leader, but both mother and father are to share in the bibli-
cal instruction of children (Eph 6:4; Prov 1:8).
Consider a few practical thoughts:
• Read the Bible, not someone’s thoughts about the Bible.
Devotionals are helpful, but the primary source should
be the Bible. My wife and I often read Psalms and Prov-
erbs to our children. We choose passages based on what
we are strategically teaching them. Proverbs is the one
book of the Bible written to young people, and it should
receive heavy emphasis in your home or classroom.
• Read the entire Bible to children. The pattern of Scrip-
ture is to teach children the deep truths of Scripture.
Children were not excused when difficult topics were
covered in the Colossian or Ephesian church. Children
were present to be told to obey parents; and therefore,
were taught everything contained in these two books.
• Read briefly. Remember, they are children. The younger
a child is, the shorter their attention span will be. Don’t
expect your child to study the Bible like an adult. Try to
keep your family reading concise and to the point, but
meaningful. Ten minutes is a good amount of time to
begin. A great resource is The Long Story Short by Marty
Machowski.
• Include children in reading and discussion. Your goal
is to explain the Bible passage clearly and biblically,
engage children in the process, and help them apply
God’s truth to life.
If family worship is not a normal habit in your home, do
not be discouraged by the child who complains, does not
answer questions, or tries to derail the time. Once the child
learns that you are serious about reading the Bible on a
regular basis, they will get into the routine of listening and
responding.
3. Teach children core doctrines of Christianity
Young people are unlikely to remain faithful to a faith
they do not understand and cannot defend. Parents and
Christian schools should teach children of all ages the core
doctrines of the Christian faith with a zeal and consistency
that follows the pattern of the Bible. In 2 Timothy 3:15 we
read of Timothy, “From childhood you have been acquainted
with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Psalm 71:17 says,
“Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day
I declare your marvelous deeds.”
The pattern of Scripture is for children of all ages to be
taught the core truths of the Bible so that they will be firmly
rooted in Christ and established in their faith (Col 2:7).
The Bible clearly states what will happen to children when
they are not well grounded in God’s Word. Here are three
examples:
1. Children are taken captive by man’s ideas and deceived
by human traditions (Col 2:8).
2. Children become rebellious and live a godless, unfaith-
ful life (Ps 78:8).
3. Children grow up not knowing God or His great works
(Judg 2:10).
The following topics should be taught to children of all ages:
The Gospel
The gospel is the good news because it addresses our most
serious problem. The gospel summarized: we have rebelled
against a holy God that created us. God acted in Jesus to
save us, and we take hold of that salvation by repentance
of sin through faith in Jesus. Concerning the gospel, you
should have a threefold aim that your children: (1) clearly
understand it, (2) concisely explain it, and (3) confidently
proclaim it.
Big Picture of the Bible
The Bible is not a random collection of people or events.
It is a unified whole with one main storyline pointing to,
revolving around, and fulfilled in Jesus. There are four major
parts of the Bible: creation (Gen 1-2), fall (Gen 3), salva-
tion (Gen 4 - Rev 20), and re-creation (Rev 21-22). As you
read through the Old Testament, help children to see how it
points to Jesus and His covenant of salvation. Jesus himself
did this, “And beginning with Moses and with all the proph-
ets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in
all the Scriptures” (Lk 24:27).
The primary aim of the Bible is to glorify God, and this
happens in salvation and judgment found on every page of
the Bible. Read and reread the stories of the Bible to your
children with this in mind. Familiarize them with the main
stories, people, and events of the Bible, but not in a way that
detaches them from the overall storyline of Scripture. We
should call our children to obedience to Jesus Christ and can
use the heroes of the faith as models to imitate, but let our
teaching not dissolve into moralistic instruction separated
from the gospel of Jesus or the glory of God.
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