Paideia (παιδεια)

Dear Jordan and Julian, Johanna and Andre,
Luke 2:52 has been your mother and fathers foundational text when it comes to bringing up you precious children. Your mother and I are seeking to bring you up to maturity in all four areas; physical, intellectual, spiritual and social. Paideia of Ephesians 6:4 is much more than rod strokes and spankings. Physical correction is only one aspect of paideia. The secular Greek paideia system involved the complete training, correcting and education of a child with the goal of making them into excellent citizens of the Greco-Roman kingdom. We are convinced that when the scriptures use this term paideia (in Eph 6:4) that it was intentional language used by the author speaking to Greek-Christians or Hellenized Jewish Christians that instructs us to, much like the secular Greek paideia system, to train, correct and educate you all only with the sole intent of making you excellent citizens of the Kingdom of God.

Girls, although this is the goal, we joyfully confess that only God can transfer you to the Kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). Only He can birth you into the kingdom. Our efforts have no bearing on you being born from above. Our job is to prepare you to be ready to serve our King when the Lord saves you. We will strive to work into and mature the natural gifts God has given you all; such as foreign languages, intellectual capacity, problem solving (e.g., math and science), literature, work ethic, social skills, athletics, musical skills, NT Greek and exposition of the bible. We do this believing that He will save you not because of our efforts but according to the predetermined counsel of His will and that He will be able to use you all to advance the kingdom, to the praise of His glorious grace.

We love you all, Mommy and Daddy

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Paideia explained...