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Story by Joanna Kimbrel
Imagine it or not, the elementary-age youngsters you guardian, educate, and look after are prepared for the ebook of Romans. It’s true that Paul’s letter to the Romans is notoriously intimidating. It covers matters like sin, election, and justification that may be tough to understand and settle for no matter your age. Even Peter mentioned some issues in Paul’s letters are obscure (2 Pet. 3:16), and Romans is Paul’s longest and arguably his most theologically dense epistle.
However although Romans doesn’t appear kid-friendly, it tells an adventurous story of peril and rescue. The ebook of Romans is a few hero. However not simply any hero—the best hero of all time. He’s the hero who frees individuals from slavery, defeats the Satan, and even brings the useless again to life. He’s a hero who got here to avoid wasting villains!
Although Romans doesn’t appear kid-friendly, it tells an adventurous story of peril and rescue.
Wait a minute. Save villains? Isn’t the hero speculated to struggle in opposition to the unhealthy guys? What sort of story is that this! It’s the story your youngsters want. It’s the story all of us want.
Nonetheless intimidated? Listed below are three truths you may level out to youngsters as you learn the ebook of Romans collectively.
1. You won’t suppose you’re a villain, however you might be.
What if I instructed you you’re a villain? That’s proper. You’re the unhealthy man, and so am I. Each particular person in the entire world has the identical huge drawback—sin. The truth is, this drawback is so huge that Paul spends chapters 1–3 telling us about it. As you learn, clarify to youngsters that we sin once we disobey God. This makes us God’s enemies, the unhealthy guys! We sin with our actions, our ideas, and our hearts. We see our sin once we wish to do issues our means as an alternative of God’s means. We see our sin once we wish to harm somebody or take one thing that doesn’t belong to us. We see our sin once we’re unkind to others and at all times wish to be first.
Why is sin such a giant drawback? As a result of in our sin, we love and worship issues greater than God. And sin has huge penalties. The cost for our sin is dying (Rom. 6:23). To dwell ceaselessly with God, we should change into one of many good guys. We should be righteous—completely holy and proper with God—however nobody is righteous. Not one particular person (Rom. 3:10). This implies each one among us deserves to die. Sure, that’s a huge drawback.
2. The excellent news is Jesus loves us although we’re villains.
As a substitute of combating in opposition to us, the best hero fights for us. He modifies us from unhealthy guys to good guys, from enemies to household. Jesus affords an ideal resolution to our huge drawback. He affords himself! Despite the fact that we’re unhealthy guys, he loves us and rescues us. Level out to your youngsters all of the locations in Romans that discuss concerning the salvation we’ve in Jesus Christ (there are loads of them). Remind the youngsters that Jesus was the one righteous one who by no means sinned. Inform them that Jesus didn’t should die as we do, however he died in our place so we don’t should. Jesus provides us his righteousness so we will dwell with God ceaselessly (Rom. 6:23).
Isn’t the hero speculated to struggle in opposition to the unhealthy guys? What sort of story is that this!
How will we get Jesus’s righteousness? By trusting him (Rom. 1:16-17; 4:5). Clarify to youngsters that having religion in Jesus means believing that he’s the Son of God who died for us and trusting him to avoid wasting us from our sins. If we think about Jesus, he takes all our sin and offers us his good document. That’s actually excellent news!
3. Jesus adjustments our villainous hearts and helps us serve others.
Jesus loves us once we’re unhealthy guys and turns us into good guys. The gospel is the excellent news that those that belief Jesus will dwell with God ceaselessly, but it surely’s additionally the excellent news that Jesus adjustments hearts proper now. Romans 12–16 tells how our lives must be completely different due to Jesus. Inform youngsters that once we belief Christ, he makes us new (Rom. 6:4).
Jesus saved us, so now we will love him and obey him (Rom. 12:1–2). When youngsters belief Jesus, it ought to change the best way they obey their mother and father and academics, deal with their pals and siblings, and cope with disappointment. We are able to love others even when they act like unhealthy guys towards us (Rom. 12). We obey God by obeying the individuals he put in cost (Rom. 13). We don’t at all times must get what we wish—we may give up issues we wish to present like to different individuals (Rom. 14). Jesus is the rationale we wish to obey, and he’s the rationale we will.
So decide up your Bible and skim the ebook of Romans with the youngsters in your care. Present them the Savior who saves even his enemies. And let God’s grace seize their imaginations and hearts. Assist them to see their want for Jesus, the excellent news of his salvation, and the best way he modifies our lives.
Editors’ word:
Learn extra from Joanna Kimbrel in her new youngsters’ ebook, The Greatest Hero: The Book of Romans(Kaleidoscope Books, October 2022).
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