Teach Them Diligently: How to Use the Scriptures in Child Training, Study Guide

by Lou Priolo, Brenda Payne

The bookshelves in your home no doubt contain volumes of books, manuals, seminar notes, magazine articles, and video and audio cassettes purporting to address parenting from a Christian point of view. With rare exception, however, most of today's Christian parenting resources fail to emphasize what is perhaps the most important aspect of true biblical parenting -- how to relate the Bible to the disciplinary process in practical ways. Think about it. With all of your training, do you really know how to use the Bible for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness with your children? If you do, read no further. If you don't, this little book will augment and strengthen your parenting skills as you learn how to use the Scriptures more thoroughly and effectively in your child training.

Genres: Parenting, Christian, Counselling, Nonfiction, Family, Christian Living, Spirituality

100 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2000

About the author

LOU PRIOLO is the Director of Biblical Counseling at Eastwood Presbyterian Church in Montgomery, Alabama. A graduate of Calvary Bible College and Liberty University, he is the author of The Heart of Anger , and The Complete Husband. Lou is also a Fellow in the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. He resides in Wetumpka, Alabama with his wife, Kim, and daughters, Sophia and Gabriella.

Reviews

[Randall Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our daughter and son-in-law gave us this book to help us understand their intentions and objectives in raising their children, our delightful grandchildren. :) Having read the content of this book and observing their child-rearing in action for nearly five years, I cannot overstate how highly I recommend this book. As a parent, grandparent, or anyone serious about living life conformed to Christ and helping others do the same, it is an outstanding resource, encouragement, and practical guide. It challenged me to break out of my spiritual laziness and obey God's command to know the scriptures, live them, explain what they mean, and apply them...not just facts to be learned but truths to be applied. For those most directly involved in child-rearing, it covers how to teach, convict, correct, train, and discipline using God's word. For all of us, it shows the importance of scheduling life around knowing God through His word and developing both right patterns of thinking and good habits that help produce the righteousness of Christ in daily life. Excellent book.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent parenting book, arranged around the four uses of the Bible from 2 Tim 3:16: teaching, conviction, correction, training in righteousness. Priolo encourages parents to view their kids from a spiritual perspective, instead of a pop psychology perspective.

Contains very practical method for introducing the word of God into your child's life, then helping them grow into a mature Christian. It addresses behavior, but by focusing on the heart of the matter instead of the outward symptoms.

[Lexy Sauve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO helpful practically. I know I have tons of parenting/studying work before me, but I feel like this book have tools to me that previous generations probably saw more clearly displayed in family settings, but failed to pass on. This book shows that parenting is a skill you can grow in with biblical help. A must read for parents.

[The Reading Pilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of the most biblically grounded and practically helpful parenting books I’ve read. Lou Priolo doesn’t offer quick fixes or superficial strategies for behavior modification. Instead, he anchors his counsel firmly in Scripture, teaching parents how to shepherd their children’s hearts toward Christ through consistent, diligent, and gospel-saturated discipleship.

A Scripture-Driven Approach to Parenting

What sets this book apart is its unwavering commitment to using the Bible as the central tool for parenting. Priolo challenges the common tendency to lean on psychology, behavior charts, or moralism, and instead calls Christian parents to rely on God’s Word as the ultimate standard and means for heart transformation. From teaching children how to confess sin biblically, to using specific verses as corrective tools, the approach is refreshingly countercultural.

Rather than giving a list of "dos and don’ts," the book emphasizes the importance of training children to think biblically, convicting them with Scripture, and helping them evaluate their own hearts in light of God’s Word. This is training in righteousness, not just obedience.

Deeply Practical Tools

I found the sections on confession, repentance, and replacing sinful behavior with biblical alternatives especially helpful. The “put off/put on” dynamic from Ephesians 4 is explained and applied in a way that is both faithful to the text and easy to implement with children. The book includes sample conversations, charts, and questions parents can use to help their children develop godly habits and character.

