How unlike the curriculum of today’s public education system are the things emphasized by Christian parents and supported by faithful congregations! Special creation and purposeful living, such as described in God’s word, are forbidden concepts strongly discouraged in our increasingly secular society. We are presently experiencing the consequences of so many children being raised in a moral and spiritual vacuum.

Nearly every day we hear about those who disrespect legitimate authority or outright repudiate it altogether. Make no mistake about it–this is the natural consequence of rejecting God, who is our ultimate authority. He is our Creator. He is our Sustainer. He is the One before whom we will stand in judgment (Rm. 14:12). He has clearly expressed Himself in the form of commandments recorded for us in the Bible. But, more and more people reject the idea that someone else, even God, has the right to tell them what to do. They insist on doing what is right in their own eyes (Jud. 17:6). Wherever the idea of an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present God has been rejected in preference to the deification of self, moral and spiritual chaos soon follow, along with some of the ugliest behaviors and reprehensible attitudes imaginable. This infection has been breeding in society’s petri dish for some time and is now making its presence known through the many acts of defiance reported across our land. It is as though no one has the right to tell us what to do–not even God Himself! Too many educators and politicians have surrendered their God-given position of authority, choosing instead to facilitate civil unrest. Instead of training young minds to become productive members of society, they are pushing a subversive agenda that promotes or at least accommodates rejection of authority.

The only antidote for this societal illness is the immediate and consistent training of our children to respect legitimate authority. Unknown, as yet, are the consequences we may have to endure for our progression in the wrong direction. Still, the gospel of Christ is divinely powerful and fully capable of changing thoughts and hearts, one person at a time (Rm. 1:16: 2 Cor. 10:5).
What can the righteous do? Those seeking to do the right things will teach their children and others, when possible, that all authority has been established by God and that “whoever resists authority” opposes God (Rm. 13:1-2). God is in control of the affairs of man and will remove from power those who abuse the authority He has put in place (Dan. 2:21). Therefore, we must teach our children to obey the laws of the land unless those laws violate the laws of God, in which case, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Where do children first encounter authority and how does discipline or the lack of discipline affect a child’s attitude toward authority outside the home? This is what we will briefly discuss in our next bulletin article.