IPC Messenger
A W eekly P ublication of T he I ndependent P resbyterian C hurch
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V olume 17 • N o 14
W
APRIL 2017
Ordinary Means Parenting
e want our infant children to turn
out well. We want them “never to
know a day apart from faith in Christ,”
as we often say in our church. Dramatic
conversions from a life spent in “vanity and
pride” are exciting to hear but difficult to
experience. Better to have never wandered
away to a “far country” and to be spared
the scars that result.
Because good Calvinistic parents believe
in the sovereignty of God, the depravity
of man, and the necessity of faith in the
promises of God in Christ, that does not
mean that such parents can adopt a passive
approach to child-rearing. They play an
active, vital, even irreplaceable role in
leading their children to Christ. The church
is a wonderful asset, but it cannot be
relied upon in a way that excuses parental
negligence. Truth is, rarely can the church
do what parents have failed to do, or undo
what they have done. The church ices a cake
that largely is baked at home. Parents are to
baptize their infants. They are to bring them
to public services each week. This is all well
and good, even vital and necessary. They
also are to conduct daily family worship.
They are to teach and pray for them. They
also are to provide a model of the Christian
life for them to witness and follow. This is
where the third vow comes in:
Do you now unreservedly dedicate
your child to God, and promise, in
humble reliance upon divine grace,
that you will endeavor to set before
(him/her) a godly example, that you
will pray with and for (him/her),
and you will teach (him/her) the
doctrines of our holy religion, and
that you will strive, by all the means
of Gods’ appointment, to bring
(him/her) up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord? Do you?
Dedicated to God
Let’s consider the vow phrase by phrase,
beginning with the introduction. The child
is being dedicated to God. As a parent, I
am recognizing that my child belongs to
God before he/she belongs to me. I am
also dedicating myself to rear him/her as
God’s child, as one whose primary identity
will be that of child of God, devoted to
His service. I am humbly relying on God’s
grace for the capacity to do so since none
of us is equal to the task. The rest of the
third vow elaborates what this means.
Godly example
What do Christian children need if
they are to come to Christ? They need a
“godly (parental) example.” We parents
must “endeavor,” however imperfectly, to
provide one. This may be the single most
important parental vow. It is placed first
because whatever else positive we might
do will be undone by parental hypocrisy.
Untold damage is done by parents who
adopt a façade of religiosity on Sunday and
then live like the devil Monday to Saturday.
Children quickly see through the charade,
and in the process, the gospel is discredited.
Parental love, humility, Christian devotion,
and unflagging commitment to gospel
work and the life of the church are key.
A consistently loving and moral home in
the context of integrity and warmth are
irreplaceable.
Continued Page 2
IPC Messenger
CONTENTS
2 Student Ministries
2 Music Ministry
3 Women’s Ministry
6 Family Corner
7
Announcements
and Events
8 Children’s Ministry
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