In this lesson, children learn that God gives us everything we need to grow in faith and become more like Jesus. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God has given us everything we need to grow strong in faith, and we grow by choosing to love and obey Jesus each day.
Memory Verse
2 Peter 1:5
Yes, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence; and in moral excellence, knowledge…
(WEB)
Put your hands on your chest, then slowly reach them up over your head like a tree growing tall. Each time you say “add to your faith,” lift your hands a little higher to show that we keep growing.
The Story: 2 Peter 1 for Kids
A man named Simon Peter wrote a letter to his friends who believed in Jesus. Peter had walked with Jesus for a long time, so he knew Jesus very well. He wanted his friends to know that Jesus had given them a precious faith, just like Peter had.
Peter told them that God’s power has given us all we need to live a good life. God did this by letting us know Jesus, who called us by his own glory and goodness. God also gave us wonderful promises, so that we could be shaped more and more like him.
Then Peter gave his friends a list of steps to climb, like a ladder. Start with faith, then add goodness. Next comes knowing God better, then learning to say no to things that are wrong. After that comes patience, then loving God, then caring for our brothers and sisters, and finally a big, full love for everyone.
Peter said, “Be more careful to make your calling and choosing sure.” He told them that if they kept climbing this ladder, they would never fall. Peter knew he would not live forever, so he said, “I will make every effort to remind you of these things.”
Peter reminded his friends that he was not telling them made-up stories. He had seen Jesus with his own eyes. Peter had been on a high mountain with Jesus when a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Peter heard that voice himself.
Read It Together
2 Peter 1:3
Seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and virtue…
(WEB)
Point out that God gave us everything we need for life and for knowing him. Ask the children what they think “everything we need” might include, and help them see that God’s help is always available to them.
2 Peter 1:6-7
6 And in knowledge, self-control; and in self-control perseverance; and in perseverance godliness; 7 and in godliness brotherly affection; and in brotherly affection, love.
(WEB)
Show the children how Peter’s list grows step by step, from faith to love. Let them name one step on the ladder they find hardest, and remind them that growing takes time.
2 Peter 1:16-18
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
(WEB)
Explain that Peter was an eyewitness who saw Jesus’s glory and heard God’s voice on the mountain. Help children understand that the Bible’s message is true because real people saw and heard these things.
Talk About It
- What is one good thing God has given you that helps you live a good life?
- Which step on Peter’s ladder do you think is the easiest to climb, and why?
- How can you show kindness to your brothers, sisters, or friends this week?
- What did Peter see and hear on the mountain, and why do you think it mattered to him?
- What is one way you can keep growing stronger in your love for Jesus?
Activity Ideas
Faith Ladder Craft
You will need construction paper, crayons, glue, and scissors. Have each child cut out a ladder shape with seven rungs and write one word on each rung: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, kindness, love. Let them decorate the ladder and hang it somewhere they will see it during the week.
Climb the Ladder Game
Draw a simple ladder with chalk on the floor or use masking tape on carpet. Call out each step from 2 Peter 1, and have the children hop or step to the next rung as they say it aloud. Give each child a turn to call out a step, and cheer them on as they climb.
Take-Home Promise Card
You will need index cards, a pen, and a pencil. Write “God has given me everything I need” on one side of the card, and have each child draw a picture of one step from the ladder on the other side. Encourage families to read the card together at dinner and talk about one way they can grow this week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that spiritual growth is both a gift from God and a daily choice we make to cooperate with his work. Peter presents faith as the foundation for a life that keeps adding virtue, knowledge, and love, and he grounds his teaching in the eyewitness experience of Jesus’s glory. Adults can take encouragement that God’s promises are reliable and that growing in Christlikeness is a lifelong process.
Be careful not to suggest to children that growing in faith depends mainly on how hard they try, since that can leave them feeling like they must earn God’s love. Keep the focus on God giving us what we need, and treat each step on the ladder as a loving response to Jesus rather than a test to pass.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for giving us everything we need to know you and grow strong in faith. Help us add goodness, knowledge, patience, and love to our lives each day. Thank you for the promises you have given us, and help us trust them. Amen.
