Episode 018: Teaching Children about the Trinity

Children's Ministry Seminar

EPISODE 018: TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT THE TRINITY

by Steve Karges

Podcast Release: October 19, 2022

The word “Trinity” does not appear anywhere in the Bible, but a careful study of Scripture reveals that God is one Deity, who eternally exists in three persons.

With our human minds, we do not fully know or understand how this can be, but we believe in the Doctrine of the Trinity because that is what the Scripture tells us about God. Remember, the Bible is where we go for Truth (John 17:17), and the Scripture reveals everything God wants us to know about Himself.

The Trinity, also known as The Triune God, is the one true and living God in three persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one God having the same mind, the same will, and the same power. All three persons of the Trinity are the same Being, and all are Divine in equal measure. Together, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God.

You must emphasize this fundamental truth about God to the boys and girls in your children’s ministry. When you teach kids about the Trinity, you will always want them to know that we worship and believe in one God, not in three separate gods.

You can use two simple illustrations to help children understand the concept of three in one.

The first is that of a hard-boiled egg. Show your kids a hard-boiled egg to explain how this one egg has three individual identities. Then start peeling off the shell to reveal the three in one; the eggshell, the egg white, and the egg yolk.

A second illustration is that of water. Show the kids a glass of water. Then show them some ice, followed by a pot of hot steaming water. It is all water, but with three separate personas: liquid, frozen solid, and steam. Again, three in one.

Following these illustrations, take the kids in your children’s ministry to the Bible and show them the work of the Trinity in Creation. In Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV), we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Note the mention of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

Then look at John 1:1-3 (ESV), which says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” In this passage of Scripture, “the Word” refers to Jesus, who is also known as the Second Person of the Trinity. So, we learn from the Bible that all three persons of the Trinity had roles in the Creation.

Now take your kids to the New Testament again, where they can see all three persons of the Trinity involved in the baptism of Jesus. In Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV), we read, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”

Then take your children to Matthew 28:19 (ESV), where Jesus gives His disciples the Great Commission and says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Once again, the Triune God is identified as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God in three persons.

Finally, show your boys and girls how the Apostle Paul mentions all three persons of the Trinity in 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV), which says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

As you study the Bible and teach it to kids at church, pray and ask God to reveal His Trinitarian nature to you. God the Holy Spirit is your teacher, and He will guide you to the Truth (John 16:13).

FOR YOUR MINISTRY TOOLBOX

1) Are you familiar with the short hymn of praise and worship to God called “The Doxology?” If not, this is a great hymn to teach to children. Here are the words…

“Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

(Explain to the boys and girls how the Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost, so they are not confused. Holy Ghost is used in the King James translation of the Bible and means Holy Spirit.)

TAGS: Genesis 1:1-2; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 1:1-3, 16:13, 17:17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Trinity; Triune God; Teaching Children.

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