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Chapter 7

children mature physically,emotionally,

and spiritually.God gives children to us

for a short time—they are only on loan,

so to speak.They do not“belong”to the

parents; they are His.However,it is the

responsibility of the parents to raise

them in a manner pleasing to God.This

involves using godly principles in

childrearing practices.

Often,what has been written on

Christian parenting takes Scripture out

of context to support everything from

abusively beating children to letting

children do whatever they choose.This

examination of six attributes of God

provides a blueprint for what actions are

appropriate for children.For easy

reference,Sidebar 7.6 offers the

scriptural references for the six attributes

we will discuss.

God Is Life.Thelifegiven tohuman

beings,in thescripturalsense,isdifferent

from thelifegiven toanimals.Animals

arenot createdin God’simage—human

beingsare.That isthevitalprinciple

which setsusapart from everythingelse

in Creation (Genesis1:1,26–28).Lifeisa

gift from God,which Hegivesat our

birth andextendsagain when weaccept

JesusChrist asour Savior.Children area

gift toparentsfrom God.Asparents,we

aretoloveandcarefor them in theway

Godlovesandcaresfor them,not in

wrath,but in soundteaching(Psalm

127:3–4;Ephesians6:4;Colossians2:8).

God Is Loving.Lovedescribesthevery

natureof Godandisthegreatestof all

Christianvirtues(John3:16;15:9–13).It

isnotjustthatGodloves,butHeislove

personified.Loveisnotmerelyoneof His

attributes,butitexemplifiesHisvery

nature(1John4:7).Humansmustlearn

howtolove(1John4:7b–11).Itisnotan

instinctivebehavior.Whenparentslove

theirchildren,childrenlearntolove

others(Isaiah49:15;66:13;Matthew

23:37).God’sgreatestdesireisforHis

creationtolovehim(Matthew22:37),yet

Hegiveseachonefreewill—howcheap

ourloveforHimwouldbeif humans

werehardwiredtoloveHim!

Yet,at the same time,discipline and

instruction are vital parts of parenting.It

is proof wedolove our children

(Proverbs 13:24).Children who grow up

without loving discipline often feel

unworthy and unwanted.At the same

time,discipline must be grounded in and

When parents love their children, children learn to love others.

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