A SUMMARY OFCHAPTERS 1-6

OF THE BOOK
“EDUCATION”
BY ELLEN G. WHITE

CHAPTER ONE
SOURCE AND AIM OF TRUE EDUCATION

This chapter defines what true education entails. It postulates that our ideas of education take too
narrow and too low a range. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of
study. It is the harmonious development of the physical, mental, and spiritual powers. The source
of such an education is brought to view in these words of Holy spirit, pointing to the Infinite One
(Jesus Christ). This is seen in Colossians 2:3. In Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom.” and
in Job 12:13 - “He hath counsel and understanding.”
By education, man is brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working in
and through all. Education provides more than just mental discipline; it also provides physical
exercise. It also fortifies ones character, preventing truth and uprightness from being abandoned
to selfish desire or worldly ambition. It strengthens the intellect against evil. "God created man in
His own image" (Genesis 1:27), and it was His purpose that the longer man lived he should
reveal this image. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God, but sin robbed man of his
Creator. The earth was marred and defiled by sin, reflecting but dimly the Creator's glory.
Education is to bring man back to the perfection in which he was created, so that the divine
purpose in his creation might be realized. Mans divine image was tarnished and nearly erased as
a result of sin. Man's physical abilities were weakened, as were his mental capacity and spiritual
vision. He had become vulnerable to death. However, the race was not without hope. The plan of
salvation had been planned by limitless love and mercy, and a life of probation had been
provided. The work of redemption was to restore in man the image of his Maker, to restore him
to the perfection in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul,
so that the divine purpose in his creation could be realized. This is the goal of education.
It is the recommendation of Ellen White that students be directed to the vast fields opened for
research in nature and revelation, rather than confined to that which men have said or written.
She says that anyone who co-operates with the divine purpose in imparting to the youth a
knowledge of God, and moulding the character into harmony with His, does a high and noble
work.
The educational system established at the beginning of time was to serve as a model for man for
all time. A model school was constructed in Eden, the home of our pioneer parents, to
demonstrate its ideas. The Garden of Eden was the classroom, nature was the textbook, the
Creator Himself was the teacher, and the human family's parents were the pupils. Made in the
image and splendour of God (1 Corinthians 11:7),

CHAPTER TWO
THE EDEN SCHOOL

This chapter introduces the ‘Eden school’as a form of education. This school was one which was
introduced after the creation of man. The educational system (Eden School) was established at
the beginning of time and was to serve as a model for man throughout all subsequent time. This
school was located in the Garden, ‘nature’ was regarded as the manual of study and God was the
teacher. - "In Eden, the Lord God established a garden eastward, and there He placed the man
whom He had made." And the Lord God formed every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good
for food from the ground, as well as the tree of life in the midst of the garden."
This garden of Eden represented what God wished the entire earth to become. It was the
intention of God that as the human family grew in size, they should create other homes and
schools like the one He had provided. Thus, over time, the entire globe could be occupied with
homes and schools where the words and deeds of God could be studied, and where pupils could
be fitted more and more fully to reflect the light of the knowledge of His grandeur throughout
countless ages.
In the garden, God personally directed the education of his students, Adam and Eve out of love
for them. He frequently visited them through His messengers, the holy angels, and they received
advice and guidance from them. They often heard God's voice as they walked in the garden in
the cool of the day, and they held communion with the Eternal face to face.
God’s feelings toward them were "thoughts of peace, not evil." The book of nature, which laid
out its living lessons in front of them, provided an endless source of instruction and delight. As a
form of constant reminder, God's name was engraved on every leaf of the forest and stone of the
mountains, on every bright star, in the earth, sea, and sky - Thus education through nature.
As part of this education, God granted Adam and Eve gifts that were commensurate with their
lofty destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in shape, regular and beautiful in features, their
countenances gleaming with the hue of health and the light of joy and hope, they bore the
likeness of their Maker in outward resemblance. This resemblance was not limited to the
physical realm. Every ability of the mind and soul mirrored the beauty of the Creator. There were
rewards and incentives to encourage and stimulate the learning process.

