11 Bible Verses About Parenting & What God Expects From Parents

When you become a parent, you take on a role unlike any other.  Even if you’ve been a babysitter, big sister, or fabulous fun Auntie -it’s not the same as being a parent. If you want to know, “What does the bible say about parenting?” you’ve come to the right place. Below we examine the bible verses about parenting and answer “What does God expect from parents?”

Before you had kids (or thought about having kids) you probably didn’t spend a whole lot of time looking at the bible through that lens. Or maybe you became a parent before you became a Christian and you’re wondering how your new faith should impact your role as a parent. Either way, you’re in the right place! We’ll cover what the Bible has to say about the roles and responsibilities of parents!

Keep in mind, all of the verses that apply to parenting aren’t always obvious. Just because a verse doesn’t say “mothers” or “fathers…” doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply. As a parent, you take on many roles: leader, teacher, counselor, mentor, example, etc. When scripture speaks a word to teachers and leaders or even just to all people, it applies in your parenting role, too. For example, when Jesus says “love one another as I have loved you,” there are no exceptions or confines within a role. As a parent, you are told to love your children as Jesus loved you.

Bible Verses About Parenting and The Role of A Parent

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First, it’s important to know what influences you may be getting from the culture around you. What is the role of a parent? Depending on where (or when) you live, the answer changes. The role of a parent is often defined by a culture’s view of what a child is, needs, and is capable of. Cultures and laws around the world and across history have treated children with a variety of perspectives – some treating children like property, animals, or like short adults.

Even in our current culture and time, there are a variety of popular parental styles. You may know them by their nicknames – such as the helicopter parent, the tiger mom, and the free-range parent. Each of these parenting styles has an underlying belief system about the needs, nature, and capabilities of children. In other words, our beliefs, especially about children, inform the role of being a parent. As Christians, that means looking to the bible to help us understand our role.

Bible Verses About Parenting Roles – 3 Big Truths

The biblical role of a parent is to be a good steward of the children God has placed into their care. Parents have the responsibility to care for the spiritual, emotional, and physical well-being of their children. The most important biblical duty of a parent is to teach their children about Jesus in action and word.

God’s Word as revealed in the bible, helps us understand who we are, who God is, and the relationship between God and humanity. Eternal and often uncomfortable truths are revealed about our nature, our souls, and our history. In knowing and teaching God’s word to your children, you can best lead them, by knowledge and example to Christ.

As a parent, here are three big biblical truths about parenting that you need to know. At least, I wish I had known these earlier on in my parenting. Knowing these as you go forward in your parenting journey will help you manage your expectations and honor godly boundaries.

First Biblical Truth: You don’t own your kids. God does.

Second Biblical Truth: Raising Kids is a Deeply Emotional Experience.

“A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother” (Proverbs 10:1, WEB).

When I became a mother I never considered how deeply my heart would become intertwined with my children. Just the sight of one of my kids starting to tear up will immediately well up tears in me. Watching my littlest one giggle, brings instant delight to my heart, too.

There’s this idea out there that we need to be cold rulers – unmoved by our children. It’s wrong – both for us and our children. Our Father in Heaven demonstrates a variety of great emotions towards His children. Jesus wept. This verse above in Proverbs validates that parenting is deeply emotional. Emotional honesty can feel scary sometimes, but it’s healthy and God-honoring.

Third Biblical Truth: Parenting Means Letting Go

“Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh“ (Genesis 2:24, WEB).

How soon should you let go and how much? It’s hard to say and truly does depend on your family and even which particular child within your family. One thing’s for sure, your job description as a parent changes about as often as you “figure it out.”

It’s hard to let go sometimes, but reminding yourself that these kids don’t belong to you and never did, may help. God has designed young adults to develop independence, which if we’re honest, can lead to some annoying behaviors. I don’t think it’s a mistake, it’s God’s way of helping us let go. In my opinion, it’s like pregnancy. Towards the end, you worry less about how painful the birth will be because you know the discomfort of pregnancy will be over.

Bible Verses About Parenting Responsibilities

We are stewards, but just because we don’t own our children, doesn’t mean we don’t have responsibility for their well-being. If it’s your job to care for something (or someone) you don’t own, then you are a manager or steward.

If your primary responsibility as a parent is to be a good steward of your children, then you need to treat the position with the reverence it is due. God has high standards for stewards and He will hold you accountable.

What does God expect from parents? Here are 3 main areas of responsibility for parents and the Bible verses to remember along with them.

Parent’s Spiritual Responsibility

As a parent, you have the responsibility to tend to your children’s spiritual growth and education. We are a child’s first witnesses to the gospel. Sharing Jesus is our most important duty.

“Nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4, WEB).

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

Parent’s Duty To Tend To Emotional Health

You have a responsibility to care for your children’s emotional well-being. Their emotions matter. And here’s an added benefit, kids who feel good, act good. Treating your children with gentleness helps them stay responsive to instruction and correction.

