It is the solemn obligation of parents to give their children the instruction and correction that belong to a Christian upbringing. Parents should be examples of Christian life and conduct, caring more for their children’s salvation than for their jobs, professions, ministry in the church, or social standing.
According to Ephesians chapter six verse four, and Colossians chapter three verse twenty-one, as well as God’s instruction in many passages, it is the responsibility of the parents to give their children the upbringing that prepares them for lives pleasing to God. It is the family, not the church or church school, that is primarily responsible for the Biblical and spiritual training of the children. Church and church schools can only assist and affirm parental training. The core of Christian nurturing is this: The father’s heart must focus on the emotions and feelings of the child: To enable to and bring him to the Savior. In bringing up children, parents should show no favoritism, encourage besides correct, punish only defiance or intentional wrongdoing, and dedicate their lives in love to their children with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
There are several steps parents should consider taking to lead their children to lives of godliness in Christ. The first is to dedicate your children to God at the beginning of their lives. It will enable the child to experience the understanding of the environment as they start to learn. Next is to teach the children to fear the Lord and turn away from sin, love righteousness, and hate evil. Instill in them an awareness of God’s attitude and judgment toward sin. Teach the child to obey you by loving use of Biblical discipline.
Protect your children from ungodly influences by being aware of Satan’s attempts to destroy them spiritually through attraction to the world and immoral companions. Make them aware God is always observing and evaluating what they think and say. Do all you can to help your children come early in life to personal faith, repentance, and water baptism in Christ. Establish your child in a spiritual church where God’s Word proclaims, His righteous standards honored, and the Holy Spirit manifested. Encourage them to remain separated from the world, witness, and work for God. Teach them that they are strangers on earth, that their home and citizenship is in heaven with Christ.
Instruct your child in the importance of baptism in the Holy Spirit. Teach your children that God loves them and has a specific purpose for their lives. Instruct your children daily in God’s Word, both in conversation and family devotions. Encourage your children to live lives devoted to prayer. Prepare your children to undergo persecution because of righteousness stated in Second Timothy, chapter three, verse twelve. Lift your children to God by constant and earnest intercession. Have such love and concern for your children that you would be willing to pour out your life as it were a sacrifice to the Lord, to deepen their faith and make their lives what they should be in the Lord. Christian parents should pray for their children.
In praying, our concerns should be the children know Jesus Christ and His Word intimately: That God may keep them from the world, from falling away, from Satan and false teaching, that our child may constantly possess the joy of Christ, that they may be holy in thought, deed, and character, that our child may be one in purpose and fellowship, as demonstrated by Jesus and His Father, that they may lead others to Christ, that our child may persevere in faith and finally be with Christ in heaven, and that the love of God has for Jesus may be in them so that they love the Son of God with the same enthusiastic love that God does, and that Christ and His Spirit may dwell in and with them.