TEACH THESE IMPORTANT TOPICS 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 the holy God who 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 , have a threefold aim for children to ( 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 ), Rebellion ( Gen . 3 ), Salvation ( Gen . 4 - Rev . 20 ), and Restoration ( Rev 21-22 ). As you read through the Old Testament , help children see how it points to Jesus and His covenant of salvation . Jesus did this : “ And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets , 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 . Doctrine Doctrine is simply a word to describe what the Bible teaches . Paul challenges young Timothy to “ watch your life and your doctrine closely ” ( 1 Tim . 4:16 ). Every child needs to understand the core doctrines of the Christian faith to grow into a man or woman with convictions to follow God .
The two most critical doctrines for children to learn center on the Word of God and the Son of God . Successful instruction teaches children the inerrancy , authority , and sufficiency of the Bible and trains children to embrace the supremacy , exclusivity , deity , and Lordship of Jesus Christ .
We must repeatedly teach topics with greater depth as children age , such as creation to counter evolution , God ’ s design for marriage between one man and one woman to counter homosexuality , the reality of heaven and hell to counter the claim that death is the end of all existence , the atoning work of Jesus to counter the claim that all religions lead to the same God , the Trinity , and the character of God , to name a few .
4 . GIVE YOUR CHILD A BIBLE
When my mother was dying of ALS , she asked me what I most wanted of her possessions to remember her by . My mom had expensive jewelry , money , and things with worldly value , but the thing I wanted most was her Bible . My Mom ’ s Bible is the physical expression of the greatest gift she ever gave me : a love for God ’ s Word . Her Bible is tattered , and its pages are yellow and marked up . It was well-used and well-loved . Imagine giving this same gift to your children .
Purchase a high-quality leather Bible and personalize it for each child . Choose a full-text , readable version that can be used as they grow older . Underline or highlight passages you want to emphasize , make notations in the margins , and write short notes of encouragement and affirmation . A good age to give your personalized Bible to a child is between ages eight and ten . Plan a special ceremony or meal around the occasion . May your gift help your child love God ’ s Word and echo the Psalmist , “ How sweet are your words to my taste , sweeter than honey ” ( Ps . 119:103 ).
5 . TEACH CHILDREN HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
During the early years of a child ’ s life , the parent is to feed the child spiritually , but this responsibility should gradually shift to the child . For this to happen , parents must teach their children how to read the Bible . Teach basic Bible study methods , including observation , interpretation , and application ( called inductive Bible study ). Observation : “ What does this passage say ?” Observation is taking a close look at what is happening in the passage . Correct observations are key to understanding the meaning of the text . We must read the Bible thoroughly , slowly , and prayerfully to understand what God is saying . Interpretation : “ What does this mean ?” Interpretation is trying to understand the intent of the author and is affected by the culture in which the author wrote , the biases we bring to the text , and the context in which the passage is found . We must understand a chapter and the entire book to understand a verse . Teach children to interpret Scripture with Scripture and to consult resources such as commentaries to best understand a passage . Application : “ What does this passage require of me ?” We come to the Bible for transformation , not simply for information . God ’ s Word has the authority to tell us how to live . Train children to obey all God ’ s commands , not just those they like , and that obedience is essential , not optional .
12 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW