A few years ago, I was listening to a news podcast, praying about the events of the world. What is going on with our nation and our world? I thought. All this weirdness has to be spiritual…
It was while I was praying that I realized that a lot of the distressing news seemed to be centered around God’s Creation ordinances. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created man and woman. Then, he gave Adam and Eve a covenant–a binding order for all of humanity.
Is it any wonder that we can see in the news an ongoing fight over God’s Creation ordinances, and over God’s Creation event itself? It’s actually an age old issue.
Why Kids Need to Understand the Doctrine of Creation
The word doctrine means the teachings of a particular authority on a particular subject. So, when we talk about the biblical doctrine of Creation, we mean the Bible’s systematic teaching on God’s Creation event and his Creation ordinances.
The biblical doctrine of Creation is so important for our kids to understand. When our kids truly understand what God’s Word says about Creation, they’ll know:
- That God created all things out of nothing. God existed before anything else.
- The biblical (historical) story of God’s Creation event.
- That God made them just as he intended to. And, he made them for his glory.
- All about our Creator God. Our Triune God is eternal, all-powerful, and uncreated.
- About God’s good Creation gifts–his ordinances.
- God’s great plan for salvation.
Atheism–the denial of God’s existence–has been an issue throughout the history of humankind. In sin, humans have always fought against bowing to God. Philippians 2:9-11, though, promises that one day we will all bow to King Jesus. In the ESV, it says:
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
In the 1800s, with Charles Darwin’s writings, we saw the mass denial of God’s sovereign creation of the universe. This attack on God’s Creation story was just another attack on God himself. Paul addresses this kind of worldly “learning” in 1 Corinthians 1:18-21, ESV:
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
We have seen, too, a continuous, ongoing effort to undermine the fact that God created each of us on purpose, wonderfully, for his glory. This degradation of humanity has been ongoing throughout history. This is not the desire of God, however. Our heavenly Father wants us to understand we are created by him, for his glory. And, nothing God creates is a mistake. Job 33:4, ESV, says:
The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Today, we see–constantly–through the news and even through the speech of those around us, the fight over God’s Creation ordinances. Now, news anchors don’t announce that is what’s happening, but when we know God’s Creation ordinances, we can hear the attack on God’s mandated order.
We know that every good gift is from God, and that he is the source of every good thing. This is important to remember when we consider God’s created order for human life.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. – James 1:17, ESV
God’s good Creation gifts–his ordinances–are detailed in Genesis 1:28-2:24, and include:
- God’s blessing in which he told us:
- To be fruitful and multiply–to have families and fill the earth.
- To have dominion over all living things. We are the caretakers of God’s earth, and we are not the same as his created animals.
- To eat freely of the fruit and vegetables God gave us. Later, after the Fall, he gave humans permission to shed the blood of animals for food, as well.
- The institution of the Sabbath, a day of rest and worship. New Testament believers began celebrating the Lord’s Day on Sunday, the day of Jesus’ Resurrection, as their day of rest and worship.
- God’s gift of work. We are to labor to the glory of God.
- Marriage, which is a special covenant before God between one man and one woman. This is the institution of family, as well.
It is essential that our kids understand God’s good Creation gifts. They need to know that family, care for our dominion, the Lord’s Day, work, and marriage are God’s plan for the human race.
Lastly, we want our children to truly understand the good news of Jesus, and we want them to be able to explain it to others. God’s great plan for salvation shows up right at the beginning of the Bible. It doesn’t take long for God’s perfect, sinless humans to sin. That’s when the Fall occurs and sin enters the world. Our kids need to know that Adam and Eve sinned–just as every human sins. Our children have rebelled against God, and the penalty for that is death. But, Jesus was born on earth–fully God and fully man–to take the punishment for all who turn from their sin, believe in Jesus, and confess their belief. As Romans 10:9-10, ESV, says:
…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
It’s not enough for our kids to be able to recognize a lie. They need to be able to point to God’s truth in his Word! I explain this to kids in the puzzle-based Bible study, Bible Investigators: Creation:
There are a great many truths in life to be found—some interesting, some boring, and some that really matter. You can be the kind of investigator who spends time puzzling out important truth so that you can know all the knowable knowledge that God has given us. That’s right. God, the Creator of the Universe, gave you a great big letter from him to explore and study so that you can discover the truths that really matter to your life!”
Bible Investigators: Creation, (The Good Book Company, 2024), page 7
Does teaching the doctrine of Creation seem like a big task? It’s not! In fact, I’ve designed the perfect resource to allow your kids to learn all about God’s Creation doctrine in a fun, hands-on, way.
