173
May, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
The Child in GOD’S PLAN B y RICHARD W. .LgWIS* Siloam Springs, Arkansas
I n t h is title there are three highly valuable verities— God, His plans, and the child. And these are related, the one to the other. Nothing is better established in all the realm of truth than that the creation shows unmistakable signs of plan, design, system, order. God, who had His choice, chose to reproduce man by the child-route. He could have populated the earth in some other way, but the Creator’s plan for reproducing our mundane race was, and is, by the child-way. God—a plan—the child! There!
the point where it is easiest of accomplishment ? That place is among the children. Is C h ild E vangelism S cr iptu ra l ? The question naturally and properly arises here: Is there a Biblical ground for this view?. If it is only a man- invented theory, devoid of Bible basis, we must abandon it at once. The claim that child evangelism is Biblical rests upon certain facts, as follows:
First, the child is included in the covenants that God has made with men. This fact is most sig nificant. It must not be considered lightly. Rather, it would deserve to be given fullest weight in this study. A few examples are the promises given in Genesis 3:15; 9:1, 8 ||9 ; 12:1-3; 15 :5, 18; 2 Samuel 7:12-16. Second, the child is included in God’s teaching plan. “All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isa. 54:13). When God set forth His marvel ous redemption by grace, He had to teach it to His chosen people; and in teaching the adults, He in cluded the children in His school of redemptive methods. From Abram on down the line until our own day, the true Hebrew father faithfully, devotedly, loyally, and persistently has taught his chil dren God’s plan—as he sees it. The children of Jews are Jews. The Hebrew’s son is himself a Hebrew, with the rarest excep tions. To make anything else out of him is a most difficult task, so well has he been taught. Third, after teaching His cho sen people, God trained them as
What could be more fundamen tal ? But if the Lord planned the child as fundamental in His sys tem of world population, He must have" planned also, and that very carefully, the child’s place in His world scheme. The child’s place in redemption must have been in cluded in that scheme. G od ’ s G racious P lan When man voluntarily, under Satanic influence, chose to dis obey his Maker, he invited death, both spiritual and physical. Man set himself in such a defiant and antagonistic attitude toward God that it would have been mere jus tice had God allowed him to suffer the full consequences of his vol untary choice. It was, then, mercy on God’s part that a secondary choice—or opportunity for man to be restored to divine favor— was provided. Because God had set Himself to the task of bringing back a sin ful and rebellious race, He natu rally would exhibit divine mercy in its freest and fullest form. In other words, a loving heavenly Father would gladly receive the prodigal, with open arm s! Long ing to have men return to Him, God would make the terms as
Satan’s TSid for the BOYS AND GIRLS By RICHARD W . LEWIS Give me the children, one and all, Just let them heed my fiendish call; In all my work they'll have a place, To serve with vim, at lively pace. I need them ALL, if you do not, Whate'er their birth, whate'er their lot; I'll work them hard, by day, by night, And plunge them deep in sinful plight. The cost to them is groans and tears, And hearts that faint with hellish fears. But let me guide their tender hearts, In ways of death that sin imparts; And they shall soon forget your God, To go with me as I may nod. When thus they come to like my way, And gayly walk it ev'ry day; With worldly joy and fun I'll fill Their lives to brim with thrill on thrill 1 And if they lose their souls in sin, Be sure they will their "freedom" win; No yoke they'll wear, nor burden bear; I'll set them free from "cant" and care. Oh, yes, to hell they'll surely go. Apart from Christ their doom to know. But they at least have had their way, Without restraint or pious sway! Both boys and girls I bid to buy, And for them now I lift my cry;
to their actions. The Mosaic system was one of the most comprehensive and exacting ever installed in all human history. But here again the child was given his place and part. We find this provision crystallized in the Solomonic passage, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22 :6). Fourth, there can be no doubt as to the child’s having a place among believers. From the first, faith in God has been the essential foundation of salvation. It was the fail ure of faith, and the consequent disobedience, that sepa rated Adam from God, and sent him out of Eden. Jesus Christ emphasized the imperative importance of faith. And He undoubtedly credited the child with full ability to be lieve, for He referred to “one of these little ones which believe in me” (Matt. 18:6). The frequency with which the Bible refers to “household” religion would indicate that children are included in the circle of believers and are
simple and as easy as could be consistent with divine dig nity, integrity, and justice. Such a course on God’s part would call for the application of the terms of salvation at the point of easiest contact. Now the most easy contact could not be with the hardened, toughened adult sinner. He is too well set in his sins. He has crystallized in character. His habits are fixed. In order that God may re-form him, he must be unformed! He has years of sinful tastes, habits, and sins to give up when he receives new life in Christ Jesus and moves up to higher ground with God! No, the easy point of contact for the application of sal vation cannot be with the adult sinner—-it must be with the child. He is in the plastic period. He is in a formative state. He is susceptible. He is like the soft claySready to be molded into any shape. If the race is ever to be brought back to God, and if His image is to be restamped upon men, why not undertake man’s part of this great task at
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* Children’s Evangelist and Author.
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