Parenting With Grace Sample

Grace and Truth in a Post-Modern World

When Jesus comes to our home, He brings with Him grace and truth. Truth will always need grace, and grace will always need truth. *How do we do that, in a world where ‘truth’ has become relative?

Too often, our teens retreat to their bedroom, and watch YouTubers or video-gamers for hours on end. We would be foolish to believe that this does not influence their thinking and the formation of their worldview.

They encounter a barrage of issues which directly challenge biblical faith: gender identity, critical race theory, sexual confusion, bullying, hopelessness, rage, and fear. Standing against these views, risk facing the cancel culture which pressures to silent, and even labels dissidents as evil.

Our culture doesn’t mirror the biblical values our children need to be taught at home; instead, our children hear loud, angry voices that directly oppose those values. How do we encourage our teens to hold fast to their faith in this hostile climate? How do we safeguard their hearts and help them stay strong? The best way is for us to intentionally ground them in their faith by having conversations that express love, support, and grace, and by creating an atmosphere in which these conversations can take place.

As a child grows in a family where mom and dad serve one another in love and grace, they observe what Jesus’ love is like. The more the love of Christ is displayed in the home, the more a child identifies with that love as they begin to understand who they are in Christ.This becomes their identity. When their faith is challenged, knowing who they are in Christ will safeguard them from the issues that battle for their souls.

To achieve this, parents need to be grounded in the truth of God’s Word, and then intentionally teach it to their children. A godly Christian parent injects truth in a spirit of grace, and grace in a spirit of truth. Growing up in a home with regular times of Bible reading and prayer will ground children in biblical truth and God’s grace. As we nurture children in the grace and truth of Jesus, as we take time to have conversations about difficult issues with them, and as they see us standing firm in the faith, they will have the courage to shine the Light that the darkness can never overcome.

*Randy Alcorn,The Grace and Truth Paradox, 16.