There are those who teach that we are born in sin. We have, they say, inherited the corrupt nature of Adam. The Bible does not teach such a thing. There are many places we could turn to in the word of God to show that children are not born sinners. However, one of the best arguments that can be made against this false teaching is that Jesus admonished his disciples to become like little children. In Matt. 18:3 Jesus said the following: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Would Jesus exhort us to be like little children if they were totally depraved? The statement of Jesus is based on the innocence of children, not their sinful nature.
The words of Christ still stand true. To go to heaven we must develop, or redevelop, some of the characteristics associated with little children. Let’s notice a few of those characteristics.
- Children are humble. The question that caused Jesus to consider children was, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” This question was asked by the disciples of Christ and sprang forth from a consciousness of greatness. Each wanted to be the most important disciple with the most power. This consciousness of greatness is still being expressed by most people today. People want to be great and in some cases it doesn’t matter who they have to step over or hurt on the way. Selfishness and pride are at the seat of this desire for greatness. This attitude towards greatness is precisely what moved Jesus to say, “Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Children have no consciousness of greatness. At that stage of their lives they are not concerned with who is greater than whom. Children are humble, and it is that characteristic that we must gain back in order to go to heaven. James said, “…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up” (Jas. 4:6, 10).
- Children are constantly growing. We all know this to be so. It is sometimes amazing just how quickly our children or grandchildren grow. We expect them to do so, don’t we? If our children stopped growing, we certainly would not ignore it. We would have them examined by the best physicians possible to ascertain the problem. Furthermore, children themselves have a desire to grow. It is exciting for children to grow. When my children were younger, they liked to measure themselves up against their mother and me to see how close they were getting to us. The taller they got the more exciting it was for them. We should have that same attitude spiritually. We should desire to grow, and when we do, it should be exciting to us. Also, we must realize that if we do not grow, there is a problem. The Bible gives us a command to grow and tells us how to accomplish it. Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:2). So, growth is accomplished by feeding and meditating on God’s word. To grow is to add to our faith (2 Pet. 1:5-11). Without growing we will not make it to heaven.
- Children have the willingness to forgive. No matter what is said or done to little children, they do not hold grudges. Even when they are brutally abused by parents, be it physically or emotionally, they most often forgive. Do children get mad at each other over silly things? Yes, at least mine did when they were growing up (they still do). But before you know it, it is forgotten. Forgiving is certainly something we should learn from children. Jesus said, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive your trespasses. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you” (Matt. 6:14, 15). The greatest danger to any body of people is an unwillingness to forgive. Let’s become as children in this realm.
- Children love family fellowship. From time to time we have family night. Our children look forward to it. To them it doesn’t come often enough. They are constantly asking, “Can we have family night tonight?” They enjoy spending time with family. Surely we should imitate children in this realm as well. We should desire to be with brothers and sisters in Christ just like families in the physical realm desire to spend time together.
- Children desire to imitate their parents. It is wonderful how children at a young age begin to imitate their parents. Whether it is in the area of behavior, speech, or some other area, children want to be like mom and dad, and so they imitate them. We should imitate our Heavenly Father. Being like God should be the aim of us all (1 Pet. 1:15, 16).
While we spend our lives trying to teach our children, there is a lot we can learn from them. Let’s become as little children.