The Christian Mind

Posted on March 22, 2012 by PS

Christian ThinkingIn The Christian Mind, Harry Blamires lays out the case that Christians do not have a distinctive, world impacting thinking or that what little thinking that exists is highly siloed from the everyday world because of how we fragment our life in order to work with non-Christians.  His argument is highly compelling and deeply problematic to how a Christian worldview should be lived for God’s glory.  Read the passage below and then spend some time pondering how you think and act to see if his description resonates with you and your everday experience.

The mark of the Christian mind is that it cultivates an eternal perspective.  That is to say, it looks beyond this world another one. It is supernaturally orientated, and brings to bear upon earthly considerations the fact of Heaven and the fact of Hell.

In this respect the religious view of life differs so fundamentally and comprehensively from the secular view of life that it seems scarcely possible for the Christian to communicate intelligibly with the modem secularist. And indeed this is our most acute problem today. It seems virtually impossible to bridge the gap between ourselves and our unbelieving fellow-men so as to present to them, vividly and convincingly, the Christian view of the human situation.

The Christian mind sees human life and human history held in the hands of God. It sees the whole universe sustained by his power and his love. It sees the natural order as dependent upon the supernatural  order, time as contained within eternity. It sees this life as an inconclusive experience, preparing us for another; this world as a temporary place of refuge, not our true and final home.

But outside the sphere of Christian thinking there a totally different view of things. Modem secular thought ignores the reality beyond this world. It treats this world as The Thing. Secularism is, by its very nature rooted in this world, accounting it the only sure basis of knowledge. The only reliable source of meaning and value. Secularism puts its trust in this life and makes earthly happiness and well-being its primary concern.

The modern rejection of Christianity, rooted as it is in a hard-boiled sense the secularism, has at its heart a total failure to sense the dependence of man, the creatureliness of man. Its most basic presupposition, implicit in all its judgments, is that this which we experience directly with the senses constitutes the heart and totality of things. Hence the collision between the Christian Faith and contemporary secular culture. For all teaching of Christian revelation deals with the breaking-in of the greater supernatural order upon our more limited finite world. That conception is at the heart of the doctrine of the Incarnation.  It is at the heart of every claim to individual experience of God’s love and power. The greater breaks in upon the Smaller. But if our world here is seen as the totality of things, or even as the dominant sphere of existence, then the notion of the greater breaking in upon it cannot be entertained If This World = All that Is, then there is no Greater-than-lt to break in upon it.  The idea of God can be entertained only if you have first thought of man as someone than whom there could be Someone greater; only if you have first thought of the universe as something than which there could be Something more stable and important. Secularism is so rooted in this world that it does not allow for the existence of any other. Therefore whenever secularism encounters the Christian mind, either the Christian mind will momentarily shake that rootedness, or secularism will seduce the Christian mind to a temporary mode of converse which overlooks the supernatural.

For the truths of Christian revelation, one and all, put this life decisively within the framework of a bigger one; and the Christian mind, thinking Christianly, cannot for moment escape a frame of reference which reaches out to the supernatural

In this respect the Christian mind has allowed itself to be subtly secularized by giving a purely chronological status to the eternal. That is to say, the Christian has relegated the significance of the eternal to the life that succeeds this one. In doing so, it has enabled itself to come to terms with the secular mind on a false basis. The basis is that here and now Christians and secularists can share the same conceptions, attitudes, and modes of action within the temporal sphere, since the essential difference between them – i.e., the dispute whether or not there is God’s eternity beyond this world-is one which begins to be applicable only when this life is ended.

We are not suggesting that arguments of this kind are consciously articulated. They are not.  We are trying to capture in words the sly process by which the Christian mind de-Christianizes itself in this respect without intending to do so.  Its conscious motives are good. It wants to operate in harmony with the secular mind wherever possible. Thus over laudable ventures in fruitful fields of activity—social, cultural, educational, political—the Christian comes to terms with the secularist. He argues thus: ‘This venture is a worthy one. These secularists are engaged in it because they’re good men with high ideals anxious to serve a humanitarian purpose. Christians can co-operate with them because their work is good.” Thus the Christian reasons and he acts accordingly. But, in cooperating with secularists the Christian necessarily, for all practical purposes, ceases to proclaim that in his eyes this work is God’s work undertaken in God’s name, for God’s people, in Gods world. He will put into the background of his mind, when questions of policy or practice e to be discussed with the secularists, the fact that this sanitarian work is for him part of a gigantic debate between good and evil which splits the universe. He will keep quiet about the temporariness of this life, the insecurity of earthly fortune, the ceaseless creaturely dependence of man upon that which is beyond this world.

The Christian works side by side with the secularist.  He prays sincerely in private about his work.  But for tactical day-to-day purposes he does not talk Christianly about aims, plans, and policies, because he is talking secularists. In other words, his mind ceases, at the level of communication, to think Christianly. Indeed the Christian trains his mind, forces it, to think secularly – so as to help the job in hand to be done efficiently. In this way, by gradual stages, the Christian loses the habit of thinking Christianly over the field of practical affairs in which he is actively involved. Setting out with the charitable aim of co-operating with good secularist activities, the Christian has slowly divested himself of the habit of thinking Christianly and acquired the habit of thinking secularly, except in reference to his personal spiritual life and his private moral code.

Hence the modern Christian, schizophrenic who hops in and out of his Christian mentality as topic of conversation changes from the Bible to the day’s newspaper, or the field of action changes from Christian Stewardship to commercial advertising, or the environment changes from the vestry to the office.  No doubt the laity are more schizophrenic than the parish priests. On the other hand observation suggests that bishops and other high dignitaries are more schizophrenic than either.

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Distracted Prayer

Posted on March 21, 2012 by PS

Sidlow Baxter personifies the struggle many of us have with prayer.  Follow along as Will battles Emotions with persistence winning the day:

As never before, my will and I stood face to face. I asked my will the straight question, “Will, are you ready for an hour of prayer?” Will answered, “Here I am, and I’m quite ready, if you are.” So Will and I linked arms and turned to go for our time of prayer. At once all the emotions began pulling the other way and protesting, “We are not coming.” I saw Will stagger just a bit, so I asked, “Can you stick it out, Will?” and Will replied, “Yes, if you can.” So Will went, and we got down to prayer, dragging those wriggling obstreperous emotions with us. It was a struggle all the way though. At one point, when Will and I were in the middle of an earnest intercession, I suddenly found one of those traitorous emotions had snared my imagination and had run off to the golf course; and it was all I could do to drag the wicked rascal back. A bit later I found another of the emotions has sneaked away with some off-guard thoughts and was in the pulpit, two days ahead of schedule, preaching a sermon I had not yet finished preparing! At the end of that hour, if you had asked me, “Have you had a ‘good time’?” I would have had to reply, “No, it has been a wearying wrestle with the contrary emotions and a truant imagination from beginning to end.” What is more, that battle with the emotions continued for between two and three weeks, and if you had asked me at the end of that period, “Have you had a ‘good time’ in your daily praying?” I would have to confess, “No, at times it has seemed as though the heavens were brass, and God too distant to hear, and the Lord Jesus strangely aloof, and prayer accomplished nothing.” Yet something was happening. For one thing, Will and I really taught the emotions that we were completely independent of them. Also, one morning, about two weeks after the contest had began, just when Will and I were going for another time of prayer, I overheard one of the emotions whisper to the other, “Come on, you guys, it is no use wasting any more time resisting: they’ll go just the same.” That morning, for the first time, even though the emotions were still suddenly uncooperative, they were at least quiescent, which allowed Will and me to get on with prayer undistractedly. Then, another couple of weeks later, what do you think happened? During one of our prayer times, when Will and I were no more thinking of the emotions than of the man in the moon, one of the most vigorous of the emotions unexpectedly sprang up and shouted, “Hallelujah!” at which all the other emotions exclaimed, “Amen!” And for the first time the whole of my being – intellect, will and emotion – was united in one coordinated prayer operation.

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ABCs of Jesus’ Titles

Posted on March 19, 2012 by PS

In The Rock of Our Salvation by William Plumer, the titles of Jesus are woven together in an alphabetical list that masterfully describes who Jesus is to His followers.  This is part of a longer section titled Christ is All in All in The Person of Christ.  Hopefully, this section will whet your appetite to read the whole thing.

Christ is their Advocate, the angel of the covenant, the author and finisher of faith. He is as the apple tree among the trees of the wood; the Alpha and the Omega; the beloved, the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, I bread of life, the righteous Branch, the bridegroom, the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of His person. He is bundle of myrrh.

