Faith Like a Child: What does it Truly Mean?

“But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” (Luke 18:16-17)

You may be familiar with the phrase “faith like a child.” It is a biblical principle in which Jesus Himself outlined the significance of receiving God’s kingdom through a young person’s eyes.

But what does this mean, practically speaking?

An Invitation to Simplicity.

The famous phrase is a statement about how we view our God. It is a reminder that we must be willing to learn simple truths or let go of things that have prevented the deepening our relationship with Him. In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, famous author Oswald Chamber writes,

“It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials: through every cloud He brings, He wants us to unlearn something. His purpose in the cloud is to simplify our belief until our relationship to Him is exactly that of a child- God and my own soul, other people are shadows.”

He continues to write, “is the relationship between myself and God getting simpler than ever it has been?”[1]

In other words, we are granted an opportunity to learn amidst our difficult circumstances. The clouds (or difficulties we face)produce within us a certain type of clarity. It helps us prioritize and focus. The entanglements of shame and fear (that have to do with a lack of trust) and any other complication we place upon our relationship with God have been stripped away, replaced with the truth that we are loved despite our imperfections.

We are left with what really matters; He is our Father, and we are His children. The thoughts, attitudes, and opinions of others come secondary to what God has declared over us. We are His.

As the relationship between a parent and their infant child often has a level of simplicity (the child is not questioning how they will be provided for or if their provider truly loves them), it is with God the more we come to know Him as revealed in the Bible.

Relearn Old Principles.

Well-known author C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity:

” As Dr. Johnson said, ‘People need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed.’ The real job of every moral teacher is to keep on bringing us back, time after time, to the old simple principles which we are all so anxious not to see; like bringing a horse back and back to the fence it has refused to jump or bringing a child back and back to the bit in its lesson that it wants to shrink.”[2]

We hear of people who once accept Jesus at first with a sense of wonder. As time goes on, there may be a tendency to overcomplicate the Scriptures, blur the lines of good versus evil, listen to the loud voices of culture, or be distracted by the situations surrounding us.

Having a child-like faith is about going back to the simple truth written in His word. It is about looking to Him for guidance on every area of life (including how to live), rather than looking inward first. It is trusting in His knowledge of good and wrong.

Keep Going.

Part of living life in the way God intended is for us to retain a child’s heart while we also take the responsibility of learning and growing in our faith seriously.

Lewis stated, “Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence: on the contrary. He told us to be not only ‘as harmless as doves, but also ‘wise as serpents. He wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head.”[3]

We are given the task of retaining that which is precious in the sight of God while also solidifying our beliefs through further study of Scripture.

Thus, living out life with faith like a child entails simplicity as we place our focus and trust in the One True God. It is a reminder to let go of that which goes against the simple truth and to retain that which we learned long ago.

I pray that you would be encouraged to continue seeking the One true God with childlike awe.

Blessings,