What Does This Mean?

[Nick]

lol why can't all threads be as nice as this one?

To me - as it states in the verse - it's about humbleness. Children have nothing to be proud of, they have achieved nothing in their lives. They are completely dependent and have complete faith in their fathers.

 

[Edward]

lol why can't all threads be as nice as this one?

To me - as it states in the verse - it's about humbleness. Children have nothing to be proud of, they have achieved nothing in their lives. They are completely dependent and have complete faith in their fathers.

Because religious leaders and pharisees have created religious boundries and rules and regulations for us so that we might not get too close to the truth of being real Spirit-filled Christians walking with God Almighty Himself?! ...and this thread doesn't seem to threaten them, lol.

I think you're right too, Brother. Humbleness in children lets them go up to complete strangers and trust them. Man doesn't trust God as He should.

 

[Mike]

hello Edward, dirtfarmer here

Consider this; Who does a child look to for safety and to meet all their needs? It is their father, who should christians look to for their safety and to meet all thier needs? Is is not our heavenly Father? We have to have complete dependence , as a child does their earthly father, on our heavenly Father. Have you ever seen a little child that doesn't have complete faith in their father?

Some good stuff in this discussion overall, but I believe this strikes right to the heart of the matter. Children are not necessarily humble. Their instinct can be selfishness before they've learned the social skills to go without for the sake of others. They seek to meet their own needs first. Of course, this is one of the first life lessons many adults forget.

But trusting without reservation is something almost exclusive to children. The world beats us down over time, and we become jaded. We distrust and often seek something to doubt in almost anything anyone says. This ultimately manifests itself in our distrust of God's promise to be there for us. Unless they've been thru early childhood trauma, children feel safe in the knowledge that their parents will keep them safe.

This is an oddity of mine. When I pray and often when I praise, I lift my face upward. I don't bow my head. I do this because of this verse and the indullible image of a child standing before his father looking up to him in awe and faith that he is his protector.

 

[th1b.taylor]

lol why can't all threads be as nice as this one?

To me - as it states in the verse - it's about humbleness. Children have nothing to be proud of, they have achieved nothing in their lives. They are completely dependent and have complete faith in their fathers.

It can, effectively be taken to mean all of these things.

 

[Runner]

Anyone who thinks little children are unfailingly or even mostly "innocent," "honest" and "trusting" has met a different crowd of little children than I have over the past 67 years. Some are, of course, as are some adults - but innocent/honest/trusting is scarcely the definition of a little child. It's an idealized notion of what a child should be, as opposed to the devious, deceitful and cruel little characters that many children actually are.

This misguided interpretation of these verses leads to the all-too-frequent mindset that equates "faith" with "mindlessness." You actually study, think, question and doubt like a mature adult? Better put on your Innocent Little Child hat and get with the program before Satan snares you, pal.

The verses do indeed relate to humility - humility before God and in one's dealings with one's fellow humans. Humbling yourself before God - acknowledging that you are a fallen child of your Creator - is, of course, the first essential of Christianity. They may also relate to the spirit in which children receive gifts. In Luke 18:17, Jesus talks of receiving the kingdom as a child. Even children who are little monsters typically receive gifts with thankfulness and delight.

 

[Edward]

Those little monster children that are devious and so forth...have learned this from watching their parents.

 

[Christ_empowered]

runner's made some good points. this idealized view many have of children is fairly recent...I seem to recall reading that it was until maybe the 19th century or so that the current view of children (and marriage, and family...) began to take hold. a lot of it was rooted in economic shifts related to capitalism and industrialization, the rise of the middle class, the move away from the farm, etc.

now that I think about it that way....we're all born with the sin nature, kids included. many Christians believe that children who die before the 'age of accountability' are spared hell, but...

kids are often inquisitive. kids also require discipline and correction, which are also parts of the believer's walk with The Lord.

 

[Runner]

runner's made some good points. this idealized view many have of children is fairly recent...I seem to recall reading that it was until maybe the 19th century or so that the current view of children (and marriage, and family...) began to take hold. a lot of it was rooted in economic shifts related to capitalism and industrialization, the rise of the middle class, the move away from the farm, etc.

now that I think about it that way....we're all born with the sin nature, kids included. many Christians believe that children who die before the 'age of accountability' are spared hell, but...

kids are often inquisitive. kids also require discipline and correction, which are also parts of the believer's walk with The Lord.

The "age of accountability" thing has always struck me as problematical. We can all (or at least say we can) stomach a God who sends to Hell a billion sincere Buddhists and Hindus whose circumstances of birth and cultural influences virtually guaranteed they would never hear the Christian message or take it seriously, yet the notion of a 5-year-old suffering the same fate is too much to bear (so apparently even 5-year-old Buddhists get a free ride). So we invent the "age of accountability" fiction and go our merry way. I'm not saying a billion sincere Buddhists and Hindus don't go to Hell or that the "age of accountability" doctrine is flat wrong, I satisfy myself with the view that, whatever happens with Buddhists, Hindus and children of all varieties, we will see that it is worthy of the kind, loving, just and wise Creator of them all.