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How to Bring Your Children to Christ

Adapted from How to Bring Your Children to Christ…& Keep Them There.

Scripture tells us that God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). The words “any” and “all” include your children. Scripture also says that God wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). So when we ask for what is in accordance with His will (1 John 5:14,15), we can confidently trust God to be at work in the lives of our children, drawing them toward the Savior.

Think of the process like a healthy pregnancy. The seed is planted in the womb, then God causes the miracle of gestation. During the growth period, all that is needed is for the mother to provide the proper nutrients for her developing child and to keep away from poisons such as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. When the baby is ready, the birth will happen at the right time.

Jesus said that one must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). So in this spiritual pregnancy, for your children to be born again, you must plant the good seed of the pure Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23). You also need to ensure that you avoid toxins that will cause a stillbirth.

“Leading a child in what is commonly called a “sinner’s prayer,” when there is no understanding of the true nature of sin, can do great damage.”

It is essential that you be aware of the biblical reality of true and false conversion. Do not assume that everyone who names the name of Christ is genuinely saved. Children are particularly vulnerable when it comes to false conversions. This is because parents and children’s workers, rightly concerned for the children’s eternal welfare, want them to be converted at an early age. However, it is often a “zeal without knowledge” if they are unaware of such as thing as spurious (false) conversion.

“Decisions for Christ” are easy to get from kids. Simply ask a group of children, “Kids, how do you live forever?” “By giving your heart to Jesus!” “Who wants to give their heart to Jesus?” A sea of hands wave—fifty decisions. All this accomplishes is giving the children, and ourselves, a false sense of assurance. Countless grieved parents say their children were “converted” at a very young age, but have since strayed into drugs, alcohol, sex, etc., usually in their teenage years. It is likely that these children had false conversions, a fact made evident when temptation came their way. A plant may seem healthy, but a burning hot sun will cause it to whither and die if it has a faulty root system or is in shallow soil. In addressing parents, Dr. Robert A. Morey says,

While the desire to see your children saved is proper and necessary, some parents become so desperate to believe that their children are saved that they will grasp at anything. Even when their son or daughter openly denies the faith and engages in gross wickedness, they will still comfort themselves by saying, “Well, at least my son is saved. He may not act like it now but I know he is saved because he accepted Jesus when he was five years old. He doesn’t go to church anymore and married [someone from a different religion] but I still say he is saved.”

Instead of facing the reality that their child is on his way to hell, some parents will cling to false hopes so they can sleep at night. But instead of seeking their own psychological comfort, they should seek the conversion of their child by telling him the truth.

The truth is that, for any child (or adult) to be saved, there must be an understanding of the nature of sin. He must turn from his sin and trust in Jesus to save him. Eternal life comes not from saying a prayer or making a decision, but from exercising “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Leading a child in what is commonly called a “sinner’s prayer,” when there is no understanding of the true nature of sin, can do great damage. When these false converts fall away, they become bitter, and their latter end becomes worse than the first (see 2 Pet. 2:20) because they are inoculated against the truth. They think they “tried Jesus” when they were kids and it didn’t work.

Genuine salvation must be a work of God. We can have as much a part in the spiritual birth of our children as we have in the planting of a tree. We can prepare the soil and water the seed, but it will grow only as God sees fit to cause it to do so. All we can do is make ready the soil of the child’s heart, plant the pure seed of the Word of God, keep away harmful influences, and faithfully water it with believing prayer.

Adapted from How to Bring Your Children to Christ…& Keep Them There.

Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters, a bestselling author, and has written more than 100 books, including, The Evidence Study Bible. He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, which airs in 190 countries.

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