What Are We Teaching the Children?

 

As a child, I learned a song about why it was important to build a house on rock and not on sand. A house built on sand would wash away when the tide came in, but a house built on rock would stand. I didn’t know this song had a spiritual meaning then, but now I know. We must build our lives on the Lord Jesus Christ, the foundation of our faith. When we put our trust in tradition or religion, that’s like building on sand, and our faith is easily washed away. When we build on the solid rock of Christ, our faith will stand.

We also see the importance of building on the right foundation in 1 Corinthians 3:11. “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Are we teaching children to build their faith on Christ or on religion? Are we just teaching them man’s rules and traditions about how to behave like Christians, or are we sharing the gospel so they can receive Christ and become Christians?

Most Christian parents and churches teach children about Jesus. They teach Bible stories, Bible verses, and Christian songs. They teach what Christians should and shouldn’t do. However, many of them don’t explain the gospel so children can understand it. These children grow up with heads full of knowledge about the Bible, but they don’t have a relationship with Christ. They know about God, but they don’t know Him. Some drift away from church because they’ve never received Christ.

Before people receive Jesus, they don’t have the Holy Spirit, and they can’t understand spiritual truth. I Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

When someone receives Jesus, he’s sealed by the Holy Spirit. Consider Ephesians 1:13. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise…”

Remember the promise Jesus gave his disciples in John 14:26. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

After we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit seals us and helps us in many ways. He teaches us (John 14:26), helps us pray (Jude 1:20), and helps us abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

Have you seen evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life? I have. You may see this work in many ways. Have you ever struggled to understand a Bible verse and then been blessed by a supernatural understanding of what it means? Have you been awakened in the middle of the night with an urgency to pray for someone you haven’t talked with recently? Perhaps you found out later that the person you prayed for needed that specific prayer right at that moment. Maybe you’ve struggled with challenges in your life and felt helpless about a situation, but then you were reminded to hope in God because he is in control.

The Holy Spirit also gives us spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-23) and spiritual gifts (I Corinthians 12:4). He even helps us understand the deep things of God. I Corinthians 2:10-11 says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God…”

Consider what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3-6. “…Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Nicodemus was an important teacher who knew the laws and traditions of his faith, but something was missing. Nicodemus needed the Holy Spirit. To be born again, we need to understand the gospel, receive Jesus, and be sealed by the Holy Spirit.

The first thing Paul shared with the Corinthians was the gospel. I Corinthians 15:3&4 says, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

How can we explain the gospel to children? Teach them these important truths:

1. God is our creator. He’s Holy, He’s Just, and He loves us. He won’t let sin in Heaven.
2. Sin is anything against God’s law. We’re born with a sin nature, a desire to do things our way instead of God’s way. At some point, we choose to sin. Because God loves us, He made a way we can be forgiven. Share examples of sin children can understand.
3. Jesus is the perfect Son of God. He never sinned, but He willingly gave His blood, and He died to take the punishment for our sin. Three days later Jesus overcame sin and death and came back to life. Because of what Jesus did, God offers us forgiveness as a gift. We must repent and receive Jesus to have this gift of salvation.
4. Teach the gospel and invite children to receive Christ. Be sure they understand the gospel. If they don’t admit they’ve sinned or don’t understand why Jesus died, they’re not ready to receive Christ.
5. If someone admits he’s a sinner and believes Jesus died for his sins and rose again, he can choose to believe in Jesus and pray to receive Christ as his Savior.

John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”