To His saints, He is and is owned to be Creator, captain, Counselor, covenant, cornerstone, a covert from the tempest, and the chiefest among ten thousand. He is to them as the Dew, the door into the fold, a daysman, a day star, a deliverer, a diadem, and the desire of all nations, ranks, and generations of pious men.

In their eyes. He is the Elect, Emmanuel, the everlasting Father and eternal life. He is a Fountain of living waters to thirsty souls, of joy to troubled souls, of life to dying souls. He is the foundation on which His people of all ages safely build their hopes of heaven. He is the Father of eternity, the fir tree under whose shadow the saints rejoice, the First and the Last, the first fruits of the greatest harvest ever gathered, the first-born among many brethren and the first-begotten from the dead.

To His chosen. He is as the finest gold, a guide, a governor, a glorious Lord, God, the true God, God over all blessed forever. He is the lead of the Church, the health, the hope, the husband, the heritage, the habitation of His people. He is the horn of their salvation. He rides upon the heavens by His name! He is the Jehovah, the inheritance, Judge, and King of His saints. He is their light, their life, their Lord, their leader, their Lawgiver, their atoning lamb, the Lily of the Valley, the Lion of the tribe of Judah

He is the Man Christ Jesus, the Master, the Mediator, the messenger of the covenant, the minister of the true sanctuary, “which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Heb 8:2). He is the mighty God of Isaiah…the bright and morning star of John, and the Messiah of all the prophets.

He is the “only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” John 14). He is at once the root and the offspring of David. He is the peace, the prince, the priest, the prophet, the potentate, the purifier, propitiation* for our sins, the physician of souls, the plant of renown, the power of God unto salvation, the Passover of all saints. He is a polished shaft in the quiver of God.

He is the Rock, the refuge, the ruler, the ransom, the refiner, the Redeemer, the righteousness, and the resurrection of all that walk in white. He is the rose of Sharon. He is the seed of the woman, the seed Abraham, the seed of David, the stem of Jesse, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the shield, the strength, the surety, the Shiloh, the sacrifice, the sanctuary, the salvation, the sanctification, and the Sun of righteousness to all believers.

He is that holy thing that was born of Mary (Luk 1:35). He is the truth, the treasure, the teacher, the temple, the tree of life, the great testator of His Church. He is the Way, the well of salvation, the Word of God, the wisdom of God, the faithful witness. He is [called] Wonderful (Isa 9:6).

His person is one; His natures are two.  He is both human and divine, finite and infinite, created and uncreated. He was therefore divine, finite and infinite, created and uncreated. He was before Abraham, though not born for ages after that patriarch slept with his fathers. He was dead; and behold, He is alive for evermore (Rev 1:18).

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Historically Rootless

Posted on March 18, 2012 by PS

In our modern thinking, the studying the past is worthless.  We want the latest and greatest technology, trendy cloths and breaking news.  A book published a few years ago may be considered dated and a newer edition on the same topic preferred.  Hyperbolically, mobile carriers make this point in marketing messages when they suggest that news from slower networks is old and stale.  They say, “That’s so 9 seconds ago.”

Our educational system rarely teaches us to look backwards, to the mistakes and successes of our ancestors, so there is little understanding of the past.  The church is no better than the school system.  It has detached itself from the great pastors and theologians of bygone eras in favor of 20-somethings who know how to connect with and entertain with sermons designed to sell books.  The works of Spurgeon, Bunyan, Calvin and others are unknown to most church goers.  Creeds and catechisms are out of favor limiting our common connection to our forefathers in the faith.  As a result, we are culturally and theologically rootless and without a solid grounding, leaving us susceptible to being “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14)

While this is a modern problem, it’s not unique to modernity.  God recognized the myopia of humanity.  Yet, ensuring that His people remember His works has always been critical to Him.  God instituted a cadence of the calendar, both weekly and yearly, so that Israel could not forget what He has done.  Weekly they were to observe the Sabbath to rest, worship and reflect.  Annually, they were to celebrate several holidays that marked major events in the life of the nation.  The Passover is the most meaningful holiday in the Jewish calendar and served as a sign of God’s protection during the last of the plagues before the Exodus from Egypt.

In Joshua 4, God offers another way to mark significant events.  He had Joshua select twelve ‘stones of remembrance’ after Israel crossed the Jordan river.  These stones were used to prompt a question from future generations about their meaning.  This led to a spontaneous retelling of the history behind those stones.

