Hard Verses: Part 1

Genesis 8
Every once and a while you read something that you just wish wasn't true.

"And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done." Genesis 8:21 ESV

Did you catch that? Sandwiched between God's pleasure in Noah's burnt offering and a promise to never again wipe out all living things is the most difficult verse thus far in the Bible's first book. It's only 11 words but it hits like a ton of bricks.

"...for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth."

Now, I've read this verse more times than I can recall. The rainbows and promises are what I've always taken away. I get the sense that God is both pleased with his choice of Noah to carry on the human race and possibly sad that he had to go to such an extreme measure to cleanse the earth. That's what I've always taken from this verse.

But fatherhood has a way of changing one's perspective.

What is God saying here? Could he really be implying even a child has evil intentions? From his youth? Surely he means from young adulthood, right? A teenager? Definitely. But not a child. Not my child.

If we are going to accept some of scripture we must accept all of scripture. Dads, we have to come to grips with the fact that our kids do not have good intentions. The NIV says "every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood." Their hearts are inclined toward wrong doing. They are inclined to sin.

I may or may not have met your child, but I know one thing about each and every one of them–they are sinners. That's right. Your sweet, precious child is a sinner.

I don't like to believe this. My son is innocent. He's barely three years old. He's not had a chance to become jaded by this world and willfully sin. My son has so much joy. My wife and I can't get enough of him. But then there are days when we've had enough of him. He can make us laugh so hard and he can push our buttons even harder.

When you accept the fact that your child is a sinner and his disobedience, occasional tantrums and outbursts are sin you begin to approach parenting in a whole new way.

My wife and I have just begun this journey. We are reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. The idea that your child's heart is inclined towards evil is central to Tripp's approach to parenting. He suggests your child's heart needs shepherding. Every act of disobedience must be addressed by examining the heart. It's not easy. It takes time, but it's helping us understand our son and more effectively correct him and point him in the way he should go.

Through our reading of the scriptures we'll come across verses that are hard to swallow. They are easier to ignore than to explore. But I hope we can avoid the temptation to conform to culture and let God transform our thinking.

Tell me...
What are the implications of a heart inclined towards evil?
When do you introduce your child to the concept of sin?
How do you explain the idea of sin to a child?