How Fathers Make Disciples of Their Children

How can fathers best disciple their children according to the teachings of the Bible? Paul Washer discusses the role of fathers in the spiritual upbringing of their children, based on Scriptural guidance found in Ephesians 6 and Deuteronomy 6. Washer emphasises that the ultimate goal of parental discipleship is not merely to raise ethical or moral children, but to raise children who love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. This love for God, Washer argues, should be modelled by the parents, particularly the father, in every aspect of their lives. Washer suggests that the most powerful way a father can disciple his children is by being a living example of a person who loves God wholeheartedly. In fact, a father who may not be a great teacher but genuinely loves God can have a much greater impact on his children's spiritual growth than a father who is a great theologian but fails to live out his faith authentically. Washer further argues that teaching children about God should come naturally from the father's own relationship with God, rather than being a forced or artificial process. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV): "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it."