Teaching Kids Theology Part 12
TLDR: Salvation is, of course, one of the most important theological truths we can share with our children. However, there’s much more to it than a simple Gospel tract. Several key theological terms and questions should be explored.
Most people don’t realize it, but the area of systematic theology they likely know the most about is one called soteriology, the study of salvation.1 That’s because the most famous Bible verse—one that even many non-Christians know of—has got to be John 3:16, and that’s a verse all about salvation.
For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NET)
Sin has broken our relationship with God and there’s nothing we can do about that. Notice there’s nothing we can do. But that’s not to say nothing can be done. God can certainly do something about our sin problem, and that’s exactly what he did. Our loving, gracious, merciful, majestic, wonderful, holy, powerful God made a way—the only way—through Jesus. Salvation is thus a breathtaking mixture of initial despair and lasting hope.
Part of teaching about salvation is introducing a child to several key theological terms. In general, we want to “bring down” the language for our kids to make it accessible and understandable. However, there are critical theological terms that we want our kids to learn and grow into.
- Grace | This is God giving us something good that we don’t deserve. This can be anything good in life that we experience, but in the context of salvation, it focuses more on forgiveness.
- Mercy | This is God not giving us something bad that we do deserve. In this way, it is the inverse of grace. Again, just like grace, mercy can mean God withholding anything bad in our lives, but in the context of salvation, it refers to God withholding His divine judgment and condemnation due to us because of our sin.
- Atonement | The definition of this term is hidden within the word itself—”at one ment.” To be atoned is to be restored into relationship and fellowship. It is when two are separated for some reason and then brought back together. In the context of salvation, this, of course, points to how people are brought back into relationship with God through Christ. This atonement was pointed to in the Old Testament through the sacrifice system and especially the Day of Atonement detailed in Leviticus 16.
- Regeneration | This means to be given new life. In the context of salvation, it concerns how we were dead in our sins but then once we trust in Christ, we are given new, eternal life.
- Justification | Like atonement, the meaning of justification is embedded in the word itself—”just if I’d” never sinned. To be justified is to be made right. It’s to be declared fully forgiven by God. Because of our justification, we are spared from sin’s punishment.
- Adoption | This concerns God taking us in to be part of his family. Thus, we go from being strangers and enemies of God to becoming his sons and daughters. In adoption, our prior debt of sin is taken from us and we become full, permanent heirs of his abundance of riches—namely himself and his kingdom.
- Sanctification | This means to be made holy or to be set apart. Just like a sanctuary is a room set apart for worship, a Christian is set apart from the things of the world for a life of worship and service to God. Unlike most of the other terms in this list that happen instantaneously at conversion, sanctification is a gradual process by which we become more like Jesus.
- Glorification | This has our future hope in mind when Jesus returns and makes all things right again. While we are sanctified day by day to look more like Jesus, we’ll never cease from sinning or obeying perfectly. However, when Jesus returns, we will be changed forevermore, and all our sin, weaknesses, and shortcomings will come to an end. We will be the full image bearers of God He meant us to be.
As we talk with our children about salvation, it’s also critical to address two key questions. The first concerns what has been called “the great exchange,” how Jesus has taken our sin from us and given us his righteousness in its place (2 Corinthians 5:21). While many of us understand the first part, that second part is often overlooked, but it’s just as important and glorious.
Finally, the idea of assurance needs to be explored from the perspective that no one who has truly trusted in Jesus and who has become a new creation can lose his or her salvation. Many believers live in fear that they can mess up somehow and lose their salvation but that’s not how God wants us to live. And that’s not how we want our kids to live. Instead, God wants our children to live with peace, joy, and confidence. And so do we. That’s the abundant living Jesus promised.
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.
- This blog post is an 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 