The Gospel message for Kids

[Guest]

Wayne, are you saying children that are in their pre-teens or early teens are unable to make a consious decision to fallow christ or understand what it means to be a Christian? If so are you basing this idea on bilblical texts or your personal experiences?
Thank you,
Robin

Jesus said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God" We may infer from that that children are "saved" by their very nature as children.

I think we all recognize that below some age a person is "innocent", not responsible for his actions. We believe with no actual biblical basis that an infant, if he dies, will go to heaven.

At the same time our idea about what action is necessary to appropriate God's grace for salvation influences our idea of the age at which we believe this innocence ends. If simply calling on the name "Jesus" constitutes faith for salvation then a two or three year old needs to be reached.

I do not believe the simple assertion of "accepting Jesus into your heart' or "accepting Jesus as your lord and savior" or even claiming to believe really saves you. Jesus call on men to follow him, and faith must lead to action, being born again leads to new life. I believe Jesus calls us to commitment as disciples, which can (should) change our lives. This is not something for children. Would we encourage a 5 year old to get married? Isn't a commitment to Jesus much more significant and life changing than marriage?

[Guest]

Hi Wayne, thanks for your answer. I think you may have misunderstood what I was really asking. I agree with you about the innocents of childern and their standing with God. My question to you was really about what age a child can undestand the Gospel. I have two boys ages 5 & 7. I would never tell them to recite a prayer and then their salvation would be secure forever. What I have told them is that faith in Jesus means that he is our Lord and we desire at all times to please him, we act according to His will not ours. I explaine the importance of forgivness, love, charity, and obediance. Though I don't believe that thier souls are in danger now, I feel compelled to explaine to them what God requires to be a deciple of His. If in the next few years my children expressed that they would like to live for Christ I would encourage that decision. And that is where I think you and I split. You said that you would not encourage such decisions untill a much older age and I was wondering if you coiuld explaine it more indepth.

Thank you,
Robin

[Guest]

]Hi Wayne, thanks for your answer. I think you may have misunderstood what I was really asking. I agree with you about the innocents of childern and their standing with God. My question to you was really about what age a child can undestand the Gospel.

I don't mean to seem unclear. For me the question hinges on what we consider "the Gospel" in regards to our salvation.

I personally believe that God calls us to be disciples, to surrender our lives totally to him. This will put us at odds with the surrounding culture, sometime painfully so (Christians have been tortured and even killed in this country for their faith). When child is old anough to understand that following Jesus is for keeps and that it will restrict his choices in life and make him an outcast even among respectable people, then he is old enough to understand the good news of the kingdom of God and commit himself seriously and for life to following Jesus.

A child grows and takes steps as he or she is taught and grows up in a "Christian" family. My experience with families who take this high view of the gospel and discipleship is that in their teen years they either become serious and want to commit themselves to God and the brotherhood, or they plainly rebel and reject Christ (hopefully to later accept Him).

I have two boys ages 5 & 7. I would never tell them to recite a prayer and then their salvation would be secure forever. What I have told them is that faith in Jesus means that he is our Lord and we desire at all times to please him, we act according to His will not ours. I explaine the importance of forgivness, love, charity, and obediance. Though I don't believe that thier souls are in danger now, I feel compelled to explaine to them what God requires to be a deciple of His.

I agree with you fully on this approach. On a practical level my children avoid toys, games and playmates that are not a good influence on them. When they do something wrong they ask God as well as their parents for forgiveness. When my son was in cub scouts he chose not to pledge to a flag or nation, and my daughter has chosen to veil -but that does not signify a commitment. My wife and I encourage Godly conduct and spiritual mindedness in our children, but they cannot decide to follow Jesus until they have the emotional and mental maturity and independence that we generally recognize as "the age of accountability", and I think that the life impact of discipleship is of the same or greater gravity as marriage.

If in the next few years my children expressed that they would like to live for Christ I would encourage that decision.

I would encourage that direction, but I would not necessarily seal that as a decision with baptism and the expectations that come with committed membership is a church that is going to nurture one's faith, expect service from its members, and hold one accountable for the commitment that has been made.

[Guest]

Thanks for your responce Wayne. I will just say one more thing. There is no age of accountabulity found in the bible. Though I agree with you that the bible teaches children are assumed innocent through their ingorence of the law and sin. I don't think it would be wise to say children need to reach a specific age like 15 before they are accountable. Some will be much older before they understand the gospel and some never will (mentaly handicaped). I believe that some children can comprehend these matters at a much younger age and I would site such individuals as King David and King Josiah as examples. If my children at the age often wanted to be baptised I would talk with them and test there understanding but I would not be apposed based strickly on age.

Thank you,
Robin

[Guest]

There is no age of accountabulity found in the bible. [/qoute]

And this is an age old problem. When is a child accountable? Roman Catholicism holds children accountable for their sin nature from birth and so offer regeneration to the infant in baptism. That sounds like the safest approach when you eliminate any "age of accountability".

I don't think it would be wise to say children need to reach a specific age like 15 before they are accountable. Some will be much older before they understand the gospel and some never will (mentaly handicaped). I believe that some children can comprehend these matters at a much younger age and I would site such individuals as King David and King Josiah as examples. If my children at the age often wanted to be baptised I would talk with them and test there understanding but I would not be apposed based strickly on age.

I agree that no specific age should be set, but there is a lot of pressure on parents in some churches to get their children “saved”, and child evangelism pushes heavily on the idea that it is best to have a child make a decision for Christ at as early an age as they can be reached.

The age of baptism and of "decisions" is getting younger and younger in Evangelical churches and in many of the Anabaptist churches (my own branch of the vine). In my own church there are evangelists who specialize in reaching children, and it seems that while parents acknowledge the need for maturity in a person's decision, nevertheless, their children are "different".

My biggest concern is that we water down the "gospel" in order to convert those who do not yet need to be converted, because they are not capable of understanding the actual Gospel and of making a real decision to follow Christ. This does not save them, and it does not build up the church.

ild makes a decision for Chr

Thank you,
Robin

[Guest]

Hi all,

Just for the record, all four of the children of the folks that host my home church were saved around 5 or so. Thier parents back that up. They are all 18-24yrs old now and still following Jesus.

Of course they may not have had more than a simple understanding of their need for Jesus and their faith in Him, but I think that would be all He required. Especially at five.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Steve Gregg says that he was saved around this age as well.

P.S. By "saved" I mean "decided" to put their trust in, and follow Jesus.

God bless.

[Guest]

Thanks Derek and Wayne. By the way Wayne, you and I are not far apart on this.

Thank you,
Robin

[Guest]

" Repent and be baptized"

What age can a child repent because he/she understands
that sin is an offense to God? That he/she desires to die
to his will being buried with Christ thru baptism..

[Guest]

The words of our Lord:

Matthew 19:14 but Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

Mark 10:15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child [does] will never enter it."

Mark 9:42 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

These statements of our Lord, while subject to various interpretations, seem at least to indicate a relationship between little children and the kingdom of God, and that some of them, in some sense, trust or believe in Christ.

I think it is possible that a child of 5-10 years old can understand submission to Christ enough to be a disciple. The cases may be few, but I think that some children of these ages qualify for baptism.