As parents, we’re often concerned about our children’s safety, while thoughts of the dangers that lurk out in the world motivate us to take extra precautions. You don’t just tell a small child to stay close when walking by a street, you hold their hand tightly so you know for sure they won’t run into the street and accidentally get hit by a car.
Wanting the best for our children when it comes to important faith decisions is much the same thing. We know that when our children reach young adulthood, they’ll face a whole new set of dangers in this world. Will they fall into sin and be terribly hurt? Or will they follow Jesus and avoid the pain caused by sinful decisions?
In Christian homes, it’s easy to “put the cart before the horse”, so to speak. We sometimes put a lot of emphasis on exacting standards of godly living or instilling Christian truths into our children, even when the child may not yet know Jesus as their Savior or have the Holy Spirit for guidance. As well-intentioned as this may be, this kind of forceful indoctrination is in error. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him.”
The greatest need of the unsaved child is to understand the gospel and what it means for them first, so that they can make the choice for themselves to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord of their life. The gospel and the love of God comes first. Righteous living and daily Christian living practices come second. Once the child understands the gospel and chooses to receive new life in Christ, it becomes much easier to teach them Christian growth truths and how to live a godly life.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
If you have a Christian home, it’s easy for parents, or even for your child, to assume that they are a child of God. However, if you don’t remember a time when your child openly received Christ as their own personal Savior, talk to them soon, and offer to guide them through the path of salvation — though only if they choose to!
Read more… How to Lead a Child to Christ
