Kids Talk About God

The Bible
The Bible is God's Word written, inspired, infallible, and inerrant in the original manuscripts, and is the unique, full, and final authority on all matters on which it bears. The NT interpretation of the OT, both factually and theologically, represents an authoritative way of interpreting the Bible. See Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21.

God
There is one true God, eternally existing in three Persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each of whom possesses equally all of the attributes of deity and elements of personality. See Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 1:4-6.

Jesus Christ
The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, deity incarnate, born of a virgin, and neither sinned nor could have sinned. By His death as a substitute for sinners He infinitely satisfied divine justice and accomplished salvation for all who trust in Him alone. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to His Father's right hand where He now intercedes as our Great High Priest. See Matthew 3:17; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:10-11; Romans 3:24-25; 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 9:23-28.

The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son into the world to apply the benefits of the saving work of Christ. He enlightens the minds of sinners and convicts them of their need for a Savior. He permanently indwells from the moment of faith in Christ in every believer, whom He also seals for the day of redemption. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the available source of power, comfort, and teaching for all believers. See John 3:5-8; 14:16-26; 16:5-15; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Galatians 5:22-23.

Humanity
The first human, Adam, was created in the image of God. Through disobedience he sinned, choosing to go his own independent way, and thus was alienated from God, died spiritually, and suffered the corruption of his nature, rendering him unable to please God. This fall took place at the beginning of human history, and all individuals born since suffer these same consequences, are fallen, sinful, and lost and are thus in need of the saving grace of God. This saving grace cannot be experienced by any person in the world apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ. See Genesis 3:1-19; Romans 3:10-20, 23; 8:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3.

Salvation
God, out of love for the human race, sent the Lord Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, paid the full penalty for human sin when He died on the cross. Any person who believes in Jesus Christ for eternal life receives that gift which, as the words eternal life suggest, can never be lost. Every child of God possesses this eternal (or everlasting) life and, being regenerated, justified, and sealed by the Holy Spirit, is safe and secure for all eternity. However, a Christian can, through sin, lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony, and reward and incur the Father's discipline. Relationship is eternal, being established by the new birth; fellowship, however, is dependent upon obedience to the Word of God. See John 3:16-18; 5:24; 6:47; 10:27-30; Romans 3:21-25; 4:5; 8:38-39; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:1-10; 1 Timothy 1:15-16; Titus 3:3-7; Revelation 22:17.

The Church
All believers in the present age are members of the body of Christ, the church, and they are united to Christ and to one another by the indwelling Spirit. The Word of God commands believers to gather together in local congregations, to devote themselves to worship, prayer, the teaching of the Bible, observance of the ordinances of water baptism and the Lord's Supper, the edification of the body, and an active witness to the unsaved world. A local expression of the church is found wherever Christians meet regularly in obedience to these commands. See Matthew 4:10; Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:11-16; 5:24-30; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Hebrews 10:23-25.

Human Destiny
At physical death the believer enters immediately into eternal, conscious fellowship with the Lord and the unbeliever into eternal separation from Him. The bodies of all the dead shall be raised: those of believers to a resurrection of glory; those of unbelievers to a resurrection of eternal condemnation. All of the lost will experience conscious, physical punishment in a literal place called the lake of fire, forever. See Luke 16:19-31; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10; 2 Peter 3:8-13; Revelation 20:1-15; 21:1-22.