Bible Verses about Children

Children are a gift from God to their parents. Before there was ever sin in the world, mankind was instructed to reproduce and multiply. This means that having children was included in God’s original design. Here are some interesting Bible scriptures about children that reveal God’s heart towards them and how we should interact with them.

Bible verses about children being a blessing.

1. “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” - Psalm 127:3 KJV.

When we have children, we bring into the world not just a smaller version of ourselves but another human soul made in the image of God. It is a privilege to be entrusted with our children by God. Whether they are the results of meticulous planning or happy little surprises, God welcomes them into His family with joy and expects us to do the same.

The prophet Jeremiah encourages us to get married and have children and encourage our children when they are of age to do the same, “that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.” (Jeremiah 29:6 KJV)

2. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” - John 16:21 KJV.

Even though childbirth is painful, the blessing of having a child makes it worth it. For some, the idea of experiencing excruciating pain during labor acts as a barrier to seeing babies as a blessing. However, the Bible shows us clearly that kids bring joy to their parents, who are delighted to watch them grow up.

In some ways, this is reflective of how God sees us. Because of sin, we hurt God constantly. Our sinful decisions bring him pain and sorrow. However, when we repent, confess our sins, and are born again, he does not forsake us. He casts our sins into the depths of the sea and remembers them no more. (Micah 7:19 KJV)

3. “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers.” – Proverbs 17:6 KJV.

When God created the family structure, He hard-wired into us the welcoming spirit towards newborns. Parents and grandparents alike can find joy in the blessing of new life and the addition to their family. The innocence and beauty of children can often cause adults to be nostalgic for simpler times. They teach us how to be responsible, take leadership seriously, listen more, and make better decisions.

In a spiritual sense, observing children can be a daily object-lesson to us of how we are to be with God. Their dependence and trust in their caregivers is a mirror to the faith we are all called to demonstrate. In this way, children are not just a blessing to us in an emotional sense, but spiritually as well.

4. “He maketh the barren woman to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.”- Psalm 113:9 KJV.

For a woman who has experienced any difficulty with fertility, the joys of successful birth or delivery is overwhelming. Most women instinctively understand the blessing of having babies. The contrast between being barren and being a joyful mother was not intended to say that fertile women are better than those who are not.

However, we can better understand the true blessing of having children when we compare the two. A woman who desires to have children but has struggled to do so will be excited to find out the wonderful news that she is becoming a mother. She looks forward to the big and little things like nursing her newborn or putting a bandaid on her toddler’s knee after a fall. This only emphasizes how much a blessing children are to their parents.

5. “For this child, I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him.”- 1 Samuel 1:27 KJV.

Hannah, in this passage, experienced the relief of having her prayers answered. She openly expresses her joy and praises God for being compassionate towards her. When Hannah imagined her future, the blessing of motherhood was always included in her plans. As she got older, she saw those plans slipping away from her.

She did what any wise woman should reasonably do in such a situation. She did not seek out the encouragement of friends who could not help her or keep her distressing thoughts bottled up in her head. Instead, Hannah sought the Lord in her darkest hours, and He answered her with the blessing that her heart desired.

Bible verses about children of God

1. “And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” - 2 Corinthians 6:18 KJV.

God takes His role as “Father” very seriously. We see several accounts of God showing up for His beloved chosen people, delivering them out of impossible situations, and providing for their most basic needs. He is a good Father, and we are blessed to be called His children.

2. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.” - Romans 8:16 KJV.

When Adam sinned, the Spiritual connection that he had to God was severed. As a result, we are born in sin and iniquity instead of righteousness. For us to be reconciled unto God, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness does not come naturally to us, neither does the desire to participate in activities that please God.

Our heart and love towards God grow only through constantly being filled with the Spirit. Our love for God has to be taught and learned. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is a gift given to all those who diligently and daily seek Him.

3. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” - 1 John 3:1 KJV.

We do not deserve the love that God has for us. We sin daily and fail miserably. However, God’s love is lavished on us anyway. The writer here invites us to “Behold” the love God has for us. This means more than to just “see or look.” To behold is to stare at or to marvel at in awe. This is the appropriate response to the reality of our royal heritage given to us through God’s love.

4. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:26 KJV.

The provision for us to be children of God has already been made. The way has been paved, the path has been cleared. We just need to accept it by faith in Christ. We need only believe in Jesus to be saved.

5. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1:12

Believing and receiving may seem like simple instructions, but in a spiritual war that has enemy troops launching attacks at our minds, it may be a bit more difficult than we think. Still, for us to be called sons and daughters of God, we must believe and receive despite the enemy’s attempts.

Bible verses about children love

1. “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3 KJV.

Children love easily, are honest, and are far more obedient than adults. Children have incredible faith in their parents and are quicker to forgive even big offenses. This is the spirit that God wants to see reflected in all of us.

2. “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” – Mark 10:15 KJV.

When children learn of the love of Jesus, they latch on to it. They learn to love Jesus with their whole hearts and trust that He will always do what He says. For us to enter the kingdom, our faith needs to be, without doubt, just as a child.

3. “But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:16 KJV.

The love that we have for children should be reflected in our readiness to bring them to Jesus. We should never do anything to stand in the way of a child learning about God and His love for us.

4. “But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 KJV.

Pleasing God requires faith. It requires us to take Him at His word without fear and doubt. Our faith opens the windows of heaven in our lives. If we are to get to this level of faith, we must humble ourselves and become meek like children.

5. “Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.” Proverbs 20:11 KJV.

