (and Pneumatological) Model for Integration, Teaching
and Scholarship.” Christian Scholars Review 47, no. 1 (Fall 2017): 31–50.

Zuck, Roy B. Spirit-Filled Teaching: The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Ministry. Nashville,
TN: Word Publishing, 1998.