One of my favorite parts was the emphasis on teaching children to use Scripture for self-examination. This cultivates not just obedience, but a heart that trembles at God’s Word and seeks transformation.

Firm, but Not Harsh

Priolo writes with conviction, clarity, and a deep pastoral heart. He encourages loving, patient correction that mirrors how the Lord disciplines His children—not with anger or shame, but with grace and truth. There is also a convicting section on the dangers of hypocrisy and inconsistency in parenting, which was a necessary reminder that our own example often speaks louder than our correction.

For Parents Who Want More Than Behavior Change

This book is not for the parent who just wants a better-behaved child. It’s for the parent who wants to raise a disciple of Jesus Christ. It’s for those who are willing to labor with love, prayer, and the Word of God in hand. It’s not a light or fluffy parenting book—it’s rich, challenging, and profoundly biblical.

If you're a Christian parent longing to disciple your children in the fear of the Lord, Teach Them Diligently is essential reading. I’ll be returning to it again and again in different seasons of parenting.

[Emily Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved this biblical counseling guide, I will definitely be using it as a resource in both my own parenting and counseling.

[H.S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to love this book. The premise is good and right. We cannot raise our children without addressing the heart. But sadly it is a DNF for me. The language of the absolutes in this book was not helpful to me and prevents me from recommending it.

Saying that if I’m not spanking my child, I’m disobeying God. The author emphasizes that it should be used with every child: “The rod is the only specific means the Bible designates when it addresses the discipline of children. Therefore, it should be used consistently with every child.“ Additionally, “The spanking must be sufficiently robust to make an impression. If you have followed [these] guidelines... and your child is still angry and sullen after the spanking, you probably have not spanked hard enough or long enough.” As a foster and adoptive parent, I’m simply not allowed to lay hands on children, does that mean I’m disobeying God? And if not, what am I to do instead?

The author also pits mental health against sin entirely dismissing the former. “You’ll never find the biblical solution for rebellion, anger, or insubordination by looking up (even) in the most exhaustive concordance the term Oppositional Defiance Disorder”.

While there are many great truths to be extracted from this book, I felt like it was so muddied that I just couldn’t keep going trying to sift out the gold from the dirt. Maybe it’ll be helpful to you, but I’m sure some other resources, such as Charlotte Mason, would be much better help.

[Anete Ābola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent Christian parenting book. It teaches parents how to teach, convict, correct and train with the Scriptures. And it reminds us that our first priority is to have relationship with The Lord + to study His Word. There is no other way that we could be able to successfully use Scriptures discipling our kids.

Author prompts you to plan your schedule around God's Word not just to try to squeeze the Bible into your already full schedule. Such a good advice! I am often convicted with the thought that if I would know the Bible more, I would be a much better (read: more biblical/more godly) parent. Let's strive to become such parents now!

This is one of the top parenting books along with Paul David Tripp's "Shepherding a Child's heart" and "Instructing a child's heart", John MacArthur's "Successful Christian parenting" and other books by Lou Priolo.

[Sarah DeKoekkoek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated the practical tools in this book to live out biblical parenting. He provided examples on how to use Scripture, rather than simply setting the foundation for why we should incorporate Scripture into our parenting as believers. Helpful for thinking through how my training, teaching, disciplining, etc. should look different than the world’s child rearing philosophies (even if those aren’t inherently wrong).

[Andi Hagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! A few things in here I didn’t particularly agree with but overall some great concepts and encouragement for teaching your children using Scriptures. You can’t teach your children Gods Word if you are not actively in Scriptures yourself.

[Kelly Fauver · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best parenting books I've read with great practical wisdom.

[Kyli Blanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biblical parenting books I have read to date since becoming a parent. Definitely a resource I will come back to time and time again.

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Highly recommend to parents of younger children who want to specifically help their children apply God’s words to their lives!

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! This ranks up there with Shepherding a Child's Heart. He breaks everything down and gives lots of examples. Loved it!

