PARENTS,
I mentioned recently that I am reading Piper’s short biography of William Wilberforce in The Roots of Endurance. There is a lot in this short bio that is worth reading, and the following quotation struck me as particularly helpful for parents. Describing the moral decline of his day, and the drift towards moralistic legalism, Wilberforce wrote:

The fatal habit of considering Christian morals as distinct from Christian doctrines insensibly gained strength. Thus the peculiar doctrines of Christianity went more and more out of sight, and as might natually have been expected, the moral system itself also began to wither and decay, being robbed of that which should have supplied it with life and nutriment.” (Piper, The Roots Of Endurance, 120)

Wilberforce is describing a culture in which the emphasis has shifted from the gospel itself to the conduct that the gospel should produce. As the focus moves from gospel content to gospel conduct, the vital core of the Christian life is eroded, leaving only a shell of external behaviors. Soon, the pressures of life, the allure of the world, or the enticements to sin crush the moral shell, leaving behind broken and fragmented remains that were once thought to be genuine faith.

While this is true on the macro level (such as in wider culture of Wilberforce’s day), it is also true on the micro level, in the day-to-day choices of our parenting and our interactions with our children. I think the lesson here is to beware moralism. While God requires us to require obedience from our children, we are concerned with more than outward forms. We want to help our children internalize the gospel: own their faith for themselves so that they begin to live for Christ rather than for themselves or for Dad and Mom.

How do we do this? Glad you asked. Stay tuned…

Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog