Raising children

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Does the Bible teach that if you bring a child up in “the way he should go” that he will never go wrong or sin?

Children are a blessing from God. Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” It would be wonderful if parents could do everything perfectly and have their children turn out to be faithful Christians.

But it’s not that simple. Everyone has their own ability to choose their path in life. Joshua commanded God’s people “… choose you this day whom ye will serve …” (24:15). Whatever choice we make, one day we will give account for it. Second Corinthians 5:10 says, “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

No matter how we were brought up, in the end we have the ability to turn away from our upbringing. Parents will teach their children about God and the gospel; they will live righteously and set good examples; and hopefully children will obey it and become Christians. It would be wonderful if this were a guarantee. I’ve seen some of the finest, most faithful parents raise children who were ungodly and cared nothing for righteousness. In those bewildering moments, parents must feel like God, who cared for His children, but they fell away (Isaiah 1:2).

Kyle Campbell