What holds us and our families securely on the path of life?
Genuine faith will always involve reliance upon the biblical Christ. If the integrity of the message about Christ is compromised, children may put their faith in something other than the true Savior—that is, “another Jesus” and “a different gospel” (2 Corinthians 11:4).
Jim Eliff relates our lifeline to a ferry cable that keeps it from being carried downstream.
Consider the importance of that cable, and then think about this: God’s Word is such a cable for our children. If they are ever going to renounce “ungodliness and worldly desires” and follow Christ (Titus 2:12), they must hear the truth. We must apply what the Apostle Paul makes lucid through a series of questions in Romans 10:
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? . . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (vv. 14, 17)
Faith depends upon the facts of Christ’s saving work. As parents, grandparents, pastors, and teachers of children, we are obligated to make these facts as clear as possible. A child’s real understanding of the gospel is in God’s hands (cf. Romans 9:16), but our children cannot believe unless they hear the truth. They should grow up breathing biblical air!
He goes on to share three obvious practical implications. Read the whole article here. It’s a worthy short read.
