Question:  What information should I include in a salvation presentation for a child?  

The prospect of explaining salvation to the children you teach (or the children in your family) may seem overwhelming. Books have been written on the subject.

Here are four essential questions and basic thoughts about what to include to answer these.

Who is God?    

    * God created the world and everything in it.

    * God is perfect, and He always does what is right.

    * The Bible is God's Word.

    * God loves you and me.

John 3:16a will help you emphasize God's love for every person.

Why do you need a Savior?     

    * You and I have sinned.

    * Sin is disobeying God's rules.
        [Use examples of sin that relate to a child.]

    * Sin separates you from God and stops you from going to Heaven.

    * You cannot get rid of your sin by yourself.

When you ask a child for an example of sin, try not to smile at his serious response.
        Teacher:    What is something you might do that God would call sin?
        Child:         I locked my sister out of the house and she got stung by a bee.
        Teacher:    Oh! God didn't like that, did He?     
        Child:         Neither did my mom!

    * Use God's Word: Romans 3:23 states that "All have sinned . . ."

What is God's way of salvation?   

    * Because Jesus Christ is God the Son, He never sinned. Not even once.
        [He was sinless, so He could be our sacrifice for sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21]

    * Jesus willingly died on a cross, giving His blood to pay for your sins and mine.
        [Blood was needed for forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22]

    * Three days after Jesus died, He came back to life again.

    * Jesus is alive in Heaven today.

The gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. Try to recall what these verses say by giving the missing words.

"... Christ d____ for our s____ according to the s_____, And that He was b_____, and that He r_____ a______ the t_____ d______ according to the scriptures."

As you present the gospel, use the word "you" frequently to make it personal for each child. When a child responded to the invitation at the close of a Bible lesson in a Good News Club^®, we asked the girl why she came to talk to us. She said, "Because I've heard lots and lots and LOTS of times that Jesus died on the cross, but this is the first time I ever heard that He died for me."

What is your response?   

    * Admit to God you are a sinner.

    * Believe Jesus, God the Son, died and rose again to pay for your sin.

    * Call on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you.

Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

To be prepared to present the salvation message to children, you need to be able to recall the information included here. Remembering the symbols will help you know what to say.

Self-Test

Three or four statements were given for each of the following questions. Stop and think! How many can you recall?

Who is God?   

Why do you need a Savior?   

What is God's way of salvation?   

What is your response?   

Also, a verse was given to support each of the four questions. What were those verses?

Important Thoughts

Using God's Word is more important than a printed or memorized list of statements.

Whenever you present the message of salvation, include an opportunity for the child to respond.

This leads to another question: How do I check a child's understanding of the message of salvation? We have the answer! But before you look, keep reading.

Three questions just for you:                                             

    1.    Which child do you know who needs to hear the message of salvation: a child in your family, a child in your Sunday class or club ministry, a child in your neighborhood?

    2.    Who is presenting the message of salvation to the children who live near you? That person needs to be someone who cares about children, and who knows how to state the message on a child's level. Think: Since I have read this far, that person could be __ __, and I could im__ __diately ask God to help __ __ do this!

    3.    When will you actually take this essential action and present the message of salvation to at least one child?

Where do you want to go next?

  To this question: 

            "How do I check a child's understanding of the message of salvation?"

  To the index of questions and home page

  To the place for encouragement (changed each week)