Jesus holds up a little child as the model for entering the kingdom, calling His followers to be converted and become like children, whom society overlooks. Their chief characteristic is humility, which Jesus uses to redefine greatness, along with trust, openness, and innocence, a childlike state given by Christ at baptism. Rather than immaturity, this is an attitude to be studied, meditated on, and imitated, and children are to be received with attention, listening, and love. Another trait is that children watch, listen, learn, and imitate everything around them, so Ephesians 5:1 calls believers to imitate God as dear children copy their father, wanting to be like Him rather than to take His place. Children also naturally long to grow up, and that longing can overshoot into a desire for sophistication and renown. Children in the marketplace, imitating weddings and funerals in Matthew 11, show them seeking an audience from unresponsive adults, as the generation ignored John the Baptist and the Son of Man. A child's warm, loving relationship with parents is the pattern for a Christian's relationship with God. God's own love for His children appears in Matthew 23 and Hosea 11, and restoring the hearts of fathers and children is central to averting judgment (Malachi 4, Luke 1). Children are formed by their parents' guidance, by the whole church, and by God to the degree their parents respond to Him, so believers should pray for those parents and learn from children at their best.

Children are by nature unwise and ill-equipped to run their own lives: "foolishness is bound in the heart of a child" (Proverbs 22:15), and Paul speaks of putting away childish thinking on reaching maturity (1 Corinthians 13:11). They therefore need the guidance of both father and mother (Proverbs 1:8; 4:1-4), since human nature has not changed and biblical principles remain valid. Children are a sacred trust (paratheke, a "deposit") from God, to be taught His law diligently and returned to Him trained and equipped (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). A century of expert-driven, permissive childrearing, which sidelined parents and God's instruction, has produced confused, self-centered, disrespectful children. Isaiah 3:4-5, 12 pictures this as children, or those as inexperienced as children, ruling and oppressing, with the young insolent toward elders. Examples include a society that caters to children and erodes parental authority through measures like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Rockdale County, Georgia, syphilis outbreak among teens engaged in drug use and promiscuity. There the teens showed little shame, and parents who had provided material needs but little oversight admitted they had lost control. Children left to cast off restraint (Proverbs 29:18) expose the failure of man's wisdom, while godly training grounds them for life.

Children are characteristically humble and teachable, lacking the arrogance and pride that marked the disciples when they argued over who would be greatest in the kingdom. Jesus tells them that unless they are converted, meaning changed from one way of life to another, and become like little children, they will have no part in His Kingdom. Childlike humility means seeing oneself as God sees us, and it reverses worldly ambition: whoever desires to be first must be last of all and servant of all (Mark 9:35). The most humble Christian will be the most distinguished. Receiving someone with this innocent, childlike attitude, even one weak in the faith, means approving, loving, and treating that person with kindness and aid in time of need, and it shows love for Christ Himself. Because such believers are so precious to God, causing one to sin or impeding the faithfulness of one is a very serious offense, worse than being drowned in the sea. Angels watch over them, and Christ came to seek and save the weak and lowly, so they must never be despised.

Children are immature intellectually and morally, which is why Scripture likens them to slaves under guardians (Galatians 4) and why they think, speak, and understand differently from adults (1 Corinthians 13:11). Ephesians 4 shows their traits: they are not unified with the family, lack knowledge, are unstable and driven by emotion, are subject to peer pressure and fads, and lack discernment against deception. Proverbs 22:15 sums it up: foolishness is bound up in a child's heart. This is not evil but weakness of mind, being rash, impulsive, unreflective, and careless of consequences. Children cannot consider the end result of their actions because they lack experience and live in the immediate, so sin and carelessness seem fun to them. Reasoning alone therefore cannot remove their foolishness, and the rod of correction is needed, as Adam and Eve's failure to grasp "you shall surely die" illustrates. Children also repeat whatever behavior gets results, even anger or attention, so whining and laziness are learned when rewarded. They need boundaries and feel secure within them, as with a playground fence. Habits set early become ingrained, so a child's early years are the best time for training. Signs of trouble include needing repeated commands, crying when denied, selfishness, lying, sassing, striking parents, and forgetfulness. Even a very small child often knows when he is doing wrong. A child's character shows in his doings (Proverbs 20:11).