Today is Youth Day. On this day 45 years ago, 20 000 young people protested against an unjust education system. Not only were they forced to endure overcrowded classrooms and inadequately trained educators, but the government had decided that Afrikaans would be used on an equal basis with English as the language of instruction in secondary school.

However, I’d like to use this tragic historical day as an opportunity to specifically address parents and those who are responsible for raising children, the future generation of our country. In this blog I will provide some biblical principles for raising godly children in an ungodly society.

Parents must lead by example

In the Old Testament God gave His people many commandments. The fifth commandment is that children must honor their parents (Ex. 20:12). God promises children a long life if they obey their parents (Eph. 6:3). However, as parents we often forget that our lives set the tone for the obedience of our children.

When it comes to obeying God, they must first lead by example. Parents should live by the first four commandments, that is to love God above all else. This seems obvious, but to many Christian parents, their commitment to honoring God, has little to do with how they parent.

God’s instructions are often about how we should live our own lives before He teaches us how to have an effect on the lives of the people who we encounter on a regular basis.

Parents must teach their children the gospel

The next biblical principle comes from Proverbs 22:6 which says, “Train a child how to live the right way. Then even when he is old, he will still live that way” (International Children’s Bible).

Most of us know this Scripture. Yet, the practice of it seems to elude us. How do you train your child in godly ways? Fortunately, God provides us with the answer in Deuteronomy chapter 6. In verses 6 and 7 He tells His people,

“Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up” (ICB).

As people who are saved by the gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-15) we need to cultivate a deep appreciation for and understanding of it. We are not to merely know its message for our salvation, but we need to be interacting with it and asking ourselves how it applies to our everyday life.

As we wrestle with it we need to share it with our children. Specifically, we should tell how it is changing our hearts every day. As we do this they get to see that being a follower of Christ is not only about having our sins forgiven, but that it is relevant for every area of our lives.

As we do this they get to see that being a follower of Christ is not only about having our sins forgiven, but that it is relevant for every area of our lives.

As we learn how the gospel speaks to conflict in our relationships or at work; as we think about our finances or even as we reflect on what God is asking of us to change in our behaviour, we are fulfilling God’s desire to teach our children His truth.

Admittedly, this is not the “normal” thing to do because most of us live our faith-walk with Jesus in a very private manner. People believe things like “My walk of faith is a matter between me and God and not for me to share with everyone.”

We know that the “Lone Ranger” Christian is unbiblical. I used to think that this only refers to Christians meeting with other Christians. However, I’ve come to understand that it also means that we are to share the truth of the gospel with other people especially our children in real ways.

Parents must not exasperate their children

Lastly, parents (fathers, in particular) must not exasperate their children. Instead they should raise them in the training and teaching of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). I think that what God is telling us in this passage is that we must not become easily frustrated with our children.

As a father, I know that I am very easily frustrated when my son does not live according to my expectations. Often this makes me very strict about the things that he is allowed to do.

In our attempts to train our children to live in the right way we can often become so unloving in our instruction. We err by becoming too strict. Yet, our instruction is meant to be given graciously as God gives it.

It should be done regularly, proactively and most importantly, lovingly. The intention is to help us create godly citizens that society can look to as a standard by which to live, and not given as punishment for an offense.

Our instruction should be done regularly, proactively and most importantly, lovingly.

As we consider our young people this youth day, let us consider too how we can be a blessing to them. We might not be able to train every young person in South Africa or even in our province, but we are called to train those whom God has given to us. We might not be able to save every young person from themselves, their generation or their sin, but we can share the gospel with those whom God has placed in our lives.