You can download a copy of our sermon notes  – A Disciples Journey 2026 – Lesson 8 – A Paren’s Role According to Scripture – Feb 22, 2026

We offer a devotional for this sermon – Five Day Devotional – Lesson 8 – Parenting According to Scripture – Feb 23-27

A Disciple’s Journey 2026

A Parent’s Role, According to Scripture

Sermon 8                    

Feb 22, 2026

Introduction:

In the last several sermons, we learned that marriage and family come from God. God defines them, and God assigns responsibility within them. We also learned that every person will stand before God and give an account for how they fulfilled the responsibilities God gave them. Romans 14:12 says, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God,” and Second Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. This truth motivates us to prepare to stand before Him by learning the roles God has assigned each family member.

Where Do We Find God’s Expectations for Parents?

If someone asked you, “Where do I find what God expects of me as a parent?” most of us would answer, “The Bible.” But if we asked, “Where in the Bible?” the answers would vary. Some would say Proverbs. Others might point to Ephesians 6:4 or Deuteronomy 6. These passages do share valuable insights, but they are not the first place we should start.

How many of us would start at Genesis chapter 1? That is exactly where God reveals the foundation for understanding parenting. The answer to what God expects of parents begins at the very beginning of Scripture, in the design and purpose God established for humanity.

God’s Purpose for Humanity: Image Bearers Who Multiply

For a few years now, we have emphasized that God created man in His own image. We have learned that it means we are to image God—to reflect His character in this world and to rule over the earth under His authority. This is the foundation for understanding every role God assigns us.

This truth begins in Genesis 1:26-27, where God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” From the very beginning, God designed humanity with a purpose: to reflect Him.

In the very next verse, God gave them a command. Genesis 1:28 says, “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

The command to “be fruitful and multiply” means to fill the earth with more image bearers of God. God designed Adam and Eve to reproduce other people who would also reflect His character and rule under His authority.

Genesis 5:3 shows this happening: “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” Notice the language. Just as God made Adam in His own image, Adam fathered Seth in his own image. The pattern continues. Seth was not merely Adam’s son—he was another image bearer of God, born through Adam. When parents have children, they are bringing forth new image bearers of God who must be trained to actually image God.

Parents Are Stewards of God’s Image Bearers

This brings us to the critical truth: parents are not owners of their children. They are stewards. As we learned in January, stewards manage something that belongs to someone else and must give an account of how they handled what was given to them.

Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Everything belongs to God—including those who dwell in the world. Our children are part of “all” that belongs to Him. Psalm 127:3 says, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD.” They are entrusted to parents temporarily, and parents are accountable to God for how they raise them.

In January, we studied Jesus’s parables about stewards. In those parables, a master entrusts his servants with responsibility and then goes away. When he returns, he calls each servant to give an account. Some were faithful with what they were given. Others were negligent. Each was judged according to how they handled their stewardship.

This is exactly the position parents are in. God has entrusted parents with His image bearers. He expects them to manage that responsibility faithfully. One day, they will stand before Him and give an account. The question will not be, “Were your children successful?” or “Did they make you proud?” The question will be, “Did you faithfully train them to image Me?”

How Parents Fulfill This Stewardship

Now we examine what it look like to faithfully train image bearers? How do parents accomplish this task? Scripture gives us clear direction.

Teaching God’s Word

Parents accomplish this by teaching their children God’s Word. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 commands, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

First, this begins with parents having God’s Word in their own hearts. You cannot give what you do not have. Second, the teaching is to be diligent—with careful attention, repetition, and consistency. Third, this teaching happens continually—at home, on the road, morning and evening. Scripture is not confined to formal lessons. It permeates daily life.

This practice teaches children to know God’s Word and image God. They learn who God is, what He commands, and how He expects them to live.

Modeling God’s Character

Parents have another tool for training image bearers: modeling God’s character before their children. Teaching Bible verses is not enough. Children learn more from what they see than from what they hear. Parents cannot teach their children to image God if they themselves are not imaging God.

When children see dishonesty, cruelty, selfishness, profane language, or uncontrolled anger in their parents, they are more likely to image this ungodly character than to image God’s truthfulness, kindness, generosity, purity, and self-control. When children see parents act one way at home or at work and another way at church—pretending to be godly in front of the church family while living dishonestly, disrespectfully, or selfishly at other times in the week—they will not learn to image God. They will learn to image hypocrisy.

This tool requires modeling holiness, humility, integrity, self-control, and love. It requires demonstrating what it looks like to repent when sinning, to forgive when wronged, and to obey God even when it is difficult. Children are watching. They will become what their parents are, not what their parents say.

Teaching Children Submission to Authority

Another way parents train image bearers is by teaching their children to submit to authority. Ephesians 6:1-3 commands, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” Colossians 3:20 adds, “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.”

Submission to authority is part of imaging God. Children learn what it means to be under God’s authority by first learning to submit to their parents’ authority. When children obey their parents, they are practicing submission to God. This tool involves more than demanding obedience—it requires explaining why obedience matters. Children need to understand that refusing to obey their parents is refusing to image and obey God.

Parents demonstrate this as well. When parents submit to God’s authority, obey His Word, and demonstrate humility before Him, children see what submission looks like. This tool trains submission by requiring it, explaining it, and modeling it.

The Warning of Eli: Negligent Stewardship Brings Judgment

First Samuel provides a sobering warning about negligent parenting. Eli was a priest who served God, yet he failed as a father. His sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked men who treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt and engaged in sexual immorality at the entrance of the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22).

