“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it”.  

The young child is where the foundation is laid.  I’ve seen this put another way, “It’s easier to raise up a child toward righteousness than to repair an adult”.

The inverse of the proverb, then, is also true:  “The adult who was not trained to adopt those things foundational to righteous living has very little chance of adopting the heavy responsibilities associated with rigteousness.  If he tries, the things of wickedness he learned to employ as a child will be crushed in the weight of responsibility.  Or his life will simply crumble for lack of a solid foundation.

Regardless, it is far better to train the child.  But how shall a untrained nation of parents/adults raise up godly people?  Now, this is where the living Gospel of Christ Jesus comes to bear.  Search it for yourself.

By His Grace.