How to Teach Your Kids About The Bible
The following is from a project that I'm working on to help parents disciple their kids. I'm taking each question from the Home Discipleship Catechism and writing a short lesson that parents can read to their kids. The bold text is the question; the underlined portion is the answer from the catechism, followed by the explanation. At the bottom you will also find Discussion Questions and verses For Further Study. I hope to post a new lesson every Monday.
Question 1: What is the Holy Bible?
The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
We all have questions. Big questions. Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happens after death? Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? What is the solution? Where do we find the answers to life’s big questions? The Bible. God doesn’t just exist; He wants us to know Him, and to have a personal relationship with Him. Therefore God revealed Himself through the Bible. In the Bible God answers all of our most important questions. It teaches us what to believe, what not to believe, what to do, and what not to do.
The Bible is inspired. That means that God is the author of the Bible. The Bible was written by men, but God gave them the words to write so that when we read the Bible, we are reading the very words of God Himself. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “all” Scripture is inspired. That means that every single word in the Bible is God’s word. Since the Bible is God’s word, then we should read and study it. God knows everything about everything. If we want to know God, and how to go to heaven, and how to be wise and happy, then who better to teach us than God Himself? The Bible is our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E.). It is God’s love-letter written to us. We should want to know all that God has written to us.
The Bible is also inerrant. That means that it is without error. God does not lie (Numbers 23:19). Since He is the author of the Bible, every word is true. The Bible does not affirm anything that is false. Since the Bible is God’s word, and because it is completely true, then that means we can trust it. We can believe everything the Bible says – about creation, about history, about heaven and hell, about salvation, about God, and about marriage and family. If you don’t believe the Bible, then you don’t believe God.
As well, since the Bible is God’s word, then we should obey it. God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He is in charge of everyone and everything. His word is authoritative. It is law. As we read the Bible, we should keep our eyes open for God’s commands, and then quickly obey. It is not enough to know what the Bible says. We must apply it to our lives. When you disobey the Bible, you are disobeying God.
Not only should we trust and obey the Bible, but we should trust and obey the Bible above all else. The Bible is the only book given to us by God. All other books are the words of people. Therefore we must compare everything we read and hear to the Bible. When something contradicts the Bible, it is a lie, and we must not believe it. When someone tells us to disobey the Bible, even if it is the government, we must not listen (Acts 5:29).
The Bible says that Satan (the devil) is on a mission to destroy us and to prevent us from enjoying God and His plan for our lives (Jn 10:10; Eph 6:10-12; 1 Pet 5:8-9). Satan is smarter and more powerful than us. How can we ever resist him? God has given us armor – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. But God hasn’t just given us armor for defense; He has given us a weapon to defeat the enemy. It’s called the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, the Bible. With the Bible we can be, do, and enjoy all that God has planned for us.
Questions for Discussion:
For Further Study:
Question 1: What is the Holy Bible?
The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
We all have questions. Big questions. Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happens after death? Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? What is the solution? Where do we find the answers to life’s big questions? The Bible. God doesn’t just exist; He wants us to know Him, and to have a personal relationship with Him. Therefore God revealed Himself through the Bible. In the Bible God answers all of our most important questions. It teaches us what to believe, what not to believe, what to do, and what not to do.
The Bible is inspired. That means that God is the author of the Bible. The Bible was written by men, but God gave them the words to write so that when we read the Bible, we are reading the very words of God Himself. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that “all” Scripture is inspired. That means that every single word in the Bible is God’s word. Since the Bible is God’s word, then we should read and study it. God knows everything about everything. If we want to know God, and how to go to heaven, and how to be wise and happy, then who better to teach us than God Himself? The Bible is our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E.). It is God’s love-letter written to us. We should want to know all that God has written to us.
The Bible is also inerrant. That means that it is without error. God does not lie (Numbers 23:19). Since He is the author of the Bible, every word is true. The Bible does not affirm anything that is false. Since the Bible is God’s word, and because it is completely true, then that means we can trust it. We can believe everything the Bible says – about creation, about history, about heaven and hell, about salvation, about God, and about marriage and family. If you don’t believe the Bible, then you don’t believe God.
As well, since the Bible is God’s word, then we should obey it. God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He is in charge of everyone and everything. His word is authoritative. It is law. As we read the Bible, we should keep our eyes open for God’s commands, and then quickly obey. It is not enough to know what the Bible says. We must apply it to our lives. When you disobey the Bible, you are disobeying God.
Not only should we trust and obey the Bible, but we should trust and obey the Bible above all else. The Bible is the only book given to us by God. All other books are the words of people. Therefore we must compare everything we read and hear to the Bible. When something contradicts the Bible, it is a lie, and we must not believe it. When someone tells us to disobey the Bible, even if it is the government, we must not listen (Acts 5:29).
The Bible says that Satan (the devil) is on a mission to destroy us and to prevent us from enjoying God and His plan for our lives (Jn 10:10; Eph 6:10-12; 1 Pet 5:8-9). Satan is smarter and more powerful than us. How can we ever resist him? God has given us armor – the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. But God hasn’t just given us armor for defense; He has given us a weapon to defeat the enemy. It’s called the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, the Bible. With the Bible we can be, do, and enjoy all that God has planned for us.
Questions for Discussion:
- What is the Bible (in your own words)?
- How many books are in the Bible (OT? NT? Total?)?
- Who wrote the Bible?
- What’s your favorite Bible story?
- What’s the best thing that you have learned from the Bible?
- What should we do if we learn something that goes against the Bible? Why?
For Further Study:
- Joshua 1:7-8
- Psalm 19:7-11
- Psalm 119:9, 11, 105
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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