OceanSide church of Christ
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WHAT KIND
OF CHILD ARE YOU?
Victor M. Eskew
It is God who blesses parents with children. “Lo, children are a heritage of the
Lord: and the fruit of the womb is
his reward” (Ps. 127:3). However,
God gives each child the unique ability to choose and decide for himself. We usually refer to this ability as free
moral agency. It is the exercise of
this gift that determines what a child becomes. Some choose wisely; others choose
foolishly.
Let’s look at some of the different types of children that exist within
our society. One category of
children is GOOD CHILDREN. These
children usually abide by the instructions of the wise Solomon found in Proverbs
1:7-10.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools
despise
wisdom and instruction. My
son, hear the instruction of thy father,
and forsake not the law of thy mother….My son, if sinners entice
thee,
consent thou not.”
Good children honor the God of heaven. They seek to abide by the rules of their
parents. They choose their friend
wisely. These decisions bring peace
and prosperity to their lives.
These children are seen as assets to their home, their community, and
their church. These children are
following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ for He was subject to his
parents (Luke 2:51) and “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and man” (Luke 2:52).
Another category of children is the exact opposite of the one just
discussed. These are EVIL
CHILDREN. These children are not
governed by divine law, nor are they controlled by their parents. They live lives of “pleasure” and
carnality. Their associates are
just as corrupt as they are. These
children are an embarrassment to parents who seek to do God’s will. A picture of this type of child is found
in I Samuel 212. “Now the sons of
Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.” Evil children are not very
productive. Most of the time, they
are in trouble with authority figures.
They engage in many types of harmful behaviors, some that involve
high-risk and others that are sinful.
The hearts of these young people are diseased. Jesus spoke of their heart condition in
Matthew 15:18-20.
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from
the
heart; and they defile the man.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies:
these
are the things which defile a man…”
These young people need to repent of their stubbornness,
rebellion, and sin. If they do not
they will perish (Luke 13:3, 5).
A third category of child is the HYPOCRITICAL CHILD. The word “hypocrite” comes from a Greek
word that means “stage player.” An
actor is one person while performing on stage and another person in real
life. There are some children who
are actors and actresses. In front
of their parents, teachers, and religious leaders, they are one person. In real life, they are someone
else. When away from those who
“matter,” these children engage in all types of lewdness, evil, and sin. Their “act” around others enables them to
have the freedom to engage in their vile behavior when they are with their
worldly friends. These are the
children who stun their parents when their evil behavior is made known. These children surprise school officials
when their wickedness is brought to light.
Jesus condemned such behavior in the scribes and Pharisees. Eight times Jesus pronounced a woe upon
them in Matthew 23. Matthew
23:27-28 presents a vivid picture of hypocrisy.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like
unto
whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
with-
in full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye
also
appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity.”
These children hide their real selves from men, but not
from God (Prov. 5:21). In their
eyes they are righteous (Prov. 30:11-14), but they are not. One day, their sin will find them out
(Num. 32:23)
A fourth category of children is the PRODIGAL CHILD. Jesus describes this child in Luke
15:11-24. This child rebels against
his home and departs. He wastes his
substance in riotous living (Luke 15:13).
He begins to be in want (Luke 15:14). He feeds the swine (Luke 15:15), “and he
would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat…” (Luke
15:17). However, the prodigal does
not remain in his lost condition.
He comes to himself (Luke 15;17), and returns to his father, saying: “Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke 15:21). Here, we see a penitent heart. Here, a child is humbled before his
father. His good heart and humility
enabled him to be restored to a position of honor in his father’s house. “But the father said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and
shoes on his feet” (Luke 15:22).
There are many prodigals within the church today. Some are still in the far off
country. Others have returned. Those who have come back could tell some
tales. They were lost, but are now
found. They rejoice because they
came to themselves and found mercy before their parents and the God of
heaven.
A final category of children is GOD’S CHILD. This child has been born again and is
now in the family of God (John 3:3-5).
This child knows that his Father is the God of heaven (Rom. 8:15; I John
3:1). He realizes that it is his
responsibility to live as a child of the King (Col. 3:1-3). He knows that this world is not his home
(Col. 3:20). He worships and serves
and sacrifices for his Lord every day of his life. He longs for the day when he can be with
his Father in the heavenly realm.
`
The question that now comes is the one that titles this article: “What kind of child are you?” If you are good, persist in your
goodness. Remember, however, that
your goodness alone will never save you.
It, alone, will not make you a child of God. If you are evil, we exhort you to repent
and seek the Father above. If you
are hypocritical, you, too, need to repent. You are not fooling God. If you are a prodigal who is still far
from your father’s house, we pray that you come to yourself and return
soon. If you are a prodigal who has
already come home, rejoice. Use
your experiences to assist other prodigals. If you are a child of God, live like
it. Your Father is longing to see you on the other side of