10 Vital Bible verses for parents

The home is one of the best (and toughest!) places to make disciples. Parenting is a high calling whether you’re a Christian or not—but if you’re actively trying to make disciples of your kids, you’ve got a huge task before you. The good news is that Paul tells Timothy that all Scripture is useful for training in righteousness (2 Ti 3:16), which means there’s plenty of help for parents in the Bible. Unfortunately, the Bible verses that would be especially helpful to parents are spread across all 66 books. That makes it a little tough to track them down. But parents should use the Word to make disciples at home, and this list is a good place to start.

I’m not a dad, so I sat down with my mother-in-law to see which Bible verses were especially vital to her as she raised (and homeschooled) five kids. We pulled together 10 passages to encourage, equip, and challenge parents.

Enjoy!   by Jeffrey Kranz

Below are the first 5 verses; 

2 Timothy 3:15

And how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, his protégé in the faith. Timothy’s Jewish mother had taught Timothy from the Old Testament since he was just a boy, and Timothy had a good standing in the church before Paul had even met him (Ac 16:1).

For parents, this verse is a good reminder to teach children the Bible: it’s able to make your children wise for salvation.

And remember, this isn’t restricted to the New Testament. Timothy grew up learning the Old Testament—the New Testament hadn’t been put together yet! Teach your kids the history of God’s relationship with Israel and the world. Memorize some of the Psalms with them. Read to them about Moses, Joshua, Ruth, David, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, and Esther. It was good for Timothy—it will be good for your kids.

Matthew 6:34

So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

You’re invested in your children’s future­, but there’s a fine line between investment and worry. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages his disciples not to worry about food, clothing, or what tomorrow may bring. After all, if our heavenly Father feeds the sparrows and clothes the lilies, surely we can trust him to provide for us.

About this time, Jesus sounds a lot like Bob Marley: “Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be all right.” But Jesus doesn’t stop here. He shifts our focus: instead of worrying about what we need now, our priority is the kingdom of God—the rest of our needs follow.

I like how Trevin Wax says it: “seeking first the kingdom comes after we have been sought by the King. The root cause of worry is not misplaced priorities. It’s misplaced faith. It’s a failure to grasp the gospel of a God worthy of our trust.”

What does that mean for parents?

When you’re tempted to worry about your child’s future, ask yourself, “How can my child and I invest in the kingdom of God today?”

Lamentations 3:22–23

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness.

These verses aren’t about raising children, per se. However, it’s a comforting promise parents should take to heart. The verses become even more powerful when you look at their context. The book of Lamentations was written when Israel was at an all-time low. They had turned their backs on God, pursued idols, and let injustice run rampant through their land.

And now God has judged them. An enemy army had just sacked the city of Jerusalem, razed the temple of God, and carried off most of the survivors as captives to a faraway land. Israel has nothing. No city, no temple, no land, no king—and it’s their own fault. At this point that someone (maybe Jeremiah) writes a small book of five songs we call Lamentations.

And still, in Israel’s darkest hour, they can confidently say that God’s mercies are new every morning, and his faithfulness is great.

We will fail—guaranteed. God’s mercy never will—guaranteed.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

This hits hard. There’s no leeway here—the surrounding verses don’t give us any exceptions or escape clauses. We should be anxious for nothing. Easy for Paul to say, right?

Probably not. Paul was in prison when he wrote these words.

Like Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, Paul doesn’t stop with a feel-good “don’t worry, mon!” message. He follows up with the instruction to pray—in a spirit of thanksgiving!—to God.

When you’re anxious, lay your requests at the feet of God, and thank him for all the times he has provided for you already.

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go; Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

This may be the best-known parenting verse in the Bible. It’s easy to see why: there’s a clear-cut correlation between the way you parent and the way your sons and daughters turn out as adults. That’s encouraging for parents who think they have it all together. It can be condemning for parents who realize they’ve made mistakes.

But there’s a reason I haven’t mentioned this verse until now.

The book of Proverbs is filled with principles for making godly decisions and leading a godly life. However, it’s not a book of absolute promises. The Proverbs are general statements about how life works, and the Bible itself shows us a lot of exceptions that prove the rules.

Solomon, who wrote this line, is an example. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, was presumably raised to fear God and rule the country well. However, after Solomon’s death, Rehoboam’s hotheaded leadership splits the kingdom apart! (Granted, there are greater spiritual forces behind the scenes.)

You’re charged with training your children—no matter what happens afterward. And generally speaking, well-trained kids become principled adults. So train well!