Covenant Family Building

A friend at work asked what ‘covenantal family building’ was and I did not have a solid answer for him. So, I thought I would briefly say something on it and quote from several authors who have said things much better than I could have.

“Our children are God’s gift to us. If we are Christians, they are God’s; and it is our responsibility to hide them in Christ. It is our responsibility to say ‘No’ to the world, which in every subtle way would put its stamp upon their minds and hearts. Our children are given us to raise for God. They are not given to us for our own comfort, our joy – although we get comfort and joy from them; but they are given to us by God to raise for Him. God has set fathers and, under them, mothers to rule over their own families well, having their “children in subjection with all gravity,” with all godliness.” It is only with Gods ownership and our responsibility established that we are able to move forward to consider more of Gods Word.

We, as Christian parents and grandparents must recognize that our children are covenant children and have a spiritual heritage. [A covenant is a solemn bond, sovereignly administered, with attendant blessings and curses.]

• (Deu 7:9-10 KJV) Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.

We, as Christian parents and grandparents must teach our children the Word of God, to live by it; and fill their minds and hearts with the facts of the heritage to which they belong.

• 
  (Deu 6:7 KJV) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
• 
  (Psalm 78:4-8 KJV) We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5 For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: 6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: 7 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
• 
  (ICor. 10:11 KJV) Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
• 
  (Eph. 6:4 KJV) And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

“How much time do you spend talking to your children about the things of God? How much time do you spend telling your children the meaning of today’s world happenings in the light of the Word of God? How much time do you spend warning your children of the danger of rebellion – not only that it will bring trouble to them in this life, but also it will bring them up against the wrath of God in the life to come? How much time do you spend praying that God will change the hearts of your children and bring them to a saving faith in Jesus Christ? How much time do you spend teaching them the deep things of the Word of God? How much time do you spend pleading with them to give their hearts to the Lord Jesus?” As a parent or grandparent these things are your duty according to the Word of God! “We must teach them that they do not belong to this secular world. We have to teach our children that they must resist the infiltrating thoughts of this secular world in order that they might know and live as those who belong to the mighty army of saints of God in the past, which continues unto this very day and will continue to march across the pages of history till the Lord Jesus Christ comes again on the clouds of heaven.”

Covenantal family building! I hope this brief (very brief) look at it has helped. The quoted material is from either Doug Wilson or Lawrence Eyres.

Dad