Esau (my oldest, just under the age of five) asked Jesus to be his Savior yesterday! He has really seemed to be moving in that direction for the last eight months or so, and this without any pressure whatsoever from us. I believe he was sincere. We are taking the approach of "watch and see," and we will just continue to disciple and nurture him as we have been all along.
You know, this is an issue that is difficult to come to terms with -- children professing faith in Christ -- especially if you have small children of your own. Let me just share the philosophy behind my approach to it.
As a Christian, I have a responsibility to bring up my children in the nurture and admoniton of the Lord (Eph 6:4). I am to teach them the truths of God's Word and disciple them from their earliest years (Deut. 11:19).
You know, this is an issue that is difficult to come to terms with -- children professing faith in Christ -- especially if you have small children of your own. Let me just share the philosophy behind my approach to it.
As a Christian, I have a responsibility to bring up my children in the nurture and admoniton of the Lord (Eph 6:4). I am to teach them the truths of God's Word and disciple them from their earliest years (Deut. 11:19).
I must admit, I have in times past been very skeptical and reserved about the idea of very young children expressing a desire to commit their lives to Jesus Christ. No doubt, there are situations in which children are simply doing what they think their parents want them to do, or what they are being told they should do -- there was that kind of pressure there. I think that can often result in what we call "parrot talk," where the child more or less "jumps through the hoops," so to speak, and seemingly does the right things, yet there is no genuine understanding, conviction, or redemption that has actually taken place. And oftentimes, parents will reassure their children of their commitment later on in life when their children question it, and I wonder if that is wise.
But that is not the whole story. Perhaps it is not so impossible for small children to come to faith in Christ. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 19:14) Notice, "LET [them] come," and "do not hinder them."
Based on David's statement in 2 Samuel 12, I believe newborns and very young children who die go to heaven to be with God. But that would mean that somewhere along the line, some sort of a threshhold of culpability is crossed (not an "age" of accountability, per se, but an individual awareness), and God now holds us fully responsible for our condition, actions, and decisions. I don't pretend to know where that line is for any child, even my own.
But what I do know is that even very young children understands what it is to be naughty, to have broken a standard, and what it is to be guilty and held responsible for due punishment. I also know that when children are raised in an environment where they are exposed to what God says about sin, penalty, and His plan of redemption, it is not too hard for them to bridge the gap and have a very good understanding of their plight. If a child understands what it means to have sinned against God, be guilty and held responsible for our sins, and understand that Jesus, the Son of God, came to take their place on the cross, and paid for their sins, and made it possible for them to become right with God and be made one of His own if they receive His free gift and take Christ as their Lord and Savior, what more do they need to understand?
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven." I have seen God working in Esau's life for many months now. I have seen the evidence of a very sensitive conscience. I saw the troubled look in his eyes in the last few days and the gloom in his face as he mulled it over, bothered on the inside. This was his idea, not mine. Who am I to stand in the way?
I will continue to disciple and observe. I will always keep the Gospel before our children as we speak of Christ in our home, and as we pupose to live out the Gospel among our friends and neighbors. As for affirmations of that relationship between Esau and God? I will leave that up to the Holy Spirit.
I am excited! In my personal estimation, there is today another redeemed benefactor of a Slain Lamb, and I'm getting to watch my Savior as He grows His fold. What an immense blessing that is. Praise God!!
