5 Bible Verses to Teach Your Children about God’s Love for Them
- Vivian Bricker Contributing Writer
- Published Jul 26, 2024
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When I was a child, I knew little about the Bible. My knowledge was limited to the story of Noah's Ark and the prophet Jonah. My mother was a Christian; however, we never read the Bible as a family. Due to my lack of knowledge of the Bible, I did not grow up knowing my worth is in Jesus, what He says about me, or the eternal love He has for us.
Instead, I grew up thinking I had to earn my worth, value, and love. While this is a sad tragedy, it is one many people can relate to. Not growing up with a knowledge of God's love can cause us to try to seek out love in other ways. Personally, I tried to seek out love by making my parents proud of me. Children do this because they desperately want to be loved and known.
If you want to raise your child knowing their infinite worth in God's eyes, you need to start teaching them a few Bible verses about God's love for them. As your children get older, they will appreciate you taking the time to teach them about God's beautiful love for them. Each child is dearly loved in the eyes of God, and you are being the hands and feet of Jesus when you choose to teach them about this.
If you are not sure where to start, here are five Bible verses to get you started.
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1. Psalm 86:15
Slide 1 of 5"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" (Psalm 86:15).
The Book of Psalms is a great place to find endless passages about God's love for us and our children. As a family, it might be a great exercise to have everyone read through the Book of Psalms together and take special note of any passages that talk about God's love. By the time you finish all 150 Psalms, you will have an extensive list of God's love for us. This alone can help build up God's love in your children's hearts.
When we look at Psalm 86:15, we see that God is compassionate and gracious. He is slow to become angry and abounding in love and faithfulness. Help point out to your children the key truth here, "abounding in love." God is abounding in love, which means His love will never run out for us. Nothing we can do or not do will change His love for us.
This will be a great comfort to your children's hearts. Teach them about God's love and also model it to them. Extend God's love in your actions and ensure your children always know they are loved. This will help cultivate a healthy self-image for them as they get older. It will also ensure they know our great and wonderful Savior loves them.
I would have benefited from knowing this passage as a child because my parents were normally very quick to become angry. Instead of showing love and kindness, they were prone to lash out and yell at me. Even if you and your spouse are not angry people, your children can still benefit from knowing Psalm 86:15. It will give them hope on the good and bad days.
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2. Isaiah 54:10
Slide 2 of 5"'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,' says the Lord, who has compassion on you" (Isaiah 54:10).
Isaiah 54:10 teaches us the beautiful truth about God's unfailing love. Through this passage, God tells us His unfailing love for us will not be shaken nor His covenant of peace removed. Mountains and hills can be shaken and removed; however, God's unfailing love will not. Encourage your children with this truth and help it to bring peace into their hearts.
Help your children know that God's love is different from other types of love. His love is unfailing, which means it will never fail us. Other people's love will waver and fail us at times, yet God's love never will. Encourage your children to know they can always turn to Him as He is full of love and compassion. God's love will never fade away.
This can be comforting for children. Although many people may tell your child they don't love them or are unhappy with them, they can hold fast to Isaiah 54:10. God's love for them will never be removed. Ensure your child knows that God's love for them will endure forever. If you are comfortable, maybe you can also share with them that you will always love them, too.
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3. John 3:16
Slide 3 of 5"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
While this verse tends to be overused, we need to share it with our children. It can help them know the extent of God's love for them. Through John 3:16, we are told God loved the world so much that He gave His One and Only Son to die for our sins. Whoever believes in His Son will never perish—they will have eternal life.
Stop and think about this verse with your children. Help them to savor the truth of God's love. God loved us so much that He sent His Son into the world to save us from our sins. How great is this love! There is no greater love than the love God has for us, which is shown to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
His love is also shown through salvation. Anyone who places faith in Jesus will have eternal life. We won't perish. Instead, we will have eternal life with Jesus in Heaven. This beautiful and amazing truth directs us to the love God has for us. Out of God's immense love, He has given us redemption, forgiveness of sins, and eternal life.
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was the greatest illustration of His love for us. Even though John 3:16 is often shared too often to the point it loses its effect, we need to help our children be aware of this passage. It can help them to know that God loves them without conditions. This alone can help our children grow up with a healthy view of themselves and a positive self-image.
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4. Romans 8:37-39
Slide 4 of 5"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39).
The love of God is beautifully illustrated through Romans 8:37-39. The Apostle Paul tells us we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God found in Jesus. Death, life, angels, demons, the present, the future, any powers, height, depth, or anything else cannot separate us from the love of God.
This passage can help encourage your children to know God's love and eradicate any fears your children may have. Romans 8:37-39 points us to the truth that nothing can separate us from God's love, even the scary things, such as death, demons, or the future. This knowledge alone can provide lasting safety, love, and support for your children. You could even encourage your children to memorize this passage to keep in their hearts at all times.
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5. 1 John 3:1
Slide 5 of 5"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him" (1 John 3:1).
A final verse to teach your children about God's love for them is 1 John 3:1. Through this verse, we can teach our children how great the Father's love is—that we are called the children of God. This amazing truth can bring love and hope into your children's hearts as well as your own.
The Father is our good, good Father, and He loves us. Your children will find great comfort and happiness in knowing they are loved by God Himself. This verse is specifically helpful to children who do not have fathers, such as in the instances when their father leaves or passes away. Knowing God is their Father, and they are a child of His will fill their hearts with love.
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