Four Reasons Your Kids Need You to Study Your Bible

Our children need us to study and live out our beliefs. Reading the Bible is important, but studying to understand the Bible is necessary for all of us — especially our little ones. Read on to learn why!

I never like to read my Bible in front of other people.

I know, I know … maybe that’s a bit strange, but reading and studying the Bible seems very personal to me and I don’t like “an audience.”

Even when I’m at home, I prefer to read and study my Bible in private. Maybe it’s because I can think more clearly and without the distraction of other people around, or maybe it’s because it often feels like a private conversation with God. I’m not sure, but regardless, I prefer nobody to see or know what I’m doing.

But — as with most things inside a family with children — I can’t always keep my Bible study a secret or privately shut off from the rest of the people inhabiting my space.

And that’s okay too. In fact, it’s a great thing.

When my kids started to notice my quiet time in the morning where I’d read the Bible or the few minutes in the afternoon I’d pull my Bible out again for more in-depth study, they started to ask questions.

As a new believer in those early days of parenthood, I couldn’t answer all of the questions. Which was fine.

Though now I can answer with confidence a lot more questions asked about God because I’ve put in the work to understand the Bible more in-depth.

And while I still enjoy reading and studying the Bible privately, I realize some of more benefits of my kids seeing me dig into God’s Word.

The purpose of Bible “study” is to bring instruction, conviction, correction, and training in God’s ways so you can be equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

And parenting is “good work.” The Bible equips us for the task.

It can be obvious the Bible is helpful in teaching and correcting our actions, motives, and thoughts, but … what else? How else can our personal Bible study benefit our children beyond instructing them?

Here are four additional reasons our kids need us to study the Bible:

Allowing them to see us as Bible students, primes them to be Bible students, as well.

Showing them we are learning about how to be submissive to God’s commands, helps them see themselves as subservient to God, as well. They will see God’s Word as a priority in our lives, and with the natural order of the family, they will by default fall under that authority of God’s Word too. Actively allowing our children to see us study and read God’s Word can encourage them to do the same. When we take the time to study the Bible, our kids will see the work we’ve put in and know our relationship with God goes beyond attending a church service on Sundays. Our kids are watching. While we can often fool our friends, our pastors, our neighbors — we can’t fool our kids. They see us, probably more deeply than we’d like to admit most of the time. So let’s show them what it looks like to be a student of the Bible.

Bible study helps us avoid theological error.

What does this matter in our everyday life? Well, everything. In 1 Timothy 4:16, Paul told Timothy, as a leader of the young church, to “watch [his] life and doctrine closely.” Paul knew the ability to understand and live out our beliefs rightly is crucial for the Christian in church ministry. And it’s the same for us, as we have our own personal ministries inside our homes. Having a firm, biblical foundation will help us recognize when error is close in how we live, speak, and believe what we hear in our corrupt and modern world.

A deep understanding of God’s Word will help us know God better.

This might seem like a “duh” moment, but in light of parenting, who better to look to as an example for as a parent than God the Father? We can learn why, how, and when God chooses to discipline his children when He chooses to stay silent, when He chooses to speak loudly and when He gives and takes. Understanding the context and background information behind each Bible story will help us to know why and how God went about his own “parenting” with people from the Bible. It brings a much deeper and solid foundation to the question “What Would Jesus Do?” #WWJD

The Bible changes us — for the better.

Reading and understanding the Bible leads to deeper faith, as God draws people in and when we abide in His word, He changes us. We gain not just wisdom for our lives and parenting, but also compassion, mercy, grace, patience, kindness, and biblical love. The process of personal edification and sanctification isn’t an easy one, but it’s necessary to live out God’s will for our lives and our children’s lives. Our children need us to be more like Christ.