For Christian parents, few concerns are more pressing than the salvation of their children. I’ve know many parents who struggle to know if their kids are saved. In this post I want to share my best advice for parents. Please feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
How Can I Tell If A Child Is Saved?
The truth is simple to say but hard to accept. We can’t be 100% certain until we get to heaven. A person’s relationship with God is deeply private and too easy to fake. This is especially true for kids who want to earn their parents approval. But we can look for evidence of conversion in a child’s life.
The first and best evidence is the child’s statement of believe in Jesus. Has the child said they trust Christ for salvation and is seeking to follow Him. Once that is the case, here are some more things we should encourage and try to discern:
- Does the child show a growing love for God?
- Does the child demonstrate love and concern for others?
- Does the child have a growing appreciation for God’s grace?
- Is the child learning to pray and spend time alone with God?
- Does the child have a sense of their own sinfulness?
- Does the child demonstrate new spiritual desires?
- Does the child continue in their faith over time?
For more great questions, check out this post from Justin Taylor’s blog listing questions to ask your child about their spiritual development.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a starting point. My concern is always to encourage kids to take steps of faith toward God. Even if they seem very young, I urge them to trust Jesus Christ as much as they are able.
How Do You Know If A Child Is Saved?
The comment section below is open for you to share your thoughts. What things would you add to my list? What are some resources that you have found helpful on this topic?