Eli knew about their sin and confronted them verbally, but he did not restrain them, remove them from their positions, or enforce consequences. He rebuked them with words but allowed them to continue in their sin.

First Samuel 2:29 reveals God’s accusation against Eli: “Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?”

God said Eli honored his sons above God. By failing to restrain them, Eli chose to avoid conflict with his sons rather than obey God. He prioritized peace in his home over obedience to God’s command. This was negligence, and it resulted in God’s judgment.

God held Eli accountable. First Samuel 3:13 states, “For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.” Notice carefully: God judged Eli not only for his sons’ sin, but for his failure to restrain them.

Parents are accountable to God for how they respond to their children’s sin. Parents cannot excuse it, ignore it, enable it, or make light of it. God requires parents to discipline, enforce consequences, and restrain their children from continuing in sin. If they neglect to do this, they will answer to God for that negligence—just as Eli did.

Eli was not the only parent to make this mistake. When any parent sees their children’s sin but chooses not to restrain it, prioritizing peace over obedience to God’s command, they follow Eli’s example.

But God commands parents to discipline their children. Discipline is part of training them to image God. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” Proverbs 19:18 commands, “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.” Proverbs 22:15 states, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” Proverbs 29:15 warns, “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”

The “rod” in these passages refers to physical discipline. However, the principle is what matters: real consequences that restrain sin. Some parents say, “I don’t believe in spanking” or “The law won’t allow me to spank.” But then they do nothing. They establish consequences and then remove them when the child complains. This method fails to train the child to image God.

Even if a parent chooses not to use physical discipline, it is still necessary to enforce real consequences—consequences the child does not want to experience. This could be removal of privileges, loss of possessions, restriction of freedom, additional work or chores—whatever will actually restrain the behavior. The key is that parents must establish consequences and then enforce them without backing down. As stewards of God’s image bearers, parents are accountable for restraining sin and training righteousness.

Child development experts and biblical counselors have consistently documented that inconsistent discipline is one of the most damaging approaches to parenting. When parents establish consequences but don’t enforce them—whether backing down when children complain or giving repeated warnings without follow-through—children learn that authority can be negotiated. One Christian parenting counselor stated: “The trick of parenting is to hold onto your restrictions one more time than your children hold onto their demand.” Parents must be firmer than their children are persistent. If a child argues against the consequence or asks for it to be shortened, the consequence should be extended as a lesson in submission.

The issue is not whether parents spank or use other forms of discipline. The issue is whether parents actually discipline at all. Parents who refuse to enforce real consequences—whether out of fear, guilt, or a desire to be liked—are disobeying God’s command and will answer to Him for it.

Teaching Children Daily Repentance

Parents are also responsible to teach their children repentance. It is not enough to correct bad behavior or enforce consequences. Parents have the opportunity to train their children to recognize sin, confess it to God, repent of it, and turn from it.

This is not a one-time prayer for salvation—this is daily training. Scripture teaches that repentance is an ongoing part of the Christian life. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This promise is not only for conversion—it is for every day of the Christian life.

When a child disobeys, the parent can help the child understand that the issue is not merely that they disobeyed their parent. The deeper issue is that they sinned against God. Every act of disobedience, every lie, every act of disrespect or unkindness is first and foremost sin against God. Psalm 51:4 says, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.”

Parents can walk their children through repentance each time they sin: identify the sin according to Scripture, confess it to God (James 5:16), repent by turning from it, ask forgiveness from those wronged, and accept the consequences.

This last step is critical. Parents should help children understand that saying “I’m sorry” or praying for forgiveness does not remove earthly consequences. God forgives sin, but He still allows consequences to train us in righteousness. Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Children need to learn that being baptized or saying they love God does not exempt them from consequences. God disciplines those He loves. Parents do the same. The child who says “I’m sorry” still faces the consequence that was established. This teaches them that sin is serious and that God’s forgiveness does not erase all earthly consequences.

Parents should also model repentance. If parents expect their children to repent, they need to be willing to repent themselves. When a parent sins against their child—whether through anger, harshness, or neglect—they can confess it to the child, ask for forgiveness, and demonstrate what true repentance looks like. Children learn repentance by seeing it modeled, not merely by being told about it.

Conclusion

In this sermon, we have learned that children exist to be image bearers of God. They do not belong to parents—they belong to God. Parents are stewards who will give an account for how they trained the children God entrusted to them.

We learned that faithful stewardship requires teaching children God’s Word, modeling God’s character before them, disciplining them with real consequences, and walking them through daily repentance. We saw the warning of Eli, who failed to restrain his sons and faced God’s judgment for his negligence.

We also learned that children have a responsibility. They must submit to their parents’ authority as a way of learning to submit to God’s authority. When children obey their parents, they are practicing what it means to image God.

Now is the time to evaluate. Parents with young children can ask: How am I training the image bearers God gave me? Am I teaching them Scripture consistently? Am I modeling God’s character, or am I modeling hypocrisy? Am I disciplining them with real consequences, or am I backing down? Am I walking them through repentance, or am I just correcting behavior? What needs to change? What needs to be adjusted?

Parents whose children are grown can ask: How did I train them? Did I faithfully teach them Scripture? Did I model godliness before them? Did I discipline them consistently? Did I teach them to repent? Where did I fail? What needs to be made right before God? What conversations need to happen with my children? What can still be adjusted in how I speak to and encourage my grown children?

This is how we prepare to stand before God and give an account for the roles He assigned us.