Children are very transparent. They are not usually very good at hiding their feelings and have no life experiences to develop a well-formed lie. Because of this, we can know a child by observing their actions. If we want to learn how to love like a child, observing them and praying for child-like love and faith would do us well.

Bible verses about children protection

1. “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” - Matthew 18:10 KJV.

The language used here is very intense and deliberately so. Jesus wanted to make it abundantly clear that it is our responsibility to protect the children in our lives and to expect severe consequences if we mistreat them. It is always unfortunate to see children being treated like enemies instead of the blessing that they are to us.

Peter later adds to the instructions for parents to apply in their household towards their children. In 1 Peter 5:1-3, KJV encourages parents to take pleasure in looking after their children and warns them never to adopt a domineering spirit towards them but to raise them up in love as Christ loved the church.

2. “The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.” – Psalm 146:9 KJV.

God takes a special interest in the lives of the disadvantaged. Children are especially vulnerable because of their inability to properly care for themselves. We are reminded in this Psalm that God himself watches over children and has their best interest at heart. Even when we feel like we are failing as parents and caretakers, we are encouraged to turn to God and “be anxious for nothing.” (Philippians 4:6 KJV). God preserves His children every day of the week, from Sunday through to Saturday. He is an everlasting Father, a faithful Father who will never leave or forsake us.

3. “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” – Matthew 25:40 KJV.

Jesus wanted to make a strong point here, and He did. It may be easy for adults to disregard the feelings of children and even neglect their well-being. The same can be said about our attitude towards Jesus. He uses this analogous reminder to encourage us to be mindful at all times of our relationship with Him.

4. “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.” – Psalm 68:5 KJV.

God is willing to step into sad situations and fill the gap. With children who are more vulnerable than others, God says He will step in and be their father. This is as true for children as it is for the rest of us.

5. “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.” – Hebrews 11:23 KJV.

Sometimes, protecting children will require sacrifice. God expects us to make the sacrifice. In a morally bankrupt world, God wants us to make the moral decision to protect children, even if some laws and decrees make it “okay” to do otherwise.

Bible verses about children’s growth

1. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” - Proverbs 22:6 KJV.

It is our responsibility to teach children about God. Our duty is to show them the difference between right and wrong and teach them how to make good decisions.

2. “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” - Ephesians 6:4 KJV.

We will never be able to properly raise children without the guidance of the Lord. Only God is the perfect father; therefore, we should raise our children according to His mandate and not the world’s. On the flipside of children honoring their parents, there appears to be this admonition to parents to not provoke children.

While provocation is no excuse for children to dishonor parents, being a parent is equally no excuse for parents to provoke their children. Adults can sometimes abuse their authority and fail to give due consideration to their children. In many cultures, apologies are given to children sparingly, if at all. We often forget that childhood is the shortest period of a human’s life, so we raise adults and nurture children.

If we are constantly provoking children, God knows that we will have a generation of adults dealing with trauma and living from a place of brokenness instead of strength. God does not desire for us to live this way.

3. “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” - Proverbs 29:15 KJV.

There is a difference between discipline and abuse. Even if we’re struggling with our own anxieties and challenges, we should never take them out on our children. God wants all His children to learn discipline and the best way to learn is to begin as a child. When children mess up, as they often do, they should be corrected in love. God corrects us in love and wants to see us model His character in our homes.

Don’t allow seeds of corruption to fester in your child; instead, allow the Bible to be your “How-To” guide for raising well-adjusted, God-fearing children. According to 2 Timothy, the Bible was given to all of us for correction, reproof, doctrine, and instruction. The proverb says that misbehavior will bring shame to a mother.

Traditionally, the role of women was to nurture and instruct children, so when they misbehaved, the shame would naturally pass to her. If we look deeper into the proverb and life as a whole, we can confess that it isn’t just shame that families experience when children live deviant lives; it brings a lot of stress and pain. The Bible gives us a simple solution to break this cycle – train and protect your children.

4. “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7 KJV.

Earthly education is a good and an admirable attainment; however, it should be of even greater importance to us as believers to teach our children about God as He is and not as the enemy makes Him out to be. In many traditional educational systems, our children are taught the opposite of what we believe to be true.

We should use every opportunity to make God known to our children. There are many creative and engaging ways to do so. The Bible does not specify the teaching method.

The instructions that we talk to them often. “When we sit, while we walk, when we lay down, and when we rise up;” this is a roundabout way of saying “at every single opportunity.” The reality is that the devil does not take breaks. He never gets tired of telling lies, and if we’re not equipping our children with the truth, they will be at a significant disadvantage when he launches his attacks.

5. “And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.” – Isaiah 54:13 KJV.

Teaching our children about the Lord is a shield for them. When they have the word of God hidden in their hearts, they can experience peace even in stressful situations.

Nobody just grows up knowing the ways of the Lord. In Judges 2:10, we are told that after Moses, Caleb and Joshua died, there “arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” What happened to this generation? They pursued false gods, adopted cultural and ceremonial practices from other tribes, and fell into slavery as a result.

The entire book of Judges is a back and forth account of the life of the Israelites when they lived with an acute awareness of God and in obedience to His words versus when they pursued their own ways and fell into ruin. It should serve as a warning to us.

Not only should we seek to live for God as Joshua did, but we should make teaching our children and grandchildren about God a priority like Joshua failed to do.

In conclusion:

Whether we have children of our own or not, it is quite clear that how we treat them matters to God. The dynamic between adults and children is supposed of a mirror of the dynamic between God and us. We are all God’s children. We were made in His image, helpless to save ourselves, needing protection and guidance, and very dependent. God wants us to see and treat children the way He sees and treats us.