God Doesn’t Have Grandchildren: The College Experience

October, 2008

by: Erik Swanson

John is a star high school student. Having grown up in the church, he is now faithfully involved in the high school group. John lives a pure lifestyle, not getting involved in immorality or worldliness as most of his friends are also Christians.

But then John goes off to college away from home. Instead of getting involved in a new church, John plunges himself into drunkenness and sexual immorality. Before long he denies his Christian faith. This scenario begs the question—how does this happen? How did John go so wrong? From my own experience in leading College ministry, I can say that scenarios like these happen all the time. Time and time again, people who seem like faithful Christians in high school go astray in college. So how does this happen? Why does this happen? Because God doesn’t have grandchildren.

God doesn’t have grandchildren, only children. The problem with many people is that they don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They rely on the faith of their parents to save and sanctify them as opposed to their own faith. This is of course most prominent in the youth.

Why do many Christian youths go to church? Because their parents go. Why do they go to youth group? Because their parents send them. Why are they Christians? Because their parents are. But why should youths go to church? Because of their own faith in Christ and love for God. Why should they be Christians? Because of their own decision to follow Christ and glorify God.

Don’t get me wrong—it’s good for parents to bring their children to church and youth group. It’s good for parents to devote their families to the Lord (Josh 24:15). But parents must clearly communicate to their children that they must own their faith. Just because they have gone to church all their lives, that doesn’t make them followers of Christ. They must choose to pick up their cross for the rest of their lives and follow Christ on their own to be “Christians.”

Galatians 3:26 says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” It does not say, “You are all grandchildren of God through your parents’ faith in Christ Jesus.” Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” It does not say, “If your parents confess with their mouths Jesus as Lord, you will be saved.” Romans 14:12 says, “Each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” You get the point. Every person must own their faith. Every person must choose to follow Christ.

So what happened to John, our high school student? John never counted the cost of following Christ (Lk 14:25-35); he never had a saving-faith relationship with the Savior. Sure, in high school he looked like a Christian. But he only went to church because his parents went. He only didn’t get drunk because his friends didn’t get drunk. He only didn’t get involved in sexual immorality because he would be looked down upon by his Christian friends. But when John went to college, all of those external restrictions on his behavior were removed. His heart was free to fulfill its desires and John became on the outside what he was on the inside all the while. It’s no wonder John started living like an unbeliever, because that’s who he’d always been.

So what’s the solution or proper response to this problem? Here are some simple steps:

1. Examine your own life (2 Cor 13:5). Have you counted the cost of following Christ? Do you have faith in Jesus? Have you committed to following Christ for the rest of your life?
2. If you have children, regardless of their age, start shepherding them to do step one above for themselves. Teach them what it means to count the cost and follow Jesus.
3. Model what authentic Christianity looks like to your children and others. Show them through your life what it looks like to be a sold-out disciple of Jesus Christ.

May the Lord bless your faith and may He bless our youth as well.