This lesson teaches children that God wants His family to be loving, honest, and pure, and that church friends help each other grow closer to Jesus. It is best for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God wants His church family to stay pure, honest, and kind, and we help each other stay close to Jesus when we make mistakes.
Memory Verse
1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out the old yeast, that you may be a new lump, even as you are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.
(WEB)
Hold your two hands together like a little loaf, then slowly open them up like a flower. Each time you say the verse, do the motion together. The motion reminds you that God makes us new and clean.
The Story: 1 Corinthians 5 for Kids
A long time ago, a man named Paul wrote a letter to the believers in a busy city called Corinth. Paul had heard some sad news. One man in the church was living in a way that was not honest or good, even living in a way that other people around them did not do. Paul knew this was not how God’s family should act.
Paul did not want the church to pretend nothing was wrong. He wanted them to feel sorry and to think carefully about how they were acting. He wrote, in his own simple way, that they should not feel proud about this. The church needed to take this seriously, because when one thing goes wrong and no one fixes it, the whole group can slowly become unhealthy.
Paul also talked about yeast, the little bit of dough that makes a whole loaf of bread rise. A small bit of sin can spread through a whole group if no one stops it. So Paul told them to clean out the old yeast, the bad habits, so the church could be fresh and new, like bread made from clean dough.
Paul reminded them that Jesus is our Passover, the Lamb who was given up for us. Because Jesus gave Himself for us, we can live as people who belong to Him. Paul wanted the church to celebrate that life with honest hearts and true love, not with mean or tricky ways.
Read It Together
1 Corinthians 5:6
Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole lump?
(WEB)
Point out how Paul uses a little bit of yeast as a picture. Ask the children what happens when a tiny bit of something spreads through a whole batch of dough, and help them see that small wrong choices can grow if no one stops them.
1 Corinthians 5:11
But as it is, I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who is called a brother who is a sexual sinner, or covetous, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or an extortionist. Don’t even eat with such a person.
(WEB)
Explain that this verse is about the people inside the church family who keep doing wrong and refuse to change. Help children understand that the church is a family that cares, and that friends who love us will gently help us turn back to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 5:13
But those who are outside, God judges. “Put away the wicked man from among yourselves.”
(WEB)
Point out that God is the one who judges, and that Paul is asking the church to take loving care of one another. Tell the children that we are not in charge of everyone’s heart, but we can always ask God to help us do what is right.
Talk About It
- What is one way a small mistake can grow into a bigger problem?
- How can your church family help you when you make a wrong choice?
- Why do you think Paul wanted the church to feel sorry for the wrong they did?
- What does it mean to be a new lump of dough, and how does Jesus make us new?
- What is one kind thing you can do this week to help someone stay close to Jesus?
Activity Ideas
Yeast Dough Craft
Give each child a small piece of play dough or clay and a paper plate. Have them shape a small loaf while you talk about how Jesus makes us clean and new. Let them press a tiny ball into the loaf to show how small things can spread, then smooth it out to show that Jesus makes us fresh again.
Pass the Clean Loaf Game
Sit in a circle and pass a soft ball or a folded paper “loaf” from child to child while the group sings or says the memory verse. When the music stops, the child holding the loaf says one kind thing they can do for a church friend. This helps children practice caring for one another.
Take-Home Friendship Card
Give each child an index card and a crayon. Ask them to draw a picture of someone in their church family and write or draw one way that person helps them stay close to Jesus. Encourage them to give the card to that person during the week, so the lesson continues at home.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that the church is called to holiness and love at the same time. Paul does not want believers to ignore serious sin, yet he also wants correction to come from people who care, with the goal of restoration. The passage also reminds us that God is the final judge, and we are called to be faithful, not to appoint ourselves judges over every person.
With children, avoid suggesting that God is quick to punish or that church discipline is something a child should carry out. Keep the focus on God’s love, honesty, and the joy of being clean and new in Jesus, and leave the more serious matters of church discipline for older students and adults.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for making us part of Your family. Help us be honest, kind, and clean in the way we live. When we make mistakes, help us say sorry and help our friends stay close to You too. We love You, and we belong to You. Amen.
