How can we impart a realistic yet hopeful perspective of salvation to our children?

Dr. Joel Beeke emphasizes the importance of honesty when discipling our children. We need to explain to them about their inherent sinful nature, the daily sins they commit, and the fact that heart conversion is a divine miracle. They should understand that they can't convert their hearts on their own, but God can. They are called to repent and believe, but even this requires God's grace. This realism is necessary, but it must be complemented with the assurance that God delights in doing miracles and saving sinners.

Dr. Beeke further explains that God takes great joy in salvation and derives the most glory when He performs the miracle of converting hearts. It is also important to note that God often works along generational lines. When parents fear God, engage in family worship, discuss sermons, catechize, and pray with their children, they honor God. While it is still a miraculous act, it is more common for God to save children in homes where parents are conscientious believers.

John 6:37 (NKJV): 'All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.'

So when we disciple our children, it's very important to do two things. First of all, we've got to be realistic. We've got to tell them that they're depraved, that they're born in sin, that they commit sins of omission and commission every day. Explain what that means. We've got to tell them that conversion of a heart is a miracle of God.

You can't convert your own heart, but God can do it. You're called to repent and believe, but you need grace to do even that. So you're gonna be realistic about all those things. But then you've got to also add to that. God is in the business of doing miracles.

God delights the saved sinners. God has promised, him who comes to me I will know why is cast out. So that's what gives hope. God is a God who delights in salvation and he gets more glory in saving sinners. Even though he gets glory in damning sinners, gets glory for his justice, gets glory in his wrath, gets glory in his holiness, but he gets the most glory when he performs that miracle in the hearts of people and saves them and Covenantally you see God often works along generational lines.

So when you have God-fearing parents who are doing family worship who are talking to their children about sermons at the Herein Church and catechizing their children and praying with their children. This honors God and it's more normative, even though it's still a miracle, It's more normative for God to save children in the homes of conscientious, believing parents than it is for Him to save children on the outside.