The Nurture and Admonition of the Lord

At first glance the words nurture and admonition appear to be disparate, but are they?

Collins Concise Dictionary defines nurture as:

1.       The act or process of promoting the development etc. of a child

2.       Something that nourishes

3.       To feed or support

4.       To educate or train.

Collins Concise Dictionary defines admonition as:

From the verb admonition

1.       To reprove firmly but not harshly

2.       To warn; caution.

Now let’s look at the verse in the Scriptures where we find these two words linked together.

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

Here is a distinct charge to fathers; not to provoke your children and make them angry.

Fathers have you ever made your child, or children angry by false accusation of wrong doing? I know I have been guilty of this; by blaming a child for what one of his brothers did wrongfully. Have you ever made a child angry by jumping to conclusions and not listening to his or her story and finding out the true facts? Regrettably, this seems to be a failing with many fathers.

What do the Scriptures encourage us to do? We are exhorted to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

The Greek word used for nurture is paideia. Paideia encompasses the training and education of children focussing on their mental, moral and spiritual upbringing. It also includes the care and training of their bodies.

The Greek word used for admonition is nouthesia which means admonition or exhortation.

Notice that this nurture and admonition is “of the Lord”.

What do we have in the world today? There is plenty of nurture and admonition but it is not “of the Lord”. Even so called Christian countries are turning their backs on God and His teachings in the Holy Bible. Western society is increasingly departing from its Christian foundations. The result is an ever increasing downward spiral in moral standards.

Fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ – we do not have an option! Our way is clear, and that is to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog  www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com 

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version except as noted]

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