will be no repentance or change without it. Our prima-
ry objective is to nurture a child’s conformity to the
character of Christ, which requires conviction that the
child is not Christ-like in certain areas of life. This is
where familiarity with Scripture is helpful, so we can
minister the Word when needed. God gave you the
Bible to be the prosecuting attorney.
• Correcting with the Bible to make right. The Bible has
the power to correct. It literally means to straighten up
what is wrong and reform. We are to use the Bible to
treat spiritual diseases. God has given you, in the Bible,
all the tools to address attitudes, actions, thoughts, and
motives that do not align with the character of Christ.
What challenges are you dealing with? Sibling rival-
ry, anxiety, depression, discipline methods—all these
parenting issues and more are dealt with in Scripture.
The Bible is given to you as the means to bring about
repentance, confession, and forgiveness. God gave you
the Bible to act as the physician to bring healing, health,
and hope. Of course, the Bible itself does not do these
things, but it is in the pages of Scripture that we come
into contact with Jesus, the Great Physician.
• Training in righteousness with the Bible on how to live.
The Greek word for training means the rearing or rais-
ing of a child. It is the same word used in Ephesians 6:4,
which is one reason why this passage applies to family
discipleship. The Bible is given for character training of
children. We are to use the Bible, similar to the father in
Proverbs, to train a child in moral skillfulness. Children
need to be taught to apply God’s Word to life. The Bible
is given to help children make good and godly decisions
and live in a manner that is pleasing to God. The train-
ing of a child involves the discipline of being made to
practice something like a musical piece or athletic skill
over and over until it is learned. The Bible is useful to
train a child to live righteously. Children are inclined to
develop sinful habits, and the Bible helps us train chil-
dren to think, act, and live biblically. God gave you the
Bible to be the coach and counselor for children.
God has given us the Bible as the tool to raise children
to Christ-like maturity. God did not call us to the task of
discipling a child and then expect us to figure out the best
way to reach the goal. He provides biblical principles about
how we are to accomplish His mission with the next gener-
ation focused on what children learn, who children learn
from, and how a child learns so that “the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:17). ■
ENDNOTES
1. George Barna, Third Millennium Teens: Research on the Minds, Hearts, and Souls of Ameri-
can’s Teenagers (Ventura, CA: Barna Research Group, 1999), 66-67.
2. Ben Freudenberg, The Family Friendly Church (Loveland, CO: Group Publisher, 1988), 28.
Renewanation Church & Family
Ministry Division
Need help equipping the parents and
children in your church or school
with a biblical worldview?
Parenting and grandparenting seminars
Pastoral mentoring and volunteer training
Full assessment of church ministry
to 0-18 year olds
Strategic planning for children’s, youth,
and family ministry
Biblical worldview, family worship, and
family discipleship toolkits
Sermons and seminars on the importance
of biblical worldview training
Led by Dr. Josh Mulvihill—a 20-year family pastor
veteran—this ministry is here to help you assess,
design, and maximize your children’s and youth
ministry, as well as equip families to disciple the next
generation so that children treasure Christ, build life-
long faith, and impact the world for Jesus. For more
info, please contact [email protected].
renewanation.org
540-890-8900 · 1-855-TO-RENEW
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