Solomon's advice to parents is to "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he won't turn from it" (Proverbs 22:6). Raising and training a child within the setting of this adage means that it begins with the Bible, as "all Scripture is God-breathed and is helpful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training… " (2 Timothy 3:16). Teaching children the facts of Scripture will make them savvy for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15); altogether prepare them to do good works (2 Timothy 3:17); prepare them to give an answer to everybody who asks them the reason for their expectation (1 Peter 3:15); and prepare them to withstand the onslaught of societies set on indoctrinating youngsters with secular values.
The Bible reveals to us that children are a reward from God (Psalm 127:3). It would certainly appear to be fitting, then, that we heed Solomon's shrewd direction to train them appropriately. In fact, the value that God placed on teaching our children the fact of the matter is clearly addressed by Moses who worried to his kin the importance of teaching their children about the Lord and His commands and laws: "Inspire them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you rests and when you get up. Tie them as images on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your homes and your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:7-9). Moses' careful quality underscores his profound worry that progressive generations maintain dutifulness to God's laws to guarantee they would "live safely in the land" (Leviticus 25:18), that all would "go well" with them (Deuteronomy 12:28), and that He would favor them in the land (Deuteronomy 30:16).
Clearly Scripture teaches that training children to know and obey God is the basis for pleasing Him and living victoriously in His grace. Knowing God and His certainties begins with the child's understanding of sin and his requirement for a Savior. Indeed, even exceptionally youthful children understand that they are not impeccable and can grasp at an early age the requirement for absolution. Loving parents display a loving God who excuses, as well as gives the ideal sacrifice to sin in Jesus Christ. Training up children in the way they should go means, most importantly, directing them to the Savior.
Discipline is an integral part of raising godly children, for we realize that the "Ruler disciplines those He adores" (Proverbs 3:12). Along these lines, we should neither take discipline softly nor end up noticeably disheartened by it as the Lord "punishes everybody He accepts as a child" (Hebrews 12:5-6). And we realize that God disciplines us for our good, with the goal that we may share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). Moreover, when we discipline our children, they get insight (Proverbs 29:15) and they will bring us peace (Proverbs 29:17) and regard (Hebrew 12:9). In fact, even at a youthful age children are able to observe that discipline is established in adoration. That is the reason children who experience childhood in homes without discipline frequently feel disliked and will probably resist authority as they become more seasoned. Presently, the discipline administered should be commensurate with the offense and physical discipline, for example, spanking (properly motivated), is certainly approved by the Bible (Proverbs 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14). Indeed discipline, however it may appear to be unpleasant when gotten, will create a "harvest of uprightness and peace for the individuals who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).
Parents should have the same zeal for teaching their children that Moses did. Parents have been given the benefit of being stewards of their children's lives for a brief span, however the teaching and training they give is eternal. According to the guarantee of Proverbs, a child who is industriously trained in the "way he should go" will remain consistent with that way in this life and reap its rewards in the following.
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