How Do I Talk to My Kids About the Truth of the Bible?
If you’ve been a parent even for a short period of time, you already know that kids have a way of getting straight to the point. Unhindered by the social protocols of the adult world, sometimes kids just say what we might never say. Or they may ask questions that we would never ask.
And this is particularly true when it comes to issues related to our faith. We often teach them what to believe, assuming they will just accept what we tell them. It’s obvious to us, so we think it must be obvious to them.
But sometimes it isn’t. And when it isn’t, they can be quite perceptive about which questions to ask. Indeed, with a laser-like precision—unexpected for their age—they can put their finger exactly on the issue.
And here’s one of the most common questions: “But, Mom, how do we know the Bible is God’s Word?”
You see, we just use the Bible, study the Bible, apply the Bible. And we often don’t realize that all of these actions are built on a more foundational belief (a belief we rarely discuss directly), namely that the Bible is true.
But our kids won’t just take this for granted. They won’t let it slide by. They realize there’s a gap in our argument and they want to know how to fill it.
And, by the way, this is a good thing. Our kids often remind us what really matters. All along, we should’ve been asking these same questions ourselves. God can use our kids to force our hand a little bit. They help us grow spiritually as much as we help them.
So, back to the question. How do we know the Bible is true? Or, maybe more to the point, how can we help our kids know that the Bible is true?
There’s a lot that can be said on this subject beyond a short article like this one, but let me mention four good reasons we have to trust the Bible that our kids can understand.
Because of the Testimony of Jesus
With our kids, the best place to start is Jesus himself. Chances are they are already inclined to give special weight to the words of Jesus. They already know that his words and teachings can be trusted. And if they affirm that he is the divine Son of God, then whatever he says must be true.
So, what did Jesus think of the Bible (which in his day would have been what we call the Old Testament)? In short, it was everything to Jesus. He knew it, studied it, read it, quoted it, and relied on it. In his temptation by Satan in the wilderness, it was God’s Word that he quoted again and again.
Moreover, Jesus believed the OT was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that the stories it contained really happened. Think about it: Jesus refers to Adam and Eve, Abel, Noah (and the flood), Abraham, Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, manna in the desert, serpent in wilderness, David eating holy bread, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, Zechariah, and more.
We should also note that Jesus believed his own words were inspired. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). If we have access to the words of Jesus, then we have access to the very words of God.
This first point is key. It reminds us that the question, “What do you think of the Bible?” quickly morphs into a different question, “What do you think of Jesus?” And that is precisely where we want to begin.
Because of the Testimony of the Apostles
It wasn’t just Jesus who had a high view of the Bible. His earliest followers, a group we call the “apostles,” shared his view. Indeed, the apostle Paul is very clear: “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). The phrase “breathed out” is a very specific Greek word that shows Paul thought the Bible was divinely inspired; indeed, the very breath of God.
Other apostles believed the same thing. The apostle Peter also affirms that the Bible is not just humans speaking, but that “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21).
But—and here’s the key question—why should we listen to what the apostles say about the Bible? Because they were with Jesus, and they were chosen and commissioned by Jesus himself to speak for him (Mark 3:14-15). They are his authoritative mouthpiece. Their words bear the very authority of Jesus himself.
Because of the Testimony of History
We are blessed to live in a world where scholars have studied the Bible for thousands of years. And those studies have shown that we have good reasons to trust the historical reliability of the Bible. While skeptics have criticized the historical value of the Bible, it has been vindicated time and again by the discoveries of history.
Of course, there’s not space to rehearse the Bible’s historical credentials in this single article. But one example should help. For generations, scholars doubted the existence of Pontius Pilate. Since there was no external historical corroboration of his role as Prefect of Judea, it was assumed he was entirely fabricated. That is until archeological excavations in 1961 uncovered an inscription that read, “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” That pretty much settled the question.
Because of the Testimony of the Bible Itself
Finally, one of the best ways to know the Bible is from God is from the Bible itself. It has the kind of qualities that show it could not have been written merely by humans, but ultimately through the power of the Holy Spirit.
One example is the remarkable unity and harmony of the Bible. Even though it contains 66 books, it tells one unified and overarching story of redemption. But, how could this be achieved on a merely human level? The Bible has over forty different authors, written over thousands of years, and on different continents with different cultures. How likely is it that all those authors would agree, especially on such controversial topics?
No, there’s something else going on here. For those with ears to hear it, they can tell that God is speaking through this book. As Jesus promised, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).
In the end, these are four good reasons to trust what the Bible tells us. But, our children won’t trust in the Bible merely because we tell them these reasons. Trust is ultimately something that develops over time. It’s not that different than why you trust your best friend. You trust her not because you’ve seen her resume, but because you’ve gotten to know her and she’s proven herself trustworthy.
So it is with the Bible. The more our kids know the Bible, the more they will trust it. So, teach it to them. Read it to them. Study it with them. And, over time, they will see how trustworthy it really is.
