"It’s not enough for children to read the bible or have it read to them; it’s not enough that they memorize bible verses. Parents need to teach them what the bible means (Deut. 6:7). They need to learn theology so that they know what the bible is communicating.
Children can begin to learn theology even before they can begin to read. There are lots of ways to teach theology to children. In our house, we use a catechism. (The catechism we use is adapted for young children from the Westminster Shorter Catechism and modified to reflect a more Baptistic understanding of scripture.) Catechisms are a great way to begin teaching children Christian theology and doctrine. (They are actually good for adults too.)
Why is this important? Right at the outset children will be able to learn the answer to a question that plagues lots of people, including some Christians: Why are we here? What’s our purpose on this earth—not just as Christians, but as human beings created in the image of God? The answer to this question is stunningly simple but easy to get wrong if we don’t start with the revelation of scripture. It’s so simple that young children can learn the answer and have it impact the way they live for the rest of their life.
As some Christians have tried to answer for themselves the question of why God created mankind, they sometimes speculate that perhaps He needed someone to love. I’ve heard more than one Christian offer this opinion as a possible explanation. But this is a false view of God, and such a god is not the God revealed to us in scripture. What we believe about even this question does matter. It’s important that we get this answer right, not only for ourselves but for our children too.
So, time to dig into a little bit of theology.
God is perfect and needs nothing to be complete. Moreover, God is love in his very essence (1 John 4:8), and he does not need an object outside of himself to love. There is perfect unity and love within the persons of the Trinity. God created mankind for His own glory, not because He has a need to fulfill. This doctrine is so important that it is one of the first things young children learn in the children’s catechism.
Q 3. Why did God create you and all things?
A. For his own glory.
This question and answer succinctly teaches the meaning of passages of scripture like Romans 11:36. All things are for God’s glory!
Why is teaching a doctrine like this to children so important?
Teaching this doctrine is a great way to evangelize our children. That God created us for His own glory sets a firm foundation that can help us teach our children their need to repent of their sins and believe in Christ. As the children’s catechism progresses, it teaches children that they glorify God by loving Him and obeying His commandments, and they learn that the bible alone is where they learn what God requires of them.
As children build upon these foundational truths they can begin to see more clearly that they are sinners in need of Christ for salvation. They can learn to see that don’t keep the commandments of God, they don’t glorify Him as they ought, and they need to believe in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.
But teaching such a foundational doctrine has more than evangelistic value. It teaches vital truths about the God whom we are to serve and worship. The former view teaches that God needs something outside of Himself—that God is dependent upon his creation to be complete and perfect. This view is objectively false. Such a view of God is a view more akin to the gods of the pagans than the true and living God revealed to us in scripture. The latter view teaches that God is truly perfect and glorious in Himself (Ex. 3:14; John 5:26; Rom. 1:25, 11:36), and He chose to create mankind in order to magnify His own glory, not out of necessity, but out of His free and sovereign choice.
You see, theology matters. Good theology is crucial. The difference in this particular instance isn’t necessarily a heaven or hell difference—someone can have saving faith in Christ and be mistaken about why God created us—but it does make a difference as to whether or not we are really glorifying God as God and understanding Him as He is revealed in scripture—something I believe all true Christians have a desire to do.
I realize that young children aren’t typically preoccupied with questions about why we are here on this earth, but if we are to train up our children in the way they should go (Prov. 22:6), we need to teach them theology—even doctrine as basic as why God created both them and all other things."
