Summary: The Bible instructs parents to raise our children “in the training and instruction of the Lord” [Ephesians 6:4]. I’m so glad God has given us the responsibility to teach our children about Himself, and to cement in their minds the foundational truths of the Christian faith. We have to learn to distinguish between foundational Christian truths, however, and secondary matters the Bible doesn’t say anything for or against. The apostle Paul cautioned, “Do not go beyond what is written” [1 Corinthians 4:6]. Yet sometimes we can be so anxious for our children to be holy and godly and pure that we impose man-made rules and then elevate those rules to a position equal with Scripture. Such rules can exasperate our children when they become teenagers. They’ll begin to ask why you believe such-and-such, and point out: “That’s not in the Bible. That’s your own idea, which is rather old-fashioned, by the way.” If we get uptight and respond harshly, we can embitter or provoke our children to anger, which God tells us not to do [Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21]. Instead, with love and grace, let’s teach our children what the New Testament actually says. Truths such as Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This is Andrew Palau.
