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How does your understanding of mankind’s fallen nature impact your work in the classroom?
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I know that each of my students have been born with a sin nature. I expect them to sin and make mistakes. My job is to redirect and discipline them in love with the goal of restoration.
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My biblical understanding of mankind–both in being created in God’s image and in the fall resulting in a sin nature–helps me to look at each child as valuable and capable of sinful actions. Knowing this gives me a passion to share with my students who they are and whose they are. It really motivates me to share the gospel with them. Of course I want them to behave in ways that promote godly living. But I also recognize that many of them are not yet believers. I cannot expect the Spirit’s Fruit in their lives when they are not fill with the Spirit. So I guess one major area that this impacts my classroom is to share who Christ is and what he has done for them in hopes that they will come into relationship with God.
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Understanding man’s fallen nature, myself being included, helps me offer grace to students. It helps me understand why students sin, and how I can lovingly correct and help them turn back to God. We look at the story of the Fall of man together and learn from it that we need to obey God because he can never overlook our sin. I have a high expectation of obedience in my course, but I also have a high expectation of forgiveness. When we sin against each other, asking for forgiveness needs to accompany the apology so we can come back into right relationship with each other. It is the Lord’s kindness that leads us to repentance. I desire to help students see that and be led to repentance and experience restoration so they will learn we can come to God over and over and over and be forgiven.
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My students are not robots, and I would never want them to be that way. I celebrate their differences and the way that they challenge me. Also, we need to each push each other to be more Christ-like. Therefore, let God be the judge. Let me help pick up students after they sin and get them headed in the right direction.
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I have to understand that we are all sinners and that we all fall short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus. I am also reminded of, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” I need the fruits of the Spirit to help me guide the students in my room to a relationship with God.
