11 Biblical Lessons to Teach Our Children Today
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- Updated Mar 30, 2022
“Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, offspring, a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them. They will never be put to shame when they speak with their enemies at the city gate” (Psalm 127:3-5, CSB). The Bible has plenty to say about children. Jesus says that Heaven belongs to them (Matthew 19:14), and Solomon helps us understand that good parenting leads children to prosperous futures (Proverbs 22:6). There’s a lot of wisdom we can draw from Scripture as parents, mentors, teachers, but how much of Scripture do our children know?
Are they able to recite a verse? Can they name three Bible characters? Have they even read the Bible before?
These questions are especially important today in the face of Critical Race Theory, gender theory, and anything else that teaches ideas contrary to Scripture.
We were children once, impressionable, naive, soaking up information about life as it was given to us. We weren’t always able to discern fact from fiction, truth from lies. We needed guidance for that, guidance from parents, teachers, mentors, and more. And those who taught us how to walk with the Lord were those equipped with Scripture.
The same is true about children today. They need us to be a guiding light especially when many of the voices they hear are telling them things that God never would. With this in mind, here are 11 lessons to teach our children today.
You Are Made in God’s Image
“So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.” (Genesis 1:27)
We often joke around with our children about who they resemble more, mom or dad. In the very first chapter of Scripture, we read about someone else they resemble too: God. This is an important lesson to teach our children because being made in the image of God is where we gain our worth.
Children often feel validated by their quantity of friends, or toys, or social media status. When those things are gone, what’s left?
The answer is God’s love, something they won’t lose even if their parent gave up on them (Psalm 27:10). Children who recognize their worth young won’t grow up to question who they belong to. They’ll know the answer is God.
We Are Boys and Girls
Referencing Genesis 1:27 again, there’s an important lesson to teach our children today about gender. God created some of us to be male and some of us to be female. Unfortunately, many in the younger generations are taught that sex and gender are separate ideas and that no matter how you were born, you can choose what you want to be.
Scripture says something different. God created each of us with intention and with a purpose (Psalm 139:13-14). The more children are aware of this truth, the less they will doubt their identity.
Stay Innocent
“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)
There are ever-present dangers threatening to take away the innocence of children, from gender theory, to online pornography, to politics. Any parent who has children can attest to the little ones enjoying when they can feel a sense of authority and behave more like an adult.
A good lesson to teach them is to enjoy their childhoods. They only get one and being an adult is not as ideal as they may imagine.
How to Define Right from Wrong
“So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.” (James 4:17)
How do any of us know right from wrong? Some we guess intuitively, the rest we learn.
When we teach our children right from wrong we should use Scripture as the basis for our teachings. Without God’s Word, what we claim right or wrong becomes merely opinion. That leaves room for strife when two people don’t share the same opinion.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
Never Stop Learning
“The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it.” (Proverbs 18:15)
This is a helpful reminder for adults too! The way we increase our knowledge is by learning, either in a classroom, through conversation, and through reading Scripture. We stop learning only when we stop making an effort and that’s when forgetfulness sets in.
How can we best please God? By always striving to be more like Christ, and therefore, always be open to learning.
Save Yourself for Marriage
“Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.” (Hebrews 13:4)
Chastity is an important lesson for older children today, considering virginity is not common nor encouraged outside of the faith. Still, virginity does wonders for marriage. The Bible hints at this and science confirms. Sometimes we don’t know why God says not to do something, but we reap benefits when we trust in Him. Sex is just one of those areas.
The Definition of Marriage
“This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)
There are many alternative lifestyles that the world offers, but there’s one type of coupling prescribed in the Bible. And this type of coupling is something God does not desire to see end even though that is the norm.
Any sort of dating relationship our children engage in should have the end goal that God has set forth for us. Deviating from that end goal sets them and the relationship up for consequences.
Race Is Not a Biblical Concept
Today, Critical Race Theory has been teaching our children that some of them are born oppressors, others are born oppressed, and that we are culpable of the sins of our fathers.
The Bible does not put forth any racial ideology because humans invented the concept.
Whether or not we choose to maintain the concept as a society, our children (and we), should know why the idea exists and where it originated.
How to Pray
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
As Christians, we communicate with God through prayer, but knowing how to pray, when, and what to say, doesn’t come naturally to all of us. By demonstrating prayer for our children, we’ll be helping them develop better communication to use in their relationship with God.
Progress Not Perfection
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
If they don’t know now, one day your children are going to discover that you aren’t perfect. One day they’ll realize their own brokenness. These discoveries are not reason for despair, but rather an opportunity to recognize our need for God. As we strive to be more like Jesus, we take our good with our bad, forgiving ourselves and others just as God forgives.
We’ll fail over and over again, but we aim for progress, not perfection. Our worth, granted by God, won’t be taken away by sin.
Jesus Died for Our Sins
“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
God’s love for humanity can be summarized through one act done by one person, Jesus died for our sins. This is a lesson to remind our children whenever they doubt their worth in life. Just like us, they’ll encounter tough and dark seasons of life, sometimes as a result of their sin, sometimes as a result of others. God’s love doesn’t waver no matter what.
Conclusion
Children can learn a lot through us and we can learn a lot through them. Some of the lessons on this list may be good reminders for us too in our own spiritual lives. As we train up the next generation of believers, we further cement Scripture in our own hearts and minds. Those we train will be able to support us in our hour of need, and when their time comes, they’ll be imparting wisdom on the newer generation.
Just as bad ideas can be passed from father to son, generation to generation, so too can wisdom. Let’s do our part to spread more wisdom today.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Sasiistock
Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
