Parent & Child Dedication

Introduction

Malachi 2:15 reveals one of God’s own aims for human marriage: “Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring.”

In marriage, God himself joins a man and a woman and makes them one. And God himself intends for each Christian marriage to produce godly offspring. God’s purpose is for marriage to result, not simply in more offspring, but in godly offspring. The goal is sons and daughters who trust the Lord and love him with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

On Sunday, May 12, we introduced 15 children from 14 families, as those parents dedicated themselves to raising their sons and daughters in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Psalm 78, one of the passages in Scripture that informs our practice of Parent & Child Dedication, we see the God-given task, purpose, and result of parenting.

“Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments”
—Psalm 78:1–8

The task of parenting is to teach your children God’s Word.

Verse 5 says, “He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children.”

That command is found in Deuteronomy 6, where parents are first commanded to love the Lord wholeheartedly and to carry his Word on their hearts. Then parents are told to diligently teach God’s works and words to their children. 

The verbal witness of parents is central in Psalm 78. It speaks of “teaching,” “the words of my mouth,” “sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers told us” (vv. 2–3). Verse 4 says, “We will … tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” And verses 5 and 6 speak of teaching the Word of God to children and telling children about the wondrous works of God.

The task of parenting, then, is to resolve by God’s grace to immerse children in the Word of God from infancy.

The purpose of parenting is to pass on living faith.

We see this in verse 7: “He commanded our fathers to teach their children, that the next generation might know them, … and arise and tell them to their children ... so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments” (Psalm 78:5–7).

Why did God command parents to teach his Word to their children? So that they should set their hope in God. Reproducing living and active faith is the purpose of parenting. As parents teach children God’s Word, the goal is not merely that children know God’s Word with their heads, but that they love and trust God with their hearts.

The prayer and longing of Christian parents is that our children will one day come to trust Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and for the fulfillment of every promise Jesus makes to them, and that they will be steadfast in heart and faithful in spirit.

The result of parenting is generation after generation of worshipers.

Look again at vv. 5 and 6: “He commanded our fathers to teach their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children.” From our fathers to us, from us to our children, and on and on.

This same multi-generational transmission of faith is discernible in the opening verses as well, where “our fathers have told us” and “we will … tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord.”  (vv. 3–4). From our fathers to us, from us to the coming generation, generation after generation.

Throughout Scripture, God is interested, not only in children, but in children’s children. And Psalm 103 records this promise: “The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant” (Psalm 103:17–18).

If God is interested in generational faithfulness—if God desires generation after generation of faithful disciples, then so should we.

Conclusion

And that’s why we practice Parent & Child Dedication. These families are responding in faith to God’s promises and commands to parents. They are accepting by faith this God-given responsibility. The most important thing to know about parenting is that it’s all by grace through faith in Christ.