This was a personal study I had this morning (I have been a little under the [warm] weather lately) having a bit of time on my hands. I have also noticed that this month I am writing at an unprecedented rate; almost as much as I do in the winter months! Dr. Douma's work had inspired me to do a search on this topic while making some observations on some passages I found on the Lord's attitude towards children. I get right into it without much of an introduction so without further ado here I go:
Firstly, we know that the Holy scriptures speak directly to those who are adults, those who are able to reason and understand. Infants and young children are truly ignorant in part because knowledge and experience in the world and of God is lacking.
We read in Romans 2:8 that those who are self seeking and live unrighteously are subject to God's wrath. Can we apply this statement to young children who do not yet know the difference between right and wrong and how doing wrong displeases the Lord? Or might we say rather, do young children do evil intentionally?
Young children copy others. If others model evil behavior they will think that this behavior is acceptable behavior. So the influence for evil on them is positive. The association of evil behavior being modeled communicates something positive especially if there is no remorse in adults for improper behavior. It is positive because they look to parents and adults to teach them what is acceptable and so whatever comes across and takes root is a positive impact even though the behavior itself is sinful and thus negative. But the moment children, through worldly experience, become aware that the behavior modeled to them is not proper but yet determines to remain as they have been taught, the woes listed in Romans 2:8 will apply to them. Do they apply before they become aware? My argument is that they do not apply. But let me continue and hopefully I can make myself more clear...
Romans 1:19 makes it clear that there is a point in time where the ignorant child can no longer plead ignorance. He will become aware that evil actions are sinful in the eyes of a Holy God. He will come to understand that there is a God who judges men's hearts and they will be without any excuse.
1 Corinthians 13:11 says that a child speaks, thinks and reasons in ways that demonstrate that he is not yet grown up. But soon he will give up childish things and behave like a man. In other words, the things he now does, as a man, he does for his own selfish gain. There have been social contract theorists who believed that what ever a man might do for others there is always some subtle benefit he gets out of the transaction. So his argument is that a man never truly acts altruistic towards another because there is always something he gets out of the partnership that serves his own selfish purpose. Well, perhaps this is an accurate picture of the man of Romans 1 but it is not an accurate depiction of the regenerate man. So the unregenerate man, according to scripture, says, thinks and reasons intentionally; with full knowledge that the things he does he does to gain something for his own advantage. So it appears that our social contract theorist read Paul and copied some thoughts down. Of course Hobbes, Locke and other contract theorists came to vastly different conclusions, but at least we all can agree on this point - man is sinful and needs management. But this is why training is so important in infants and young children so that the things they choose for themselves when they are older are in keeping with doing the will of God.
This is a three page paper so I will treat one more passage in this post before returning to it in a second later.
Proverbs 29:15 says, "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother". Who is the one who should be ashamed and embarrassed but the mother who has not raised her child to discern properly between right and wrong? Who has not trained her child to discern properly what is pleasing to God and what is sin? The child models behavior of his parents because the parents are supposed to know the difference between right and wrong based on the law of God. But instead they are children themselves throwing temper tantrums when they don't get what they want and their children see this childish behavior displayed for them to copy! Instead, when we are intentional in our parenting, meaning that when we are intimately aware how we could easily lead our children astray because of our sinful behavior, we are concerned to teach them what is pleasing to the God we say we serve. We are transparent when we stumble. We are quick to tell our children that we did wrong before the eyes of our God and then change our course for our children's sake. Proverbs 22:6 reveals to us that parenting is not passive; it is difficult and we must persevere when we would rather coast. Training up children is a difficult, persistent process. Children do not understand simply because experience has not been sufficiently built up in them reinforcing what it is we are trying to teach them. Oftentimes lessons have to be taught again and again. Then, in the future, something happens where they finally "get it" and our hard work is rewarded.
-Joe
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