I often have parents come to me with salvation questions regarding their children, such as:
Do you think they are ready? and
Do you think they are too young?
Christian parents want their children to know Jesus and His salvation, but they want it to be real. Therefore, parents are often worried about pressuring their children too early.
(This discussion is based out of the Baptist framework of children being baptized after belief in Jesus for salvation.)
So here are a few aspects of salvation that parents need their children to understand:
(I adapted much of this from another source, and though I usually keep up with sources, I somehow have lost this one)
The Concept of Sin
Every person (including children):
1. Must understand what sin is.
2. Must know that he/she has sinned.
3. Must understand that when he/she sins, it is against God.
4. Must believe that sin separates him/her from God.
5. Must feel sorry for his/her sin and want to cease sinful actions (repent).
How do Children Become Christians?
The same way adults do! After hearing the gospel message of what Jesus has done and then desiring to be saved, each of the following elements must be present:
1. Repentance – not just knowledge of sin, but sadness over the sin & the desire to reverse his/her direction into whole-hearted obedience to God.
2. Faith – trusting in, believing in, & depending on Jesus for salvation.
3. Confession – committing one’s life to serve Jesus as Lord (King/Master).
My Child Is Asking Questions About Salvation and Baptism. Is He/She Ready?
Children ask questions about lots of subjects because they are naturally curious. When it comes to their asking questions about salvation, do not confuse curiosity with readiness for salvation. These two items are distinctly different, but the curiosity is a great starting point to begin the conversations with your child about becoming a follower of Christ.
Children need to clearly know the difference between:
1. Becoming a Christian
This is Step 1: the most important step – Jesus transforms our lives.
2. Being Baptized
This is Step 2: baptism being a symbol that tells the world of our connection to Christ, our obedience to Him, and our fellowship with all other believers.
3. Becoming a Member of a Church
This is Step 3: our decision to unite with a local group of believers. The first church we join is the one in which we are baptized, but we are to continue to be connected to a local body throughout our lives so that we can support, encourage, and sharpen one another throughout our lives as Christians.
To the Parent who is worried about whether your child is “ready” or not:
If your child (or children) know the concepts of the ABC’s of salvation well, then I would recommend the following steps:
1. Go ahead and pray with them, encouraging them to confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. This is never a bad idea, not even to do multiple times, even if you would like to hold off on baptism for a while to make sure that they understand the gospel and salvation.
2. Have them talk with your pastor so he can sit down with them and ask them the same questions that should be asked of everyone before joining the church, so he can also hear their answers to the questions. That way everyone can be in agreement about whether your child is ready for salvation, baptism, and church membership.
3. You can share with them that you want them to wait a bit longer to be baptized, because you want to make sure of two things that occur with people their age who are baptized:
a. many times children their age want to be baptized because other people are making the same decision, and while we don’t think that is the case with them, we want to wait just a bit more time to make sure they are certain of why they are being baptized.
b. many times when children their age are baptized at such a young age, they have a hard time remembering it, and we want them to be able to remember it because it is so important for every person.
I have baptized young children, but I do know that it is harder for them to remember the event the earlier the age at which they are baptized. And that can sometimes lead to doubts later on, such as in the teenage years, of asking: “Did I really understand what I was doing back then?” When that occurs, my questions to them are: Did you know you were a sinner then? Did you believe Jesus died on the cross? Did you believe Jesus rose again? Did you want Jesus to be your Lord? Did you have a conversation about this with your parents and/or pastor? If your answer is yes to all the questions, then yes, you can trust that you were saved and you understood it at a 7-year-old level, and as you have grown older you have also grown in your understanding of Jesus and what He did to save you from your sin.
I was 8 when I was baptized and I don’t remember much about the experience. But I do know I was saved with an 8-year-old understanding and now I understand it with a 44-year-old understanding. I have come far, but I still have much more to learn about salvation. Our church’s current youth minister was 7 when he was baptized and he remembers his experience quite vividly. He also agrees that he was saved with a 7-year-old understanding and now he understands salvation at a deeper level.
So I would say:
1. If your child has a handle on the concepts, then certainly have them pray with you about salvation.
2. Determine if you want them to go ahead and be baptized or if you feel they should wait a bit longer.
3. Let your pastor know what you decide, and bring your child to talk to him.
4. Allow your pastor to go over it again with your child, and if he also feels that they are ready, then celebrate their salvation, no matter whether your decision is for them to “wait-a-while” or “go ahead and be baptized.”
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