Understanding history is important, so what do we do to prevent the next generation from carrying the same level of ignorance that most of us live with?  Hebrews 12:3 tells us to consider those who endured before us and several other places in Scripture direct us to imitate other’s faith, so one place to look to is the biographies of great Christians who laid the ground work for us – those that engaged in the battles to establish sound doctrine, translated the Bible into vernacular, obeyed God in spite of the danger, lived in poverty rather than compromise their faith or died instead of denying Christ.  Remembering these people will help us lay a stone pathway to the past.  Understanding their sacrifice will honor them and provide children with heroes after which to model their lives as they face challenging circumstances.  It will also teach them to see that nearly all of the issues that they face have been wrestled with by others.  Though the time or the country may have been different, they can learn that they’re not alone in their struggles.

Where should you begin?  Consider starting with the book series Christian Heroes, Men and Women of Faith or History Lives.

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How to Think Christianly about a Job Change

Posted on March 16, 2012 by PS

Outdoor workers“Should I change jobs?”  That question isn’t easy to answer and the decision to accept a new position is often equally challenging because of the trade-offs that often need to be made.  Even in circumstances where there are clear benefits such as a significant increase in pay or career opportunities, Christians should think carefully about their motives.  Here are some questions to consider related to the impact of the move could have on you, your family, your relationships and service to God.

Questions for all positions:

  • What ethical challenge does the new company’s products pose?  Can you do the work as if you’re serving God (Ephesians 6:7, Colossians 3:23)?
  • Do the company’s values and priorities align with yours?  Do your new manager’s values pose any challenges to your own leading you to a potential compromise (1 Corinthians 15:33)?
  • Does the new role provide you with increased influence over decisions that positively impact the world for God?  Does it expand you opportunities to tell others about Him relative to your current job?
  • How will time with your family be impacted by the work commitment, commute or travel?  How will your time for church and other service activities be affected?  Will your time for Bible study and prayer be diminished or increased?
  • Are you pursuing the change purely for a pay increase (1 Timothy 6:10)?  Do you plan to invest the additional compensation to further God’s kingdom?
  • Are you taking the position out of pride or to keep up with your peers rather than what’s best for you and your family (Ecclesiastes 4:4)?  Can you say that your decision glorifies God (1 Corinthians 10:31)?  When you give an account to God, what will be your rationale for the decision?

Additional questions when a move is necessary:

  • What impact will your move have on your church family given your current involvement?  What other organizations that you’re committed to will be feel the loss of your commitment?
  • What discipleship relationships at your office or in your neighborhood will be hindered by leaving?  What evangelistic work will end?  What opportunities does the new role open up to influence others or make a difference for Christ?
  • Can you find a church that you’re comfortable with that reflects your doctrinal priorities?  Will you grow spiritually more or less than at your existing church?
  • How will the move impact your parents or siblings in areas of care and involvement in your children’s lives?
  • Does your family adjust well to change including making new friends? (introverts have a more difficult time adjusting) Will a fresh start be good for your kids and spouse or do they have many good friends who they’ll lose the relationships with?
  • What is the net change in compensation after differences in taxes (state, city, county) and housing costs are taken into account?

The questions can be summed up by considering what you give up, what you gain and whether that trade-off glorifies God.  The point is that a move shouldn’t be taken lightly because of all of the parties affected.  Career progression must not become an idol for Christians.  Use the list of questions to guide your thinking and spend time before God in prayer asking that he guide your decision in a way that you might best serve Him.

In addition, mediate on the words of C.H. Spurgeon.  He wrote this to explain how work can hinder prayer, but the thought applies to career decisions as well.

Not content to earn as much as is necessary for themselves and families, some must have much more than they can possibly enjoy for themselves or profitably use for others…Many a man who might have been of great service to the church of God becomes useless because he must branch out in some new direction in business, which takes up all his spare time. Instead of feeling that his first care should be, “How can I best glorify God?” his all-absorbing object is to “stretch his arms like seas and grasp in all the shore”…Beware of “the lusts of other things” (Mar 4:19), the cancer of riches, the greed insatiable that drives men into the snare of the devil.

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What is Your Children’s Salvation Worth?

Posted on March 16, 2012 by PS

What would you give up to ensure that your children repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus, so that they might to go heaven one day?  Is that worth all of your savings?  Would you be willing to be tortured to ensure that they spent eternity with God?  How about if your life was required to provide this assurance?  Ultimately, for better or worse, none of these are options.  God provides no guarantee.  It is left to His sovereignty and we must trust Him.

