What Is Sin and What Do I Do With It?
For Episode 012...
Rachel Swanson joins us to talk about sin and how to raise kids who confess sin and ask forgiveness quickly. I love how this conversation leads so simply into talking about the gospel and our need for rescue from sin that can only be done through a relationship with Jesus.
You can listen to the Questions Kids Ask episode answering What is Sin? What Do We Do When We Sin? on iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play, or below.
Today’s guest is Rachel C. Swanson. She is a dental hygienist turned best-selling author, speaker and accredited christian life coach. Her best-selling book, "Big and Little Coloring Devotional," was birthed by her own struggle to keep it together as a busy mom of three children under two. Rachel has been married to her husband for eleven years, and they live in country town just outside Los Angeles, CA. You can learn more about Rachel by visiting her website at www.RachelCSwanson.com.
I asked,
"What do you do in your free time?"
Obviously, that was a ridiculous question for me to ask because parents don't have free time. But Rachel talked about how she's jumped into coaching after leaving her dental hygienist job. Talk about a transition - from cleaning teeth to helping people clean up their lives.
Big Question: What Do We Do When We Sin?
Making apologies and asking forgiveness normal in your home will also make it easier to identify and confess sin before the Lord. It doesn't have to be a huge event. It can be really simple.
Similarly, prayer doesn't have to be a huge event, but we can pray without ceasing with short prayers throughout the day.
What is sin?
Sin is anytime that we do, think, or say something that is against God's instructions in His Word, or anytime we don't do what we should do. God can't be around sin because He is holy and just and He has to punish sin. Praise the Lord, though, for those who trust Jesus - our sin has already been punished because Jesus paid for it on the sin. God won't punish sin twice, so those who trust Jesus are declared innocent. We still confess our sin and ask forgiveness, because although we are declared innocent, sin breaks out fellowship or right relationship with God, so we confess our sin so that we can have a growing relationship with the Lord.
Featured Resource
Get a downloadable guide to talk with your kids about sin and what it means to be a Christian by signing up to receive emails from us in the sidebar on the right, or right here:
How Do You Cultivate a Love for Scripture with Your Kids?
We cannot stress the importance of cultivating a love for books as a direct correlation to a kid's love for the Word. Do a lot of reading of children's books and devotional books - helping kids understand the main truth of the story. As our kids get older, maybe we'll listen to podcasts or we'll find other resources for them.