The Danger of a Christian Upbringing

“I was brought up in a Christian household”.  Those words are the beginning of so many Christian testimonies, including mine.  For a while, I thought my testimony started off a little boring.   I was envious of the guy who came from the family of satanist drug runners - at least that was an interesting story.  However, I have now realized the blessing of growing up in a Christian household and praise God for it regularly.  I was taught the Bible from a young age and had modeled to me the Christian life on a daily basis.  However with the blessings of the Christian upbringing comes a great danger. 

Jesus highlighted it with the well known parable of the two houses in Luke 6.  In it, we are told of two men who build two houses.  The first man goes to the trouble of digging down to the bedrock, and building the house’s foundations on it.  The second doesn’t bother with foundations at all.  From the outside, both houses look identical.  We aren’t told that one was made of brick and the other of fibro.  The only difference we are told of is an invisible one.  Jesus uses the illustration to point out the difference between the person who builds their lives on his words, and those who don’t.

What makes this interesting is the context of the story.  Jesus isn’t saying this to the general public.  He is telling his story to those who call him Lord.  They have followed him around and eagerly listened to his teaching.  However, he says that among them are those who are, and those who aren’t his true disciples.  The true disciples aren’t marked by their outward appearance, just as the houses aren’t marked by their outward appearance.  

In our modern context, both people look like Christians.  Both call Jesus Lord.  Both may well attend churches, get involved in serving, be active member of a home group, may even preach and teach.  However only one is a true disciple of Jesus.  Here is the danger for those of us in particular who have grown up in Christian households.  It is easy to be a Christian externally.  We never had the pressure to not go to Church - we had the opposite.  We were expected to attend.  Reading the Bible was modeled to us, as was prayer.  We know the right way to talk and act as Christians.  We can be Christians in culture, but not in spirit.  The difference is seen in the invisible foundation.  Christ says it is seen in the attitude to his word.  Do we obey, or dismiss it?  Do we truly treat him as Lord always, or only when it suits us?  Do we obey him only when it fits our upbringing, or when it goes against our desires? 

As a guy who was brought up by believing parents, I have to test myself on whether I am a disciple in culture or in truth.  I need to ask myself - when was the last time I changed my behavior because of Jesus’ Lordship over my life?  When was the last time I changed my thinking because of Jesus’ words?  I need to examine myself in the light of Jesus’ teaching rather than my parents’ upbringing.  

As a father of three children I also need to be warning them of the dangers of their Christian upbringing.  I need to encourage them to develop their own personal relationship with Jesus, rather than relying on the faith of their parents.