why have children if there is a chance they will end up not being one of the elect?

Hupomone10

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Dear granturissimus:

I teach my 11 yr old the Bible.

In previous years my wife and I shared the truth of the gospel with him, and never pushed him. We were more concerned about his making a false emotional response than we were about having a superficial confidence in a premature decision. We knew that you have to get a person lost before you can get them saved (they have to realize they are lost).

I taught him for years the truths of Scripture using conservative Bible studies and conservative Christian Bible curriculum because I know from raising two successful sons previously that God's word will not return void, and that the person who is taught the gospel and is prayed for is statistically more likely to be a follower of Christ and be a solid disciple.

Long story short, the conversation came up and I knew in my spirit the time was right and he knew it too. It just flowed. There was no feeling of pressure - "uhoh, here it is! The moment! I have to say it right, or else I'll blow it! or Oh boy, I got somebody saved!" I just shared, he believed. He embraced Christ as Savior, and yes, he prayed to the Lord Jesus telling Him so.

My confidence is not in election, nor could it be. Election is in the mind and control of God. And my confidence is not in my persuasion or my ability to teach the Bible. My confidence is in God's word and God's Spirit to use my feeble efforts and do through me what I cannot accomplish in the resources of Sanctified Self.

The parent who is praying for their children and proactively teaching them God's Word and explaining it, especially the prayer part, has every reason to be confident and rest in the Lord for their eventual salvation. The parent who doesn't, doesn't.
Experience, statistics, and reason support this. So does the Word of God:

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.


The Word doesn't tell us to sit by and be confident in some doctrine or a belief that God will do right by us because they are our kids. That is not faith in God; that is presumption. The Word gives us direction. And God will bless obedience to this direction, since it was initiated by His Word and faith in His Word.

Does that guarantee they will be saved? No. Neither does hoping they are elect.
But it is His direction, and is therefore inspired by Him, and He will bear witness to it.

Blessings,
H.
 
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