Who or what will train our children?

By: American Decency Staff

 

As the Japanese train trees to hold a shape or grow in certain ways, so children need the same loving care and guidance. As with trees, this nurturing and molding requires diligence, tenderness, and attention to the uniqueness of each child. What an awesome and fearful responsibility we have been given, to raise our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. What a great blessing to play a role in their honing, doing our best to make them straight arrows of truth; shooting them into the future that they might play a part in kingdom building.

Although many look at the Bible as merely a book of suggestions, it’s full of commands, or more contemporarily speaking, mandates. As we read through the Scriptures, it’s not hard to see that blessing follows obedience; and of course, the opposite is also seen to be true. Parents who love their children, and who love their God, need to take seriously God’s divine mandate to train their children in godliness and in obedience to Him, thereby preparing their hearts to be open when the gospel message comes to their ears and the Holy Spirit moves upon their hearts. Indeed, all who have children within their sphere of influence are expected to live holy lives and point them to their Creator.  God in His sovereign grace does the saving, but parents have been given a divine mandate to tune their child’s ear to the Master’s voice.

Arguably the most popular mandate given from the Old Testament in child-rearing is Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (Often called the Shema):

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

The second part of the Shema is found in Deuteronomy 11:13-21 which includes the promise of reward and punishment. God’s mandates are solemn and those to whom He gives them bear a heavy responsibility.

The “Book of Wisdom” (Proverbs) speaks often of discipling and disciplining our children, for their good and our own. Who isn’t familiar with Proverbs 22:6? “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” This book of Scripture is full of warnings, admonitions, and promises when it comes to child-rearing.

In the New Testament, Fathers are warned, “…do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4)

These mandates are not something we can approach haphazardly or even hypocritically. We are instructing our children with eternity in view. Again, God is sovereign, but He has blessed us with children for a reason and given us a mandate for a reason—to train our children in righteousness, to train them in the fear and admonition of Him. Training is a day-in, day-out, everyday thing. (Deut. 6:4-9) To do it haphazardly will “provoke our children to anger.” It mustn’t be hypocritical; it starts with our example, living out a holy life before their young and tender consciences. To say with our actions, “Do as I say, not as I do” breeds contempt and “provokes our children to anger.” These mandates are given to us personally. We aren’t to relegate them to the church, a Christian school, or anybody else. God has commanded us personally to train our children because there is a natural love and desire to please a parent, even as we ought to desire to please our Heavenly Father above all else.

Parents today have so many pulls on them. Job responsibilities seem more cumbersome. Educational pulls ever abound. Friends, church, relatives, social media, and entertainment, everyone wants their “hour” of flesh. With ever-increasing technology, ever-decreasing morals, and entertainment on demand, the child’s temptations seem deeper and wider while the need for parental diligence has never been so great. With the advancement of iPhones, tablets, and easy access internet, many parents are more diligent about their social media accounts than the instruction of their children. We must beware of being parents who are not there, even when we are physically there.

With great responsibility comes either great blessing or great sorrow. We often will not know of the sorrows until it comes too late. As we experience great pulls in our lives, make sure God has the greatest pull and that with it comes the tug of our child’s heart.

Let us live holy lives, deep in devotion and prayer. Let us train up our children in this same manner. The apostle John proclaims what every God-fearing parent reiterates:  “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4)

We invite you to read or even download and pass out our church bulletin insert on this same topic. It’s an excellent article written by Dr. R.C. Sproul entitled “The Most Solemn Mandate.” Click here to read or download it.

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