Per an article written by Cold Case Detective and Christian Apologist, J. Warner Wallace, children are born with the awareness that God is real.
“Olivera Petrovich, an Oxford University psychologist, surveyed several international studies of children aged 4 to 7 and found that the belief in God as a ‘creator’ is ‘hardwired’ in children and that “atheism is definitely an acquired position.”
J. Warner Wallace continues:
“Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology and director of the Mind and Development Lab at Yale University, writes, ‘The universal themes of religion are not learned… They are part of human nature… Creationism – and belief in God – is bred in the bone.’”
The fact that we come into this world reasoning that a Creator is behind the creation, both personal and rational, is significant and shouldn’t be overlooked. God wants us to know Him!
Biblically, there are two ways God makes Himself known…through what is termed, General Revelation, as well as Special Revelation. Here are some explanations:
1) General Revelation:
“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.” Romans 1:19-23
2.) Special Revelation. The following excerpts are from this article by GotQuestions:
Special revelation is how God has chosen to reveal Himself through miraculous means. Special revelation includes physical appearances of God, dreams, visions, the written Word of God, and most importantly—Jesus Christ. The Bible records God appearing in physical form many times (Genesis 3:8, 18:1; Exodus 3:1-4, 34:5-7), and the Bible records God speaking to people through dreams (Genesis 28:12, 37:5; 1 Kings 3:5; Daniel 2) and visions (Genesis 15:1; Ezekiel 8:3-4; Daniel 7; 2 Corinthians 12:1-7).
Of primary importance in the revealing of God is His Word, the Bible, which is also a form of special revelation. God miraculously guided the authors of Scripture to correctly record His message to mankind, while still using their own styles and personalities. The Word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is inspired, profitable, and sufficient (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God determined to have the truth regarding Him recorded in written form because He knew the inaccuracy and unreliability of oral tradition. He also understood that the dreams and visions of man can be misinterpreted. God decided to reveal everything that humanity needs to know about Him, what He expects, and what He has done for us in the Bible.
The ultimate form of special revelation is the Person of Jesus Christ. God became a human being (John 1:1, 14). Hebrews 1:1-3 summarizes it best, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son … The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” God became a human being, in the Person of Jesus Christ, to identify with us, to set an example for us, to teach us, to reveal Himself to us, and, most importantly, to provide salvation for us by humbling Himself in death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Jesus Christ is the ultimate “special revelation” from God.
With all of this information in view, we are able to further recognize how incredibly important it is to “Train up a child in the way he should go;” for “ even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pr 22:6). If we don’t train our children up in God’s wisdom, the world is chopping at-the-bit to do so on our behalf!
And remember, God will help you. Look to Him first and foremost for wisdom and guidance (in the Scriptures and through prayer). Paul David Tripp encourages us with this quote from his book:
“in every moment when you are parenting, you are being parented. In every moment when you are called to give grace, you are being given grace. In every moment when you are rescuing and protecting your children, you are being rescued and protected. In every moment when you feel alone, you are anything but alone becaus
Paul David Tripp; “Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family:”
Parents, shared here in this brief clip, are 10 resources for parents as suggested by Alisa Childers, along with an interview by Sean McDowell with Natasha Crain. Please check them out!
Love,
Mer.
Hold Fast Apologetics 