CHAPTER THREE
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL
This chapter taught us the difference between good and evil. God made man in his image, but not
in perfection; while Adam and Eve were as innocent as newborns, they were not without sin.
God gave them the authority to make decisions at their discretion in order to put their love and
loyalty to the test. In this regard, God created the tree of good and evil and taught Adam and Eve
that they might eat from any tree in the garden other than the tree of good and evil, stating that if
they ate such fruit, they would die, since God did not intend for man to know evil.
Although God created our original parents to be innocent and holy, he did not exclude them from
the possibility of wrongdoing by giving them the ability to give or withhold obedience in order to
secure voluntary rather than involuntary service from them.
The chapter reminds us that in light of these events, man chose to defy God when tempted to do
so, and man must redeem themselves under harsh circumstances to atone for this sin. The devil
tricked Adam and Eve with the deceit of greed. This idea was created when Eden realized that
the tree of good and evil was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make
one wise as God, and so he began to eat. (Gen. 3:5). Eve, after consuming the fruit, felt a
magnifying power and envisioned herself entering a higher plane of life. She became a tempter
to Adam after she transgressed, and he, too, ate the fruit. Thus becoming a partaker in the sin.
Adam and Eve lost their place in Eden as a consequence of their disobedience and transgression
and as punishment, suffering and toiling were their lots on earth. However, there was still a
promise of redemption for man (GEN. 3:15), as we, Eve's descendants, were given the authority
to defeat Satan.
 CHAPTER FOUR
RELATION OF EDUCATION TO REDEMPTION.
Man was separated from God as a result of his sin. Without the plan of re-redemption, he would
have spent eternity separated from God. Communion with God is restored as a result of the
Saviour's sacrifice. He reveals the riches of the universe to us, and through Him, we are given the
ability to discern and appropriate these treasures.
The true teacher (Jesus Christ) is not satisfied with directing his students to a standard that is
lower than the highest that they are capable of attaining. He can't just make them good
accountants, skilled artisans, and successful businesspeople. Christ’s aim is to instill in them the
values of truth, obedience, honour, integrity, and purity. The true teacher seeks to instill in his
students principles that will enable them to be positive forces for the stability and advancement
of society.
Christ's life and death, the price of our redemption, are not only a promise and pledge of life to
us, but a broader, higher revelation of His character than even the holy ones of Eden knew. He
has the power to invigorate and restore the faculties of the soul that have been paralyzed by sin,
the darkened mind, and the perverted will.
Through the soul's acquaintance with Christ, godly principles become a living power to shape the
character. The teacher who accepts this goal is, in fact, a co-worker with Christ, a co-labourer
with God.
 CHAPTER FIVE
THE EDUCATION OF ISRAEL

In the divine plan of education as adapted to man's condition after the Fall, Christ stands as the
representative of the Father. Adam was "the son of God" (Luke 3:38), and it was from their
Father that the children of the Highest received instruction. The education centring on the family
was that which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. God sought to strengthen their faith by
revealing to them the power that was continually working for their good. He set before them, in
the precepts of His law, the standard of character to which, through His grace, He desired them
to attain. The Bible tells how God taught Israel the ways of God, and how He made them an
honour to His name and a blessing to surrounding nations.
It is Ellen White’s view that true education does not impose instruction on an unprepared and
unreceptive mind. Mental abilities must be stimulated, as well as interest. God's method of
instruction was made available for this purpose. He who created the mind and established its
laws ensured its proper development. In the home and the sanctuary, through the things of nature
and of art, in labour and in festivity, in sacred buildings and memorial stones, God gave Israel
lessons illustrating His principles. Precious were the lessons taught to Israel during their sojourn
at Sinai. This was a period of special training for the inheritance of Canaan. The tabernacle,
through its service of sacrifice, was to teach - the lesson of the pardon of sin, and power through
the Saviour for obedience unto life. In all, God desired His people to read His purpose for the
human soul. A structure of surpassing splendour, demanding for its construction the most costly
material and the highest artistic skill was to be erected in the wilderness.
From the outset of the journey from Egypt, lessons had been given for their training and
discipline. Moses, as God's representative, was to administer the laws in His name. Everything
that concerned their well-being was the subject of divine solicitude. The order so strikingly
displayed in all the works of God was manifest in the Hebrew economy.
 CHAPTER 6
THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS

God's plan for education was incompletely and imperfectly fulfilled in the homes of the Israelites
of old. By unfaithful parents and idolatrous influences, many of the Hebrew youth received an
education differing widely from that which God had planned for them. To meet this growing
evil, God provided other interventions as an aid to parents in the work of education. Samuel
established the schools of the prophets. There were two of these schools - one at Ramah, the
home of the prophet, and the other at Kirjath-jearim. These schools were intended to provide
men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counsellors. These schools were intended
to serve as a barrier against wide-spreading corruption. They were also intended to provide for
the mental and spiritual welfare of the youth. The pupils sustained themselves by their own
labour in tilling the soil or in some mechanical employment. In Israel, this was not thought
strange or degrading. it was regarded as a sin to allow children to grow up in ignorance of useful
labour.
David's sins, though sincerely repented of, emboldened the people in the transgression of God's
commandments. Solomon's life, after showing great promise in his early stages, was darkened
with apostasy. As he cast off his allegiance to God, Solomon lost the mastery of himself. He
dishonoured himself, dishonoured Israel, and dishonoured God. Though he afterwards repented,
his repentance did not prevent the evil he had sown.
The downfall of Israel began when they rejected the ways of God for those of men and became
prey to nations whose practices they had chosen to follow. As a nation, the children of Israel
failed of receiving the benefits God desired to give them. Although individuals and people may
separate themselves from God, His purpose for those who trust Him is unchanged. As with Israel
of old, success depends on devotion to carrying God’s plan.
Observance of the principles of God's word will bring as great blessings to us as it would have
brought to the Hebrew people. "All these things happened unto them for examples: and they are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world have come". - 1 Corinthians 10:11.

BENEFITS OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

1. Through Christian education, God can grant us wisdom and understanding
2. Observance of the Godly principles emphasized in Christian education will bring as great
blessings to us
3. Christian education aids mental and spiritual welfare
4. It inculcates discipline into our daily living
5. Christian education prepares us to become positive forces for the stability and
advancement of the society we find ourselves.
6. It helps us develop noble character worthy of emulation
7. It makes us resourceful just as the children of Isreal in the days of the school of the
prophets.
8. Through faith in Jesus Christ, it builds confidence in us believing that with faith and
works anything can be achieved.
9. It allows us to live a life of temperance and obedience to God’s word which is a manual
for good success.
10. Christian education allows us to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation.