The Greatest Responsibility.
Cultivating a legacy of faith …
What are your family’s goals? What’s your parenting strategy? You’re not alone if you don’t have any goals or a parenting strategy. The average family doesn’t have a plan. And when they do have a plan, it’s usually something vague, such as keeping their child out of trouble or wanting them to be happy.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Robin S. Smith, says the socializing purpose of the family in today’s society “is to provide a safe and nurturing space in which its members can know that feeling of ‘home’ … the sense of belonging … and to pass on our legacy to the next generation.”
Sociologists view the purpose of the family as procreation and socialization. Forgive me if you’re a sociologist; reducing the purpose of the family to reproduction and companionship is pitiful. All mammals procreate and socialize! Surely, human families have a higher purpose than elephants, monkeys, or dolphins. According to God, they do!
Teaching God’s Word in the Home.
So, what’s God’s purpose for the family? Psalm 78:1-8 provides an answer. Let’s exegete the text:
Listen up!
“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth” Psalm 78:1.
The word translated as “hear” from the Hebrew means more than listen. It means “give me your ears” and “obey my words.”
Remove the spiritual wax! To be a Christian parent, you must pay attention to God. He expects an active, eager response—to ensure we catch every word.
Share God’s Story
“I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done” Psalm 78:2-4.
There’s a reason why we must listen up. If we don’t listen, we won’t hear what’s important. And what’s really important? Parents sharing the “things we have heard and known” (v. 3), sharing God’s story and sharing the timeless truth that has been handed down from one generation to the next.
Have you run a relay race? It’s more complicated than it looks. Getting the timing right for handing off the baton isn’t easy. Teams practice for months.
If you’re a parent or grandparent, you’re part of a race where you must pass a baton (stories about the Lord’s wisdom, works and wonders) to your children. Do you sometimes wonder what you should teach your children? Tell them about the character, attributes and supremacy of God. Read God’s Word to them, and like Asaph, emphasize God’s wisdom, works and wonders.
Author and speaker Lindsey Bell says, “The goal of parenting isn’t to create perfect kids. It’s to point our kids to the perfect God.” Christian parenting is only Christian when it’s centred on God. Note the first four words in verse 4: “we will not hide.” The Hebrew word for “hide” means to keep something back, deprive, or fail to make something known. God has commanded us to share His Story—to show our children who He is.
Telling your children about God isn’t optional; it’s essential. Yet, cultivating a legacy of faith isn’t happening in many Christian homes! Only 4% of Christian families in Canada regularly read Scripture together. No wonder two of three children growing up in Christian homes leave the church when they become adults (Haemorrhaging Faith Study).
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them …” Matthew 19:14. Are you hiding God’s Word from your children? If you’re not sharing God’s Story with your children and grandchildren, you’re hindering them from coming to Jesus.
… with our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren
“He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children” Psalm 78:5-6.
God’s Story isn’t restricted to one generation. It’s the never-ending Story. It’s for this generation and all the generations to come. To emphasize the importance of continuity in teaching God’s Story, Asaph mentions five generations of people sharing God’s Story (ancestors, parents, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren).
Family faith formation is a long-term goal. “Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation” Joel 1:3. This is a tremendous responsibility—a sacred trust. Parenting ends when you reach the grave, not when your children leave home. There’s no retirement in the kingdom of God. You may be a senior, but you must teach God’s Word to “… even the children yet to be born …” (v. 6).
This is the Great Priority (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). The Bible shouldn’t be one book among many books in your home. It should be the most central and essential book, the one that is better known than any other book.
Parenting according to God’s purpose is mainly about doing one thing well: sharing God’s Word with your children. In fact, it’s a command: “Fathers, … bring them (your children) up in the training and instruction of the Lord” Ephesians 6:4.
… so they will trust, remember and obey God
“Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands” Psalm 78:7.
The reason we need to listen is to share God’s Story with this generation of children and the generations to come so they will do three things: trust, remember (not forget), and obey God (keep His commands).
When I started teaching at a Johannesburg high school in 1982, my weekly planning included lesson aims and objectives. Teachers can’t teach without aims and objectives.
Why has God given us His Story? (Here’s the aim) So that we can teach it to our children and grandchildren. Why must we teach it to our children and grandchildren? (Here are the objectives) So that they’ll meet the author of the Story, embrace, and align themselves (and when they grow older and become parents, their families too) with Him.
Now, it’s nice when our children progress with their education, get good jobs, fall in love, get married, and do well financially. But if our children don’t trust Jesus and put Him first in their lives, it will all be for nothing.
Teach the Word. When we teach Bible stories to our children and grandchildren, the primary aim must always be to help them trust, remember and obey Him (v. 7). The aim isn’t to teach them good behaviour per se – that breeds legalism. Nor is the aim to teach them good values per se – that breeds moralistic therapeutic deism. All Bible teaching in the home should aim to raise passionate followers of Jesus who live in the world but are not of it.
Don’t get the cart before the horse! Children will only remember God and obey Him if they’ve put their trust in Him. First and foremost, children need to build a relationship with the Lord. Children will not remember or obey God if they don’t trust Him. How do children come to trust Him? By hearing and believing the stories about His wisdom, works and wonders.
… and stay loyal and faithful
“They would not be like their ancestors—a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him” Psalm 78:8.
Verse 8 wraps up Asaph’s introduction to Psalm 78 with a contrast and a warning. Sadly and tragically, some parents are not “like their ancestors.” They’re not cultivating a legacy of faith because they’re “bullheaded and bad, a fickle and faithless bunch who never stayed true to God” (MSG).
Don’t be obstinate or disobedient. Share the stories about the Lord’s incredible wisdom, works and wonders. Pass the baton to your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Stay loyal and faithful.
Parenting with Purpose.
The pulpit is important in the local church because it’s where we read and proclaim God’s Word. The table is important in the home because it’s where we share and discuss God’s Word. What happens at your table? If you’re not opening the Scriptures daily with your children, commit to doing it from now on. Revive the table! Reserve the dinner hour to tell “the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”
Here’s the good news: God helps you do it. “All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be their peace” Isaiah 54:13. God is the Teacher, and you’re His assistant. It’s your job to open the Scriptures with your children, and it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to connect them with His Word and the One who is the Word. So, do what God wants you to do.
If you found this article, “Cultivating a Legacy of Faith,” helpful, please share it with others.
Related Articles
Christian Parenting: Helping Your Children Follow Jesus and Live with Purpose
Beyond Wills: Nurturing a Spiritual Legacy For Your Children and Grandchildren
Summary
Cultivating a legacy of faith in your family requires the intentional sharing of God’s Word across generations. The primary responsibility of Christian parenting is to teach children about God’s wisdom, works, and wonders so they will trust, remember, and obey Him. The family should prioritize passing down God’s Story, not just focusing on happiness or avoiding trouble, as these are fleeting goals. By teaching Scripture and living out their faith, parents fulfill their divine calling to nurture lifelong faith in their children, helping them build a lasting relationship with the Lord that extends beyond their upbringing.
© Scripture Union, 2025
Soli Deo Gloria
