Raising Disciples to Have a Faith of Their Own

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul wrote to a young Christian leader, Timothy, to encourage him in his God-given skills in leading a community of believers. In his encouragement, Paul reminded Timothy of how he had come to believe in Jesus.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you have learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:14-17).

Timothy’s training for becoming a leader in the church had begun in infancy when he’d learned Scripture from his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5). Their teaching had placed him on a discipleship journey, but we see Paul state that at some point along this journey, Timothy became convinced of the Scriptures himself.

The word translated as “have become convinced of” has the same root as the Greek word πίστις (pistis), which is commonly translated “trust” or “faith.” Though Lois and Eunice raised Timothy to be a disciple, he had to become convinced that what they’d said was true. We don’t know at what age Timothy became convinced, but from the time he was able to stand firm on his conviction, his faith was his own.

Intentionality matters as you are raising your child!

Questions for Reflection

• How can you support your child to mature from the faith they are learning from you into a faith of their own?
• How are you continuing to grow and mature in your own faith?