Biblical Foundation for Raising Children

Scripture from the World English Bible (WEB) - God’s timeless wisdom for parenting that never goes out of style.

Children Are God’s Gift and Responsibility

Psalms 127:3-5
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.”

Psalms 139:13-16
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Children’s God-Given Responsibilities

Ephesians 6:1-3
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ (this is the first commandment with a promise), ’that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.’”

Proverbs 1:8-9
“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”

Parents’ God-Given Mandate

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

This passage makes it crystal clear: teaching children is not the school’s job, the church’s job, or society’s job - it’s the parents’ job, morning, noon, and night.

Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Ephesians 6:4
“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

Colossians 3:21
“Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.”

Biblical Discipline - Love in Action

Proverbs 13:24
“Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

Proverbs 19:18
“Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.”

Proverbs 22:15
“Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.”

Proverbs 23:13-14 (KJV)
“Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.”

Proverbs 29:15
“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”

Proverbs 29:17
“Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”

The Foundation for All Parenting

These verses aren’t suggestions - they’re God’s blueprint for raising children who will honor Him and become productive, godly adults. Modern parenting theories come and go, but God’s Word remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Key Principles:

Children are God’s gift and our stewardship responsibility
Parents, not institutions, are primarily responsible for their children’s education
Biblical discipline is an act of love, not anger
Consistent training produces lasting character
The goal is raising children who will honor God throughout their lives

For Christian homeschooling families: These passages provide the unshakeable foundation for why we choose to educate our children ourselves. When society questions our choice, when relatives doubt our decision, when we face difficult days - we return to God’s Word for wisdom and strength.

This collection of Scripture forms the bedrock of biblical parenting. Print it, memorize it, live it - and watch God honor your faithful obedience in raising the children He has entrusted to your care.