[Shelley Nutma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was what I expected it to be - a parenting book based solely on Biblical instruction. It was a good read and had very clear and valuable perspectives on discipline and teaching. The age group that it targets is around 7 years and older; I was reading this with my toddler in mind and so it wasn't always applicable. There were some points of view that I strongly disagreed with; (e.g.) his views on psychology are (in my opinion) close-minded and ignorant. But if you are looking for a traditional, biblical approach to parenting, then this book will suit you.
My favourite part is the Bible-study type questions you can follow through the book of Proverbs. This is at the very end of the book.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a new parent, I loved reading this. The core of Lou's message in the book stems from Deuteronomy 6:6-9, a biblical call for parents and heads of households to keep the Mosaic commandments, given by the Lord, and store them in their hearts, so that they may teach them diligently to their children. He takes this biblical idea and connects it with how to do that with Scriptural references. Namely, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - that the Word of God is good for teaching, reproof (or conviction), for correction, for instruction in righteousness. The bottom line is - we as parents need to know the Word before we can ever hope to teach it.

[Rena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good for a foundation; to do child training scripturally is well-presented. I was not impressed with the step-by-step approach presented in implementing that. I think if this approach were used that the Bible could become the child's enemy and training and correcting would be more like preaching. Relationships should be real. Even though the author warns against all this, it's hard to imagine how the formulaic approach given in the book could be otherwise. Many good biblical foundations concerning child training are laid, but I probably wouldn't recommend this book to young parents looking for answers.

[Darby Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d say 3.5 stars if they let me. This is a simple, practical call for parents to use the Scriptures to teach their children and “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This is a general overview of Biblical parenting with lots of helpful illustrations and suggestions.

Definitely convicting as Priolo describes all the ways and times Bible teaching can and should be done on a regular basis.

[Samuel Sadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priolo convicts and encourages in his call to raise children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." He provides a strong biblical argument for training children up according to scripture and provides a plethora of practical examples and tools for application. This book exudes the gospel as well, making clear that our task as parents (or anyone responsible for a child's spiritual growth) depends upon God's grace in our lives. This is the kind of book I will come back to frequently.

[Kristopher Schaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the second-best book I have read on parenting (#1 is "Shepherding a Child's Heart," by Tedd Tripp). I appreciate Priolo's commitment to the sufficiency of Scripture as well as his pastoral carefulness. I would highly recommend this book, especially to parents who want to improve at communicating the Bible to their children.

[Bobby Bonser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was good, but not the best I've read on child-rearing. Overall there were some great instructions, tips and thoughts on using scripture to support raising children. However, my main critique was that the gospel, and love of Christ as the main focus of the household was absent. Also, household devotions weren't really discussed at all.

[Sam Knecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely practical, this guidebook helps parents use all 4 of the “profitable” ends of Scripture in their parenting.

2 Timothy 3:16
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

[Emma Posthuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic! An excellent resource for parents wanting to raise their children in the instruction of the Lord. I took a lot of notes, and have utilised all the practical resources found at the back of the book. This book will be my top recommendation for any new parents!

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content may be a bit dated, but it is still a highly useful and practically written tool on using Scripture to teach. I thought this book was an excellent resource.

[Alicja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and no nonsense. Brimming with scripture as well as clear and helpful examples and analogies. Resources provided at the end also exceptionally helpful as a quick reference guide.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super helpful book!

[Caitlin Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very practical book. Lots on details and scripture reference. The kind of book I needed to take notes on as I went.

[Victor Bolbot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Simple, but comprehensive and practical.

[Kadi Woods · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not a big fan of this book. I got the principal but it was way theological for me. Just cut it to the nitty gritty.

[Alexis Paramore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t agree with 100% of this book and the tone of the author wasn’t my favorite, however there is so much treasure and wisdom in here that it is well worth the read and re-read.

[Sheri Ingersoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Wish I had known about this book when I was in the thick of raising children.