Read Acts 2:38-41.
The promise of salvation is offered to all who repent and receive God’s Word. As Peter proclaimed at Pentecost, “the promise is to you and to your children,” and so our great task as Christian parents is to lead our children to Christ.
We evangelize and disciple them by directing them with truth. This is why we share the Gospel with them. Those who were converted at Pentecost are those of whom it is said, “gladly received his word.”
As we give them this direction toward Christ, we pray they will develop a desire for Christ. If you read the entirety of Peter’s sermon that day, you see that it focuses on Jesus. He is the only Savior. This is how God calls us, and draws our children to Himself through the activity of the Spirit.
The discipline we administer has both a positive and negative dimension to reinforce this truth—a blessing in following Christ and warning of the curse of disobedience. Our children will not be saved until they understand they are sinners who cannot save themselves. They must repent if they would have their sins remitted. Thus, the Holy Spirit will convict them. Where is the Spirit? He is in the life of the Christian father and mother, and He speaks through them and is seen in their own repentance.
As Peter did, we testify and exhort them, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Our prayer is that they will receive the word and as a testimony be baptized and added to the church.
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