Bible Points

“My children, with whom I am again in labor (or birth pains) until Christ is formed in you” Galatians 4:19

It is so easy for the pastor or the parent to become distracted from the biblical and eternal goal of forming Christ in the hearts of those they are responsible for…the pastor in his shepherding the Lord’s sheep, and the mother and father in their parenting their children.

Some pastors are easily distracted by temporal and immediate goals…filling the pews, paying the bills, and even sermon preparation.

Some parents are distracted by cultural aspirations communicated through TV commercials and social media posts and even covetous attitudes related to admiring the possessions and accomplishments of friends and colleagues.

In the Bible we find a worthy goal for both the pastor and parent. In Galatians 4:19 Paul wrote, “My children, with whom I am again in labor (or birth pains) until Christ is formed in you”.

There is no goal more important than the believer’s sanctification, both positionally and practically. The believer is described by the Bible as being “in Christ” and “like Christ” (Rom 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:29; 1 John 2:5-6).

In Galatians 4:19 Paul likens himself to a “mother” who gave spiritual “birth” to the Galatians. But the temptations of the world had caused the Galatians to drift away from Jesus so Paul has to labor again, and keep laboring until they become like Jesus Christ in their thinking and conduct.

It should go without saying that this should also be the priority of the pastor. However, let me also say that this should be the primary objective of the parent.

In Mark 8:36-37 Jesus says, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

An internet search will reveal that the top three goal categories worthy of pursuit for adults were listed as: (1) Financial, (2) Career, and (3) Growth.

When your child stands before Christ, he or she will not be quizzed or questioned about accomplishments such as, “What university did you graduate from?” or “How’s that 401(k) or 403(b) looking?” or “Did you become conversational in a foreign language before a trip?”

When our children stand before Christ they will only gain entrance into eternal glory if they have repented of their sins and trusted in Christ and His finished work of redemption on the Cross as payment for their sins.

Their eternal reward will depend on how they served Christ in this life (1 Cor. 3:10-15), not any temporal accomplishments.

This is why Paul labored like a mother in birth pains so that his spiritual children might become like Jesus Christ in their thinking and conduct.

Are you doing likewise with your children?