Speaking the Gospel to our Children

I am so thankful to be studying through Paul’s letter to the Romans in both our adult small group and in the children’s ministry Bible School. What a privilege it is to devote 12 lessons in our Sunday School curriculum to Paul’s letter to the Romans. This book is gospel centered. It explains the gospel of Jesus Christ from the moment God declares a believer righteous in Christ (justification), to the day by day, moment by moment transformation into the likeness of Christ (sanctification), to the final day of redemption when we receive our new glorified bodies that will no longer battle with walking in the flesh versus walking in the Spirit (glorification). That’s the gospel. And it is something we need to remind ourselves of each day as well as bring to the minds of our children each day. Early this week I was asked a “how to” question about disciplining children. I listened to the question and the various comments that came with the question and then I asked this person, “Do you speak the gospel to your children during the process of discipline?” To which this person asked, “How do you speak the gospel to your children during discipline?” So I proceeded to tell him that when my children were younger (2-5) here’s the process of discipline we went through. First we would ask our child, “What did you do wrong?” Second, we would ask, “What does the ______ (a Bible passage) say about what you did wrong?” At this age our children usually committed something along the lines of disobeying their parents, complaining and arguing, or not being kind to one another (all of which the Bible addresses: Ephesians 6:1-2; Philippians 2:14; and Ephesians 4:32, respectively). And O, how they had these passages memorized. Thirdly, we would ask them, “When you disobey who does the Bible say you are disobeying?” To which they responded, “God.” Fourth, after they acknowledge their disobedience to God, I would ask them, “What must daddy do because you disobeyed God?” They would then respond, “Spank me.” Fifth, I would ask, “If daddy doesn’t spank you then what is daddy doing?” They would then say, “Disobeying God.” Sixth, I would ask, “Do you want daddy to disobey God?” And thankfully (by God’s grace) they always answered “no.” Then I would tell them how many spankings they would get and after their spanking we would hug. I would tell them how much I love them, and then we would pray. As I look back on those early years of parenting there was one thing I realize now that I should have reiterated over and over during the discipline process. I should have reminded them that their disobedience to God shows that they need a Savior, for without the Savior, Jesus Christ, they will always want to disobey God. This truth is not only for salvation. It is a truth that we need to remind ourselves if we are going to grow in sanctification. Pointing our children to their need for a Savior isn’t just for the preschool age. It’s for all of life. They need to be pointed to the Savior during their school age years. They need to be directed to the Savior during their teenage years. They need to be pointed to the Savior during their college years. The mercy and grace of God is our hope (and the hope of our children) in this life and it will be our hope in the life to come in eternity. As John Newton wrote in that classic hymn, “Amazing Grace” – “When we’ve been there (in heaven) ten thousand years bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise then when we’ve first begun.” We will forever give God praise for his mercy and grace; for the Lamb of God who was slain. And when we think of the gospel, our hearts should be overwhelmed with the mercy and grace God chose to pour out upon us when all we deserved was His holy wrath. That's what we need to speak to our children regardless of what stage they are in life.

Here’s the lyrics to a song we sang this morning in our Sunday School. It’s from the Awesome God CD that Sovereign Grace Ministries put out. It’s a great way to remind children (and adults) our daily need for a Savior.

No one is good

No one is holy before God

I need someone to cleanse me

No one is pure

No one is righteous in Your sight

I need someone to save me

But I’m so glad You died and rose again

For helpless sinners like me

(Chorus)

What a mighty mighty Savior You are

What a mighty mighty Savior You are

You can wash away my sin

You can change my heart within

What a might, mighty Savior You are

Sin is too strong

For me to conquer on my own

I need someone to help me

I am too weak

I cannot change my evil heart

I need someone to save me

But I’m so glad You died and rose again

For helpless sinners like me.