Educating Our Children To Be Chaste Toward the Lord

Let no one despise your youth, but be a pattern to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 1 Cor. 4:12

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Absolutely not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For He says, “The two shall be one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin which a man may do is outside the body, but he who commits fornication sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price. So then glorify God in your body—1 Cor. 6:15-20

For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts would be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity toward Christ. 2 Cor. 11:2-3

I. We need to build a strong relationship with our children throughout their toddler years right through puberty and young adulthood.

A. As parents we need to fellowship with one another how we can talk to our children even before they begin to ask questions concerning human relationships.

1. We must learn to become an intimate part of the character development of our children.

2. It is important that you get involved with your children in the process an ongoing process of their apprehension of human relationships, not majoring on the biological aspect.

B. Realizing that as parents you are the most important persons in the growth and development of your children.

II. Parents must realize that it is our responsibility to train our children in all aspects of their human development.

A. Watchman Nee wrote: “God has delivered our children’s bodies, souls, thoughts, lives, and futures into our hands. No person can influence another’s destiny more than parents can their children’s.”

B. Concerning the dignity and importance of their human bodies 1 Cor. 6:15-20.

1. Our bodies are for the Lord and the Lord for the Body.

2. The real issue for the parents is to infuse the children with the reality of who they are in the Lord.

a. We need to educate our children about their holiness before the Lord for the development of their conscience.

b. Being faithful in the Lord to cooperate with Him to infuse them with His truth and not being fearful of this age.

1) Being empowered by the Lord to be courageous in representing His view of life to our children Deut. 4:10b; 6:6-7.

2) The key to our training is not our knowledge, but our faith in God to give us the understanding and the way to clearly meet the needs of our children.

C. Concerning the sexual education of our children.

1. It is our responsibility as parents to tell our children not leaving it to TV, school, or peers.

2. We should not be ashamed to tell our children about what God was not ashamed to create.

D. Some practical thoughts concerning our relationships and practices:

1. Some things may cause barriers to your bearing of your responsibilities

a. There may be the blaming of your own parents for what they didn’t do or didn’t say to help you.

b. You also may come out of damaged situations so that you feel unqualified and afraid to deal with their situations; however, you are still responsible before God.

2. Talk with your spouse talk about your own fears, barriers.

a. If you are a single parent, you need to get a companion (of the same sex) to help you to plan.

b. Admit your lack of confidence, and your fears to one another.

3. Have a goal in your care and education of your children.

a. A godly view of the man’s creation and of the proper relationships in a godly marriage.

b. Help your children to understand their own sexual drive and that of the opposite sex.

c. Develop principles that you want to build into your children’s lives that will help them to make their own convictions concerning their maintaining of purity toward God and man.

d. Don’t major on the negative; consider the joy of their being prepared for a pure marriage to the one whom God has prepared for your child when he or she is ready.

4. Your children will fail. They need to know about grace, mercy, and the love and forgiveness of God in full measure when failures come.