Episode 010: Teaching Children About Sin

Children's Ministry Seminar

EPISODE 010: TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT SIN

by Steve Karges

Podcast Release: March 9, 2022

The Bible says in Romans 6:23 (ESV), " For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Sin is an unhappy subject to teach to children, but it is necessary for us to do so because boys and girls must understand the seriousness of sin and why Jesus died on the cross to save sinners.

Our worldly culture does not want anything defined as sin. Instead, the culture sees everything as a lifestyle choice or a personal preference, and they have declared war on sin and the guilt associated with it.

Sadly, some people think that teaching boys and girls about sin will increase their stress, give them low self-esteem, and cause them to worry, become depressed, or have feelings of inadequacy. They will say things like, "The guilt you feel is normal," or "It's not your fault, stop blaming yourself." Unfortunately, these people may not be true followers of Christ because their lack of understanding about sin does not align with God's Word.

Children cannot understand the solution to a problem, like sin, until they understand the problem. Once the problem is diagnosed, the cure can be understood.   But without an understanding of sin, children cannot understand God's solution and remedy for it.

In other words, kids need to hear the bad news before they can understand the Good News, and when we teach children about sin, we must be clear and help them understand what the Bible says about it.

The following is a Biblical definition of sin that I encourage you to teach to the boys and girls in your church.

First, sin is any violation of God's law (I John 3:4). The Bible teaches us about God and what He commands us to do and not do, which is known as the law. Therefore, when a child disobeys God's written Word, they sin against Almighty God.

Second, sin is rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). When a child says, "I want to do things my way" instead of God's way, they have rebelled and sinned against Him.

Third, sin is ingratitude to God (Romans 1:18-32). Everything we have comes to us from God. When we fail to thank God for what He has given us and we are ungrateful, we sin against Him.

Please note that every sin we commit is against God. Therefore, anything we do that falls short of His holiness, His righteousness, and His perfect standard is sin (Psalm 51:4; Romans 3:23).

The four ways we sin are (a) to think evil, (b) to speak evil, (c) to act evil, and (d) to neglect or fail to do what is right. One may say that sin is our decision to choose the wrong thing over the right thing.

Sin came into this world through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden when they listened to and obeyed the lies of Satan, rather than obey what God had said (Genesis 3:1-7).

All of us are descendants of Adam and Eve, and because of that, we inherited their sinful nature. Adam and Eve's sinful nature has been passed down to us through the generations (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12).

After teaching kids about sin, they need to know that every person sins, including each one of them (Romans 3:10, 23). Explain to the children in your church that all of us fall short of God's perfection and righteous standard.

But don't end your lesson without telling the kids the Good News! God has provided a way through Jesus for all their sin---past, present, and future---to be forgiven and for them to be made righteous before the Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

FOR YOUR MINISTRY TOOLBOX

1) Do you believe that one sin can send a person to Hell? According to Scripture, the answer is "Yes," and if you do not believe this truth, please read all of the Bible verses listed in the Show Notes for Episode 10. Then pray and ask God to help you understand the seriousness of sin from His perspective.

2) Talk to the children in your church and ask them to define sin. Then, make sure they understand the true meaning of sin from the Bible.

3) Ask the children in your church to give examples of sin so they can identify them in their own lives.

TAGS: Genesis 3:1-7; Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 51:4-5; Romans 1:18-32, 3:10 & 23, 5:12, 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; I John 3:4; Teaching Children; Sin;

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