ABCs of Faith

At Crystal Sea we believe in and endorse clear, expository teaching whether in church services, Bible studies, or on the radio. But we also believe that Biblical truth can be set to music in an engaging and entertaining way. This provides good Bible teachers additional resources to add a little variety to their teaching and to engage hearts and minds. The ABCs of Faith by Crystal Sea does exactly that, especially for younger kids. The sentiments that inspired the lyrics in The ABCs of Faith are profound and should be a part of every Christian’s understanding of their faith.

Our graphic artist, Dar, wrote The ABCs of Faith and has given us brilliant unity and flow in even these four lines. The "I" (for I AM) tells us about God’s eternal self-existence. Then the "J" reminds us that Jesus, the second Person of the Holy Trinity, is fully God. He came to earth and brought the kingdom of heaven (the K) with him. And on earth Jesus became our Lord, the "L". This verse is a great summary of a critical part of the Christian faith – the incarnation and the glorification of our Savior, Christ Jesus.

The concepts in those four letters flow from God’s eternal pre-existence as the eternal “I AM” to Jesus’ arrival on the earth bringing the kingdom of heaven with Him and becoming our Lord – the Lord. Jesus’s arrival in the flesh meant that the kingdom of heaven had come.

 “Now when [Jesus] heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth He went and lived in Capernaum by the sea … so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled … ‘beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4: 12-17

When we surrender to Christ, we are delivered from so many earthly chains that hold our affections and actions hostage. And this is a deep Biblical truth that we all need to learn and teach to our kids. Very young kids need to know that Jesus is our Lord and as our Lord we can count on Him to “guide and provide.” But older kids need to know more because they begin to face some very real temptations from the world around them. And they need to understand that throughout their lives they are accountable – not just to their parents and other authorities but to God - the One who brought the kingdom of heaven to earth. But we can’t help our kids understand these concepts if we don’t understand them ourselves.

One way to think of the four lines of the song based on the letters “I, J, K, and L” is that they define a sequence of authority. We begin with the fact that God’s as “I AM” means He existed before anything else. This concept also tells us that God must be omnipotent and omniscient because in that eternal self-existence nothing else exists that could put a limit on God. Omnipotence means God is all powerful. Omniscience means God knows everything that can be known. Or said differently, there are no limits on God’s knowledge and power other than the limits established by His own perfectly righteous, holy character. So, as the all-powerful, all-knowing God He was able to create a universe that would then be accountable to Him and that would operate according to His perfect will.

This sequence of authority that is presented in the four letters and lines of the song (I, J, K, and L) is a perfect anchor point to help kids – of all ages – to understand why we claim Jesus as Lord – as the song says, “which means He is the boss.” God didn’t just create the heavens and earth. From the beginning He established an authority structure within them. But that structure was marred with the fall of Adam. The created order itself was compromised with Adam’s fall. Forty-five hundred years after the initial creation, Jesus’s arrival into creation became the lynchpin to the plan to undo the corruption and to reestablish God’s intended order. “J is for Jesus, the Son of God who came. K is for kingdom of heaven now with us. L is for LORD, which means He is the boss.” And we intrinsically understand that we all function better when our lives and the world around us are orderly. Chaos is rarely, if ever, beneficial. And that’s what life without limits turns into – chaos. We do well to remind ourselves and teach our kids that the order that God intended for His creation doesn’t limit our freedom but rather allows us to express it for our good and His glory.

Excerpt from Anchored by Truth episode, ABCs of Faith by Crystal Sea Books