Parenting God’s Way

God’s design is that all human relationships are based on what is learned through obedience in childhood. If children learn respect and submission in the family, that will enable them throughout life to have proper relationships. If we continue to raise a generation of undisciplined children who do not know what it is to respect authority, we will not only damage our children’s relationships throughout life, but we will insure our world will become even more chaotic.

Do We Care About Our Children’s Future?

The Fifth Commandment is the only one that is reinforced with a promise. Parents can help fulfill that promise for their children if they teach them to honor and respect God and their parents.

Exodus 20:12 “Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD God will give you.”

We Must Deal With Child Depravity

Our children are not innocent when they come into the world, except in the sense that they are naïve and inexperienced. All the potential for sin of every kind is already present in all of our hearts, in seed form.

Both manners and discipline are necessary aspects of proper parenting. But teaching our kids manners is no solution to the problem of human depravity.

Self-esteem is no answer. Much of the modern effort to spark kids’ self-esteem is simply pouring gasoline on a runaway fire. It encourages selfishness, thinking they are justified in wanting their own way. Children thrive when we love them enough teach them and give them responsibility.

There’s only one remedy for the child’s inborn depravity: the new birth, regeneration.

Children Must Be Taught Vital Life Lessons

They Must Be Taught To Fear God

Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

The first is reverence. It is a sacred awe of God’s utter holiness. The second aspect is fear of God’s displeasure. Genuine faith acknowledges God’s right to correct us.

We must teach our children when they do wrong. It not only displeases Mom and Dad, or causes disorder in the family, it displeases God and will bring consequences.

They Must Be Taught to Guard Their Minds

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” 23:7 for as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

We must train young people to be wise and discerning. At first, children have no discernment. They don’t know what is good for them and what is not.

We cannot isolate them completely from evil, nor can we keep our children’s hearts free from defilement. This is because as fallen creatures they carry sinful desires and a sinful imagination around inside them, just as adults do.

Therefore, we must train them to be wise and discerning when faced with evil desires and influences.

They Must Be Taught Social Skills

We are all born totally self-centered, so children face a great need to learn some basic social graces. A social structure cannot survive with everyone whining and demanding to get their way.

They Must Be Taught To Obey Their Parents

Parents must teach their children obedience. It is the most basic and obvious responsibility of parenthood. If we are going to raise a generation of faithful children to live righteous lives, they must begin by learning to obey their parents.

When children are taught early in life to respect and obey parents and those in authority, the entire community structure benefits—teachers, law enforcement, church, the world.

Children, like us, because of their natural depravity, are prone to rebellion, toward their parents, toward God, and anyone in authority.

Proverbs 30:17 The eye [that] mocks a father and scorns the obedience of a mother — the ravens of the valley will peck it out, and the offspring of vultures will eat it.

How important is a child’s obedience?

It depends on how much you love your child and what you want their future to be.

Remember the fifth commandment. It came with a promise for the future of our children. We must teach them how important it is.

We must love our children enough to do the hard work of teaching them to follow biblical principles if we desire for God to bless their future.