The following letter is a practical example of how to counsel children who have professed faith at a young age but are struggling with questions or concerns about their salvation. I hand-wrote this note to my eleven-year-old son recently after we had a conversation about assurance. I hope that this example can encourage you as you disciple with your children (or grandchildren) in the truths of the gospel.

The Letter

Dear Son,

Words cannot express how thankful I am of you. I praise the Lord for you and pray for you daily. I just love being your dad!  

I am thankful for how I see God working in your life. I know that you have had questions about faith and Christianity. I appreciate your sensitivity and heart for God. I hope that the questions and verses below can help you come to a settled faith in Christ for salvation:

Why do I need to be saved?

We need to be saved because we have broken God’s law. The Bible says, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We are sinners by birth and sinners by choice. The Bible also says that “the wages (what we deserve) for our sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Because of sin, you and I deserve to die and be punished for sin for all eternity. Because God is holy, we cannot come to God on our own. We need God to forgive and rescue us from sin.

How can I be saved from my sin?

Do you remember the story of the Philippian jailor? After hearing Paul and Silas sing about the truths of the gospel, he asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s answer was simple, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). He didn’t say work hard. He said, “Believe.” To believe on the Lord Jesus is to believe that Jesus is truly God who became man to die and rise again to pay sin’s penalty for YOU!

In Romans 10, Paul said, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved… For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” To confess means that we agree with God about who we are (sinners who deserve eternal judgment) and who Jesus is (the One who God sent to save us from our sin). When we see sin the way God sees it, we won’t want to continue in unbelief or rebellion against God. We’ll want to know, love, obey, and trust in Christ because of His great love for us. The Bible calls this “repentance.”

Does my faith save me?

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Our faith doesn’t save us. Grace does! Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve because of His love for us in Christ. We receive God’s grace through faith- believing and trusting in Jesus to save us. The key then isn’t how great your faith is, but how great God’s grace is! Through simple faith, you can receive God’s free and gracious gift of eternal life.

Know that I’m always here to talk with you anytime you have questions.

Love,

Dad