I have professed before and here too, that the founders of Emmanuel Christian School were people of faith.
It required faith to build a Christian school in our current location and to believe it would one day be the great school that it is today. It is therefore not surprising that one of our core values is FAITH. It logically follows, that what is founded by faith can only be sustained by faith. But what does FAITH look like, both at and for Emmanuel Christian School?
The word faith, like other English words, is a term that has been given multiple interpretations. Whilst we may all know what it is, at times it can be difficult to nail it, depending on the context. Two dominant views of faith have been faith as exercised irrationally, by which having faith means being opposed to rational thought and knowledge. The other notion is one where faith assumes a form of exercised idolatry, as individuals believe that they have the power to change their circumstances. Despite the wide acceptance of these understandings of faith, they are inadequate for Christians and for any rational being.
Hebrews 11 declares that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The prophet Habakkuk writes, ‘the righteous shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Whilst many may construe faith as ‘blind’ from Hebrews 11, it is far from it. Faith is not blind but active, intentional, and tangible; a visible commitment that is actioned as we live by it, pursuant to God’s promises. This is contrary to the idea of faith as a fatalistic embrace or mere mental assent to some utopia without evidence. Faith is both a state of being and expressed commitment. As a state of being, we believe in the one who made the promises. In Him, we live, move, and have our being. We have faith as we believe in the promise because the One who made the promise is infallible. Just like the ancients mentioned in Hebrews, our nature is to live our lives as God says because what He says is true. As such, this constitutes our reality, superseding naturally perceived sensory forms. In this state of being, we still function with reason, but reason, in this case, is the knowledge of the truth that God has given us. Faith in this case can be regarded as FAITH IN. At our school, we have FAITH IN Jesus Christ as a God-given promise for our ultimate atonement and sanctification.
Our FAITH IN drives us to have the second form of faith which is FAITH FOR. Our FAITH IN does not allow us to be idle and sit quietly, but continuously nudges us to act on what God has promised. When the author of Hebrews mentions being ‘sure’ and ‘certain’, these are dominant mental states that warrant and prompt action. Thus, through FAITH IN Him, we align our activities with God revealing the case about reality, whether about ourselves, Him, others, and both animate and inanimate objects around us. Though at times we use our God-given endowments, our faith in this case ceases to be a blind leap into unknowns but a rational, deliberate commitment to think, act, respond and overtly express ourselves beyond our natural abilities. Action beyond our natural endowments and oppositional extant realities is an expression of faith in God’s ways and in whom He is to us.
Implicit in our core value of faith are these two forms of faith, that is, FAITH IN and FAITH FOR. We have faith in Christ hence a Christian school acknowledging our humanity, the rebellious fall, our redemption, and reconciliation. We have faith in the One Creator God hence we worship and pray. We have faith in the Bible hence we present it as the true infallible spoken word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. We have faith in the Holy Spirit as the third person of the trinity who abides in us and leads us into all truth. We have faith in the family as a God-ordained institution for bringing forth and raising children according to His purpose and realisation of His will. We have faith in the church as a body of believers in Christ established for transformation into Christ’s likeness.
As a school, we also have FAITH FOR. Just like the commended ancients in Hebrews who believed, and obeyed in order for them to receive what God had promised them we also believe and obey to receive what God promises us throughout His word. We have faith for a future of abundant life for the precious children that our parents have entrusted to us. We have faith for the realisation of God’s greatness and goodness in their lives. We have faith for the redemptive and restorative power of the cross for all in our school. We have faith for God sustaining families as a vital unit for Godly societies and effective education. We have faith for God’s blessing upon our school as we unite in heart and mind. We have faith for resources to obtain in seasons of austerity for the provisioning of Christian education of the highest quality. Thus, faith for, drives, and sustains us as we labour with hope and love.
For us as a school, faith matters in all matters because all our matters are matters of faith.
Lifeas Kapofu — Principal