Duty of parents to train their children in the faith (Proverbs 22:6)

Jesus’ parents taught Him the sacred scriptures and instructed Him in the things of the Lord. The statement “instructed Him in the scriptures” is very meaningful when we realize that it was Jesus Himself who gave them the scriptures. Moses had instructed the Israelites to teach their children about God when he said,

Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (NASB) Deut. 6:4-7

God’s design is that parents teach their children the scriptures and help them understand their Creator. Spiritual teaching is not the sole role of the Sunday School, the Christian School, the church leaders, or the pastor. The primary responsibility belongs to the parents. Notice that God says we are to teach spiritual truth at all times: sitting in our house, walking by the way, lying down, and getting up. We can only do that at home. If the children or the parents are not at home most of the time we have lost God’s vision for the family.

Parents are to train their children in scriptural things. Otherwise, they will become adults with sinful hearts and polished external behavior. Unfortunately, the inner person will eventually become visible. Our English Bibles do not translate Proverbs 22:6 correctly. The actual Hebrew text of the passage reads, “Train-up a youth upon the mouth of his way and when he is old not turn aside from.” It reads roughly because that is the flow of the Hebrew words. Notice the phrase “upon the mouth of his way” refers to the mouth which is the beginning of the digestive system. “The mouth of his way” refers to his/her bent. Everyone has a bent toward evil. Each one is unique. Therefore the Holy Spirit is saying that if parents do nothing to change their children’s original attitude toward selfishness, pride, arrogance, slander, sexual lust, anger, and hatred, for example, they will be like that as adults. That is, parents must not re-inforce their child’s bent toward sin. They must train up a child from birth to correct his/her sinful bent.

We are all born as sinners.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. (NASB) Ps. 51:5

We are not born as good people. In Proverbs 13:24 God says that parents who withhold the "rod of discipline" - not the "rod of punishment" - actually hate their children. And Proverbs 23:14 warns that when physical discipline is not exercised, the soul of the young one is in danger.