Celebrating God’s Attributes This Christmas

To help you keep your thoughts focused on Christ, I thought I’d share a short devotional. This devotional is included, in full, with the Teacher Guides of our next Vacation Bible School, our powerful 2020 Answers VBS Mystery Island. The theme next year is about tracking down the one true God. And VBS attendees will study God’s attributes, including one we often reflect on at Christmas—that Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us.” Here is a devotional for VBS teachers that’s found in their 2020 guide.

One of the more insidious lies Satan has told—and that even some Christians believe—is that all monotheistic religions believe in the same God; he just goes by different names. The god of Islam (Allah), Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses (Jehovah) is the same as the one true God of the Bible, right?

The doctrine of the Trinity helps us separate the one true God from the fakes. The one true God exists in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), the Holy Spirit. Each is fully God and manifests all the attributes of the one true God. For example, in the Bible, each is called the Creator (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1–3; Job 33:4); each is unchanging and eternal (Psalm 90:2; Hebrews 13:8; Hebrews 9:14); and each is called God (Philippians 2:11; Titus 2:13; Acts 5:3–4). If a religion denies that any member of the Trinity is God, then its “god” is a fake and is based on a lie from the devil himself. It’s that simple.

According to the Bible, Jesus suffered the punishment of death that human beings deserve as a result of their sin against a holy God. Because God is infinite, his punishment of sin is infinite. Can a created being—one that is not infinite—endure the infinite punishment from an eternal God and satisfy—eternally—God’s wrath on our sin? Of course not. This is why the blood of bulls and goats could never take away all sin (Hebrews 9:13–15). In order to spend eternity in the presence of the holy and righteous God, we need a perfect infinite sacrifice to take the punishment we deserve.

Those religions that deny that Jesus is God (and thus, that he is eternal) offer a limited sacrifice for sin that does nothing to satisfy the infinite wrath of God and is no better than a sheep. The Jesus described in the Bible is infinite and is God. The infinite Son, in his death on the cross, suffered the infinite punishment that we deserve from the infinite Father and infinitely satisfied the wrath of God on sin. A “created Jesus” could never do such a thing.

As you reflect on God being Immanuel today, think about the vital importance—with infinite ramifications—of embracing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the triune God, the one true God of the Bible.

We prepare kids for the world they are living in by teaching a truly Christian worldview based on God’s Word and equipping them with answers to those who oppose Christianity.

This devotion also helps you get just a glimpse of what will be taught to kids through this (yet another) impactful AiG VBS program that emphasizes apologetics, biblical authority, and the gospel. We prepare kids for the world they are living in by teaching a truly Christian worldview based on God’s Word and equipping them with answers to those who oppose Christianity.

I’m excited for churches to begin using our Answers VBS this summer. Mystery Island is going to have a huge impact on thousands of children and their families. They’ll discover there’s only one true God—and we know who he is and what he is like from his Word, because that’s where he has revealed himself to us. We’ll also teach children how to recognize false gods.

Our VBS is unique in the world, combining a gospel focus with apologetics and biblical authority teaching. There’s nothing else like it! And Answers VBS Mystery Island is on sale 25% off (our best price!) and when you pre-order using code VBSMIC through December 31, 2019, you’ll also receive a free icebreaker ball to help children get to know each other (a $7.99 value).

I encourage you to use Mystery Island in your church this year. Learn more, and pre-order today, at AnswersVBS.com.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.