PAUL SAYS THE BIBLE IS PROFITABLE,
OR USEFUL, FOR FOUR PURPOSES:
• Teaching. The Bible is given for instruction about what
is true and false and what is right and wrong. According
to the Bible, teaching is not concerned with facts to be
learned but truth to be lived. God gave us the Bible to
educate a child in truth.
• Convicting (reproof). The Bible exposes sin, gener-
ates conviction, and makes people aware of what God
requires. God has given us the Bible to convince chil-
dren they have broken God’s law and apart from Christ
stand condemned. Our primary objective as parents
and educators 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. God gave
you the Bible to be the prosecuting attorney.
• Correcting. The Bible has the power to correct. It liter-
ally means to straighten up what is wrong and reform.
We are to use the Bible to treat spiritual diseases. God
has given us, in the Bible, all the tools to address atti-
tudes, actions, thoughts, and motives that do not align
with the character of Christ. 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 (through Christ) to bring healing, health,
and hope.
• Training in righteousness. The Bible is given for charac-
ter training of children. We are to use the Bible, simi-
lar 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 Bible is useful to train a child or
grandchild 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.
We must recover a robust authority of Scripture. As the
foundation of all we do, the Word of God will do more to
spread the gospel, save marriages, raise the next generation
to lifelong faith, grow organizations, and change the world
for Christ than anything else. ■
Dr. Josh Mulvihill is the Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at Renewanation.
He served as a pastor for nearly 20 years, serves on the board of Awana, and helps to pro-
vide leadership to the Christian Grandparent Network. He holds a Ph.D. from the Southern
Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Biblical Grandparenting, Preparing Children
for Marriage, and Biblical Worldview. Josh is married to Jen, and they have five children.
Connect with Josh on Facebook at Gospel Shaped Family.
ENDNOTES
1. Jana Magruder, Nothing Less: Engaging Kids in a Lifetime of Faith (Nashville: LifeWay
Christian Resources, 2017), 22-24.
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