There. I said it. I finally got it off of my chest. Parents, be warned. Jesus warns that anyone who “causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” Jesus’ words have haunted me for a week.
Most parenting advice doesn’t begin as a warning. In fact, most of the time the encouragement that we give to parents within the church is more of the Proverbs 22:6 type,
You could probably guess that I am not opposed to the Proverbs, or any of God’s word. However, my heart has been weighed down as I’ve contemplated Jesus’ words about causing others to sin as it relates to my life as a parent. We generally think of sin as personal choices, but when we take the Bible at face-value we are forced to wrestle with the reality that our actions actually affect others. Thus, Jesus warns that we should not only avoid sin in our own lives, we should beware lest our actions cause others to sin.
Parents, beware. I’m afraid that parents often do not heed Jesus’ words of woe. Beware, lest you cause your children to sin.
But how might I cause my children to sin? The easy answer is found in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” At very least, we have a responsibility to not provoke our children to anger. How? By bringing them up with discipline and instruction. We avoid “exasperating” our children by being consistent and by teaching them what is expected. When they understand expectations and punishments, we can help them to avoid anger. But is that all?
Jesus warns us to not cause them to sin. Parents, how might you be causing your kids to sin?
- With overly permissive curfew rules, are you placing your children into compromising situations where they might fall prey to sinful activities?
- Do you cause them to sin by buying tablet or laptop that you send to their bedrooms where pornography, bullying, and sexting flood in?
- Do you cause them to sin by paying for a smartphone and not monitoring their usage?
- Do you cause them to sin by giving them lots of private time behind closed doors with their boyfriend or girlfriend?
- Do you cause them to sin with a Netflix or HBO subscription that streams filth into the TVs in their bedrooms?
- Do you cause them to sin by harboring racist rhetoric or activities within your home?
- Do you cause them to sin by gossiping in their presence?
- Do you cause them to sin by encouraging them to not respect authority?
- Do you cause them to sin by encouraging or allowing them to regularly neglect to gather together with the church for corporate worship (Hebrews 10:25)?
- Do you cause them to sin by idolizing their hobbies and successes (see When Ball Becomes Baal)?
- Do you cause them to become prideful by allowing them to believe that they are the center of the universe?
- Do you cause them to believe that they do not need Jesus because you never show your need of Jesus?
This list isn’t exhaustive. As parents, we can never protect our kids from everything, nor do I believe that we are called to protect them from everything. They will learn from skinned knees, sunburns, and broken hearts. But, Jesus does warn us against causing others to sin, and that warning applies to our children as equally as it does to anyone else we encounter or influence.
Parents, read the Proverbs and take them to heart. By all means, train up a child in the way that he or she should go. But, beware of how you may be leading your children astray. Beware, because for those who lead others astray, it would be better if they were drowned in the sea with a giant stone around their neck. Beware, because by leading your children to sin, you may lead them to hell. These are hard truths and they certainly are not fun, but life is real and eternity is forever, and you are the greatest hope your children have of learning about Jesus.
Parents, Jesus tells us to beware of causing others to sin. Have you taken his warning seriously?
