Romans 7 teaches children that trying to be good on our own is not enough, and that we need Jesus to help us. This lesson is for children about ages 5 to 11, and it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
We cannot make ourselves good by trying hard. We need Jesus to rescue us and help us do what is right.
Memory Verse
Romans 7:25
I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, the sin’s law.
(WEB)
Hold both hands over your heart, then lift them up high like you are cheering. Say the words slowly, saying “Thank God” and pointing up as you say “through Jesus Christ.” This motion helps children remember that Jesus is the one who rescues us.
The Story: Romans 7 for Kids
Paul was a teacher who loved God’s law. God’s law was a list of good rules that showed people how to live. Paul wrote a letter to friends in the city of Rome, and in this chapter he talked about something he struggled with. He knew what was right, but he often did the wrong thing anyway.
Paul used a simple picture to explain how a rule works. He said that a law is like a husband who is alive. A wife is bound to her husband while he lives, but when he dies, she is free. Paul was saying that the old way of trying to be good through rules had come to an end, and something new had come through Jesus.
Paul then told a sad truth about his own heart. He said that the rule “You shall not want what belongs to someone else” showed him how much he wanted things that were not his. Paul said, in his own honest words, that he did not always do the good he wanted to do. He felt like he had two battles going on inside him, one to do good and one that pulled him toward wrong.
Paul felt so weak and sad about this that he cried out, asking who could save him from this problem. He did not stay stuck in that sad place, though. Paul answered his own question with joy. He said he thanked God through Jesus Christ, who rescues us.
So the story ends with hope. Paul needed help, and he found that help in Jesus. Children can see that even a wise and faithful man like Paul needed a rescuer.
Read It Together
Romans 7:15
For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
(WEB)
Point out that Paul was honest about his struggle. Ask children to notice that he did not pretend to be perfect. Explain that being honest with God about our mistakes is a good thing to do.
Romans 7:24-25
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! So then with the mind, I myself serve God’s law, but with the flesh, the sin’s law.
(WEB)
Point to Paul’s question and then to his answer. Show children that the question leads to the answer, which is Jesus. Help them see that Jesus is the one who sets us free.
Romans 7:19
For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.
(WEB)
Explain that everyone has times when they want to do good but do the wrong thing instead. Ask children to think of a time they felt this way. Remind them that this is a normal part of being human, and Jesus helps us.
Talk About It
- What is one good rule that helps you and your family get along well?
- Can you think of a time when you knew the right thing to do but still did the wrong thing?
- How did Paul feel when he tried to be good on his own?
- Who did Paul say was the one who could rescue him?
- How can we ask Jesus for help when we feel stuck doing wrong?
Activity Ideas
Rescue Rope Drawing
You will need paper, crayons, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a small stick figure stuck in a box, then draw a rope coming down from the top of the page. Write or draw Jesus at the end of the rope. Talk about how Jesus reaches down to rescue us when we cannot get out ourselves.
Two Hands Game
You will need no supplies, just open space. Have children stand and try to hold both hands on top of their heads while you call out things like “good idea” and “bad idea.” When you say something good, they should try to keep their hands up, and when you say something bad, they should try to bring their hands down. Stop and talk about how hard it is to always do the good thing, and how Jesus helps us.
Rescue Card for Home
You will need an index card or a piece of paper, a marker, and tape. Have each child write “Jesus helps me” on the card and decorate it. Tape it to the bathroom mirror or the refrigerator at home. Encourage the child to read it each morning and remember that they can ask Jesus for help all day long.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that the law of God is holy and good, but it cannot give us the power to live rightly on our own. Paul describes a real inner conflict between the desire to do good and the pull of sin. The hope he reaches at the end of the chapter points forward to the rescue that comes through Jesus Christ, which the rest of the letter goes on to explain.
When teaching children, avoid making the chapter sound like a list of strict warnings or suggest that feeling bad about ourselves is the goal. Keep the focus on the rescue Jesus offers, and do not overstate the details of Paul’s argument about the law, which are complicated even for adults.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for your good rules that show us how to live. We know we cannot be good on our own, and sometimes we do the wrong things even when we want to do right. Thank you for sending Jesus to rescue us and help us. Help us ask him for help every day. Amen.
