I wonder how it is that heresy is so easily consumed by the average person. Have people no grounding in the truth through which to discern truth from error? The sad reality is that more and more do not. And the tragedy of it all is that parents are much to blame!
Would you allow your young child to eat whatever he wanted? Some, who want to sound progressive, might actually say, “Yes.” What if he wanted to eat dirt like a worm? What if he wanted to eat trash like a goat? What if he wanted to eat poison like… a dead man? No parent who loves their young children will allow them to do or eat whatever they wish. Loving parents protect and guide their children. And yet when it comes to spiritual matters, you will often hear the familiar progressive notion, “I want to allow my child to make the choice for himself.” These parents don’t want to influence their children to view one religion (or any religion) as better than another. They think the hands-off approach is better for them, and they tell us that we should, “Trust our kids to make good decisions,” and “They will make the decision that is best for them.” Well, I’d vehemently argue that this stance is incredibly dangerous and wrong for a number of reasons. Let’s examine some of them below:
1) God has commanded us to raise our children to know Him and walk in His ways. In Eph. 6:4 we read – “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.” And Deut. 6:6-7 says – “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Clearly, if we are to obey the Lord’s call on our life, that means we must intentionally and thoroughly teach our children about the truths of God.
2) Left to themselves fallen man will always choose wrong. All of our inner faculties have been corrupted by the Fall and are further skewed by our own sinfulness. Our hearts, our minds, our affections, our wills – none can be depended on. Left to ourselves we desire foolish things, selfish things, wicked things, and worthless things. Eph. 2:3 says – “…We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Should a loving parent do nothing to steer their child away from such things? A child will not choose what is “best” for them; they don’t even have the tools to tell you what that is.
3) Your child will not grow up in a vacuum. If you will not lead, guide, and instruct your children, you can be sure that someone else will. Maybe it will be the Wiccan kid at school, or the Mormon down the block, or the atheist professor they have in college, or the heretic they romantically fall in love with. This whole world system is under the power of Satan according to Eph. 2:2 – “You formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” Make no mistake, Satan will happily take over the job of training your child if you will not. 1Pet. 5:8 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
4) If you won’t lead and guide your child it reveals that you don’t have strong convictions yourself! Do you not believe in heaven and hell? Is there not a final judgment day upon which your child will stand before God? Do you think all religions are the same? That is a ridiculous sentiment, and to hold that belief will not only condemn you in God’s eyes, it will also doom your child should they come to that conclusion as well. Jn. 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”
5) Finally, I’ll just add this: Don’t buy into the lie that you can escape influencing your child in spiritual matters. Your hands-off stance and noncommittal posture speaks volumes to your child. You are communicating to them that you believe spiritual things aren’t important, that they are mere philosophical concepts, and that they are no different from selecting which genre of movie they like to watch, or cereal they like to eat.
In the end, we are all leading our children in some direction or another. Will your children grow up to be able to discern truth from error? Will your child become a Heretic? Matt. 7:9-10 says – “What man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?” Take care then how you spiritually feed your child now, lest he get a taste for the poisonous morsels of heresy he will inevitably be offered tomorro
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