Thursday, November 20, 2008

Gospel-Driven Parenting

In light of yesterday's post, I decided to revisit something I posted on a couple of years ago.

Rob Wilkerson, blogging at Miscellanies on the Gospel, believes it's crucial to present the gospel to our children -- especially when disciplining them:
    Not to share the gospel when we discipline our kids is, I believe, to drive them to anxiety and exasperation (Eph. 6:4). If parents discipline without the gospel, they cause both emotional and physical pain to a child, only to offer no spiritual power or hope which can heal the guilt incurred in the emotions and cause the heart to view the pain with thanksgiving.
As for the "how," Wilkerson breaks it down into four parts:
  1. Show them their sin.
  2. Show them what God says about their sin.
  3. Show them what God has done about their sin.
  4. Show them what you are going to do about their sin.
You can read the entire post here.

I pray that Christian parents will be emboldened to train up their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), even though the world will hate and despise them for it.

1 comment:

  1. "...even though the world will hate and despise them for it."

    How so? How can you be assured of that? What is "the world"? Secular society? I think is what you mean to say and I daresay that this is an incorrect assertion. Are you trying to frighten other faithful by stereotyping secular society as being despising and hateful?

    Granted, there is plenty enough stereotyping to go around but I can honestly say that "the world" is composed largely of those of faith and that non-believers and those that hold a secular position are indeed a minuscule minority.

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