As Christian parents, we know the joy of salvation and the freedom that comes with walking with Jesus. Naturally, we want the same for our children. But if we haven’t received formal ministry training, it can be intimidating to see ourselves as our children’s first Bible teachers. How can we distill the Bible’s teaching and funnel it down so our young children can understand? We parents find it difficult enough to articulate, let alone explain complex theological concepts to our children. Yet, the Bible is clear. We are to teach the things of God to our children (Deut. 11:19).
Bible stories like David and Goliath, the parting of the red sea, or Jonah and the whale are engaging and relatable, with immediate real-life takeaway lessons. But the Bible is more than a collection of stories with moral life applications like Aesop’s fables. Teaching the Bible stories to our children is an important place to start, but we also want them to understand the Bible’s larger story of gospel redemption. By teaching the stories in the context of the whole, we avoid the common teaching trap of moralism, or the idea that God simply wants us to be “good.”
What framework can we parents use to teach the Bible in order to impart a growing understanding of the gospel to our children as they mature? Here are four stages of Bible teaching through which parents can lead their children.
Stage One: The Nature of God
Sound biblical theology should emphasize the nature of the one true God. As adults we learn to praise God for who he is and what he does, and we should teach our children the same. Parents should start with the basic attributes of God such as his holiness, his power, his majesty, his omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence. We should even feel free to explore the nature of the Trinity.
Then we can move to the creation story in Genesis. More important than the order of creation, parents should teach what the story says about God’s character. Psalm 19 and Psalm 104 are also great places to learn about God’s creativity, his provision, his goodness, and how he sustains all of creation every day. As our students learn the stories of the Bible, we should help them connect Scripture passages to what they say about God’s character.
Stage Two: Sin And The Fallenness of Man
Once our kids learn about the God’s character, we should move to teaching about who mankind is in light of who God is. We want our kids to know that everyone falls short of holiness and is in need of God’s grace. So we must highlight both good and bad aspects of the people in the Bible, especially the ones we might be tempted to hold up as heroes. We can talk about how Abraham is the “father of faith” (Rom. 4), but he also lied. We can point to how David defeated Goliath, but that he also disobeyed God by taking a census when he wasn’t supposed to. (Of course, it’s important to exercise judgment in selecting stories that are age-appropriate).
Ultimately, we want our kids to understand that God’s standard for us is absolute holiness and not a more-good-than-bad ratio of outward works. We should describe how destructive sin is—Adam and Eve weren’t just given a time-out for disobedience, their sin caused them to be cut off from fellowship with God. The result was that all human beings experience separation from God and each other. When our kids see that no one can meet God’s standard on their own, we can point them to their need to be rescued from their sins.
Stage Three: The Identity of Jesus
Building on the first two stages, we can now teach our kids about who Jesus is. Here we can explain Jesus’ dual nature of humanity and divinity. We can walk through the truth claims Jesus makes about himself and what others say about him (that he is the son of the living God, the “I am,” the bread of life, the good shepherd, and more).
Then we can read through Jesus’ miracles, always connecting them back to his identity statements. The miracles are amazing acts on their own, but what Jesus does should always be understood in light of who he is. For example, the feeding of the 5,000 demonstrates that Jesus is the bread of life who sustains us (John 6). The calming of the storm shows us his power over nature and his agency in creation (Matt. 8).
We also want our kids to understand that while Jesus is fully God, he is fully human. Jesus suffered physical pain on the cross, he suffered emotional pain in the garden of Gethsemane. He got hungry, and he slept.
In light of Jesus’ dual nature, the takeaway is that he is worthy of our worship as our Lord and King, and he also understands our every human experience.
Stage Four: God’s Redemption Through Jesus
Once we explain who Jesus is, we delve into why he came to earth. This is where we can tie the whole story of the Bible together. If the Bible is presented as separate moral stories, kids will miss the gospel message. But if we teach them the overarching narrative as a whole, they will begin to see humanity’s deep need for a Savior—and their own need as well.
Our kids need to know that every part of the Bible points to these realities: We have fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness and need a savior. In love, God sent his son Jesus to save us. Jesus, who did not consider equality with God something to be held onto, made himself nothing (Phil. 2:6) by dying on the cross. But he rose again, restoring us to God in fellowship with him.
Our redemption is fully God’s idea, completed by God’s work, for God’s purpose. We can tell our kids that no matter what happens in life, we have a God who chose us and saved us because he loves us. And so, we are to be conformed to Jesus’ image (Col. 3:9) because we are God’s workmanship, created to do good works (Eph. 2:9). We don’t obey because we need to gain God’s approval; we obey because we already have God’s approval.
Encouragement For Parents In Teaching the Bible
Teaching young children the deep truths of the faith is no doubt a daunting task, and God does not give us a formula to produce disciples. Each child will go through these stages differently; there is no one-size-fits-all timeline.
Of course, it is best to begin teaching our kids the gospel when they are very young. But if your kids are older or they seem unresponsive to the gospel, don’t be discouraged! God is the author of our salvation and sanctification, not ourselves or our children.
He has given us his Holy Spirit to empower parents for the task of teaching, wherever we and our children may be in the process. He has also appointed and called church leaders to equip and to minister to us and our children. We can take heart that he who began a good work in our kids, will carry it to completion (Phil. 1:6). Our role as parents is to walk in obedience within that process as we look to him for salvation.
If you’re looking for more support in discipling your children, consider watching one of Rooted’s family discipleship video courses with your church or small group.
