Written by Pete Schemm
[This continues Pete’s piece from last week.]

2. Reading Scripture Together

Holy Scripture is the most important source for training in the Christian household. Scripture alone is sufficient to form our understanding of salvation and every aspect of Christian living (see 2 Tim. 3:10-17; Pss. 1, 19, 119). Jesus taught that God’s Word is sufficient when he said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matt 4:4).

Scripture is not our only source for improving our understanding of God and Christian doctrine, but it is our only perfect and ultimate source. Every other resource we might employ is subject to the authority of Scripture. Because Scripture is the ultimate source of authority in all matters of life and doctrine, we see Scripture as the primary means for Christian formation.

How to Read the Bible in the Christian Household

The important thing to note about our second habit is simplicity. Reading Scripture together is not a Bible study or a lesson. It is quite simply a time to read the Bible together and listen to it—to read and learn as a family. Read Scripture regularly—not necessarily daily but consistently. It has been my experience, mostly with fathers, that a daily goal is counterproductive. They fail to meet this goal and then give up altogether. A better goal for the habit of Scripture reading is “life together under the Word.” Reading consistently as a family, along with faithful participation in a local church, can accomplish this goal.

Read Scripture appropriately. Dietrich Bonhoeffer suggested that we ought to read the Bible more like novices. Those who are familiar with the Bible often take on the character of the person who is speaking— whether God or a human being. In so doing, they tend to distort the reading of Scripture. Readers become “rhetorical, emotional, sentimental, or coercive” and direct the listeners’ attention to themselves instead of toward God’s Word. Ironically, it becomes difficult to hear God speak from his own Word. When the Bible is read appropriately, in humility, our families have a better chance of hearing from God.

Read Scripture in unity. I recommend the same Bible translation for everyone, children and parents. Bible story books may be helpful at times, but in the end our families ought to learn the Word of God using the same grammar. Of course your seven-year-old is unlikely to grasp the significance of the word justification as it is used in Paul’s letter to the Romans—but that’s not the point. Honestly, who among us understood justification the first time we read it? It is our responsibility, as parents, to build a grammar of faith. And we hope to do so in a manner consistent with our belief in the gospel.

3. Rehearsing Truth Together

Our third habit centers on truth and doctrine. How can we help our children discover sound doctrine? How can we help them be ready “to make a defense to anyone who asks” for a reason for the hope we have in Christ (1 Peter 3:15)? And to do so with the allure of gentleness? Well, the good news is that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel of Christian doctrine.

I recommend using a catechism to rehearse the time-tested truths of Christianity. What is a catechism? A catechism is a summary of Christian belief put in the form of questions and answers. It is a tool designed for personal interaction. It may be used at the breakfast table, on a car ride, or at bed time.

We found that the habit of asking a question or two each week naturally opened gospel-oriented conversations with our children. In addition to that, it naturally stocks your child’s warehouse of biblical and theological concepts. It is one of the most effective means I know of to be “trained in the words of the faith” (1 Tim 4:6).

There are several good catechisms available. For years our family used A Catechism of Bible Teaching (1892) written by John A. Broadus. It is written from a distinctively Baptist perspective. These days we use a more recently published catechism—The New City Catechism. We like it because it comes in full-color, digital format. Download the app and check it out (www.newcitycatechism.com). As Baptists, we may find the need to tweak an answer or two but don’t let that keep you from the value of the entire catechism. It stands squarely in Christian orthodoxy.

Here is a sample question from The New City Catechism to give you an idea of how this works:

Question 1: What is our only hope in life and death?

Answer: That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.

[Continued next week.]