“Fathers, don’t provoke your children, so that they won’t be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21, WEB).

“You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath” (Ephesians 6:4).

“Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

Parent’s Duty to Meet Physical Needs.

You are responsible to provide for your children’s physical needs. This means providing food, water, shelter, clothing, and more. Sometimes this means you must give up your own wants and needs to adequately provide.

“But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”
(I Timothy 5:8).

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children”
(Proverbs 13:22).

These are just a few of the great number of bible verses that speak to the responsibilities of proper stewardship, an essential to biblical parenting.

Examples of Good Parents in the Bible

Sometimes reading over the examples of good parents in the Bible can be enlightening to us parents today. There are many great examples of both good and bad parents in the bible. We’re just going to focus on the good examples here. I’ve chosen three examples of roles that stand out to me, as good examples for the rest of us parents. I saved the best for last.

What the Bible Says About a Good Mother

What does the Bible say about mothers? There are a great many wonderful role models for mothers in the bible. And they have many qualities in common. They are humble. They recognized their children as gifts from God. And they surrender their children to God.

Mary, the mother of Jesus was humble before God and willing to surrender her Son for God’s purposes. Sarah, the mother of Isaac, was also called by God the “mother of nations.” Her faith is credited to her in Hebrews 11:11-12.

“By faith, even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age since she considered that the One who had promised was faithful. Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.”

Hannah’s story can be found in I Samuel 1. Hannah was sorrowfully barren and prayed for a child which she promised to surrender to God. When God gave her a son, she raised him until he was weaned, then brought him to the temple to serve. She prayed for her son, cared for him, and surrendered him to God.

The Good Father in The Bible

In the parable most known as “The parable of the prodigal son,”(Luke 15:11-32) Jesus tells about a father who gives lavishly to both of his sons. One goes off to live foolishly and the other stays home resentfully. It’s not his lavishly giving money and things that make him a good father What makes him a good father is that he gives of himself so lavishly. He is humble and kind; low on judgment and big on mercy.

If you are looking for a bible verse about being a good father, the verses about this good father can’t be missed. This father lived in such a way that the wayward son knew, even if only received as a servant, he would still live better under his father’s care.

How does the good father respond to this sinful, wasteful, rude, irresponsible, and ungrateful son who squandered all the father gave him and only came back home when he needed something? When the father saw the son was coming back, empty-handed and full of stink, this is how the father reacted.

“But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him…. the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s eat, and celebrate; for this, my son, was dead and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.'” (Luke 15:20,22-23).

His father puts aside his pride to run to his messy son with open arms and welcome him back to the family. He loved unconditionally. He chose mercy over judgment. He prioritized restoring the relationship with his son over any concerns about his son’s failures. As for the older son, this father seeks him out, too, when he refuses to celebrate his brother’s return.

Jesus

I’m not saying Jesus had physical children in the same way we do. But Jesus was called the “Everlasting Father” in Isaiah 9:6. While on Earth, Jesus was fatherly towards his disciples. He even called them “little children” in Matthew 11:25 and told them he would not leave them “as orphans” in John 14:18.

If you are looking for a good earthly example on how to be a godly parent – providing, protecting, guiding, correcting, teaching, preparing, modeling, encouraging, and loving – it doesn’t get better than Jesus with his disciples. I’ve written 3 Bible Study guides centered on this idea, if you’d like to dig deeper.

Some Final Thoughts on What the Bible Says About Parenting

There’s a great deal more in the Bible than I’ve gone into here about the role of a parent. Keep in mind that just because a particular scripture is not directly addressing parents, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply to parenting. If you stick only to verses that are directly addressing parents, you will miss out on all that the bible has to offer you in your many roles as a parent.

Everything that applies to the role (being stewards, leaders, and teachers) as well as every verse that talks about the “other” (love one another, etc) applies to parents. In all we do as Christians, we are to follow the pattern of Jesus. I didn’t say it specifically above, maybe because it doesn’t feel like a responsibility, but we do have a duty to love our children.

It’s good to wary of “Christian” advice that doesn’t sit well with you. It can be tainted by worldly influences and worries. Ask the Holy Spirit, pray, and research scripture for yourself before trying any parenting advice.

God doesn’t want you to focus on a set of rigid rules, styles, or procedures. He is a Father who wants a relationship with you. He wants you to keep seeking and asking Him for his presence and guidance as you go along in life. It is only through continuous dependence on Him that you can live into your biblical role as a parent.

If you’d like to read more on this subject, check out:

What It Means to Be A Good Steward

How to Love Your Kids Like Jesus

If you really want to dig deeper on what to teach your kids, check out my Bible study discussion guide, Parenting in Christ: Training in the Disciplines of Jesus.