Leading Little Ones to God IV: In Faith to Faith

Jun 19, 2025

Misty Snyder, wife of John Snyder and a devoted teacher, joins to discuss Charles Spurgeon's pamphlet 'Feed My Lambs.' They explore the delicate task of teaching children about God's warnings, emphasizing balance between grace and truth. Misty shares personal anecdotes, like childhood lessons on integrity, while highlighting the joyful role parents play in guiding faith. They stress imparting God's standards rather than mere behavior modification, reminding listeners that true spiritual awakening rests in God's hands.

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INSIGHT

Morality Without Merit

Spurgeon urges teaching morality but not presenting it as the way of salvation.
Teach right and wrong while centering obedience in Christ, not human merit.

INSIGHT

Law Reveals, Gospel Transforms

The law exposes God's moral perfection and our failure.
The gospel renews hearts so true obedience flows from love, not merit.

ADVICE

Make God The Moral Reason

Teach children to obey because God, the Creator, commands it.
Center morality on knowing and loving God, not on being 'good' people.

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In this week’s episode of The Whole Counsel, John and Misty Snyder come together again to continue discussing the small pamphlet Feed My Lambs written by Charles Spurgeon. He wrote this small work with Sunday school teachers in mind, but John and Misty find particular help for parents in this week’s segments.

When it comes to presenting the warnings of hell to children, we must do so carefully. Too harsh, and we can manipulate them into behavior modification to merit God’s favor. But if we never share God’s warnings of his wrath, we risk making sin a light matter in their eyes. The best practice is to let God speak for himself through the scriptures and share his warnings as they come up in family worship or applicable conversations. Knowing our children and their temperaments comes into play here as well.

While we share the kindness and warnings of God, we must also avoid giving our children “keepable standards.” We must give them God’s standard of holiness. When our children fail to keep God’s standards, we are presented with wonderful opportunities to point them to our sinless Redeemer, Christ.

All of this must be done while depending on God to do the work He must do for our children’s salvation. We can no more do God’s work of giving our children spiritual life than we do our children’s work of repenting and believing.

Show Notes:

Behold Your God: Seeking Him Early -

https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/childrens-curriculum

Charles Spurgeon’s book for parents and teachers: https://gracegems.org/B/Spurgeon_children.htm

J. C. Ryle - Two Bears and Other Addresses to Childre:

https://www.christianbook.com/two-bears-and-other-addresses-children/j-c-ryle/9781583391051/pd/391052

Love to the Unseen Christ by Thomas Vincent - https://www.amazon.com/Christians-Unseen-Christ-Puritan-Writings/dp/1877611573

Christ is All by Henry Law - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-All-Pentateuch-Classic-Reprint/dp/0243899300

Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose - https://www.trinitybookservice.com/looking-unto-jesus/

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