“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)
The most loving thing we can do for children is to teach them the Truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). To do that, Christian parents and children’s ministry leaders in the church must know the Truth for themselves (John 17:17), speak the Truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and faithfully live-out the Truth everyday (1 John 5:1-5).
In other words, our wisdom, words, and actions must be founded upon the Source of Truth – the Triune God…God the Father (Deuteronomy 32:4), God the Son (John 14:6), God the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). One God – Three Persons (Matthew 28:19).
God has revealed His Truth on the pages of the Bible (Psalm 119:142; John 17:17). It is the very Word of the Living God. When the Bible speaks, God speaks. All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). The Word of God literally proceeded out of His mouth. He is the Source and Author of the Bible.
With every verse of Scripture, there is a primary Author and a secondary author. The secondary author is the human instrument God chose to record His Text (2 Peter 1:20-21). Over and above the 40+ human authors of the Bible’s 66 books, there was the primary Author – God Himself (Matthew 4:4). The Word of God has come down to this world from the Throne of Grace. Every jot, every tittle, every verb tense, every word, every phrase, every sentence, every literary unit, and every book of the Holy Bible has come down to us by the Holy Spirit of God.
Although the Scripture was written down by men, it is not of men or from men, it is from God. (1 Thessalonians 2:13). God speaks through the Bible, so we must be discerning and know the difference between His Word and the words of men (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Truth does not come from within ourselves, as Buddhists believe, but from the Word of God, to which we add nothing (Proverbs 30:5-6).
The Scripture is the revelation of God (Psalm 19:7-9; Hebrews 1:1-2) and in the Bible, the true God is revealed. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV).
God’s Word has power. Through the Bible, God releases His power to save (Romans 1:16, 1 Corinthians 1:18; James 1:21) and to sanctify (John 17:17; Ephesians 5:26).
Why is teaching children the Truth so important? Because God is Truth and how a child responds to His Word is the determiner of their life, indeed, their eternity (John 8:47, 20:31). “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)
God is not silent, as some believe. He has told us everything He wants us to know. It is all written down. We need to learn it, believe it, submit to it, and pass-on the Truth to the next generation (Psalm 78:4-7).
Teach these things to your children at home and at church. (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4). Give kids their own copy of the Bible. (My recommendation: English Standard Version [ESV] children’s Bible.) Then spend time together reading, studying, memorizing, and discussing the Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:6-7; 2 Timothy 3:15).
That is how to impart truth to children.
Steve Karges is the founder and president of Children’s Ministries International, Inc.(cmikids.com) where he has served for 37 years. He is also the general editor of The Truth Test (TheTruthTest.org).
