Helping Our Kids See the Big Story of the Bible
Bible Verse
17 No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. Romans 10:17
As parents, we deeply desire for our children to know who God is. One of the most powerful ways God reveals himself is through his incredible story in the Bible—a story of deep love, redemption, and hope between God and his people.
It’s easy to read the Bible in small pieces—devotionals, moral lessons, or historical events. But when we only focus on these bits, we might miss something bigger: God’s grand purpose in telling his story. He wants to show us who he is and shape our lives and our children's lives through it.
How can we teach our children that the Bible is one big story? Here are three key ideas:
1. The theme of God’s story is forgiveness. From the beginning, God has been at work restoring what sin has broken. Over and over, his people struggled, doubted, and walked away. But when they cried out for help, God welcomed them back with love and forgiveness. This picture of love and forgiveness is most clearly shown in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
That same forgiveness is for us, too. Life is messy, parenting is hard, and we all have moments when we fall short. But God never stops loving us, and he never stops loving our children.
2. The Bible is one big story with six main chapters. Like all great stories, the Bible has a beginning, middle, and ending—and we still live in its pages today! Here’s a simple way to help kids understand God’s big story:
- Chapter One: Creation. The whole world was created by and belongs to God.
- Chapter Two: The Fall. People turn away from God.
- Chapter Three: God Chooses a People. God’s rescue plan begins.
- Chapter Four: The Coming of the King. Jesus comes to save us.
- Chapter Five: Spreading the News. The Holy Spirit works through us to share the good news.
- Chapter Six: The Return of the King. God makes everything new again and lives with his people forever.
Right now, we are living in Chapter Five. That means we are part of God’s story today!
Check out the Kids Corner Bible study: God’s Big Story, a short video series in seven parts that will introduce your family to the different parts of the story.
3. Your family has a role in God’s story. Throughout the Bible, we see people like Ruth, Moses, Esther, David, Mary, and Paul playing their part in God’s plan. And the amazing thing is that God calls us to play our part too.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.”
Every bedtime Bible story, every prayer, every moment of faith-building with our kids is a piece of that bigger story. We are helping them step into the role God has for them in his incredible plan!
And the best part? The story isn’t over yet. Revelation 21 and 22 paint a breathtaking picture of how God will make all things new. Jesus is coming again, and his promise to us is sure: “Behold, I am coming soon!”
So, as parents, let’s take heart. We don’t have to be perfect, and we don’t have to have all the answers. What we do have is an invitation to join God in his amazing story and to lead our children to see how deeply they are loved by the One who writes it.
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle school for 27 years. Ron completed a M.Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning, and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have four fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.
