What is the most important thing parents should teach their children? Depending on whom you ask, you will get a wide variety of answers to that question.
Many American dads might answer that the most important thing is teaching a son how to change oil in a car. Some American moms might say the most important thing is teaching a daughter how to prepare a home-cooked meal. Still other parents might put the focus on balancing a checkbook, dressing for a job interview, or staying out of credit-card debt.
He sent His only Son Jesus to die on the cross, absorbing our guilt and punishment.
Teaching our children to become proficient in these basic life skills is very worthwhile, but as parents we have a God-given duty to give them something else — something even more important than oil changes and credit cards. What our children need most is exposure to the spiritual truths that will impact their lives, both now and for eternity. What are those most important truths?
1.) That God exists. Over the past six decades, the Bible, prayer, and the knowledge of God have been virtually banished from our thinking and our society. Every day in this culture, our children are exposed to a secular worldview that says God does not exist. Our children are taught that God is just a figment of foolish imaginations, that this world came into existence by chance, and that people are just grown-up germs who crawled out of the primordial ooze 10 million years ago.
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In view of that discouraging reality, one of the most important things you need to teach your children is that God does exist — that He is the creator of this universe and the one who gave us life. When your children stare wide-eyed at the expanses of space, the vastness of the Grand Canyon, or the power of Niagara Falls, remind them that God is the Almighty over all things (Romans 1:20).
Because God rules all, your children must know that they are accountable to Him for every aspect of their lives: thoughts, words, actions, attitudes — everything. To say it another way, your children need to know that God is supreme and we all answer to Him.
2.) That God is found in the written word of God. Every time your children study the stars or marvel at the mountains, their heart instinctively knows that God exists. But just because they know God exists doesn’t mean they know who this God is. So you must be diligent to help your children come to know something tangible and personal about this awesome God who made the universe and them.
When it comes to this daunting task of teaching our children who God is, we have the perfect resource for doing so: The Bible. Scripture is where we uncover the real truth about God’s personality and character. Within its pages we discover the full, unvarnished truth of His holiness, goodness, power, justice, wrath, majesty, sovereignty, patience and grace. Be diligent about immersing yourself and your entire family in the written word of God, because that is how knowing God comes to fullness.
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3.) That God gave us His son for eternal life. You might be a super parent when it comes to teaching values, morals, or life skills. But if you haven’t taught your children about what God did through Jesus Christ, then you are failing at what matters most! Without a doubt, the most important thing your children need to hear from you is the good news of Jesus Christ in the gospel.
Because we are all sinners who continually disobey an eternally righteous God, we all deserve an eternal punishment. But God loved sinful humans so much that He sent His only son, Jesus, to die on the cross, absorbing our guilt and punishment (Romans 5:8). Three days later Jesus rose from the grave, proving that His sacrifice for our salvation was finished and fully accepted by God.
The Bible teaches that when people turn from their sin and trust in Jesus’ work by faith, God graciously grants forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. This gospel truth is the most wonderful thing your children will ever be taught in their lifetimes — and they should learn it from you.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Sometimes the most important truths are the easiest to overlook, so be diligent about exposing your children to the life-transforming truth of the gospel message. For most kids, John 3:16 is always a great place to start the conversation: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The next time you find yourself socializing with a group of adults, ask for their thoughts on what today’s children need to learn. Believe me, that question will start a very intriguing conversation. Most of the answers you receive will be based on life experiences, personal opinions, or “gut feeling” intuition. Cars, careers, and credit scores will likely dominate the discussion.
But while earthly lessons on credit cards, car maintenance, and cooking are beneficial for our children, the spiritual lessons we provide on God’s existence, God’s person, and God’s salvation are the absolute best. These are the essential truths from Scripture that will awaken their hearts, transform their lives, and ultimately propel them toward a blessed eternity.
Pastor Ryan Day is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where he has served for eighteen years. He is a regular contributor to LifeZette.
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