Growing Up In The Church

by Chris Simmons

The title of this article is an accommodative expression frequently used to describe the childhood and teenage years of children whose parents are members of the Lord’s church. It is not to imply that the children are part of the Lord’s church aside from their own personal decision to render obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Rather it describes children whose developmental years are characterized by regular and committed worship and Bible study under the leadership of their Christian parents.

What are the benefits of being raised in the church? We can’t underestimate the benefits of growing up with a continual diet of God’s word. Just like the commercials on television, the opportunity to be raised on a consistent diet of the milk of God’s word is indeed, “priceless.” After Paul had established in the book of Romans that both Jews and Gentiles were in sin, the question evidently arose in the minds of some whether there was any “benefit” or “advantage” at all then to having a background as a Jew if both were lost in God’s sight. Paul replied in Romans 3:1 that the “benefit” or “advantage” was “great in every respect” in that “they were entrusted with the oracles of God.” In like manner, it should be a great advantage to be reared in a godly home. In the homes of Christians, both parents and children need to ensure that the opportunity is not wasted to “entrust” our children with a spiritual foundation built on the “oracles of God” or squander the great “benefit” and “advantage” given to them. What a blessing it can be to learn the books of the Bible at an early age and to begin to commit to memory when we’re young key passages of scripture from God’s word. What a benefit to have parents and Bible class teachers who instill essential lessons from both the Old and New Testaments from our earliest days of our childhood. Paul reminded Timothy of the advantages he had by being raised by a godly mother and grandmother in II Timothy 3:14-15, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (cf. II Timothy 1:5). When it comes to “handling accurately the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15), it’s an enormous blessing to grow up in the church if we’ll make the most of the opportunity.

Are there challenges for children who grow up in the church? Certainly there are, including the challenge of recognizing that our sins have made us just as lost as those who have never attended a Bible class or scriptural worship service. In Luke 18:9-14 we read of a Pharisee, just as much of a sinner as the tax-gatherer, who could not perceive his own “undone” condition (cf. Isaiah 6:5, ASV). For a child who grows up in the church, his or her sins are no less soul damning that the child who is raised with no concern or regard for right and wrong. There is also the challenge of children who grow up in the church developing their own faith in God and His word rather than riding on the coattails of their parents faith. Paul said in Romans 14:22 regarding matters of conscience, “The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God.” What applies to matters of conscience certainly applies to matters of specific divine revelation. The faith of a child who grows up in the church must have as its foundation his own hearing of God’s word (Romans 10:17) and his own persuasion based on the evidence of God’s revealed will. The “conviction of things not seen” has to be our own (Hebrews 11:1). Timothy’s upbringing and the influence of his godly mother and grandmother was previously discussed, but it’s interesting to note that Timothy was charged with the responsibility to “kindle afresh” (II Timothy 1:6) his own faith and exercising of the divine gifts he had been blessed with.

There’s a serious danger for children who grow up in the church. The danger is for children who grow up in the church with parents who are hypocritical in their service to God or inconsistent in their worship of God. Children will not be fooled by parents who claim to put God first but leave the door open to the possibility of neglecting opportunities to gather together with the saints or are hypocritical in their words and/or actions. Children who grow up in the church need to see that serving God is an everyday thing and they need to see parents who practice what they hear preached. It should be the goal of every Christian parent to raise children who never have to ask “are we going to worship or Bible class tonight?”

If we’ve been blessed to have been raised up in the church by dedicated and sincere Christian parents, we ought to thank our Father in heaven every day for such a blessing. If we are parents who were not so blessed, may we resolve to provide such an upbringing to our children that they might be grounded in the word of truth and lead a life consistent with that message. Regardless of our background, every parent is responsible before God to “bring them (our children) up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Regardless of our upbringing, every soul is responsible for coming to “a knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:4) and heeding Paul’s admonition to “be reconciled to God” (II Corinthians 5:20-21) through our submission to His will and our obedience to the gospel (Philippians 2:12; II Thessalonians 1:6-8; Hebrews 5:8-9; I Peter 1:22).