Parents' Missions |
What is our mission as Christian Parents? |
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In this initial issue of BREADCOM Kids, let us determine God's mission for us parents. The mandate to Adam and Eve as God's image bearers was to "be fruitful and multiply, and [to] fill the earth." With their God's given ability to procreate, Adam and Eve were to have children bearing the same image, children according to the image of God. This has been the mission of parents since the beginning of time.
After the fall, the dignity of procreation was degraded and often distorted. From a divine experience it became more of a mechanical process. It was watered down to man uniting with a woman having children without and depth or meaning. Thus parents lost their divine identity as rulers to their children.
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As Christian parents, we experienced God's regenerating grace of which the divine image in us that was marred by sin has been restored, and the sanctity of our marital union regained. The original purpose for procreation was reinstituted, and now we have been enabled to raise up godly children.
So, what is our mission as Christian parents?
As stated on Genesis 17:10-12, our very first mission is to secure the mark of our covenant relationship with God upon our children. In the Old Testament the sign and symbol of the covenant is circumcision, and our Lord Jesus instituted a revision of this mark, from circumcision it became baptism. The Christian mark is better than of the Old Testament because it now includes all female. This is true with the baptism of the Philippian jailer and his family-"immediately he was baptized, he and all his household" (Ac 16:33).
It is important that Christian parents present their new born child to the church for baptism. This is their public declaration that their child is a child of the covenant and heir of the covenant blessing.
Second, we must teach the stipulations of our covenant relationship with God to our children. This is a mandate from God given not to the Sunday school teachers but to us parents.
Moses concerning the statutes and commands of God on Deuteronomy 6, instructed the people. He was not addressing the priests or Levites, he was talking to the entire congregation.
Hear, 0 Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (Dt 6:4-7)
This is the essence of the God's covenant relationship with Israel, God chose them to be His people and Israel is privileged to have Him as their God. The core stipulation of their covenant relationship is to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." And for their children to enjoy the blessing in the promise land, they must teach them everything about the covenant relationship with God. They are to teach them diligently all the time.
This is the same covenant relationship we have with God. Therefore, we christian parents must teach our children everything about God and the blessings of having a covenant relationship with Him. This is our mission that we must not neglect nor pass to others. We are God's primary means in restoring His image to them. Soli Deo Gloria!
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