For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
Paul keeps writing his letter to God's family. In this part he shares the best news in the whole world.
Today's Story
Paul stops and asks a big question in his letter: who is good enough for God? Who has never, ever done anything wrong?
And his answer surprises everybody. “No one,” Paul says. “Every single person has done wrong things. Not one of us is perfect.”
That sounds like sad news at first. If nobody is good enough, how can anyone be friends with a perfect God?
But then Paul says the most wonderful word in his whole letter: but. “BUT now,” he writes, “God has made a way!”
Here is the way. We could never make ourselves good enough to reach God. So God reached down to us. He sent Jesus. Jesus did what we could not do. And because of Jesus, God offers to make us right with Him — clean and welcome and loved.
And get this: it is a gift. You cannot buy it. You cannot earn it by being extra good. You just open your hands and say, “Thank You, God!” A gift is free for the one who receives it. That is how much God loves you.
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Think about the best gift you ever got. Did you have to pay for it, or was it free? How did it feel to just be given it?
- Paul says nobody is perfect — not even grown-ups. Does it help to know that everybody needs God's help, the same as you?
- God reached down to us because we could not reach up to Him. Why do you think God wanted to do that for us?