1 Timothy 1:12-17 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (NIV)

Christians are sinning in their roles as parents. By sinning, I do not mean deliberate disobedience; I mean that they are missing the mark and coming up short of what Christian parents ought to be. This is not an indictment of all parents; it is a confession of my own failures and a statement of my belief that the church has failed to recognize the mark Christian parents should be aiming for.

I aimed to raise my children with knowledge of righteousness and God’s mercy. At the same time, believing that Christ came into the world to save sinners meant that I expected my children to grow up committing a certain amount of sinful rebelliousness and disobedience. I aimed to teach them to recognize their need for forgiveness and that they could turn to Christ to be their savior.

I failed to appreciate that at birth, a baby is born a sinner. Because of humanities fallen state, all children are born separated from a redeeming relationship with God. They are born with a selfishness that prevents them from being righteous in their relationships. I taught my children to be unselfish when playing with other children, and I taught them that someday they needed to surrender their selfishness to be reconciled with God. Children raised this way often do come to a point of decision, and they accept the gift of salvation that Christ offers them.

I knew a man in his eighties; he testified he had never lived a day of his life in deliberate sinfulness. His parents raised him to know Christ as his savior and from the day he could first speak, he spoke with Jesus. His parents taught him that deliberate disobedience was deadly. He lived his whole life with faith in Jesus. He was the godliest man I have ever known. He was full of joy and thankfulness; when Jesus saved him from sin, Jesus saved him from a life of sinning.