As Christian parents one of our key goals is to pass our faith along to our children. According to Natasha Crain, encouraging our children to know God on a personal level help is the first step to lasting faith. She explains why it’s important for our kids to understand who God is, before we can expect them to share our faith.

“Far too often, especially with young kids, we expect that they’re just going to learn to love God because we keep saying over and over, ‘We love God! Don’t you love God too?’ And the reality is that when we love someone in our earthly existences, it’s because we get to know them; it’s because we learn about them and we love who they are.”

“One thing I really emphasize with my own kids is that I don’t expect you to just love God because I love God, or because at church we sing about how we all love God. I want you to get to know God; I want you to know who He is, why He’s worth knowing, why we would love Him, and to think about what it means for Him to be omnipotent, transcendent, holy, and sovereign.”

When we explain who God is in the way that the Bible explains Him, Natasha says that, ultimately, this is what allows our kids to experience His love for themselves.

“We can’t give them our same experiences so what we have to do is actually help them to experience God, and help them to experience God in the way that the Bible helps us to know Him”  

In today’s increasingly skeptical world, passing the faith along to our children has become increasingly difficult, so it’s important to have an evidence based mindset. Natasha expands,

“To be able to say, ‘I am so convicted of the truth of Christianity that I want to be able to show you how you can determine the truth as well.’ Because there will be people who have very different experiences.”

“Having the confidence as a parent to be able to say, ‘Don’t believe in Jesus just because I do. I’m going to show you why there is such a reason to believe Christianity is true.’ That sets a whole different tone in your home.”

By helping our children learn about who God is, it will provide them with an opportunity to build a personal relationship with Him and stand firm in their faith. 


Natasha Crain is a popular blogger, author, and speaker who is passionate about equipping Christian parents to raise their kids with an understanding of how to make a case for and defend their faith in an increasingly secular world. She is author of  and .

Passing down the faith
Also on this edition of Jo Bender
Melissa Spoelstra on raising disciples