Bitesized Truths – Simplifying Biblical Truth without Being Shallow
Searching For Connection
Daniel and the lions’ den, Noah’s ark, Abraham’s journey, Joseph and his multicolored coat… if you had asked me about these stories as a child or teen, I could have reeled them off to you with no problem at all. From the youngest age they were ingrained into me – I read Bible stories with my Mom every night, listened to them at Sunday school and was privileged enough to belong to a church with a midweek kids ministry as well.
The stories were familiar, the characters known, and my Bible well flicked through. And yet the connection between those stories and my own lived experience seemed very tenuous. I had, in all reality, very little idea what these epic stories of heroes of the faith had to do with my little suburban London childhood.
Diving Deep
Over the following years, through the intentional consistency of my parents, and the bold gospel teaching of my youth leaders and Sunday-school teachers, these stories began to take root. The truths they revealed about who God is and what that meant for me led me to make a commitment to the Lord Jesus for myself. I am so grateful that those adults in my life didn’t hold back from teaching me big truths and deep theology. They understood that children can grasp the most amazing things if presented in a way they can make sense of.
It was many years later, with my own brood of children, that I realised the importance of what the adults in my life had done for me. They had not shied away from teaching me complex things. It would have been easy for them to stick to shallow application or simplified theology, but they opened up the Word of God and taught me with the expectation that I could understand it.
“We begin by helping children to see that any time we approach the Bible there is one big question we must answer first: what does this passage teach me about God (who he is, and what he’s done).”
In Matthew 11, as Jesus prays to his Father, he thanks God that while the wise are stumped by gospel truths, God has “revealed them to little children” (Matthew 11:25, NIV), and over and over in Scripture we see references to the upside-down nature of the kingdom of God. If we take God’s Word literally, children might be the best placed to understand and accept truths that we adults grapple with. They are the ultimate question askers! They are curious and open-minded and hungry to learn. When we lay robust theological foundations for our children, we are giving them a solid basis on which to build their lives. Sticking to shallow application or simplified theology does them no favors.
Making It Work
But how do we do it? We begin by helping children to see that any time we approach the Bible there is one big question we must answer first: what does this passage teach me about God (who he is, and what he’s done). The Bible is not primarily a book about us, it’s the story of the living God’s dealings with our world and with us. We won’t truly understand what it means for us if we do not ask this question first – and it’s a question that even the youngest child can begin to answer for themselves.
As we open God’s Word with our children and young people – around the table, in the evenings before bed, or on the go – let’s get into the habit of making this our first question. Suddenly those all-familiar stories start to go much deeper. Noah teaches us that there is a God who is Judge of all the earth, but will always provide a rescue. Joseph teaches us that there is a sovereign God who is working his purposes out even in the hard realities of life. Abraham tells us that there is a God who always keeps his promises.
Starting to read these familiar stories with the next generation through the lens of who God is, will help build a framework of God’s character that will teach them to know that sin is serious, but God is a Rescuer; that even when everything appears to be going wrong, they can trust that God is on the move; and that God will never let them down or fail to come through on a promise. This is real theology for young minds. Theology that upholds them and gives them deep roots of faith to anchor them when the storms of life come.
It’s a simple question, but it’s a question that will begin to help our children and young people to explore the beautiful, rich depths of the Word of God for themselves. Now the question is for us adults: are we satisfied to continue serving up simplified theology to our kids? Or are we ready to dive into the depths?
Claire Sims is the author of Deep Dive into the Old Testament. She is a wife, mother of five, and former school teacher. Find more of Claire’s discipleship ideas and Bible resources on her Instagram account, @gathergospelgrowco.