Top 7 Bible Verses About Children With Commentary

Here are my top seven Bible verses about children with commentary that follows.

Matthew 18:3 “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The disciples had been discussing, maybe even arguing about whom would be the greatest in the kingdom, then Jesus, “calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:2-3). This is also a call for repentance because that’s what turning means in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. If there is no turning away from sin, there can be no turning to God.

Luke 18:16 “But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Children are the essence of teach-ability as they are usually hungry to learn and they are humble in the process. This is the same characteristic that adults must have if they want to receive eternal life. They must be teachable and they must be humble because God will resist every heart that’s proud and extend His grace only to the humble (James 4:6).

Matthew 18:4 “Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

This is like the “whoever that believes in me” in John 3:16 so this is an open invitation for all to come to repentance and faith. Jesus had an actual child there and the obvious humility in the child was an object lesson for His audience. The point is; the same humility found in children is the same humility God requires of whoever it is that comes to Christ. This is the opposite of the ways of the world (naturally), the must humble here on earth will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. This flies in the face of conventional thinking and practices today.

Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

This promise is the only commandment to children with a promise and that is “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land” (Eph 6:3) but that means that fathers should not provoke their children to anger (Eph 6:4) meaning they shouldn’t do things to their children for the purpose of provoking them to anger or completely exasperating them.

Psalm 37:25 “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

This verse is one that reminds me of a single mother. Many years ago, this woman’s husband left her with three small children to care for and financially support. They couldn’t find him to make him pay child support and when they did find him, he still refused to pay and ended up in jail, which meant that she still wouldn’t receive any assistance. Incidentally, the mother was barely scrapping by week after week but her church’s food pantry made the difference. That was God’s way of ensuring her that she wouldn’t have to beg for bread. God would provide, even if it was through the local church.

Matthew 19:13-14 “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

What will the citizens of the kingdom of heaven be like? They will have childlike humility because “to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Jesus again tells the little ones to come to Him and don’t let anyone hinder them, showing that anyone may come to Christ to have their sins forgiven and receive eternal life (John 3:16). The disciples tried to keep the children away but Jesus told them allow them to come to Him because those are the kind of people that are going to be entering the kingdom of heaven.

Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.”

Children truly are a heritage. Children are a gift from God and a great blessing and “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers” (Prov 17:6). What greater blessing next to marriage than having children and yes, grandchildren. Next to our salvation, marriage and the birth of a child are the highlights of a person’s life. No job promotion can match that feeling of being a parent for the first time. No amount of money can buy the joy of marrying someone you deeply love.

Conclusion

Children are a gift from God but God has children too. We are now the children of God if we have repented and trusted in Christ. The Apostle John wrote “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1st John 3:2) but not everyone who professes Christ possess Christ. Once again John writes that “this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother” (1st John 3:10). Think you’re a child of God? The Apostle John wrote that “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments” (1st John 5:1-2). That is how you’ll know.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.