This lesson teaches children that Paul forgave people who hurt him and that God helps us share His love everywhere we go. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God helps us forgive others, and He uses us to share the sweet smell of His love wherever we go.
Memory Verse
2 Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.
(WEB)
Teach children to stand tall, hold both arms out wide like the sides of a big hug, and then sniff the air with a smile. Each time you say the verse, do the motion together so the words stick.
The Story: 2 Corinthians 2 for Kids
Paul was a leader who loved the people in the church at Corinth very much. Some of them had hurt him and made him sad, so he wrote them a letter instead of visiting right away. He wrote with many tears because he wanted them to know how much he cared about them.
One person in the church had caused a lot of sadness. The people had already corrected him, and that was enough. Paul told the church, “Now you should forgive him and help him feel better.” Paul did not want this man to become so sad that he could not get back up.
Paul also said that when we forgive others, we keep Satan from winning. Satan likes to make people angry and bitter, but God wants His people to be kind. Paul said, “We know Satan’s tricks, so let’s not fall for them.”
Paul went to a city called Troas to share the good news about Jesus. A door opened for him to preach there. But Paul was worried because he could not find his friend Titus. So he said goodbye to the people and went on to Macedonia to look for him.
Paul did not feel worried for long, because he remembered that God always leads His people in victory. He said that God spreads the sweet smell of His knowledge everywhere through us, like a good perfume filling a room. Some people love that smell and want to know Jesus, and others do not.
Paul ended by saying that no one is good enough for this job on their own. But Christians speak God’s word honestly, because God is the one who helps them. When we belong to Jesus, we can be the sweet smell of His love.
Read It Together
2 Corinthians 2:7
So that on the contrary you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow.
(WEB)
Point out that Paul asks the church to forgive and comfort the person who made others sad. Ask children what it feels like to be forgiven and how they can comfort someone who feels bad.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11
10 Now I also forgive whomever you forgive anything. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
(WEB)
Show children that forgiving others stops Satan from getting a foothold in our hearts. Explain that holding grudges can make us angry, but forgiveness helps us stay close to God and to each other.
2 Corinthians 2:14-16
14 Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. 15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish; 16 to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
(WEB)
Point out that God spreads the sweet smell of Jesus through His people. Explain that some people will love hearing about Jesus and others may not, but we still share His love faithfully.
Talk About It
- What is one way you can show someone God’s forgiveness this week?
- How did Paul feel when he could not find his friend Titus, and what did he do?
- Why do you think forgiving someone helps us stop feeling angry?
- What does it mean to be a sweet smell of Jesus to the people around us?
- Who is someone you could comfort the way Paul asked the church to comfort the person who was sad?
Activity Ideas
Scented Heart Card
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a few drops of vanilla or a cotton ball with a little lavender extract. Have each child draw a big heart on the paper and write the word forgive inside it. Dab a cotton ball with a drop of scent, tuck it into a folded corner of the card, and talk about how Jesus’s love fills a room like a good smell.
Sweet Smell Tag Game
Choose one child to be the sweet smell of Jesus and let them hide a small scented object, like a dab of lotion on a napkin, somewhere in the room. The other children search for it, and when they find it, they do a big arms-wide hug motion. Play a few rounds, then talk about how we can help others find God’s love.
Forgiveness Jar Take-Home
You will need an empty jar, paper slips, and a pencil. Ask each child to write or draw one person they want to forgive on a slip of paper and fold it into the jar. Encourage them to pray over the jar at home each evening, reminding them that God helps us forgive and spreads His love through us.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that forgiveness is not weakness but a way to protect our hearts from bitterness. Paul’s tears reveal a pastor who cared deeply, and his hope was that the church would restore a hurting member rather than crush him. The image of the sweet aroma reminds believers that their lives carry the knowledge of Christ into every place, whether others welcome it or not.
Avoid overstating to children that forgiveness always means being close to someone who hurt them or that feeling sad means we have done something wrong. Some situations require safety and wise boundaries, and children should know that God cares about their feelings too.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for forgiving us when we do wrong. Help us forgive others the way You forgive us, and help us comfort those who feel sad. Let Your love spread from our hearts to everyone we meet, like a sweet smell that fills the room. Amen.
