People ask my wife and me why we take the time to personally teach our kids the Bible during the day.
They pose the same question to other Positive Action team members who choose a traditional Christian school for their kids—why take the time to explore Scripture during school hours?
There are two why’s behind that question:
- Why do you teach your kids from the Bible?
- Why do you teach your kids the Bible using a formal study or curriculum?
I’ll just tackle Question 1 right now, since Question 2 involves more complicated matters of preference and conviction.
Here’s the top item on my list.
I don’t get excited about teaching the Bible because I want my kids to become elite theologians, master textual critics, or Greek nerds. I believe teaching Scripture to be important because it connects my kids to their greatest need—a relationship with their Creator (John 15:5; 17:1–3).
Through His Word they’ll learn to see Him at work. When they read of Moses or Ruth or Daniel, they won’t see heroes, but rather the God that uses imperfect men and women for His glory. They should not see God as a disconnected, disinterested force, but rather as a Father who created in us a capacity to know Him, love Him, and reflect His light. God made us to be with Him—He wants to relate to us.
Compared to knowing God, the other things we learn decrease in value. Facts become useless, outdated, or forgotten. But by God’s grace, our relationship with Him will grow and flourish, opening our hearts to true joy and true wisdom that last for eternity.
- Your view of God will determine your every belief and action.
- Your awe at His holiness will transform your lifestyle and character (Isa. 6:1–7).
- Your study of His justice will embolden you to help the downtrodden and accomplish His good (James 1:5, 22, 27).
- Your gratitude for His love will inspire you to sacrifice for others (Rom. 12:1–21).
- Your knowledge of His truth will drive you to seek what is right and excellent (Prov. 1:7; John 1:14; 8:32; 18:37; 1 Cor. 13:6; Eph. 4:25).
As we grow closer to God, His grace will transform us to better reflect Him.
We don’t need to teach everything perfectly—just point our kids to the God that has promised to work through our influence (Prov. 22:6), His Word (Heb. 4:12), and His Spirit (John 16:13). We do not teach our kids in order to dictate what they should think—we teach because we trust God to show them how.
Five little reasons follow this big one. Will unpack them in the next post.
Born in Chicago but raised out West in a pastor’s family, Jason Ehmann has been involved with ministry all his life. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Bible and a master’s in Counseling, Jason has served as youth pastor, senior pastor, and now president at Positive Action. Today he helps pastors and teachers show God’s glory and grace to their students. A big fan of coffee, Jason also enjoys skiing and football, as well as art and design. He and his wife live in North Carolina with their four children.
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