What is God? Who is God? How can I know God? What does God do? Do those questions sound familiar? Kids have a lot of questions about God (and quite honestly, grown-ups do too). 

Theologians (people who study God and His Word) use the Attributes of God to help us understand more about God. The attributes are a theological category that teaches us about God’s very unique nature, the things that make Him and Him alone God. 

Talking to Kids About the Attributes of God

As you begin to teach your kids about the attributes of God, you can describe attributes this way: We all have attributes! They are ways we can describe ourselves. You may be fast, or tall, or short, or a twin. You may be athletic, creative, or kind. But you may be able to describe other people that way too! When we talk about God, He has attributes that belong ONLY to Him. They are the things that make Him God. 

God’s Communicable and Incommunicable Attributes

There are actually two types of attributes we talk about when it comes to God: communicable attributes and incommunicable attributes. God’s communicable attributes are the attributes that God has that we can also have as people! Some examples of this: God is kind, loving, and wise. Humans can also be kind, loving, and wise. Ephesians 5:1 tells us to imitate God; His communicable attributes show us how to imitate Him. 

In this Minno blog series, we will be taking a look at God’s incommunicable attributes, the ones that are completely unique to God. These are attributes that only describe God, nothing, and no one else. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at six attributes of God and helping you frame these ideas for kids. 

Why Learn the Attributes of God?

Why learn the attributes? God is beyond our understanding, and yet through His Word, He has given us the ability to learn about Him and to know Him. Kids are concrete thinkers, and so when we start talking about how God is “all-knowing” and “all-present” they may have trouble grasping those BIG concepts.

And yet, it’s important that kids understand who God is as they build a resilient faith. So we’ll be digging in using kid-friendly language and ideas for teaching your kids about our wonderful, incredible God! The beauty of teaching kids about God and faith is that we can learn right alongside them. So lean in and open your heart to what God wants to teach you about who He is!

Ready? Let’s go! 

Attribute: Holy (God is Unique and Perfect)

Key Verse: Revelation 15:4 (NIV)

Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Define It:Holy

To be holy means to be unique, separate from all other things, and absolutely pure and perfect.

Know It:

God is holy, which means He is distinct from every other thing. His holiness means that nothing can make Him less perfect, even when He dwells with us. Because God is holy, He is untouchable by sin. God’s holiness is a reason to worship Him!

Talk About It:

Ask your kids: when you think about the word “holy,” what do you think of? They may think of songs you sing in church a lot. Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty or O Holy Night might come to mind. We say the word “holy” A LOT at church. We pray to “Holy Father,” we say “Holy Spirit,” we talk about how Jesus was holy. But what does it mean to be holy? And can we be holy?

When we’re talking about God, the word holy means two things. First, it means God is distinct and different from everything else that ever was or ever will be. He’s the only God, and He is separate from His creation. Second, it means that God cannot be corrupted or made to be anything less than holy by sin. He’s uniquely perfect, totally untouched by sin. That means that Jesus is too!

And because Jesus is holy, when He died on the cross for us, He gives us His holiness. Only the holy can be with God. 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that when we are in Jesus, He becomes our holiness! That means we can stand before God and God sees the holiness and righteousness of Jesus instead of our sin.

Here are a few verses that you can read together and talk about:

Leviticus 20:26 (NIV)
You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

1 Samuel 2:2 (NIV)
“There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.”

Isaiah 6:3 (NIV)
And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Mark 1:24 (NIV)
“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Pray:

Spend some time praying to our Holy God. Praise Him for His attributes, including His holiness, and ask Him to help you see Him more clearly this week.

 

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Read more posts in the Attributes of God for Kids Series

God is Omniscient (All-Knowing)

God is Eternal (Forever)

God is Unity (Three-in-One)

God is Omnipresent (Everywhere)

God is Immutable (Unchanging)

God is Holy (Set-Apart)