This lesson teaches children that God is love, and that we love each other because God loved us first. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, the memory verse, and a short activity.
Big Idea
God is love. He loved us first, so we can love other people, even when it is hard.
Memory Verse
1 John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.
(WEB)
Teach the children to cross their arms over their chest like a hug, then open their arms wide and point up to God. Say the verse together, and do the hug motion on “love,” so they remember that God’s love comes first.
The Story: 1 John 4 for Kids
A man named John wrote a letter to his dear friends in the early church. He wanted them to know a big truth about God. He knew that some people were telling lies about Jesus, so he wanted his friends to be careful about what they believed.
John told them to test what people said. He wanted them to ask, “Does this teaching match what we know about Jesus?” Jesus came to earth in a real body, and He is God’s Son. Anyone who said Jesus was not really God’s Son was not telling the truth.
Then John said something wonderful. “God is love,” he wrote. God did not wait for us to be perfect before He loved us. He sent His one and only Son into the world so we could live with Him forever. That is what real love looks like.
John then said, “Dear friends, let us love one another.” If God loves us that much, we should love each other too. Love is not just a nice feeling. It is what we do when we help and care for others. John said that people who love are showing that they know God.
John also said that God is not afraid of us, and we do not need to be afraid of Him. Perfect love pushes out fear. When we know God loves us, we can be brave. We can love God and our brothers and sisters because He loved us first.
Read It Together
1 John 4:8
He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
(WEB)
Point out the words “God is love.” Ask the children to say it back to you. Explain that God’s love is not something He does sometimes. It is who He is, all the time.
1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(WEB)
Show the children that God’s love was not because we were good. God loved us first, and He sent Jesus to take away our sins. Let them know this is the greatest gift we could ever receive.
1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another.
(WEB)
Ask the children who they can love this week, such as a sibling, a classmate, or a neighbor. Help them see that loving others is how we say thank you to God for loving us.
Talk About It
- What is one way God has shown you His love in your life?
- Why do you think God loved us before we ever loved Him?
- What makes it hard to love someone, and how can God’s love help us?
- Who is one person you could show God’s love to this week, and how could you do it?
- What does it feel like to know that God is never afraid of you and always loves you?
Activity Ideas
Heart Collage Craft
You will need paper, crayons or markers, glue, and old magazines or scrap paper. Have each child draw a large heart and write “God is love” inside it. Then let them glue small pictures of people they love or ways they can show love around the edges. Hang the finished hearts where the family can see them.
Pass the Love Game
You will need a soft ball or a rolled-up sock. Have the children stand in a circle. Pass the ball while the group says “God loved us first.” When the ball stops with someone, that child says one way they can show love to a friend or family member. Keep the game moving and celebrate each idea with a clap.
Love Notes Take-Home
You will need small paper squares, pencils, and envelopes. Have each child write or draw one kind thing they will do for someone at home this week. Let them put the note in an envelope and take it home. Encourage them to deliver it to the person they chose and say, “I love you, and God does too.”
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter stresses that God’s love is the source of all true love. We love because He first loved us, and this love is shown most clearly in Jesus sending His Son as the sacrifice for our sins. John also links love for God with love for others, saying that a person who claims to love God but hates a brother or sister is not telling the truth. Love and faith belong together, and love is evidence that we really know God.
Be careful not to make the lesson sound like children must earn God’s love by being nice enough. Keep the focus on God’s love coming first and freely, and on loving others as a grateful response. Avoid suggesting that feelings of love are the test of whether a child is saved. Instead, point to God’s faithfulness and His kindness.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for loving us first, before we even knew You. Thank You that You are love, and that You never stop loving us. Help us to love our family, our friends, and everyone around us, the way You love us. Help us not to be afraid, because You are always with us. Amen.