Bible Investigators: Creation is a fun way for your 8-12 year olds to learn all about Creation, in a puzzle-based package they’ll want to work through!
Bible Investigators: Creation, the puzzle-based Bible study your 8-12 year olds will love, contains six sections that will teach your kids all they need to know about the doctrine of Creation:
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- Introduction: You Are a Bible Investigator!
- Section One: God Created Everything in the Beginning
- God Created All Things Out of Nothing Genesis 1:1-2a; Jeremiah 4:23
- Every House Has a Builder Hebrews 3:4
- God Created the World for His Creatures Isaiah 45:18
- It Was All Good Genesis 1:31a; 1 Timothy 4:4
- God’s Works are Wondrous Psalm 145:1-13
- Section Two: The Story of Creation
- Let There Be Light! (Day 1) Genesis 1:3-5; 2 Corinthians 4:6
- The Sky Above (Day 2) Genesis 1:6-8; Jeremiah 10:12
- Soil and Potatoes (Day 3) Genesis 1:9-13; Psalm 104:14
- Time for the Universe (Day 4) Genesis 1:14-19; Psalm 104:19-23
- Creatures That Swim and Fly (Day 5) Genesis 1:20-23; Psalm 104:16-17, 24-25
- Beasts of the Earth and People (Day 6) Genesis 1:24-27
- Section Three: God Made Me
- God Gave Me Life Job 33:4
- God Formed Me Wonderfully Psalm 139:13-16
- God Gives Everyone Life and Breath Acts 17:24-28
- God Created Me for His Glory Isaiah 43:6b-7
- Section Four: Our Creator God
- God Is Eternal Psalm 90:2
- God Is All-Powerful Psalm 33:8-9
- God Is Uncreated Psalm 102:25-27; Revelation 1:8
- God the Father Created Genesis 1:26a; Jeremiah 32:17
- God the Son Created John 1:1-3
- God the Holy Spirit Created Psalm 104:24, 30; Genesis 1:2
- Section Five: God’s Good Creation Gifts
- Every Good Gift Is from God James 1:17; John 3:27b
- God Blesses Us Genesis 1:28-29
- God Gives Us the Sabbath Genesis 2:1-13; Exodus 20:8-20a, 11
- God Gives Us Work Genesis 2:15; Proverbs 28:19; Colossians 3:23-24
- God Gives Us Marriage Genesis 2:18-24
- Section Six: God’s Great Salvation Plan
- To Disobey God Is to Sin Genesis 2:16-17; John 14:15
- Adam and Eve Sinned–And So Have I Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 3:23
- Jesus Paid for Our Sin Ephesians 2:4-9
- Believe in Jesus and Confess Belief Romans 10:9-10
Each section, or unit, has four to six lessons, each with a teaching, notebooking spaces, and three Bible verse puzzles. The book makes a great six-week unit study on the doctrine of Creation!
Bible Resources for Your Kids
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Puzzle-Based Independent Bible Study for Kids!
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2, ESV
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- Observe: They pay attention to what they’re reading.
- Interpret: They figure out what the Bible means in that section.
- Apply: They decide how the truth of God’s Word impacts their life today.
There are a great many truths in life to be found—some interesting, some boring, and some that really matter. You can be the kind of investigator who spends time puzzling out important truth so that you can know all the knowable knowledge that God has given us. That’s right. God, the Creator of the Universe, gave you a great big letter from him to explore and study so that you can discover the truths that really matter to your life!”
Bible Investigators: Creation, (The Good Book Company, 2024), page 7
The Bible Investigators: Creation Bible study for kids, written by Danika Cooley and published by The Good Book Company, is 272-pages of learning, puzzles, and fun activities designed to help your kids become amazing independent Bible investigators–observing, interpreting, and applying God’s Word as they learn what the Bible teaches on a particular subject.
Bible Puzzles for Kids
Middle grade kids, aged 8-12, love puzzles. After all, their brains are just built for figuring things out and memorizing facts. Puzzles are a wonderful way to help kids develop logic skills and retain important information. And, the book is written in a fun, conversational tone your children are sure to love!
What types of puzzles and activities will you find in Bible Investigators?
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- Word Searches
- Crosswords
- Rebus Puzzles
- Dot-to-Dots
- Logic Puzzles
- Missing Letter Puzzles
- Cryptograms
- Word Sudoku
- Mazes
- How-to-Draw Pages
- Matching Pairs
- Word Scrambles
- Journal Pages
Every child is sure to find activities they’ll love!
Elementary-aged kids need hands-on middle grade resources that engage them and equip them to process important truths.
Bible Investigators is the perfect resource to teach your kids about an important biblical doctrine, while helping them apply God’s Word to their lives today.
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