Who made you ? God made me . |
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God Created All People |
Genesis 1:26 – 29 ; Genesis 2:7 , 21 – 22 |
God created a man and a woman . God made Adam from dust . God made Eve from Adam ’ s rib . God made me from a man and a woman . |
All Things Were Made by God
Genesis 1:24 – 28 ; Genesis 2:7 – 8 , 15
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God made all things with His Word . God put Adam and Eve in charge of God ’ s world . God owns everything He made . |
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Will My Child Become a Christian Robot ?
Second , many people believe that catechizing is a recipe for formalism and deadness . Christianity is a relationship with God , right ? So how can memorizing questions and answers make a person a better Christian ?
The problem with this objection is that it assumes that catechizing is nothing more than rote memory work . But that is not the case — or at least it does not have to be .
This is a lesson I learned recently . Over the past several years , I ’ ve been involved in producing three catechism courses for BJU Press . We call these courses Truths for Life . They ’ re designed to be taught in first through third grade in homeschools and Christian schools ( though they can be used in church ministry or as a part of family worship ). At the core of these courses are 147 truths ( we call them Bible Truths ) presented in a question-and-answer format .
But there is much more to these courses than just the questions and answers . Each Bible Truth is introduced by a historical account from the Bible — usually one with lots of action and conflict . After telling the young person how God parted the Red Sea , chose David as king , or raised
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© BJU Press . Reproduction prohibited .
Bible 1 : Truths for Life
Who made you ? God made me .
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Mark the correct answer .
1 . What did God make Adam from ?
● dust
● a man and a woman
2 . What did God make you from ?
● dust
● a man and a woman
3 . Who owns all people ?
● Satan
● God
4 . Who owns you ?
● me
● God
5 . Who can decide what should be done with your life ?
● Satan
● me
● God
Name
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Genesis 1:27 ; Job 33:4
Bible Truth 1
Jesus from the dead , the instruction connects the main point of the narrative to the Bible Truth . Over the next several days , as the child works on memorizing the Bible Truth , he engages in various learning experiences that help him grasp the truth and why it ’ s important . He may sing the Bible Truth , role-play a portion of the Bible account , come up with an object lesson that helps explain the truth , discuss with someone how he plans to apply the truth to his life , or use the truth in prayer .
The goal is not just to memorize an answer . It ’ s also to understand the answer , know how it applies to life , and learn to depend on God in living it out .
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Truths for Life Bible Courses
FALLING APART ?
When it ’ s done right , a catechism can be life-changing — far from being lifeless and boring . By the time the child has worked through all the questions and answers , he knows what he believes and what that belief means for him . And since a child ’ s memory is tough and resilient , the beliefs he knows he will know for the rest of his life .
Dr . Glen Schultz raised the question , “ Is the church falling apart ?” Maybe . But it certainly doesn ’ t have to . The Word of God bears fruit ( Isa . 55:11 ; Matt . 13:18-23 ). Christians , however , will have to sow the Word in faith . Catechizing our children in the basic teachings of Scripture is an important way of doing just that . ■
Dr . Bryan Smith has worked in Christian education for nearly thirty years . He has been a classroom teacher as well as a textbook author . Currently , he serves at BJU Press as the Senior Manager for Biblical Worldview Formation . He and his wife , Becky , have six children .
ENDNOTES 1 . Glen Schultz , “ Is the Church Falling Apart ?,” Kingdom Education Ministries , October 24 , 2021 , https :// kingdomedu cationministries . com / 2021 / 10 / is-the-church-falling-apart . 2 . The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica , “ Catechism ,” Encyclopaedia Britannica , accessed April 30 , 2022 , https :// britannica . com / topic / catechism .
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RENEWANATION . ORG 45 |