However, think these questions from another perspective.  Are you doing everything you can to influence your children to trust God rather than their own efforts for salvation?  Consider these areas:

  • Your teaching of them: Do you read the Bible with them and explain the stories at their level, review the church lesson to ensure they understood and remember it, find ways to apply God’s word to the situations they face in life?
  • Your protection of them: Do you know their friends and counsel them away from ungodly influences, interview their boy/girl friends to serve a shield against poor motivations and engage them in conversations about the media they consume to that they understand its influence?
  • Your example before them: Do you make church attendance a priority, study the Bible in front of them, pray with them, ask for their forgiveness when you are wrong and ask for God’s forgiveness in pray with them, model a love for friends and family along with a self-sacrifice for others’ needs?  For Fathers, do you model what their heavenly Father is like in patience, grace and sacrifice?
  • Your love of them: Do you model God’s love by forgiving them when wronged, overlooking minor differences that do not cross Biblical lines or endanger them?  Do you express your live by spending time with them, hugging them and complementing them about their God-given abilities?
  • Your prayer for them: Are you constantly before God in prayer asking for His guidance in raising them, for His protection for them and their salvation and endurance in the face of persecution?

This may seem like a long list, but think about the original question.  What would you give up – time, money, health, life – to lead them towards eternity?  Would you do anything less with regard to your example, teaching, love, prayer or protection (while always resting in the comfort of God’s control)?

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True Worship – John MacArthur Sermon

Posted on March 14, 2012 by PS

John MacArthur has downloadable eight sermons that cover worshiping God rightly in spirit and truth.  Here’s the first True Worship message.  You can find the remaining seven at MacArthur’s Grace To You True Worship page.

He also has a short answer to What Constitutes True Worship? from John 4 and a sermon called The Critical Elements of True Worship.

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Imitate the Faith of Great Christians

Posted on March 11, 2012 by PS

Faux pasHave you ever found yourself in a new, awkward or foreign social situation where you looked to others for queues about social mores?  Maybe you didn’t know which utensil to use first or how to greet someone from outside your social sphere.  Looking to others who are more experienced than us and imitating their actions shields us the embarrassment of acknowledging our ignorance or committing a faux pas.  Likewise the New Testament is sprinkled with repeated instruction to imitate others in their walk with God.  Four Biblical authors in six different books call us to imitate those more mature in the faith than ourselves or learn from examples of those who walked before us.

Consider these passages from three dimensions 1) We tend to imitate who we respect.  As a quick self assessment, who is this in your life?  Who do you say to yourself, “I want to be like him/her?”  2) Who can you look to as an example that you’d like to imitate as you seek to better know, love, trust and obey Christ?  As you consider this question, keep in mind that the answer may not be in one person.  You may want to replicate the prayer life of one Christian, but the dedicated service of another.  3) You are also an example to those around you and especially to those newer to the faith.  How can you be more consistent in your walk that they might seek to follow you following Christ?  How can you adjust your priorities to make yourself available to others who want to be discipled?

    • Jesus’ command about servanthood: When he (Jesus) had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,  you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.  (John 13:15)
    • Paul’s explanation of the Exodus: For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and  all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.  Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as  they did….Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction,  on whom the end of the ages has come.  (1 Corinthians 1:1-6, 11)
    • Paul’s encouragement to follow Jesus: Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant  offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)
    • Paul’s example of his own maturation: I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.  (1 Corinthians 4:6)
    • Paul’s imperative to follow him following Jesus: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1)
    • Paul’s guidance for who to mimic: Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.  (Philippians 3:17)
    • Paul’s explanation of why he didn’t burden the church: For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because  we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.  (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9)
    • Hebrews’ author points to who to follow: And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance  of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.  (Hebrews 6:2)
    • Hebrews directs us to learn from those before us who endure hostility: Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted (Hebrews 12:3)
    • Hebrews points us to follow the lives of church leaders: Remember  your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  (Hebrews 13:7)
    • James looks to prophets as patterns for how to suffer: As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.  (James 5:10-11)
    • Peter directs elders to be an example to the flock (1 Peter 5:1-3)

Each of these passages points us to the general theme of following those more spiritually mature than ourselves, but doesn’t cover the categories of life in which to mimic.  The simple answer is in everything, but Paul is more specific than this in 2 Timothy 3:10a when he praised Timothy for following “my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings”.  We can break this list down into three categories (see John MacArthur’s sermon for more detail):

  • Ministry (teaching, conduct): Alignment of teaching and living; integrity
  • Personal characteristics (aim, faith, patience, love): motive/passion/desire, trustworthiness, patience with people, love of God/church
  • Challenging experiences (steadfastness, persecutions, suffering): patience with circumstances (jail, ship wreck), threats/beatings/stonings

Timothy had proven himself faithful by becoming like his mentor in his ministry, his nature and his times of testing.

