What Should Children Believe About God and His Word?

Beliefs about God and His Word are foundational to all of life. This is especially true for adopting and maintaining a biblical worldview and living out biblical character. We don’t want children just to be moral or good. We want them to have all that a biblical character offers them: strength from God, motivation from Jesus Christ, the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and so much more! These things stand out to me as significant and necessary beliefs if children are to develop and use a biblical character.

Maybe the statements below can serve as a partial summary. Would your children make these claims? If they don’t, and you agree they’re vital, what can you do to help them believe these truths? Prioritizing God and His ways and parenting intentionally will help your children be able to state truths like the following:

• I believe my faith must be in Christ. I want to please God! I don’t want to place my faith in myself or anyone else. It’s not that I have strong enough faith. It’s that God is strong enough. Mom and Dad have taught me Hebrews 11:6—“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (See also Proverbs 3:5–6, Mark 9:23, Luke 1:37, and Matthew 21:22.) I believe the Bible is a trustworthy source of authority for me. It contains the teachings of God and Christ and guides my life. My parents are teaching me why they think it’s accurate, dependable, and relevant, and they’re helping me understand it more and more.2 I’m not scared anymore to admit when I don’t understand something. Second Timothy 3:16–17 has helped me—“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (NLT). (See also Isaiah 40:8, John 17:17, and 2 Peter 1:20–23.)
• I believe God is who He says He is and is on my side. I want to believe, follow Him, and become like Christ. I’m learning a lot about His character and actions from Psalm 25 and other passages. Some of my favorite verses are Psalm 46:1 (“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”), 1 John 1:9 (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”), and Jeremiah 31:3 (“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you”).
• I believe God has called me to live an abundant life! I love that Mom and Dad taught me this. God wants us to have a rich and full life. I’m so glad! I like telling my friends this. Some think Jesus died for them only so they go to heaven when they die. I’m glad we do, but we get to live for Jesus now. Living with His joy and purpose and God’s strength and energy is how we say “thank you” for His sacrifice. John 10:10 is true—“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

What other beliefs about God and His Word do you need to prioritize? Think about your children’s current character, behavior, and questions. They will show you their needs.