The Next Generation

Every Christian parent wants their children—and grandchildren—to come to know God and serve him. We frequently wonder what if —  despite our prayers, our teaching, and our efforts, the next generation walks away? 
There have been many books written in recent years about teens and young adults who turn away from serving God. But Scripture shows us that this is not a new trend. The story of Israel shows this all too clearly.
The Israelites were rescued from slavery in Egypt through great wonders and signs. Then Yahweh brought them safely through the waters of the Red Sea. But despite all he had done for them, the Israelites were discontent and disobedient. Their doubts resulted in 40 years of wandering in the desert. When that generation had passed, Yahweh raised up a new generation who also experienced miraculous victories over enemies. They were led safely through the waters of the Jordan River and took possession of the promised land. And once again, another generation arose — one that did not know Yahweh. They abandoned Yahweh, followed other gods, and were sold into the hands of enemies that Yahweh had delivered them from (Judges 2:10-12). 

One generation. That’s all it took. 

The new generation forgot. They served the other so-called gods of the cultures surrounding them. Knowing Yahweh and remembering what he did wasn’t passed down as an automatic inheritance. The children needed to believe and trust Yahweh for themselves. 

How can this happen in our families? We can so easily be complacent or make small compromises that result in slowly abandoning our convictions. Activities crowd our schedules. The world and its pleasures draw us away from the ultimate satisfaction of loving and serving our Creator.  We have to be careful and deliberate as we plan our days so that our children — and their children after them — don’t forget him. As we live our lives, we need to remember to talk about God — not just on Sundays at church, but every day. 

When we are riding in the car we can point out the beauty of God’s creation. We can use current events to help them understand the world through a biblical framework. As we play or watch sports, we can use the challenges and disappointments to help them grow more Christlike. Each moment we are given with our children is ordained by Yahweh for our good and his glory. 

We can’t do all these things consistently or perfectly. And so we admit to our children when we have fallen short — and show them how we trust in God’s forgiveness for our failures. And when they mess up, we can point them to his character, his love, and the hope we have through Christ’s work on the cross.

And yet, doing all this still doesn’t guarantee that our children will truly know Yahweh and trust in Christ for their salvation. It isn’t our parenting that saves them. Regular church attendance won’t save them. Memorizing verses or going on mission trips isn’t the answer, either. We think that when we follow the words of Proverbs 22:6 and train them up in the way they should go, all will be well. But this proverb is not meant to be a blanket promise that our children will not abandon Yahweh. 

Does this mean all our efforts are meaningless? How does the next generation come to saving knowledge and lasting faith in Yahweh?

When the next generation of Israelites had abandoned Yahweh, they were disciplined for their faithlessness. Yet he didn’t leave them without hope. He raised up judges who would deliver them from their affliction. These judges would save them from the enemy. For a while, the people would appear to obey and serve Yahweh, but the change was temporary. They (and their flawed leader) would fall back into their old ways and the cycle would continue. 

But we have a better Judge — a perfect Deliverer. Jesus is the way that all generations come to know Yahweh and serve him wholeheartedly. As we humbly acknowledge our inability to save ourselves, we look to the One who delivered us from darkness and the power of death. The washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit changes hearts and makes us new creations. In the same way, our children will only come to a saving knowledge of Yahweh through the Spirit’s work in their hearts. 
Knowing that the next generation can only follow Yahweh if the Holy Spirit changes them does not mean our efforts are meaningless. We pray for them, coming humbly to Yahweh and acknowledging that we trust him to do what is best for our children and grandchildren. We are called to be faithful parents—teaching, admonishing, nurturing, and loving our children in the Lord. We do this out of gratitude and to model, although imperfectly, how our heavenly Father teaches us.
Faithfulness in this generation is our part, as we trust the Holy Spirit to bring about regeneration in the next generation and beyond.


He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit
Titus 3:5

See also:
The Command to Parents We Overlook