Why Should We Read The Bible To Our Children? The Way To Salvation Is Found In It

Every Christian parent’s hope is that their child will one day make a decision to accept Christ as their Savior, thereby sealing their name in the Lamb’s Book of Life and securing a place in Paradise for eternity. It is agonizing to watch a child struggle in lostness, not only for the pain it brings him in the present, but because we know the unfortunate truth that sometimes death steals youth in the most unexpected of fashions. A child who reaches the “age of accountability” is old enough to be accountable before God with where he stands with his salvation.

There are difficult questions we must ask ourselves. Are we waiting for the day when the youth leader speaks the right words, the pastor preaches the right sermon, or the Sunday school teacher delivers the perfect lesson for our child to come to a decision about Jesus? Is any foundation of truth being laid by us or our spouse, the two people our child should be most looking to? Are we hoping it will just “happen?” What exactly are we doing to help secure our child’s future in heaven?

If you are relying on others to paint the picture of salvation for your child in hopes that one day he’ll “get it,” I have two questions for you:

• Why have you abdicated your role as parent to someone else?
• Why wouldn’t you want to lay a foundation for your child, one that would make the job of others easier, and one that would bring blessings upon your child?

Everything we and our children need to know about salvation can be found in the Bible. The Old Testament establishes the sovereignty of God. The New Testament establishes the hope in Jesus Christ. Reading the Bible with our child gives him the knowledge he needs to back up what he hears in church, the hope he longs for that he does not have to be alone, and the assurance he desires that it’s all real.