Sometimes observation of Satan's agenda is a good place to start when you want to find out what is important to God's kingdom. What I mean is that if there is a strong resistance against a particular area of the Christian faith then there's a good chance that that resistance is resisting something of value. It is the work of Satan and his counterparts to darken truth. In other words, if it is important enough to the devil to work against, then it must mean that this thing he is working against is a threat to his kingdom, and if it is a threat to his kingdom then it must contain great power in God's Kingdom.
There is one particular area that the devil works hard in resisting the kingdom of God and that is with our children. One important example of Satan working overtime against our children took place in 1980 when the 10 commandments were taken out of schools. You see, Satan knows how important the 10 commandments are and how they are a schoolmaster to bring one to Christ, and so he and those who oppose God worked hard to get them removed and out of the sight of our communities most precious asset- our children.
But why are the 10 commandments so important? You might think that they give our kids a moral code to live by, and you might be right to an extent. But there is an even greater reason. Before we delve in I want to shed light on an important truth- the 10 commandments are God's law. That is important because our God is a God of justice and righteousness and He must uphold justice; upholding His law is justice which is the foundation of His throne (ps.97:2). Ok, now that we've established that the 10 commandments are God's law lets talk about why they are so important to know ourselves and teach our children.
In Romans 3:19-20 the Bible says, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." So what this scripture is saying is sooo important: The law shows us our sin and the result of that sin. Imagine you didn't know it was a crime to speed in a neighborhood where there was a school. And imagine you had no idea what the punishment was for breaking that law- would your ignorance exempt you from the law's demands? Nope. You would still be held accountable for your actions. The same is true of God's law- and this is why it is so important to know what God's law is and what are the repercussions of breaking that law.
When you go through the law with your children they come to see what sin is. As you go through the fifth commandment that says you shall honor your father and mother you explain what that all entails, your child will begin to see he/she has not upheld this portion of God's law. Then you cross-reference the scripture found in Romans 1:28-32 and you read about the seriousness of breaking this commandment. You read that one who practices being disobedient to parents is deserving of death. As you go through the ninth commandment which says you shall not lie, your child begins to see that he/she may have broken that law. You discuss with your child the seriousness of breaking this commandment. You cross-reference Proverbs 12:22 which says that lying lips are an abomination. You learn of the repercussions of lying found in Revelation 21:8 which says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire! Do you see how it is of upmost importance to go through the law of God so that your child can see how serious sin is and what are the consequences of breaking that Law? (And we've only gone through two commandments!)
Now I know what some may be thinking, "you're using scare tactics by talking about hell and judgement." Fear can be a good thing though. It keeps us from stepping off a cliff, it causes us to put a seatbelt on, and to not touch a flame. In the 1980's there was a tv commercial that asks, "what goes through the mind of a driver who is not wearing a seat belt in a head-on collision?" Then they showed a crash dummy having its head crushed by a steering wheel in a collision, and said, "The steering wheel!"- That was a scare tactic, but it's ok to use scare tactics when there's a legitimate thing to fear. And if anyone is foolish enough to get into a car unbuckled they ought to fear what would happen in a head-on collision. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
So, as you're teaching your child the commandments, your child begins to see that he/she has not kept them. And after looking at the consequences things might look pretty bleak.....but then....you turn their distraught gaze to the Cross. You have let the law do its work, ie, bring knowledge of sin and the realization that he/she is guilty of breaking it (Rom.3:19-20). Now you let the law complete it's work and fulfill what Galatians 3:24 says, namely, to lead them to faith in Christ! Psalm 19:7 says that the law is perfect, converting the soul.
You see, the law wasn't given by God as a means by which to enter heaven, but instead as a means by which to point us to faith in the Savior. Now that your child see's his sin, he now sees his need for mercy forgiveness. Now, with joyful enthusiasm, you can show your child that good gospel message: that even though they have sinned, Christ died for their sin! The God of this universe stepped into a man's body to suffer and die for the sins of the world. You can use the analogy of a guilty criminal with a stack of speeding fines who is faced with paying a hefty fine or jail time. This situation looks dispairing until someone steps in and pays his fine. With that payment the judge can legally pardon the law breaker, even though he is guilty. You may further say to your child, "the same is true, dear son/daughter, of you and I. We broke God's law and Jesus stepped in and paid our fine with His life's blood. And all we must do to accept our pardon is to place your faith and trust in what Jesus did for you on the Cross"
Friends, teach the fear of the Lord to your children. Psalm 34:11 says, "Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." It is not wrong to use the reality of hell as a scare tactic because it is something to be legitimately scared of. Hell is real, but so is heaven. Like the fear of falling off a cliff causes one to back up to safety, the fear of hell causes us to back up to the Savior, our God, our safety. Now they no longer need to fear hell because they know they have escaped it through faith in Jesus Christ.
I would encourage you to put the 10 commandments in your home and teach them to your children. Psalm 78:5-7 says, "For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded out fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God." Now the ten commandments is used NOT as a prescribed set of rules they must adhere to in order to get into heaven, but instead as a reference to look into when they sin, to be reminded of their need for forgiveness. And they can rest assured that they can find that forgiveness in Jesus, the Lover of their souls. Now, they wish to follow the Lord's commands, not as a means to heaven, but out of their gratitude for what God has done for them. Remember we are saved for good works, not by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
If you would like to get a download of a kid-friendly 10 commandments that is easy for kids to learn and memorize you can find one here: Kid's 10 commandments poster (digital download)
