Summary: When we talk about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our children, what should our focus be? Initially, it should be that God is our heavenly Father. He is perfect and loves us with an everlasting love. Then, the issue of sin needs to be addressed. Scripture often speaks of God’s love and our sin in the same breath. Romans 5:8 tells us that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” To experience God’s love, our children must own up to those things in their lives that hurt Him—selfishness, stealing, lying, and all the rest. They need to see that “the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23. They need to learn that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. The aim is to show children that Jesus voluntarily took our sins on Himself. Here’s a simple illustration: Place an object in your right hand, explaining that the object represents all our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, God took our sins and laid them on His Son. Then place the object in your left hand. Where are those sins now? They’re on Jesus, not me. What good news for children of all ages. I never get tired of it, I tell you! This is Luis Palau.
