The days of dropping our kids off at Sunday School once a week and hoping what they learn in that hour makes a lasting impression are coming to a close. It’s not that this shouldn’t still continue—it definitely should. However, the reality is, for our kids to know their identity in Christ, one hour a week of Biblical instruction isn’t going to cut it.
Most kids are surrounded by a “Babylonian” worldview from school to extracurricular activities all week long. The message is becoming increasingly more about self: “Making choices based on what makes YOU happy.” Whether we recognize it or not, the message is increasingly becoming more anti-God.
Young people are inundated with messages throughout the week that contradict the message they receive in a Biblical community setting. So then, can parents and grandparents do something to prepare the younger generation and teach kids their identity in Christ?
Yes! As parents and grandparents, we can teach our kids their identity in Christ with assurance the Holy Spirit will guide us. In fact, this is part of our personal ministry work here on earth.
We have a community of people who can encourage us in the parenting process! While the world’s message seems loud, in a strong community, the voice of truth is louder than the world.
- “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”—1 John 4:4
5 Ways to Help Kids Connect to Their Identity in Christ
As a parent who desires to teach kids their identity in Christ, you face challenges parents in the past did not.
Challenges have always existed. However, we have historically embraced Biblical values and worldviews in America, which was established as a Judeo-Christian culture. This is changing and creating new challenges for parents today.
This change is why kids must know their identity in Christ. They must hear us—their parents—tell them who they are and who they belong to. They must also see us standing in faith, knowing who we are and who we belong to.
Here are a few practical ways to help your kids connect to their identity in Christ.
- Tell them about God’s authority.
Children won’t know their identity in Christ unless they understand who has authority in their lives—God. The best way to reveal this truth is for them to see and hear about God’s authority.
The problem in society today is a lack of respect for authority. Have there been instances when those in authority have misused their power? Absolutely. But when there is a message all those in authority can’t be trusted and misuse their power, it damages our kids.
So then, teaching them about God’s perfect authority also teaches them He can be trusted because He can’t lie (Titus 1:2). Verses that tell them God is the Creator and all is made for Him and by Him reveal His authority.
- “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.”—Romans 11:36
- “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.”—1 Chronicles 29:11
- Tell them what they have in Christ.
At a young age, tell your kids who they are and who has authority in their lives. Teach them the joy of being a child of God. Teach them verses and passages that speak to who they are in Christ.
Ephesians 1 is a great place to start. This chapter tells them as children of God, they…
- Have every spiritual blessing
- Are chosen before the creation of the world
- Are holy and blameless
- Are predestined for adoption
- Are redeemed by Jesus’ blood
- Have been forgiven of sin
- Have an inheritance
- Look for opportunities.
You can’t pull them out of a Babylonian culture when this is the culture you live in, but you can equip them in it. When watching a show together, look for subtle messages that speak against Biblical truth. Messages that promote pantheism, relative truth, or the like are opportunities for you to speak truth to your children.
Tell them these messages aren’t Biblical, and then teach them what the Bible actually says—there is One God who created all of heaven and earth. God is the Creator, not the created.
- “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”—Colossians 1:16-17
- Talk to them about the battle.
Wherever children are, there is a spiritual battle. The spirit of Babylon is after the nation’s children, looking to indoctrinate and reprogram them so they will trade a Biblical worldview for a Babylonian worldview.
As they begin to mature, you must open the gates in their lives with wisdom. Part of that wisdom is talking to them about the battle taking place in their minds and hearts.
Give them the good news, that they have divine weapons that can pull down any lie from the enemy. God sees and hears them and never leaves or forsakes them.
- “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…”—12 Corinthians 10:4-5
- Be intentional.
Let’s not confuse giving attention with being intentional. You might hear kids need attention, yes, but they need intentional attention. In other words, the kind of attention given is important.
Be intentional about teaching kids their identity in Christ. Let them hear and see you pray when you are joyful and when you are stressed. Let them hear you talk to God, asking Him to remind you of your identity. Let them listen to you praying about who He is—His wonderful attributes, works, and love. Let them see you reading and studying the word individually and as part of a community.
For older kids, intentionally set up times to talk about life’s challenges and, as mentioned above, look for opportunities to show them the reality of who God is. Consider different ways to serve others together through a Biblical community.
- “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is… but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…”—Ephesians 5: 17-18, 19
The Takeaway
Parents today face a challenge that parents generations ago did not. Teaching our kids their identity in Christ gets harder as our culture’s messages move further away from a Biblical worldview.
So then, what can we do?
Kids must hear who they are and know who they belong to. They must see us—their parents, leaders, and authority figures—embracing who we are and who we belong to.
They must see and hear us…
- Praying
- Worshiping
- Reading
- Serving
- Fellowshipping
Teaching kids their identity in Christ is a process for any parent, but the practical tips above can help guide you.
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