The Salvation of Children

As a dad, the question concerning my children’s salvation has been a constant companion of mine. As I have searched for solid resources on the subject I have found precious little and what I have found has left me wanting more. It truly is startling to me how little has been provided for the church and for parents to guide them in this area. However, as I have often been reminded, the scripture alone stands as sufficient for all we need in life and godliness—and frankly there isn’t much that is found outside the categories of life and godliness—so the scripture is clearly all we really need. As we look to scripture here are a couple of really important truths to anchor us as we seek the salvation of our children.

Well, Can They?

First, let me say that children can indeed be saved. However, this is not the slam-dunk many suppose. Here is what I mean: There is a widely held belief that it is easier for children to come to Christ than it is for adults. This belief is based on the following texts: Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 9:46-48; and Luke 18:15-17 where Jesus very clearly says that “unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” and “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” This then has led some to conclude that Jesus is teaching that children have a unique kind of faith that begins to dissipate as they approach adulthood. However, scripture plainly says that saving faith is the gift of God—Ephesians 2:8. This is true whether you are 6 or 96. No one comes to the Son unless the Father draws him—John 6:44, 65. Therefore, children can be saved because sinful people can be saved by God’s grace. However, it is technically no easier for a child to truly be saved than it is for an adult. The texts cited to support the notion that children are saved more easily than adults are not talking about children’s natural propensity towards faith. Rather, Jesus is using the status of children in that day as an illustration of the humility needed to enter the kingdom. Children in that day were not the idolized treasures that they are in our culture. They were nobodies without status in society. Jesus is saying, “until you give up yourself and become a nothing like this—pointing to the child—you will not enter the kingdom.” 

We must also remember that our children are not blank canvasses or moldable clay to be shaped in whatever form we desire. They are dead in sin—Ephesians 2:1—and confirmed in their rebellion against God—Romans 3:10-18. Your child has no ability to love God or the things of God in and of themselves. They have no desire to seek after Him or to know Him. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ”—Ephesians 2:4-5; and He can do the same for your child. There is every reason to have hope because God demonstrated His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, enemies of God, rebels against His grace, Christ died for us—Romans 5:8. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost—Luke 19:10. Your children won’t come to Christ any easier than anyone else but there is no one beyond His saving reach—Isaiah 59:1.

What Do I Do?

Here are three practical recommendations I have for every parent that wants to see their child come to Christ. I have several more suggestions but I can only fit three here. If you ever want to get a cup of coffee or sit down in the office to talk more about it my door is always open.

First, spend regular consistent prayer time acknowledging God’s sovereign rule and ownership of your children. They were made by Him and for Him and not for you. Thus, their salvation belongs to Him and it is out of your control. Whether or not your child comes to repentance and faith in Christ does not rest on you and your parenting. Some really good parents have lost children and some really bad parents have saved children, all by His grace. So stop trying to manufacture what you cannot control, plead for His grace to be faithful in raising them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, and leave the rest up to Him.

Second, forsake all to follow Christ in your own life. Find your deepest satisfaction and joy in Him. Along with that be willing to speak candidly and repent openly when it is obvious that you have lived in such a way to say that Jesus isn’t enough for you. Your children are looking for anything to satisfy them besides Jesus. They will also be looking to justify this wrongfully placed worship. Resolve not to be the source of that justification for their rebellion. Frankly, the mom who teaches them about the glory of God but gossips about the neighbor is considered fraudulent in her worship by her children. The dad who talks about the greatness of God and blows up in anger proves to his children that he really thinks God is pretty small. Your life will demonstrate what you love and worship and they are always watching.

Third, use the ordinances of the church to illustrate what it means to be a follower of Christ. There is no gospel that I can preach more clearly than the ordinances observed in the church. When someone is baptized they are picturing their identification with Jesus in His death and resurrection. Teaching your children what that pictures is a most compelling gospel opportunity. The Lord’s Supper then identifies who belongs to the body of Christ. We share in His death together and proclaim together that death for us every time we observe it. The gospel is preached to my children every time they see the church observe the Lord’s table. I make sure my children have a front row seat next to me in church especially on those days we have a baptism or observe the Lord’s Supper.

So, That’s It?

You cannot guarantee the salvation of your child but you have every reason to hope in the work of Christ and every resource needed in His grace by His Spirit to point your children to the gospel. I am praying for you and your families. 

Paul Funchess

Paul is Pastor of Trinity Church in Spokane Valley, planted by Faith Bible Church in 2022. He studied at Shepherd's Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Christie, have eight children: six girls, and two boys!

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