My 4 favorite Bible passages as a family therapist, that show us the keys to good Christian parenting.
What is good Christian parenting?
I won’t waste your time asking if you want to be a good parent.
Of course you do.
Would you be reading this blogpost otherwise??
My real question is… do you have a clear picture of what good Christian parenting would look like?
When we think about the idea of “good parenting” or “Christian parenting,” it brings up a lot of questions. Maybe on the good days we aren’t so curious.
But on the days we’re struggling or on the days when parenting is really hard (which happen more often than we wish!) it’s normal to start asking a few big questions.
- What is a good parent?
- What should I prioritize as a Christian parent?
- What should I be doing/saying/praying about when it comes to my kids?
This is a wildly important question – and Scripture gives us the answers we need. So, join me today to dive into 4 helpful Bible passages that show us what good Christian parenting is.
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What does the Bible say about Christian parenting?
When we read the Bible, we see over and over again the priority of relationships in our lives.
Of course, at the top of the list is our relationship with God Himself: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is our Source of… well, everything! Joy, peace, purpose, salvation, hope.
Praise be to God!
We see next the priority that God places on our marriage relationship: look at Genesis, Ephesians, Song of Songs, Colossians, and more.
And directly from that marriage relationship we come to our role as Christian parents. Yes, Scripture gives us wisdom for every area of life – including Christian parenting.
The best way to grow as a Christian parent is to build your own personal habit of daily Bible reading and prayer time.
GRAB YOUR FREEBIE: Use my FREE 45-day Bible and Prayer Guide to help build that habit!
In the Bible, we find out how to have healthy and happy relationships. We see encouragement in how to love others (1 Corinthians 13), how to forgive (Colossians 3), how to care for others (Philippians 2).
I’m giving a few Scripture references, but really this wisdom is all over the Bible! The more we are reading, meditating on, memorizing, and praying over Scripture, the more we will grow in our God-given role as Christian parents.
If you’re wondering where to start, let’s dive into my 5 favorite Bible passages for god Christian parenting. I use these all the time as a family therapist!
Christian Parenting In Deuteronomy 6
Yes, even in the Old Testament, we find a key Bible passage about good Christian parenting!
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
Good parents teach their kids about the most important things in life.
Yes, we want our kids to learn how to read, how to ride a bike, and how to share with their siblings. But as Christian parents, we know that the top priority is that our kids learn about the Lord.
When you think about good Christian parenting, a central piece must be that we are teaching our kids what God has said in his Word, the Bible.
We teach them who God is: He is one.
We teach them how to relate to God: Love Him with all your heart, soul, and strength.
We teach them what God tells us about righteousness, holiness, and good living: These are the commandments we talk about, think about, share about, and return to again and again.
Good Christian parenting means we are talking with our kids about who God is, what Jesus has done for them, and the gospel truth found in the Bible.
Christian Parenting In Galatians 5
Can you be a good parent without patience? What about kindness? Love?
Every parent realizes that we need patience, kindness, love, and so much more if we are going to parent well.
And as Christian parents, we recognize that these are actually spiritual fruits that come from the Holy Spirit!
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)
When we try, try, try to be more patient… we fail. Eventually, we fall short. This happens with our kindness, our gentleness, and our self-control too.
This happens because we must live by the Spirit, and not by our own flesh.
As Christian parents, we must cling to Jesus and be growing in our own faith if we want to parent well! This is how we grow in the spiritual fruits, which make such a difference in our homes and relationships.
READ NEXT: Faith-Based Parenting When Life Is Overwhelming
Of course, parenting is not the only place where we want to be patient, kind, and live out this spiritual fruit. But this fruit is a a core piece of good Christian parenting, and it grows in us as we grow closer to Jesus.
Grab my FREE Bible and Prayer Guide to build a deeper habit of daily time with the Lord.
Christian Parenting In Ephesians 5 and 6
This Bible passage highlights what family relationships look like in a Christian household.
