Teaching Kids Theology Part 10
TLDR: The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force; He is the third Person of the Trinity, given to us as believers for our benefit and for the benefit of others.
Can we be honest?1 Life is hard at times. Following Jesus can be too. Sometimes it can even feel like following Jesus makes life hard. We know it, and our kids know it too. Jesus never promised that following him would be the path to comfort and ease. He promised that it would be challenging. He promised that it would be difficult. He even promised that it would be painful at times. But we can’t miss something else Jesus promised: he promised that we won’t make this journey alone. The Holy Spirit will always be with us.
As you think of how to teach about the Holy Spirit, a field of theology called pneumatology, the first issue concerns who the Holy Spirit is. The word who is emphasized because that’s crucial to understanding the Holy Spirit. He is a “he,” not an “it.” He is a person, just like God the Father and God the Son. And just like God the Father and God the Son, the Holy Spirit is fully God.
Beyond that, it’s important to help our kids know what the Holy Spirit does—how he comes alongside us to help us. This makes all the difference as we navigate the challenges of life. Jesus didn’t tell us life would be hard and then leave us with a “good luck” and a thumbs up. He left us with one of the three Persons of the Trinity coming to live within us when we trust in Christ. The Holy Spirit is ever-present, providing comfort, care, guidance, assurance, and so much more. The Holy Spirit will carry us through any difficulty we face. But just like the beauty and power of the cross are only true for us if we trust in Jesus, we must recognize that the ministry of the Holy Spirit means little if we fail to live in humility. He is always with us, but we need to always be giving him control of our lives so he will do what he wants to do and is capable of doing for us. We need to yield to the Holy Spirit, or put another way, live by the Spirit and give him room to work in us, through us, and for us.
This is seen most clearly in the fruit of the Spirit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22–23 (NET)
What’s important to remember here is that this is called “the fruit of the Spirit,” not “the fruit of the Christian.” All these wonderful characteristics are produced by the Holy Spirit in and through us; they are not up to us to produce in our own power.
After that, it’s important to see how good these characteristics are and how much they help us in life. Living in love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control doesn’t just improve our daily living; they improve the lives of those around us. These are internal and external gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit himself is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. He is there ready to lead us, guide us, and help us. He’s also ready to produce his fruit in us—fruit that is good for us and good for others. But it all hinges on us, in humility, trusting in Jesus and being changed by him, and then continuing in humility day by day, as we turn control of our lives over to God the Holy Spirit.
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 is now available for purchase.
- The first three and last paragraph of this blog post are slightly adapted excerpt from Faith Foundations. (Brian Dembowczyk, Faith Foundations: 99 Devotions to Help Your Family Know, Love, & Act Like Jesus. Downers Grove: IVP, 2025.) ↩︎
brian dembowczyk 