The first truth that most parents ignore or struggle to accept about children is that, although they come from our own bodies, our children do not belong to us.

God is the Owner of Our Children

All the inhabitants of the earth, including our children, belong exclusively to God.

“A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Psalms 24:1

When my pastor gave me the opportunity to preach for the first time in our church, I remember that the Lord Jesus inspired me with a message in which He asked us to give back to Him what belongs to Him. In this message, titled “Give to God What Belongs to God,” the Lord reminded us that the earth and everything in it belongs exclusively to Him. He reminded us that the word Lord means “owner” and that instead of merely calling Him the owner, it was high time we started living out what we say.

While preparing this sermon, I realized how many of us act like owners regarding things for which we have only been given the mandate to steward. Children, unfortunately, are among these things for which many people refuse to be mere stewards. This desire to position ourselves as their owners is not without consequences.

God Formed Our Children in the Womb

God’s ownership over our children is not a favor He claims. It is not a right given to Him by a former owner as in a purchase or inheritance. God has ownership over our children because He created them and formed their bodies. Just as legal systems recognize the intellectual property of inventors, creators, and authors, so too should God’s rights as the Creator and therefore Owner of all things be recognized and respected by all.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

“Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us both within our mothers?” Job 31:15

These two verses clearly show that God intervenes directly in the creation and formation process of each child, regardless of the circumstances of their conception. Every child was thought of, formed, equipped, and strategically positioned in the womb of a mother who herself was chosen with great care. This applies to both wanted and unwanted pregnancies, as well as children born within marriage and those born outside of marriage.

It is true that God intended for marriage to be the context in which children are conceived. Those who transgress this commandment commit a sin and should repent to avoid suffering the consequences. However, the child born under these circumstances remains God’s exclusive property, without whom they could not have been formed in their mother’s womb.

I once watched a documentary about an Italian actress who became pregnant as a result of rape. This woman chose to keep the child despite the fact that the pregnancy could negatively impact her image and reduce her chances of marrying a man seeking a childless woman. Like all other children, this child born of rape was also created and formed by God, who has plans for him. No one knows the extent of the positive impact this child will have on his generation. No one knows what problems of humanity this child is destined to solve. What is indisputable is that God created him, God formed him, God has plans of peace and not of harm for him, and He loves him (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Owner is the Only One Who Has the Right to Destroy His Property

When I was in university, I remember during a “Property Law” class, the professor took the time to explain it to us in a special way. He took a pencil that belonged to him and presented it to us, saying he was going to prove to us that he was the owner. He approached a student sitting in the front row and gave him the pencil. A few seconds later, he asked the student to return the pencil, which the student did. He then asked if anyone would give him a euro in exchange for the pencil.

Noticing that no one wanted to give money to acquire the pencil, the professor began to destroy the pencil. He broke it until it became unusable. After this demonstration, the professor explained that only an owner can do whatever they want with their property. They can give it away or destroy it. He added that no one else but the owner has the right to give away or destroy a property.

The fact that God is the owner of our children means that no parent can destroy a fetus through abortion without violating God’s ownership rights. Once the child exists in the womb, it is God’s exclusive property, regardless of its stage of development. If it exists, it means it has an owner, and this owner is the only one who can decide to destroy or keep it.

All debates about whether to authorize abortion would not need to take place if we all understood that from the moment of conception, only one has the right to decide the fate of this child, who, according to the Bible, existed even before his conception.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

In the book of Jeremiah, God reveals that even before forming our children in the womb, He knows them. This means that the embryo is a full person in God’s eyes. Therefore, it holds great value to God. The servant of God named Job understood very well that everything he possessed, including children, belonged exclusively to God. Job was a financially prosperous man. He had a wife and beautiful children.

One day, disaster struck his household, causing the death of all his children and his livestock. He thus lost everything he held dear, including his health. While his wife expected him to cry out in injustice by accusing God, Job instead remembered that he had never had ownership rights over all the things he had lost. Job remembered that God had always been the exclusive owner of his children, his livestock, and all the other things he possessed.

That is why instead of complaining like a victim, Job chose to recognize and confess that he came into this world naked and would leave it the same way. Job recognized that he had never been the owner of his children. His children had never belonged to him.

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21

God Tells Us What to Do With Our Children

An additional element that clearly demonstrates that our children belong exclusively to God is that, just as an owner gives instructions to his steward, God has also given instructions to every parent on how to conduct themselves with their children. He did not leave it up to them to choose how they would raise the children. He asks them, for example, to instruct the children according to the path He, their owner, has laid out for them. God commands fathers not to provoke their children to anger. He asks parents to correct children when they tend to go astray.

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

The fact that God gives instructions to parents about children demonstrates that not only is He the true owner, but that He has a plan for them. This plan can only be realized if the stewards called parents strictly follow God’s instructions.

A mother who entrusts her child to a nanny in a daycare also takes care to give precise instructions about how to treat this child during the time he will be in the daycare. For instance, the mother may instruct that the child not eat certain foods, that he must take a two-hour nap at a certain time of the day, and that he cannot tolerate too much noise, etc. The nanny must do everything possible to respect the mother’s instructions.

Several biblical passages show cases where God gives much more specific instructions to certain parents in particular about their children. Such was the case for the parents of John the Baptist, Jesus, and Samson. These parents received detailed instructions on what to do and what not to do with these children. The only reason God could involve Himself in the upbringing of these children is that He was their owner. Only the owner has the legal right to do or have done whatever he wants with his property.

“You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Judges 13:5

The Lord commanded Samson’s parents never to cut his hair. This means that while other parents could cut their children’s hair, Samson’s parents did not have the right. Only the owner has the right to issue such a prohibition.

“He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.” Luke 1:14-15

God also gave instructions to John the Baptist’s parents about what he was not allowed to drink. John the Baptist’s parents thus had the duty to ensure that he never consumed wine or fermented drink.

Good Stewards and Bad Stewards

Now that we understand that God is the true owner of our children and that we are only their stewards, we must also understand that the role of a steward is limited to managing the property according to the owner’s instructions. Just as a nanny is supposed to supervise the child according to the parents’ instructions, we too must seek to know God’s instructions or will for our children. Our level of obedience to God’s will for our children demonstrates our recognition of Him as the owner.

Parents who do not strictly adhere to God’s instructions regarding children do not acknowledge God as the owner of these children. Only those who seek to know and do God’s will for the children are true stewards.

We all have an interest in being true stewards because it is when we act as stewards by obeying all divine instructions that God acts as the owner by providing for all the needs of the children and the stewards that we are.

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” John 14:21

This text is an excerpt from the book “HOW TO HELP OUR CHILDREN SUCCEED BETTER” written by Dominique MBOG.

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