It goes into marriage, parenting, and beyond, but let’s zoom in on what the Lord says specifically about Christian parenting here.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (5:21) … Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (6:4)
Yes, in this same Bible passage of Ephesians, there is a command to children to obey their parents.
(We all like to memorize and focus on that one with our kids!)
But have you thought about the start of this passage… that Christians of all kinds are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ?”
Yikes.
No, this doesn’t mean that we let our kids run the household. We don’t say “yes” to every request. Life will be a nonstop sugar-filled toy festival if we do that, and we will not be raising our kids well!
But we can turn to Philippians 2 for a good example of this submission, as we try to have the same mindset as Christ in our relationships. As we humble ourselves to look to the interests of others before ourselves.
This means that good Christian parenting treats our children with respect, is humble and service-oriented toward our children, and that we do all of this out of reverence for Christ… not because our kids are perfect angels or “deserve” it!
READ NEXT: 5 Powerful Scriptures For Every Christ-Centered Home
Then, this Bible passage ends with a specific call for parents to train up their children without exasperating them.
That’s just a fancy word for “don’t annoy them.” Or maybe, “don’t make them angry.”
Our kids won’t agree with every rule we set. They certainly won’t love every discipline moment that we need to do!
But we can approach our discipline moments, our teaching moments, our conflict moments with the grace, love, and gentleness of Christ. This is good Christian parenting.
Christian Parenting In 1 Corinthians 13
This is one of the most famous writings about love in all of human history.
All of 1 Corinthians 13 is a helpful and beautiful picture of how God wants us to love others – including our children.
When we think about Christian parenting, let’s zoom in on a few verses here:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
I’ve been a family therapist for 15+ years. I know that generally speaking, this is how parents love their kids. I also know that there are HARD days and that living out this type of godly love is almost impossible!
But of course… “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
As a Christian parent, this Bible passage reminds us to be intentional about how we treat our children, even when they aren’t around.
How are you thinking about your kids? (Are you keeping a record of wrongs?)
What are you posting on social media about your kids? (Is it boastful or self-seeking?)
When our kids struggles, we want to remain patient and kind. We continue to rejoice in truth and aim to protect our relationship with them. We persevere. We hope.
READ NEXT: Feeling Like A Burnt Out Mom? Here’s How To Enjoy Christian Family Life More
And it’s important to remember that good Christian parenting is not just about how we treat our kids. Good Christian parenting includes showing our kids how to rightly love others.
Think about how you are treating their dad, their grandparents, their friends. How do they see you treating others, maybe their coaches or your neighbors?
Love is not easy. Certainly this time of godly love is not easy! But when we give our lives to Christ, He fills us with his own Holy Spirit.
We are not loving our kids in isolation or from our own strength. We have the patience, hope, and perseverance of Christ himself!
Good Christian parenting means we lean on the Lord to help us love our people well, and we stick with it on the good days and the bad.
(If you’re struggling with finding that biblical joy in your parenting journey right now, grab my Joy In The Journey 40-day devotional for Christian moms.)
Going deeper in the Bible to Enjoy parenting more
Parenting is not known for being easy. And actually, neither is the Christian life! “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus told his disciples in John 16:33. “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Just like the original disciples, Christian parents today need to “take heart.” We need the Lord’s help and encouragement.
And He has given it to us in his Word! In the Bible, we find everything we need for growing in wisdom and spiritual fruit.
As you seek to parent your children well and enjoy this crazy journey of family life, I hope you will lean more and more into your own relationship with Jesus.
He is the One who not only blessed you with children, but who has saved you, redeemer you, and called you his own.
He is your truest hope, your deepest peace, and your best help in times of trouble… parenting troubles included!
Let me close with two resources that may be helpful for you on the journey of Christian parenting:
- Grab my FREE 45-day guide to deepen your own times of Bible reading and prayer.
- Go deeper in Scripture to find Joy In The Journeyeven in the hard seasons of motherhood.
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Disclaimers: I am a licensed therapist but my podcast, blog, and resources are not professional or personal advice. I am an affiliate for many of the resources that I link to, and may earn a small commission if you purchase through my links. Read my full disclaimer here.