How to Teach Your Kids About God
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 Questions for Discussion and verses For Further Study. I hope to post a new lesson every Monday.
Question 3: Who is God?
God is the creator and ruler of the universe. There is one God in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says there is only one God (Deut 6:4). All other so-called gods are false gods that do not exist. But God is also three: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is called the doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible says that there is one God in three coeternal, coequal persons. The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Holy Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. But there is one God. This is clearly taught in Scripture. Jesus said to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). At Christ’s baptism all three persons of the godhead were present – the Son in the water, the Spirit descending like a dove, and the Father speaking from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Mt 3:16-17).
God is the creator of everything and everyone (Gen 1:1). God is a spirit and does not have a physical body like us (Jn 4:24). God is invisible; that’s why we can’t see Him (Col 1:15). God is sovereign; that means He is in charge and in control of everything, and nothing can happen to us unless God allows it (Is 14:24; Rom 8:28). God is eternal; there was never a time when He did not exist, and He was not created like us (Ps 90:2). God is omnipotent; that means He is all-powerful, and there’s nothing He cannot do (Gen 1:1). God showed His unlimited power by creating the universe from nothing, by flooding the entire earth in the days of Noah, by parting the Red Sea, by causing the sun to stand still in the days of Joshua, and by raising Jesus from the dead. God is omnipresent; that means He is everywhere at the same time, and wherever you go God is there with you (Ps 139:8-10). God is omniscient; that means He knows everything (Ps 139:1-6, 11-12). He knows the past, the present, and the future. He knew you before you were born, He knows what you are doing right now, and He knows your future. God even knows the number of hairs on your head (Lk 12:7). He knows the answer to all your questions, and the solutions to all your problems. He has all the wisdom you will ever need (Is 28:29). While God is control and in charge of everything, it is comforting to know that He is holy; that means He is morally blameless (1 Pt 1:15-16). He does not sin, and He will never use His power for evil. It is also comforting to know that almighty God is fair and righteous; He will never mistreat you (Ps 5:4; 9:7-8).
Perhaps the best thing about God is that He is good (Ps 107:1). He is love, and always treats us in a loving way (1 Jn 4:8). This is why we can trust that when God commands us to do something, or allows us to suffer, it is good for us. God supplies our needs (Phil 4:19), and even more, He gives us a good life (Ps 34; 103:5; Jn 10:10; Js 1:17). It is God who heals us when we are sick (Ps 103:3), protects and rescues us from danger (Ps 27:1; 103:4), is patient with us when we fail and forgives our sins (Ps 103:3, 8; 1 Jn 1:9), guides us along the best path for our lives (Ps 25:9-12), gives us strength for all of life’s challenges (Ps 18:32-40; Phil 4:13), comforts us in our trials (2 Cor 1:3-5), and hears and answers our prayers (1 Pt 3:12). And in spite of our sins, God sent His Son to die for us so that we could be saved (Jn 3:16). Now He is more than our God; He is our heavenly Father (Rm 8:15).
Questions for Discussion:
For Further Study:
Question 3: Who is God?
God is the creator and ruler of the universe. There is one God in three persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says there is only one God (Deut 6:4). All other so-called gods are false gods that do not exist. But God is also three: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is called the doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible says that there is one God in three coeternal, coequal persons. The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Holy Spirit; the Spirit is not the Father. But there is one God. This is clearly taught in Scripture. Jesus said to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19). At Christ’s baptism all three persons of the godhead were present – the Son in the water, the Spirit descending like a dove, and the Father speaking from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” (Mt 3:16-17).
God is the creator of everything and everyone (Gen 1:1). God is a spirit and does not have a physical body like us (Jn 4:24). God is invisible; that’s why we can’t see Him (Col 1:15). God is sovereign; that means He is in charge and in control of everything, and nothing can happen to us unless God allows it (Is 14:24; Rom 8:28). God is eternal; there was never a time when He did not exist, and He was not created like us (Ps 90:2). God is omnipotent; that means He is all-powerful, and there’s nothing He cannot do (Gen 1:1). God showed His unlimited power by creating the universe from nothing, by flooding the entire earth in the days of Noah, by parting the Red Sea, by causing the sun to stand still in the days of Joshua, and by raising Jesus from the dead. God is omnipresent; that means He is everywhere at the same time, and wherever you go God is there with you (Ps 139:8-10). God is omniscient; that means He knows everything (Ps 139:1-6, 11-12). He knows the past, the present, and the future. He knew you before you were born, He knows what you are doing right now, and He knows your future. God even knows the number of hairs on your head (Lk 12:7). He knows the answer to all your questions, and the solutions to all your problems. He has all the wisdom you will ever need (Is 28:29). While God is control and in charge of everything, it is comforting to know that He is holy; that means He is morally blameless (1 Pt 1:15-16). He does not sin, and He will never use His power for evil. It is also comforting to know that almighty God is fair and righteous; He will never mistreat you (Ps 5:4; 9:7-8).
Perhaps the best thing about God is that He is good (Ps 107:1). He is love, and always treats us in a loving way (1 Jn 4:8). This is why we can trust that when God commands us to do something, or allows us to suffer, it is good for us. God supplies our needs (Phil 4:19), and even more, He gives us a good life (Ps 34; 103:5; Jn 10:10; Js 1:17). It is God who heals us when we are sick (Ps 103:3), protects and rescues us from danger (Ps 27:1; 103:4), is patient with us when we fail and forgives our sins (Ps 103:3, 8; 1 Jn 1:9), guides us along the best path for our lives (Ps 25:9-12), gives us strength for all of life’s challenges (Ps 18:32-40; Phil 4:13), comforts us in our trials (2 Cor 1:3-5), and hears and answers our prayers (1 Pt 3:12). And in spite of our sins, God sent His Son to die for us so that we could be saved (Jn 3:16). Now He is more than our God; He is our heavenly Father (Rm 8:15).
Questions for Discussion:
- What do the following words mean: Omnipotent? Omnipresent? Omniscient? Sovereign?
- What is the doctrine of the Trinity? How can God be one and three at the same time?
- What’s so great about God?
- What is it about God that makes you love and praise Him?
- What is it about God that makes you want to serve Him?
For Further Study:
- Psalm 34
- Psalm 99
- Psalm 100
- Psalm 103
- Psalm 139
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