Children. They're a blessing from the Lord, right? Absolutely! But if you're a parent you know that these little people are the source of more fear, anxiety, and worry than anything else in all of life. We are constantly concerned about our children—their health, their development, their personalities, their habits, their choices, and their friends. There's enough there to gray the hair quite quickly! Yet, for every Christian parent there's a concern that goes deeper than all of these: is my child a Christian?

If you're a parent you know that's a question that is often asked. It's a question that keeps you up at night. It's a question over which you have prayed time and time again. It's a question that reverberates in your heart when you hear the shocking and sad news of a miscarriage or the death of a little one. And it's a question that inevitably arises when your three old sons asks, "Daddy, am I going to heaven?" How do you answer that question?

[pullquote]_M__y _opinion and _your _opinion of our children--however optimistic or pessimistic that may be--is _not _the determining factor.[/pullquote] Well, I hope it's evident to you that _my _opinion and _your _opinion of our children--however optimistic or pessimistic that may be--is _not _the determining factor. We don't have the prerogative to set the bar wherever we'd like it to be set. That is, we can't say, "Well son, you've got good manners so yes you're a Christian." Or, "My daughter, you're not as bad as that kid down the street, so I think you're good to go!" Not at all! As the wayward Prophet confessed, "Salvation belongs to the LORD!" (Jonah 2:9). It's his to define, to determine, to give, and withhold as the God who says, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Romans 9:15).

However, this doesn't mean the question is completely and entirely lost in the hidden purposes and mind of God. Rather, as the Canons of Dort remind us, "We must make judgements about God's will from his Word." What is of supreme importance--and we need to always remember this--isn't my view of my children, but God's view of my children. And to know how God views my children I _must _turn to the Bible--: