What is the biblical approach to sex education in schools?
Introduction
In modern society, sex education in schools is often a major point of conflict for Christian families. This is because secular education typically treats sex as a purely biological or autonomous activity, separating it from moral, relational, or spiritual consequences.
The biblical approach is different: it views sex as a sacred act designed by God, and sex education as a matter of discipleship—shaping a child’s entire understanding of the body, relationship, and covenant. The fundamental biblical principle is that this education belongs first and foremost to the parents.
Three Pillars of the Biblical Approach
A Christian framework for sex education requires the proper source of authority, the right content, and the correct moral boundaries.
1. Parental Responsibility, Not Institutional Mandate (The Source)
The Bible clearly assigns the spiritual and moral training of children to the parents, not to the state or public institutions.
Teaching Diligently: The fundamental command for passing on God's truth, including instruction on life and relationships, is given to the parents: “You shall teach them [God's words] diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). This implies ongoing, intentional, and comprehensive instruction from a trusted source.
The Family as the Primary School: Sex education is not a single class; it is part of a larger worldview formation. Parents are best equipped to integrate biblical values, personal family context, and the doctrine of human dignity into the teaching, ensuring that the facts about the body are taught alongside the truths of God's design.
2. Purity and Covenant (The Content)
The content of biblical sex education is not primarily about mechanics or risk reduction; it is about the holiness of marriage and the sinfulness of sexual immorality.
The Original Design: The teaching is founded on God’s original blueprint: sex is good, holy, and reserved exclusively for the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24). This defines marriage as the only context where sex brings pleasure and blessing without destructive consequences.
The Call to Purity: The New Testament repeatedly warns against sexual immorality ($\pi o \rho \nu \epsilon i ́ \alpha$), which encompasses any sexual activity outside of the marriage covenant. Christians are commanded to flee from it because it sins against one's own body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit: “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
Honoring the Body: Children are taught that their bodies are a precious gift from God and should be treated with dignity and honor, refusing to view sex as a casual or recreational activity.
3. The Role of the School (The Practical Approach)
When navigating the reality of public schooling, the Christian approach is to filter the institution's offerings through the lens of faith.
Schools Provide Facts, Parents Provide Morals: A school can teach the biological facts of reproduction and hygiene. The Christian parent must step in to provide the moral and spiritual framework for those facts. The education provided by the state is incomplete without the ethical component provided by the home.
Discernment and Substitution: Parents must actively discern what is being taught (e.g., subjective gender theory, affirmation of promiscuity) and counter or replace it with the unchanging truth of Scripture at home. If school-mandated programs contradict core biblical morality, the parents must teach the children how to graciously stand on truth and reject the false teaching (Romans 12:2).
Conclusion
The biblical approach to sex education is to equip children with a deep reverence for their bodies, a joyful understanding of God’s design for marriage, and a firm commitment to purity.
This is a parental duty—a comprehensive, ongoing conversation built on love and trust. By establishing the home as the primary source of sexual wisdom, Christian parents provide their children with an unshakable foundation of truth that the changing tides of cultural teaching cannot wash away.
