Scripture calls parents to nurture their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, while avoiding harshness that discourages them. This duty is performed as an act of gospel-centered worship, acknowledging that children are gifts from God to be trained for His glory.
The primary duty of a Christian parent is to train children in the 'chastening and admonition of the Lord.' As noted in Ephesians 6:4, fathers are specifically warned not to provoke their children to wrath. This balance—providing firm, godly instruction while maintaining a heart of love—prevents children from being discouraged, as stated in Colossians 3:21. Christian parenting is not about creating well-behaved moralists, but about pointing our children toward their desperate need for the Savior, who is the only source of true righteousness.
Parenting is a divine stewardship. We are called to love our children because Christ first loved us. While we are all 'more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe,' we are also 'more accepted and loved in Christ than we ever dared hope.' When we instruct our children, we are not earning favor with God; rather, we are responding to the grace we have already received. In the tradition of the 1689 LBCF, we recognize that our homes should be small congregations where the Word of God is central, preparing our children to walk in the freedom of the gospel.