How to Explain Salvation to a Child

Nobody told me who the Lord was when I was a kid. As a result I was plunged into my teenage years without any idea about who He was, what He did for me, or how my life could be changed by Him. I was lost. Why didn't anyone tell me? Perhaps they thought I was too little to understand, too young to care, or not old enough to make a difference. I guess nobody thought that a lost kid would turn into a lost teenager, and so on. Thank the Lord, at the age of 15, someone had the courage to introduce my cold heart to the gospel!
Maybe there's a kid in your life you could share the Lord with. Just remember: they're not to young, the will care, and they can make a difference. Here are some things to help you introduce salvation into the life of a child...

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• The Holy Ghost
• The Word
• Prayer
• A kid!

1. Pray.
   You will never truly bring people to know God if you can't bring yourself before Him in prayer. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have because prayer doesn't fight against flesh and blood, but against every evil in this spiritual warfare. (Ephesians 6:12) Pray for your kids.
   A boy at the daycare I work for asked me just today, "why is living for God so much harder than people make it sound." Kids face more than we imagine, they need prayer just as much as the next adult. Pray.

2. Read the Word.
   Read it, and again, pray. Pray that the Word of God would become so real to you! When the Word of the Lord is like a fire within you (Jeremiah 20:9)it will be hard not to want to share it with anyone who will listen. (..And even those who won't..) After the Word is alive in you, ask God to give you the wisdom and patience to explain it to a child. You will have to use simple words, explain things piece by piece, and have much patience. The Lord can help you witness to a child just as He helps you witness to an adult.

3. Be Led of the Holy Spirit.
   The Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives inside of us. (That's how I explain it to my kids, actually..) If He lives inside of you, then be led of Him! (Romans 8:14) Often I will have no idea how to respond to a child's question until I've prayed and been led of the Spirit to answer. Listen to His Word, and be led of the Holy Spirit.

4. Keeping all of the above in mind...here's the best way I've found to explain salvation to a kid:
   *Ask them to think of a time that they did something wrong and were punished for it. (Give a specific example, or have them come up with one.) Let them know that everybody has sinned, or done things wrong, and should be punished for it- by God. (Romans 3:23)
   *Now, have them think of a time that they did something wrong, but they were forgiven for it. (or use an example of your own.) Let them know that even though they have sinned and deserve to be punished, that God gave up everything He could (Jesus) just so that they could be forgiven. (Romans 5:7-8)
   *Next, explain to them that the only way to be forgiven is through something called "salvation." This means we tell God how sorry we are for every sin, we ask to be forgiven, and let God change our sins into a love that we have towards Him. (John 14:6)
   *Use your Word to backup every point you make to them, and explain the Word in a way they can understand.

5. Now that you've explained the basics of salvation, ask them if they want to pray. If they don't, then don't make them. Be patient. Just like with any adult, if they don't mean the words they are praying then it won't make any difference to them. You can lead them in a prayer, or have them pray on their own based on what they've learned and what God is doing in them. I was extremely blessed one time when a little girl prayed all on her own, "God, I don't want to be far away from you anymore. So, help me to love you, and forgive me." The Spirit can do things we'd never imagine..

6. Remember that salvation is a day by day lifestyle we take on with the help of God. They'll have all kinds of questions, and you'll be blessed by every change, and learn from every challenge. Pray, Fast, Read, and Be Led.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember that salvation is something we live out daily. Everyday is a new day for your kid to learn more and more about their own salvation. Be patient, and take questions, experiences, and spiritual growth as it comes to them.
• Encourage your kids with your own salvation/ lifestyle. Let them know what a Biblical believer looks like by example.
• Believe that your kids can change the world because the God of the universe lives within them. Help them think of ways to serve the Lord (prayer, writing cards to missionaries, singing a worship song at church..) Just as the Lord uses us, so can He use our kids.
• Don't ever let a kid you know not hear the gospel. Please. Oh, please. Don't let them go on lost. Whether their 8 or 80...they need God. Don't forget to tell your kids. Their spiritual lives depend on it.
• Here are just a few ways to very basically describe biblical terms: Prayer- talking to God. Offering- giving back to God. The Holy Spirit- the part of God that lives inside of us. Jesus- the Son of God who gave everything up just to have us. God- our Father, who made us. Testimony- telling people about what God has done for us. The Bible- What God wants us to know about Him and what He's done. Sin- things we've all done wrong (go through 10 commandments. Salvation- really loving God everyday (teach them what "love" implies).
• Just as every adult doesn't accept God, neither will every child. That's when you repeat step number one.

[edwardvance]

on 9/25/2009 Super! Five stars, and I have recommended you.

[roseanne09]

on 3/9/2009 This is a wonderful article!!! Thankyou for sharing with community!!! *****

[joni04]

on 2/25/2009 Thanks for this article. I see so many lost souls out there that do not know the Lord. It does help if they start out young. ***** and recommended

[momoftwingirls]

on 2/21/2009 That is an excellent article. You are right, prayer is the most important part of our Walk with the Lord. I think I pray, AKA talk, to the Lord all day long. I am doing an inductive bible study in Colossians right now, and wow, it is amazing what I re learning about how much my Savior loves me.My twins are 3 so they are not really ready for the salvation talk yet, but they do learn about Jesus in Sunday School, we pray for them to have a good day in daycare 3x a week, we pray before B,L

[FrazzledNanny]

on 2/19/2009 Being led by the Holy Spirit is the most important part. I've worked with all ages of children (up through teens) and the only time it matters is when the Holy Spirit is leading. On our own, we can't match the difference we make with God. 5*