The true concerns over child and teen "professions" in modern churches *
Children and understanding the Gospel
"If you ask a six-year-old child, “What did Jesus do for you?” that six-year-old child, if he has been to Sunday school, will answer, “Jesus died on the cross for my sins.” That is true, but it is only half of the matter. If all it takes to redeem us is to have a substitute bear the punishment that belongs to us, then Jesus did not have to be born to Mary. He could have come from heaven on a parachute as a man, gone straight to Golgotha, taken the curse on the cross, left again, and we would be all fixed.
No, it is not enough that our sins are paid for. All that would do is take us back to square one, where we would still have absolutely no positive righteousness to bring before God. Our Redeemer does not have to only die. He must live. He must live a life of perfect obedience, perfect righteousness that He manifests and transfers to all who put their trust in Him.
Just as my sin is transferred to Jesus on the cross when I put my trust in Him, His righteousness is transmitted and transferred to my account in the sight of God. When I stand before God on the judgment day, God will see Jesus’ righteousness, which will be my cover. That is what the gospel is." —R.C. Sproul
Most children do not grasp that as they're being trained up in the Lord but they:
*never ask questions at church to get answers (until they graduate High School).
*Go into the world and leave the church and the so called faith they professed, as they never understood it.
Thus, they didn't have all the knowledge needed to respond to the Gospel, so... they didnt/dont actually get saved.
Their church failed them, but they themselves failed to ask questions all along the way, and all that time they ended up making up self-opinions (being lead astray by their own wicked decieftful hearts). Their parents also failed them if they had believing parents (those many were likely unsaved false converts themselves or weak and didn't grow in the faith, or neglected to train their child up in the Lord daily at home), the rest had no believing parents and no godly influence in their lives but we're dumped at church as a babysitter so the parent could run off in freedom for a few hours, being negligent.
There are many reasons and ways in which various people failed that child, if the child or teen is unsaved even if they made some false profession, uneducated profession, or idolatrous profession. This is why the unsaved youth in the church walk away. They never understood to begin with so they couldn't rightly make a true profession & obeying the Gospel.
Yes some may say their brain wasn't fully developed, they weren't 25, but there are young people even preteens and teens who hear the full true Gospel and get saved. Their life stays on the straight and narrow path following Christ. Those few had the Gospel rightly explained to them and they embraced it.
Anyway, this is the reason solid mature believers will probe or challenge someone's salvation as an adult, or the person will admit they lived out life of sin and now desire to come to salvation. They understood they had no clue back then and want to know the truth so they can be saved. We cannot assume anyone is saved just cuz they say so. The soil parable tells us this as does the NT on fruit examination and Jesus in Matthew at the last day when he turns people away who professed him but He said he never knew them --meaning they never were saved nor had any relationship together at all.
This is why we must probe the testimony of and preach the Gospel even to those who claim to be saved.
Make sure your child and the youth at your church have a very clear understsnding of the Gospel. And once they do, disciple them really well in the basics and deeper doctrines of Scripture. In this way you will train up your child, and the children in the church, in the Lord.
Don't focus on all the distractive diversive things of activities to keep young people occupied at church... get the Word in them!, and well!, so they don't depart from the faith, nor go into the world at 18, turning from the path of Christianity.
Help young people have a clear understanding of the Law and the Gospel, beginning with God's perfect Holiness and our sinful wicked wretchedness.
Then teach them key Doctrines of Scripture
And ensure they understand Christianity.
Solidify their faith in early teen years, and have them read solid bible based books, and teach them how to live godly lives.
Resources
Solidify the faith of 12 to 18 year olds
Youth FAQ
