Raising Children with Biblical Faith
Children are naturally influenced by their parent’s behaviour, adopting the values and beliefs they see modelled in the home. As a Christian parent, it’s essential to raise children with a biblical faith that reflects the teachings of Scripture, not just cultural Christianity. Encouraging children to follow Christ is one of a parent’s most important responsibilities. But how can we ensure our children grow in genuine faith that aligns with a biblical worldview?
From parent to child.
Like father, like son, like mother, like daughter. Observing my adult children, it’s patently obvious that they watched us and appropriated what they observed as their own.
While faith in Christ can’t be inherited, most adults raised in Christian homes embraced their parents’ faith. In the American National Study of Youth and Religion, Professor Christian Smith found that eighty-one percent of Protestant parents see their children retain their faith.
At face value, that’s good news! But what does that mean? The troubling reality is what many children receive from their parents, doesn’t always reflect true saving faith in Christ. In other words, what’s categorized as Christianity frequently differs from biblical faith.
Studies by George Barna through the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University confirm this disconnect. Among practicing American Christians, sixty-one percent accept ideas rooted in new spirituality; fifty-four percent resonate with postmodernism; thirty-six percent agree with ideas associated with Marxism; and twenty-nine percent believe in ideas based on secularism.
The bottom line: According to the American Worldview Inventory, only four percent of adults in the United States have a biblical worldview. While a similar inventory doesn’t exist in other countries, we can surmise that a significant number of Christian parents, be they in Africa, Asia, the Americas, or Europe, are only tenuously Christian.
A call for parental vigilance.
Should we be concerned? Absolutely! Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” Matthew 7:21. He adds, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” Luke 13:24. Note the phrase “many … will not be able to.”
Candidly, it’s not enough for parents to self-identify as Christians. A parent may live like and hold Christian values but not be Christian if their god isn’t the God of the Bible or a biblical worldview doesn’t inform their daily lives. Syncretism is unacceptable to God. He expects and rightly demands much more than a diluted faith or half-hearted allegiance (Exodus 34:14). So, “don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” Romans 12:2 (NLT).
Guarding against a diluted faith.
This is to say that when parents pass their faith to the next generation, they must ensure it’s essentially biblical.
So how is this done? Here are three suggestions:
1. Vigilantly live by God’s Word.
Parents who rightly align their thinking, values, will, and actions with God’s Word create a spiritual environment in which their children are most likely to choose to follow Jesus.
2. Teach children God’s Word.
Parents who diligently equip their children to engage with and obey the Scriptures provide the spiritual content to help them develop healthy, fruitful and resilient faith.
3. Unreservedly love the One who is the Word.
Parents who are all-in for Jesus will probably see their children passionately devoted to Jesus in ways that demonstrate they’re full of the Holy Spirit and living by faith.
The narrow way.
Take nothing for granted. Suppose parents neglect their responsibility to nurture their children’s faith. In that case, it’s the beginning of the end (Judges 2:10). So, let’s come alongside one another by collaborating with Christian parents – helping to ensure the transmission of true saving faith with each generation. I don’t say this lightly. The spiritual future of our children, families and communities requires biblical fidelity and strong faith today.
What are the most important biblical principles for raising children with biblical faith? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Related Articles
Five Parenting Practices That Help Develop Your Child’s Faith
What Will Your Children Inherit?
© Scripture Union, 2024
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Blog Author: Lawson’s purpose in life is to cultivate growth. He has sought to fulfill this calling by serving as a teacher, pastor, church planter and children/youth evangelist. He is the author of the bestselling children’s series Bible Beginners and the acclaimed handbook, Bible Engagement Basics. Lawson is a children’s ministry consultant, conference speaker, adjunct seminary professor, international trainer, ministry innovator, Bible engagement advocate, sports ministry specialist, family ministry champion, and the president of Scripture Union.
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