In this episode of Faith & Family Bible Study, Steve Wood challenges parents, teachers, and youth leaders to ask a crucial question: are we raising Christian children to become junior Pharisees—or true sons and daughters of God?
Building on the previous episode about prodigal sons and daughters, Steve turns to Gospel of Matthew chapter 3, where John the Baptist sharply rebukes the Pharisees for outward religiosity without true repentance. Steve explains how much modern Christian education can unintentionally mirror this same error—focusing on religious facts and external behavior while leaving the heart untouched.
The episode highlights the most important step in youth spiritual development: a child’s heart must be personally touched by the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Matthew 3 and Epistle to the Galatians, Steve explains that our identity as sons and daughters of God is not symbolic or pretend, but a real, lived experience rooted in baptism and adoption in Christ.
Parents are encouraged to pray for a full awakening of their children’s baptismal inheritance and to place them near believers—laity and clergy—who are truly alive in the Holy Spirit.