As you look for the very best Vacation Bible School materials for the children of your church and community, perhaps one of the biggest questions that you have is, “What does the author believe?”

This is a very important question, of course, because Vacation Bible School is all about teaching children the Bible in order to lead them to a closer (or a new!) relationship with Jesus.

You want to teach the children the truth.  That is a much easier task when you do not find yourself weeding through your Vacation Bible School materials looking for something usable, constantly worried about encountering some untruth.

It is good to be on guard.  We must test everything by the Word of God, and I want you to feel confident that I have spent a lot of time and prayer doing just that.

If you have spent much time on the Hasten Home blog, you have an idea where I am coming from, and you have an idea of what I believe and how I share those beliefs.  But just in case you would like a basic outline of what I believe so that you can feel confident that Hasten Home is the very best choice for your Vacation Bible School materials, I have done my best to lay that out here for you.

In the very possible case that a doctrine I have shared here differs from what you personally believe, please, please, prayerfully take a moment to follow the links to the examples of supporting Scriptures and re-evaluate your stance on the subject.  (Also see the “P.S.” at the end of this page.)

Plus, feel free to send me a note if you have any questions.  I will do my best to answer them.

If, after prayerfully studying it out, you still believe that my position is inconsistent with the Bible, please share with me what you have found.

If you feel I have left out some key Bible doctrine, please contact me and I will consider adding it to the list.  This is not necessarily meant to be an all-inclusive list—I’d have to write a book for that!—but I do hope you find it useful and reassuring that you are making the right decision for your children by choosing Hasten Home.

Here we go!

• The Bible

  is the inspired, infallible Word of God.  While our understanding of His Word may sometimes be clouded, the truth is always there for those who honestly and diligently seek Him.

• Our understanding of Bible doctrine

  must not be based on any isolated verse or passage.  By comparing Scripture with Scripture and looking at God’s Word as a united whole, we come to a clear understanding of even difficult Bible topics.

• The gift of prophecy

  was for all ages in this earth’s history–even ours.  All prophets must be tested by the teachings and guidelines laid out in the Holy Bible.

• Jesus

  is the Son of God, verily God and verily man.  He was born of the virgin, Mary, and lived a life with temptations just like you and I might face, yet without sin.  He died and rose again and has ascended into Heaven to minister in the heavenly sanctuary.

• God the Father

  Himself loves us.  His character was perfectly represented in His Son, Jesus.  He wants us to make it to Heaven.

• The Holy Spirit

  is the third person of the godhead, not just some vague “force”.  He is sent to guide, convict, teach, strengthen, empower, and intercede for God’s people.  His presence is a special gift, which the Father longs to give us abundantly—we only need ask.

• God

  the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God, perfectly united in purpose and character.  He has always been and always will be.

• Satan

  was once known as Lucifer.  He was created a perfect angel, but fell because of his pride.  He is a spirit, a great deceiver, and has great wrath.  When he was cast from Heaven, a third of the angels fell with him.  We cannot fight him alone, but God is more than able—and willing—to protect us from him.

• Salvation

  is a free gift.  We don’t deserve it, and we can’t earn it.

• Sin

  is something we are all born into.  As our understanding grows, so does our accountability before God.  Jesus died to redeem us from the curse of sin.

• Appearances

  matter. Our words, actions, and attitudes are evidence of what is in our hearts.  This is true for children, too.

• Obedience

  to God’s commandments is an outpouring of our love to Him.  He gives us both the will and the ability to do His will.

• Wise decision-making

  starts with a complete, surrendered trust in God. We must not decide to do anything on the basis that it seems to be working for the “rest of the world”.  Wise decisions are based on the Word of God and its principles.

• The Ten Commandments

  are just as binding now as they were at Sinai—and as they were in Eden.  Keeping the commandments is about representing God’s character of love, which does not change.

• The 4th Commandment

  is just at valid as all the others and means just what it says: “the seventh day is the Sabbath.”  As God instituted the Sabbath at Creation, it is not just for “the Jews”!  The seventh day is commonly referred to today as Saturday and, according to biblical time-keeping, Sabbath should be kept from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, every single week.

• Through Jesus

  we can live a holy life.  We should be daily growing nearer to Him, and more like Him.  Our minds can be so filled with His Spirit that we truly do think like He thinks and find joy in serving Him with our whole being.

• Serving God

  is true freedom and real joy!

• Baptism

  is a public sign of our commitment to Christ, a representation of the death of our “old man” of sin and the resurrection into new life in Jesus.  As such, we want to be buried completely and need “much water” to do so!

• Death

  is simply like a sleep.  The dead are unaware of anything that is going on.  However, they will be resurrected, either to the resurrection of life or to the resurrection of damnation.

• Jesus will come again!

  Although we cannot know the exact moment of His coming, we can know that the time is near by the signs around us in the events and state of the world.  When He comes, His feet will not touch the ground; every eye will see Him, and His people will be caught up with Him in the air.

• Heaven

  is a real place, with real people, doing real activities.  God is its center.  It is not for everyone, but it is for anyone who chooses to accept God’s offer of salvation.  God longs to see each one of us saved, but knows that many will reject Him.

• Hell

  is eternal death, not eternal dying. It is a judgment to come, not a place that will always exist.

• God is love.

  Period.

Hasten Home, friend!

~Sheila Edeliant,
Owner of Hasten Home
Author of:
VBS—Superstars for Jesus
VBS—The Land of Milk & Honey

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P.S. A lot of these topics can be a little confusing when you just take one or two Bible verses on the subject.  If you are looking for some great, in-depth Bible studies, I highly recommend Amazing Facts!  You might also like to browse Bible topics for yourself at Bibleinfo.com.

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