My wife and I are entering a time when we have to decide how we are going to teach our children about our faith. We want to pass our love for Jesus down to our children. This should be the desire of every believer. Yet, it is so easy not to do so. There are many days where the last thing we want to do is spend time teaching our children. Being a parent is taxing. It can take a toll on a person. But just allowing our children to be taught on Sunday is not enough.
Here is the problem with children that is well pointed out by Luther. Because of the stage in life they are in, hearing a sermon from the preacher is not enough. Luther’s answer to this problem is the one found in Scripture. Parents need to teach their children about God at home.
“Sermons very little edify children, who learn little thereby; it is more needful they be taught and well instructed in schools, and at home, and that they be heard and examined what they have learned; this way profits much; ’tis very wearisome but very necessary”-Martin Luther from Tabletalk
The Biblical Mandate
The strongest mandate for teaching children the faith at home comes from Deuteronomy 6. Read this passage and take notice of what and when we are to teach our children.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)
Notice that we are to teach our children the words of God (Scripture) and to do so diligently. Then we find a special emphasis placed on the when as sitting, walking, lying down, and rising are listed as the times that we teach our children. Essentially, we are told that we are always to be about the business of teaching our children God’s Word.
This is a monumental task. As I think about what this means for our family I realize that I am being told that I need to have some structured time, but a lot of unstructured time teaching my children. We plan on using catechism as the structured teaching method, but this is not the only time I will be teaching my children. I will be teaching my children in a more casual manner throughout my day. I have to have the discipline to work this into my everyday conversation with my children. I have to have the discipline to discipline my children in a way that teaches them about authority and the love of God. I have to work this into my everyday life.
The Method Of Choice
There are different methods that you could use to teach your children God’s Word. The method that Amanda and I have settled in on is that of catechism. And the reason is simple. Historically it has worked.
Catechism is a method of asking questions and receiving an answer that is memorized. Here is an example from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. This is question 3 of a catechism written in 1646.
“Question: What do the Scriptures principally (mainly) teach?
Answer: The Scriptures principally (mainly) teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.”
There are many catechisms available for use. Baptists used a catechism based on the Second London Baptist Confession for many years. In fact, it was written in 1689. So, catechism has a rich heritage even in Baptist circles. In fact, the most famous Baptist preacher of all time worked to combine the Westminster Catechism with the Second London Baptist Catechism to produce something for his church to use. Here is what he had to say about it in his introduction.
“I am persuaded that the use of a good Catechism in all our families will be a great safeguard against the increasing errors of the times, and therefore I have compiles this little manual from the Westminster Assembly’s and Baptist Catechisms, for the use of my own church and congregation. Those who use it in their families or classes must labour to explain the sense; but the words should be carefully learned by heart, for they will be understood better as years pass.” – C. H. Spurgeon; here is a link to the catechism and this quotation
Here is a story that helped me to understand the effectiveness of a catechism. I was at a friend’s house when his four year old daughter came into the room. He and his wife were discussing this process with us. I thought it sounded strange, so he did something. He asked his four year old daughter what her purpose in life was.
Now, this is a question that people die without knowing. In fact, I would argue that most people live their whole lives without ever figuring this one out. But, this four year old said, “to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever”.
I was floored. This is intense theology to teach a room full of teenagers, but a four year old knows it. The truth is that she didn’t completely grasp what that meant, but she knew the right answer. It is as Spurgeon said, we “must labour to explain the sense; but the words should be carefully learned by heart, for they will be understood better as years pass.” As years go by and that little girl grows in understanding, that answer will be a guide to her. She will understand that she has been created for the purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.
This was developed to follow a child’s natural ability to memorize. A child, at a very young age, is a sponge. Their ability to memorize things is insane. It is at this point in their lives that they memorize their ABC’s, their numbers, their colors, their shapes, and everything else that they see in their world. Only later will they understand how to use these things. It is the same with catechism. Later, as time goes by, they will understand how to apply this knowledge that they have attained. So, for the time being we give them the proper foundation from which to build upon.
Some Resources That May Help
I am young in this endeavor and am admittedly new to the task, but here are some of the resources that I have stumbled across in my searching that I have found enlightening.
- Songs for Saplings – Songs for Saplings is an incredible resource. It is a Catechism set to songs for children. So, you could sing the questions, answers, and Scripture associated with them. And, it’s free. You can either download the songs being played, the music so that you can play it yourself, or any combination therein. And it’s free. Baptists would have to think about their view on baptism, because that would be different here. So, it may be that a few questions get changed and discussed when the child gets older.
- Shepherding A Child’s Heart – Tedd Tripp has written a fantastic book on parenting that is quite helpful. It deals especially with the heart rather than just outward actions. How do parents get to the heart of the matter much like Jesus did in His dealings with people.
- Instructing A Child’s Heart – This is a follow up to Shepherding A Child’s Heart that in a lot of ways is helpful in expanding on much of what is discussed in his first book.
- Don’t Make Me Count To Three – Ginger Plowman has written a book that I cannot praise enough. A friend of mine recommended this to me and my wife. His statement about it was very true. He said, “It’s an extremely practical way of putting Tedd Tripp’s books into practice.” And I think he was 100% correct.
Conclusion
However you decide to go about teaching your children, please do so. Allowing someone else to do all of this is simply not enough. And it’s not how God has designed us to parent our children. This is a very hands on situation that God has called us to and we only have a few years to get it done. Let’s make the most of it.
R. Dwain Minor
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