Explaining the gospel is no small task. Explaining the gospel to kids is even more difficult. The real challenge comes in simplifying the language without simplifying the concepts. The first step in this process, though, is identifying which concepts you need to explain. Here are a few concepts that we feel are “gospel essentials.”
God is perfect, and he created everything. Since God created everything, he is in charge (Genesis 1:1).
Humans are not perfect. We break God’s laws and do things that make God angry all the time. The Bible calls this sin, and we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).
When we sin and disobey God, we deserve to be punished. The Bible says that the punishment for disobeying God is death — separation from God forever in hell (Romans 6:23).
Because God loves us, he provided a way for us to be rescued from sin and punishment. He sent his son Jesus to Earth. Jesus is 100% human AND 100% God, so he is perfect. He lived a perfect life and never sinned. He kept all of God’s laws (John 3:16, Hebrews 4:15)
Since Jesus never sinned, he did not deserve to die, but he willingly chose to take our punishment and die in our place — as our substitute (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).
When Jesus died, he didn’t stay dead. God brought him back to life after 3 days, and he is still alive today! This shows us that God accepted Jesus perfect sacrifice for our sin (1 Peter 3:18).
In order to be rescued from sin and punishment, you need to ask God to forgive you for breaking his laws and sinning, believe that Jesus lived a perfect life, died, and came back to life after 3 days, and tell God that you want him to be in charge of your life (Romans 10:9).
“Owning” these basic concepts is essential to explaining the gospel fully and clearly to kids. Having the right tools can also help. ALWAYS make sure you have your Bible with you! If you are looking for additional tools, check out the gospel booklet that we use at CentriKid Camps.