Ron said: <blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]In a word, I suppose we differ in that I treat my little ones as Christians, who definitely stand in the need of prayer and nurturing in the Lord. They need to be converted to Christ, but I can say based upon the evidence that “Jesus died for your sins,” just as I say it to my wife. The evidence I have for my wife’s Christianity is based upon her faith and practice, whereas the only evidence I have that my two year old is a Christian is that she was born into my household, which is more than I can say for a child born of unbelieving parents. I'll leave you with this last thought; which is, I invite my little ones to pray, whereas I would never invite my neighbor across the street to pray. In other words, only those I may treat as Christians will I invite to pray on my behalf.</font><hr></blockquote><p> <br>While I agree with much of what you have written, I would differ about calling a child a Christian before they have made a profession of faith. I don't disagree that a child might actually be a Chrisitan from a very young age, but I see a danger in giving reassurance of salvation before the actual fact of conversion. <br> I remember taking my nieces to see a fresco of the Last Supper at a church in our area. I explained the gospel to them briefly [knowing my sister who was there would never tell them] and I also told them that "Jesus died for your sins". My boys later told me that I sounded like a Universalist! After I thought about it, I realized that they were right. But, they may be elect, and if they are then I told them the truth, but I cannot know if they are or not. Their parents aren't Christians. My parents are not Christians either, but thankfully God is not limited by our parents being believers or non believers regarding our election. Your daughter is indeed blessed to have two believing parents and a Christian home to grow up in. May God be pleased to show her mercy and bring her into His Kingdom, as He has done for you and your wife. A child before their adoption does not have the same benefits as a son does after the adoption is finalized. Likewise, before our conversion, we are not yet heirs of the Kingdom, even if we are elect. The Holy Spirit does not indwell an unbeliever. Even if we are unhappy about this truth, our children before conversion are not yet in God's Kingdom any more than we were in His Kingdom before our conversions! We cannot call someone a Christian honestly until there is some real evidence that this is the truth. As for prayer, we are to teach our little ones to pray, even before they are actually born again, but the child across the street may be one of God's elect too, even without Christian parents. Who knows if God might be pleased to use your family to tell that child about the Savior. <br>Susan<br><br>
