Teaching Kids About Grace

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Suddenly, my lesson on grace was born. I mentally missed the next 5 minutes of Bible Study as I was planning my lesson. This text is a bit advanced for my kids if I read it straight up. It is advanced in the text, but it is not advanced in concept, so I knew it was perfect. The main message is that just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), so sin is wiped away through one man (Jesus Christ). I would love you to read this passage to discover how you can re-word it for your own kids or let it transform your own lives. I read excerpts, but I tried to emphasize that it is God’s abundant grace that cleans us from our sins.

The first thing I did was draw the outline picture of a man. I intentionally made it big and bubbly so we could fit words in the body. Next, I asked them about how sin entered the world. They recalled the story in the garden. I said this drawing represents the first man. I asked them to write down on his body their ideas of what some of the sins were that entered into the world at that time.