Introducing Your Child to Christ
Children's physical and emotional needs are important, but spiritual needs are important, too. It can be hard to know when to introduce a child to Christ, so here are some steps to help you and your child as you step onto the new path of faith.
Introducing Your Child To Christ
The fact you are reading this indicates you are concerned about your child’s faith. As you care for your child’s daily needs and work to prepare him or her for success in life, there is nothing more important than caring for their spiritual needs and helping them prepare for eternity. It is likely that you are reading this because, like many parents, you don’t know quite how (or when) to go about introducing your child to Christ. Parents who worry that they do not have the training or understanding to lead their children to salvation may be tempted to just leave it to the “professionals”—to rely on people at church or ministry events. That is understandable, but God has given you the most important and most influential role when it comes to influencing your child’s path to salvation. All it takes is a little training for you to feel more comfortable about the ‘when’ and ‘how’ of introducing them to Christ.
STEP ONE: Lay a Foundation
A child’s decision to follow Jesus is rarely a one-stop process. Your son or daughter grows in their understanding of God by developing a foundation (hearing the stories of the Bible, learning scriptures, singing about Jesus, and so forth) as well as experiencing life in your home (watching your example, feeling your love, learning right from wrong). These two ways of learning work best when they are connected in your home and integrated into your family life. We see it in Deuteronomy: “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).STEP TWO: Discern Readiness
Do your best to discern when your child is mature enough to put the pieces together. Avoid the temptation to push him or her too fast and make sure they are ready to truly understand the gospel.
When you feel they are ready, ask a few questions to help gauge your child’s level of understanding. Read Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Then ask questions like “What is sin?”, “How does your sin affect your relationship to God?”, and “How can you be right with God?”. How they respond can help you sense whether your child is ready. In addition, the answers to these questions will help you apply the gospel to your child’s own life.
STEP THREE: Guide Your Child in Prayer for Salvation
Romans 10 tells us, “…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). If you sense your child has a basic understanding of what sin is and what it leads to, as well as what it means to accept God’s gift of salvation and His Lordship, then you can guide your child to pray along those lines. Instead of quoting specific words for your child to repeat, it is best to prompt them to use their own words—to tell God they are sorry for their sins, to ask for His forgiveness, and to ask Him to be Lord over the rest of their life.
STEP FOUR: Prepare Them for Baptism
Once your child has understood and decided to accept God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, it is time to guide them toward following Christ in believer’s baptism. If your child is ready to be baptized, learn more about baptisms at Central here.
recommended books
En Español
La Bendición
By Dr. John Trent
Todo ser humano necesita el regalo de "la bendición", el amor y la aceptación incondicional que viene de una relación sana con nuestros padres. En esta actualización de uno de los clásicos de mayor éxito editorial La bendición, los coautores John Trent y Gary Smalley ofrecen una perspectiva novedosa de este regalo que cambia vidas, mediante consejos prácticos y concretos sobre cómo establecer cimientos firmes en la vida de cada uno de nuestros hijos. La bendición transmite, de forma poderosa, verdades bíblicas sobre cómo inspirar la autoestima y el bienestar afectivo en otros, con base en estos cinco elementos fundamentales:
- dar un abrazo amable
- decir unas palabras
- dar importancia
- visualizar un futuro especial
- un compromiso activo
La aceptación de nuestros padres afecta la forma en que nos vemos nosotros mismos y cómo nos relacionados con los demás. ¿Y qué pasaría si no hubiéramos vivido esto? Los capítulos finales incluyen ayuda y esperanza para aquellos que crecieron sin la bendición de sus propios padres, la bendición y los abuelos, formas de vivir la bendición, e ideas para momentos de bendición.