Raising Children Who Understand the Dangers of Sin
As a parent, it’s natural to want to shield your children from harm and help them grow into capable, successful individuals. However, there’s a far greater threat to their well-being than any external danger: the sin that lives within them. The Bible, particularly Psalm 51, offers valuable insights into the nature of sin and how parents can help their children understand its dangers.
The Heart of the Problem
Psalm 51 begins with a cry for mercy, a recognition that the greatest danger lies not outside, but within. This is a crucial lesson for parents to teach their children: that the greatest threat to their lives is not something external, but rather the sin that resides within their own hearts. As David writes, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). This acknowledgment of our inherent sinfulness is essential for understanding our need for God’s mercy.
The Nature of Sin
Sin is not just a matter of bad behavior; it’s a condition that produces bad behavior. It’s a heart-infecting disease that requires a divine heart transplant. As parents, it’s essential to help your children understand that sin is not just something they do, but rather a fundamental aspect of their nature. This recognition will help them see their need for God’s rescuing, forgiving, transforming, and delivering mercy.
The Verticality of Sin
Every sin is a fist in the face of God, a desire to remove Him from His throne and sit there ourselves. Sin is not just a horizontal issue, but a vertical one. It’s a refusal to live for the glory of God and instead reduce life to our own wants, feelings, and happiness. As parents, it’s crucial to help your children understand the verticality of sin and how every wrong action is ultimately against God.
Hopelessness and Hope
The doorway to hope is hopelessness. Until your children begin to give up on themselves, their wisdom, their strength, and their righteousness, they will not cry out for God’s mercy. As parents, it’s essential to bring your children to a place of personal hopelessness, not through condemnation, but through patient and loving rescue. This is where they will find true hope in the forgiving and restoring hands of the Redeemer.
Parenting with Grace
As a parent, you are called to make use of every opportunity to help your children become aware of the grave danger of the sin that lives inside them. This requires grace, acknowledging that you are just like them, a person in need of God’s mercy. Self-righteously pointing out the sin of others never works; it’s offensive and condescending. Instead, come to your children with tenderness and humility, grieved by the sin that is inside you more than the sin that is in them. This will create a workroom for God to do in their hearts what you cannot do.
By following these principles, you can raise children who understand the dangers of sin and their need for God’s mercy. This is not a process of condemnation, but of patient and loving rescue. Don’t you want this rescue for your children?
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