If I asked you, “What is the cause of the decline of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and the virtual irrelevance of Christianity today?,” what would your answer be? Certainly, more than one answer would be legitimate. But if you had to give just one, what would your answer be?

Some time ago, the following cause for the erosion of vibrant faith in Christ Jesus appeared:

And verily there is one spring and cause of the decay of Religion in our day, which we cannot but touch upon, and earnestly urge a redress of; and that is the neglect of the worship of God in Families by those to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed.

May not the gross ignorance and instability of many, with the profaneness¹ of others, be justly charged upon their Parents and Masters, who have not trained them up in the way wherein they ought to walk when they were young; but have neglected those frequent and solemn commands which the Lord hath laid upon them so to catechize² and instruct them that their tender years might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures; and also by their own omission of Prayer, and other duties of religion in their families, together with the ill example of their loose conversation,³ have inured them first to a neglect, and then contempt of all Piety and Religion?

We know this will not excuse the blindness or wickedness of any; but certainly, it will fall heavy upon those that have been thus the occasion thereof. They indeed die in their sins. But will not their blood be required of those under whose care they were, who yet permitted them to go on without warning, yea, led them into the paths of destruction?...

We shall conclude with our earnest prayer, that the God of all grace, will pour out those measures of his Holy Spirit upon us, that the profession of truth may be accompanied with the sound belief and diligent practice of it by us; that his name may in all things be glorified, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Let’s focus on a few important thoughts contained in the preceding quote:

1. While other causes exist, the authors did not blame the decay of faith in Jesus Christ on atheism, false religions, drugs, alcoholism, perversion, immorality, or wicked politicians. Of course, in the day they wrote, their culture did not have liberal media, government schools, evolution, socialism, feminism, Hollywood, television, rock music—at least, not in the form we have them today—or several other culprits that modern Christians often blame. Certainly, these are all important matters. Nevertheless, the authors saw the problem as the “neglect of the worship of God in families”—the disregard of family worship.
2. The second important statement is that guilt for this decay is laid at the feet of those “to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed”—parents and other teachers.
3. The third is the statement that gross ignorance, instability, and profaneness in children are the result of parents and teachers who have neglected to instruct their children in God’s Word.
4. The fourth notable assertion is that parents who neglect family worship help to harden their children in contempt of biblical faith!
5. Finally, the fifth is perhaps the most shocking thought of all: children who are blind and wicked are without excuse and will die in their sins. Yet, the responsibility for their destruction in hell lies partially at the feet of parents who ignore family worship. Unlike wise Solomon in the Proverbs, parents who do not practice family worship actually help lead their children into the path of eternal destruction.

Is family worship important? The authors of the original letter “To the Judicious and Impartial Reader”—the original introduction to the Second London Baptist Confession and the source of the quotes above—understood that the neglect of family worship destroyed children spiritually and rendered Christ’s churches impotent. It is no different today.

If age-integrated churches are serious about family reformation, they must first faithfully preach Christ and then teach parents to lead their families in the daily worship of Christ Jesus in their home.

Parents, worship Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord and Savior, consistently in your home. Read His Word. Pray earnestly. Sing to Him. Glorify His name. And obey Him because of His eternal, saving grace and mercy to undeserving sinners. Nothing will have a greater influence on your children than their seeing you worship, praise, love, and obey the risen Savior daily. This will change your life, your family, and your church. The fragrance of Christ should fill your home.

¹ Profaneness is contempt or irreverence for what is sacred.
² When many of us hear the word catechize, the smell of candles, incense, and Rome come to mind. However, catechize simply means to teach the principles of the Christian faith by questions and answers. Reformed catechisms, such as the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the Westminster Standards, are well known; but for a history and collection of Baptist catechisms, see Tom J. Nettles, Teaching Truth, Training Hearts: The Study of Catechisms in Baptist Life. Also, seehttp://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/bcat.htm.

³ Loose conversation refers to loose, worldly living.
⁴ Inure means to acquire the habit of something undesirable, especially by prolonged exposure.