On March 29, 2020 my husband and I found out that we will be having a new addition to our family. Our local hospital confirmed that we have a baby on the way! Although this news came as a shock to us, we are equally as excited to meet our little one in several months. This news serves as a recollection for us that even in uncertainty, God is the certain counterpart. He is worthy to be praised. This post will encompass the important role parents play in planting the seed of salvation and why it is more valuable to focus on the eternal security of their children.
Lead Me
March 29 was a major day for my husband and I. It ended with news we just couldn't believe. Even after 3 at-home pregnancy tests (I know what you're thinking: shouldn't one have been enough?!). For that added assurance, we even went to our local hospital with a call back the same day with the pregnancy confirmation. This was actually happening. I still remember my husband pacing the halls in excitement and nervousness in our home repeating with joy that he's a father. After we found out the news, we called one of his brothers and sisters-in-law to share the exciting news and were met with equal excitement from them. Our lives have forever changed. After we got off the phone and said our goodnights, we went to the Lord in prayer, asking for protection and guidance amidst this crazy life. God had bestowed upon us a blessing with high importance.
The majority of society doesn't see this precious moment as a gift, however. Babies are being murdered in the womb, torn apart limb by limb and discarded in the trash and thrown in local dumps as if human life itself was a waste. It's genocide on a global scale. Children are seen as a hindrance in today's society instead of an appointed blessing from God; this world has rejected its savior and opened its arms to death. If this seems rather harsh, I'm going to remind the general public that it wasn't us that died on the cross about 4,000 years ago. We have no one to blame for our sin but ourselves. With this said, there is a vital role that parents have been given and that is to lead their children to Christ and train them up in the way they should go so when they grow older they will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Our prayer was "God lead us so we can lead our child (or children)".
Zeal Without Knowledge
Wanting to further our faith and dive deeper into common questions, we scoured the internet looking for apologetic books. We ended up at Living Waters website where we purchased Ray Comfort's book "How to Lead Your Children to Christ, and Keep Them There" with a forward by Kirk Cameron, and the Genesis Movie. The funny story about this is, is that we purchased both of these before we found out we were expecting a child (God's sense of humor, right?). As I was reading Comfort's book awaiting my husband to finish an MRI, there was a passage that stood out to me on page 23 in Ray Comfort's book.
"It's essential that you become familiar with the biblical reality of true and false conversion. Do not assume that every one who names the name of Christ is genuinely saved. Many Christians make this tragic error. Children are particularly vulnerable when it comes to false conversions. This is usually because parents and children's workers are not aware that there is such a thing as spurious (false) conversion. They have 'zeal without knowledge.' We may be zealous in our desire to fly a plane, but it is dangerous to do so without the right knowledge." (Comfort, Ray. How to Lead Your Children to Christ, and Keep Them There. Bartlesville, OK: Genesis Publishing Group, 2005. page 23. Print).
To purchase the Genesis movie and Comfort's above book, here is the link to obtain the material: https://store.livingwaters.com
Zeal without knowledge is also what my husband and I had before having a true, genuine conversion. It is very common in today's world. Growing up in a Christian home, or a home that professes to be outwardly Christian but yet lacks a solid foundation does not guarantee children to be true converts. This is entirely up to God as He calls people to Himself. What, then, is the job of the parent if it is not up to them to determine their children's salvation? Their job is to prepare the heart (the soil, so to speak) for salvation, to understand the nature of sin so salvation can be clearly understood. Comfort also points out another point in his book.
"While the desire to see your children saved is proper and necessary, some parents become so desperate to believe that their children are saved that they will grasp at anything. Even when their son or daughter openly denies the faith and engages in gross wickedness, they will still comfort themselves by saying 'Well, at least my son is saved. He may not act like it now but I know he is saved because he accepted Jesus when he was five years old. He doesn't go to church anymore and married (someone from another religion), but I still say he is saved.' Instead of facing reality that their child is on their way to hell, some parents will cling to false hope so they can sleep at night. But instead of seeking their own psychological comfort, they should seek the conversion of their child by telling him the truth." (Comfort, Ray. How to Lead Your Children to Christ, and Keep Them There. Bartlesville, OK: Genesis Publishing Group, 2005. page 25. Print)
The Greatest Gift
The greatest gift to mankind was the only begotten Christ who came to earth incarnate, died on the cross for all transgressions (past, present, and future), and rose again on the third day. The gift of salvation is called a gift because God did not owe us anything, but yet, in love, He chose to send His son to atone for our mistake of sin. This is the beauty that is missed in churches such as Hillsong and Bethel where they preach that mankind is inherently good when God says that those born of the world are wicked unless they are born again spiritually in Him. Having children helps to understand God's relationship with those that follow Him. As Voddie Bauchum states, "having children doesn't make you poorer. Having children makes you richer."
Below is a sermon by Pastor Voddie Bauchum, pastor of Grace Family Baptist Church, entitled "The Importance of Biblically Disciplining Your Children" where he goes over Ephesians 6:1-4.
Below are more sermons about children from Pastor Voddie Bauchum.
In Closing
This is an unprecedented and uncertain time for the world. Let us not put our focus on the temporal, but on the eternal. Life is but a vapor and tomorrow is never promised. Our prayers go out to families that have lost loved ones to the Coronavirus and to those that have been given children during this time.
For more articles like this, please see the below publications.
Tested by Fire
The Good Samaritan
Fleshly Indebtedness
The Myth Complex Part 2
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