This lesson teaches children that God loves every person equally, so we should treat everyone with kindness and fairness, whether they are rich or poor. It is written for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God does not pick favorites, so we should not pick favorites either. Real faith shows up in how we love and help other people.
Memory Verse
James 2:8
However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
(WEB)
Place both hands on your heart, then open your arms wide like a hug. Say the words slowly together, and do the hug motion each time you say “neighbor.”
The Story: James 2 for Kids
James was a leader among the early Christians, and he wrote a letter to friends who were meeting together for church. Some of them had a habit that was not kind. When a rich man walked in wearing fine clothes, they gave him the best seat in the room. When a poor man walked in wearing dirty clothes, they told him to stand in the back or sit on the floor.
James thought this was wrong. He asked them a simple question: did God choose the poor to be rich in faith? God had promised his kingdom to people who love him, and many of those people were poor. So why would anyone treat a poor person as less important?
James also told a story about a brother or sister who had no clothes and no food. Someone said, “Go in peace, be warm and full,” but then did nothing to help. James said that kind words without kind actions are not enough. Real faith shows itself in what we do.
Next, James talked about Abraham, who trusted God so much that he was willing to obey even when it was hard. James also talked about Rahab, a woman who helped the messengers of God by hiding them and sending them safely away. Both of them showed that faith is alive when it leads to action.
James wanted his friends to remember that their words and their actions should match. Faith and love go together, like a body and its breath.
Read It Together
James 2:1
My brothers, don’t hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality.
(WEB)
Point out that James begins by telling believers not to treat people differently based on how they look or how much money they have. Ask the children what it means to show favorites, and why God does not do that.
James 2:14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? 15 And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled”; and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
(WEB)
Explain that faith is not just saying the right words. Show the children how a kind word and a helping hand go together. Ask them to name one way they can help someone this week.
James 2:26
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.
(WEB)
Use a simple example: a body without breath is not alive, and faith without action is not living faith. Help the children see that living faith makes a difference in how we treat others.
Talk About It
- How do you feel when someone treats you as if you matter less than other people?
- What is one way you could make a new friend feel welcome at school or church?
- Why do you think God wants us to treat everyone fairly?
- What is something you can do to help a person who has less than you?
- How can our actions show other people what we believe about God?
Activity Ideas
Hands Wide Open Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to trace one of their hands on the paper. Inside the hand, have them draw or write one kind thing they can do for someone else this week. Hang the drawings on the wall as a reminder that faith shows in our hands.
Helping Hands Relay
You will need two empty cups, a bowl of dried beans or small toys, and a open space to play. Divide the children into two teams. Each child carries one item from the bowl to the cup at the other end of the room, one at a time, while the team cheers. Talk about how working together helps everyone, just as James says faith and works belong together.
Kindness Jar at Home
You will need a clear jar, paper strips, and a pen. Ask the family to write one act of kindness on a strip each day, such as sharing a snack or helping with dishes. Place the strips in the jar. At the end of the week, read them aloud together and thank God for the chance to show his love.
Teacher Notes
For adults, James 2 challenges the habit of judging people by appearance, wealth, or status. It also insists that faith is not merely an idea in the head but a living trust that shapes behavior. James uses the examples of Abraham and Rahab to show that genuine faith expresses itself in faithful action, even when that action is costly.
With children, avoid suggesting that good works earn God’s love or make us right with him. The point is that God loves us freely, and that love naturally overflows into how we treat others. Keep the focus on gratitude and love rather than on rules or rewards.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for loving every one of us the same. Help us to treat everyone with kindness, and to show our faith by how we help others. Give us willing hands and kind words today and every day. Amen.