In summary, we’re called to follow Jesus, both generally and in humble service to others, the prophets in their suffering and Paul’s life that we find in Acts and through the Epistles.  The most actionable in our situation is to imitate our church leaders’ lives.  Consider having a meal with a leader or suggest to a pastor that one or more of them speak at church about how they plan and pattern their lives to glorify God.  Once you’re intentional about imitating mature Christians, you’ll be better prepared to provide an example to be imitated by observe all that Jesus commanded and making disciples in fulfillment of Matthew 28:19-20.

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The Weight of Parenthood

Posted on March 10, 2012 by PS

Wise advice for considering the weight of parenthood and the importance of teaching your children the things of God:

  • When we have a child we just say to ourselves, “We are the guardians and the custodians of this soul.”  What a dread responsibility!  In business and in professions, men are well aware of the great responsibility that rests upon them in the decisions they have to take.  But are they aware of the infinitely greater responsibility they bear with respect to their own children?  Do they give even the same amount of thought and attention and time to it, not to say more?  Does it weigh as heavily upon them as the responsibility that they feel in these other realms?  The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6:4, urges us to regard this as the greatest business in life, the greatest matter that we ever have to handle and transact.  – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls.  No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests.  No part of them should be so dear to you as that part that will never die.  The world with all its glory shall pass away; the hills shall melt; the heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll; the sun shall cease to shine.  But the spirit that dwells in those little creatures, whom you love so well, shall outlive them all, and whether in happiness or misery will depend on you.  This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children.  In every step you take about them, in every plan and scheme and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave our that mighty question, “How will this affect their souls?”…A true Christian must be no slave to fashion if he would train his child for heaven. He must not be content to do things merely because they are the custom of the world; to teach them and instruct them in certain ways, merely because it is usual; to allow them to read books of a questionable sort, merely because everybody else reads them; to let them form habits of a doubtful tendency, merely because they are the habits of the day. He must train with an eye to his children’s souls. He must not be ashamed to hear his training called singular and strange. What if it is? The time is short—the fashion of this world passed away. He that has trained his children for heaven rather than for earth—for God, rather than for man—is the parent that will be called wise at last.  – JC Ryle from The Duties of Parents
  • However carefully we may educate children, yet we cannot be said to educate them for God unless we believe that they are His; for if we believe that they are ours exclusively, we shall and must educate them for ourselves and not for Him…We must be governed therefore by this motive in the education of our children if we would educate them for God and not for ourselves.  In all our cares, labors, and sufferings for them, a regard to the divine glory must be the main spring that moves us….You will constantly labor to impress upon their minds a conviction that you consider religion as the great business of life, the favor of God as the only proper object of pursuit, and the enjoyment of Him hereafter as the only happiness, while everything else is comparatively of no consequence, however important it may otherwise be.  – Edward Payson in Children to be Educated for God
  • If you wish you instructions and admonitions to your family to be successful, enforce them by the power of a holy example.  It is not enough for you to be pious on the whole, but you should be wholly pious; not only to be real disciples, but eminent ones; not only sincere Christians, but consistent ones.  Your standard of religion should be very high….Beware how you act, for all your actions are seen at home.  Never talk of God, but with reverence.  Do not speak openly about the faults of your fellow Christians.  Never raise complain or find fault with the sermons of the minister.  Rather, commend his messages in order that your children may listen to them with greater attention.  Direct their views to the most eminent Christians.  Point out to them the loveliness of exemplary piety.  In short, seeing that your example may be expected so much to aid or to frustrate your efforts for the conversion of your children, consider “what manner of persons you should be in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11)  – John James from The Christian Father’s Present to His Children
  • It is of great importance that children early imbibe an awe of God and a humble veneration for His perfections and glories.  He ought, therefore, to be represented to them as the great Lord of all.  And, when we take occasion to mention to them other invisible agents, whether angels or devils, we should…always represent them as entirely under the government and control of God…  – Philip Doddridge from The Godly Family

Source: Biblical Parenthood

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