Really Reading the Bible with Children

Is intent the same as doing?

I have taught in Christian schools and Churches for nearly thirty years, as well as having raised my own children. I hoped in every one of these situations that I was teaching children to read their Bible. The truth was that most of the time I was not. I was telling them what they should do, but not teaching them how to do it. No matter how many times one says, "you should read your Bible," there is no guarantee that they are actually doing it; intent is not the same as doing.

I have never had a student sit in one of my classes and tell me they would not read the Bible. Most students have a hard time admitting when they do not know something, so they don't really tell you they don't know how or won't read the Bible, especially if they have any respect for their teacher.

Born of the Spirit of God

There is one really important factor we must consider if anyone is going to understand the Word of God, and that is the need to be born of the Spirit of God. Jesus called this "being born again". This is an interesting and vital topic for us to understand. Because God is Spirit, the things of God are Spirit. To begin the discussion of what this means we are going to listen in on a strange conversation that Jesus had with a Pharisee named Nicodemus in the middle of the night.

John 3:1-4

3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

This is still a strange conversation because it begins with Nicodemus calling Jesus a “good teacher who has come from God” to which Jesus replies, “that’s nice but you have to be born again to see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus is naturally confused and so are we if we are honest. Being born again is a strange topic to our natural ears. Why must we be born a second time? And how can we possibly be born a second time? Nicodemus asks if he is to somehow go back into his mother’s womb and be born a second time? So, Jesus says we have to be born two ways: the first is of water and the second is by the Spirit. So, by water, of course, refers to our natural birth where we are developed in the womb in a sac of water and we are born as the sac of water bursts. The second birth is of the Spirit. These are the two possible births. The first is natural and the choice is made by our parents at conception, while the second is a choice with confession that each must make in the Lord Jesus Christ.

In John 3:5-6

” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[] gives birth to spirit”.

Now back to how to be born again. We are all too familiar with John 3:16, but we have to understand that this is the conclusion of Jesus’ conversation with Nikodemus and His answer to the great question of how to be born again. God sent His Son to pay the just penalty for sin, so whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life which is the very Spirit of God! Peter explains it clearly in 1 Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”. Jesus is that living enduring Word of God sent to pay for our sin so that we can be born again of the Spirit of God.

In conclusion with regard to being born again, I will quote Romans 8:14-16 which says:

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

So it is by this Spirit that we are then able to understand the Word of God and discern the things of God. This is the first and foundational step to being able to read and understand the Bible for both children and adults.

May you know the love of Christ that is beyond what you can imagine

Grace