The Kind of Confidence Your Kids Need
Archibald Alexander was the first instructor for Princeton seminary back in the early 1800s.
One of his books is entitled, unglamorously, though rich with deep spiritual insight, Thoughts on Religious Experience.
In Chapter 8, he discusses how Christians grow from infancy into maturity.
Concerning the lack of growth, he says,
“There is a defect in our belief in the freeness of divine grace. To exercise unshaken confidence in the doctrine of gratuitous pardon is one of the most difficult things in the world… Christians cannot be lean and feeble when deprived of their proper nourishment. It is by faith (in the gospel) that the spiritual life is made to grow; and the doctrine of free grace, without any mixture of human merit, is the only true object of faith… Until religious teachers inculcate clearly, fully, and practically, the grace of God as manifested in the gospel, we shall have no vigorous growth among professing Christians.”
I need this gospel every day.
And it is the free grace of God that I pray not only will fire my heart, but also yours—and your children—as we disciple them in the glorious mercies of God in Jesus.
Discuss
What defect about free grace has influenced your spiritual life?
How does Archibald Alexander’s statement inspire you to influence your children?