Teaching Kids Theology Part 5
TLDR: Theology isn’t just what we learn; it’s also what we do. While pastors and teachers can help kids learn and apply theology, they are more limited in the latter because of time and proximity. But parents have the unique opportunity to greatly influence how their kids live out what they learn.
Imagine that one of your children came to you one day and told you that they wanted to play soccer. So you go online and buy the necessary equipment and a handful of books about soccer. When the shipment arrives at your door, you have your child put on the gear and sit down on the couch, and then you read book after book to them. A few hours later when you’re done, you announce, “Okay. We’re all done. How did you like soccer?”
How do you suspect your child would respond? Probably something like, “What? That wasn’t soccer! I learned about soccer, but I wanted to play soccer!” And they’d be right.
Applied Theology
This story is a silly illustration for what theology is. When we think of theology, we probably think of what we learn—and that’s true, of course. Theology is taught. But theology isn’t only taught. Theology is lived. We can call this applied theology. This is what Paul wanted for his young protégé Timothy to understand:
Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NET)
We can see that “teaching” comes first, but it doesn’t stop there. “Reproof” and “correction” imply not just a change in thinking, but in behavior too. But then we see “training in righteousness” and that becomes even clearer that theology is to lead to action. And if we still had any doubt about the active nature of theology, Paul concludes with the grand purpose of all this: so that we are “equipped for every good work.”
Theology, then, isn’t just an exercise of the head. It’s also to be an exercise of the heart and the hands. Head. Heart, Hands. Orthodoxy. Orthopathy. Orthopraxy. That’s the fullness of theology that we’re after.
Applying Theology
Now, some of you might be thinking, “Wait a minute. I was pretty uncomfortable with the idea that I was supposed to teach my kids theology, but now I also need to somehow figure out how to apply theology? Now I’m really uncomfortable.” And that’s okay if you are. But remember, God doesn’t call us to do anything he doesn’t equip and empower us to do. And when you understand the Rosetta Stone of applied theology, you’ll see it really isn’t as difficult as you might think. So what is that Rosetta Stone? What is the key to driving theology learned to theology lived? Jesus.
Here’s the big idea we need to remember. God made us as his image bearers (Genesis 1:26–27). And Jesus is the perfect image of God (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). So if we want to know how it is that we are to live, we look to Jesus.
Now, we know that Jesus is the Son of God come to earth in the flesh. So, he is fully divine and fully human without either of those two natures mixing or being compromised. He isn’t 50 percent God and 50 percent human. He isn’t 100 percent human-God. He is 100 percent God and 100 percent human. So when it comes to imitating Jesus, we don’t imitate his deity, of course. We imitate his perfect humanity. And this is where we find our key to apply theology.
Two Lenses to See Jesus
Whatever we learn in Scripture, we connect to Christ. We do this in one of two ways: (1) we connect it to Christ’s redemptive work and (2) we connect it to Christ’s perfect character. Sometimes we can do both. Take Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22 for example.
When we read this account, it becomes quickly apparent that this is a picture of the cross. The father is to offer his beloved son’s life. They walk up a mountain that many scholars believe would have been where Jerusalem was later built. The son carries the wood. And when we read and interpret this true historical account through that lens, we are left shaking our heads in awe of what God the Father did for us. Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac; God the Father sacrificed his Son.
But we also see something else in this passage. Genesis 22:2 is the first verse in the Bible to mention love. God wanted to know if Abraham loved him more than anything, even his son. And we are struck that Abraham did. Abraham’s obedience is impressive, humbling even. And so as we consider this passage, we also are drawn to how God wants us to live in complete devotion and obedience to him. Just like we see with Jesus in the Gospels.
The Marks of Jesus
To help you apply Scripture and theology to Jesus, it might help you to consider the marks of Jesus’ perfect human character. These marks can provide a sort of target for you, but be careful not to restrict everything to them. We never want to force a Scripture passage or theological truth to say what we want it to say. We want to follow it to where God leads.
With that warning, here are a few character marks of Jesus to consider: love, humility, kindness, generosity, obedience, compassion, and friendship. Or, think of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” As we seek to apply theology—to live as God’s image bearers and like Jesus, the perfect image of God, these are what should mark us and our kids too. All applied theology should ultimately lead here.
If you are looking for a resource to help you grow as a theologian and to help you teach your children theology, Faith Foundations is for you. These ninety-nine devotions use an ancient tool called a catechism to teach the core doctrines of the faith. Each devotion features a Bible reading, a devotion, several engaging questions, a Jesus connection, and a suggested family activity. Faith Foundations releases October 21, 2025 but you can preorder a copy today.
brian dembowczyk 