In this lesson, children learn that anyone who trusts Jesus and calls on his name can be saved, and that God wants everyone to hear the good news. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God loves everyone, and anyone who believes in Jesus and calls on his name can be saved. We can tell others about Jesus so they can hear too.
Memory Verse
Romans 10:13
For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(WEB)
Put one hand on your heart and the other hand up high, then reach both hands up together as you say the verse. Repeat it three times, getting a little quieter each time, until you can say it with your hands folded.
The Story: Romans 10 for Kids
The apostle Paul was writing a letter to the church in Rome. He loved the people of Israel very much, and his heart’s biggest wish was that they would be saved. Paul knew they were very eager to serve God, but many of them had not understood the way God makes people right with himself. They were trying to earn it on their own.
Paul explained that Jesus is the answer. Anyone who believes in Jesus, whether they are Jewish or from any other nation, can be made right with God. Paul wrote that the message is close to us, like words in our mouth and in our heart. When a person believes in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and says with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, they will be saved.
Next Paul asked a question that every child can understand. How will people call on Jesus if they have never heard about him? And how will they hear unless someone tells them? Paul said that God sends messengers to share the good news, and that their feet are beautiful because they carry the message of peace to others.
Not everyone listened to the good news, and Paul was sad about that. But he reminded his friends that faith grows when people hear God’s word. He also said that God kept reaching out his hands to his people all day long, even when they turned away.
So the lesson of this chapter is simple. Jesus is near to everyone. When we believe and call on him, he saves us, and he wants us to tell others so they can hear too.
Read It Together
Romans 10:9
That if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
(WEB)
Point out the two parts of this promise: confessing with the mouth and believing in the heart. Ask the children to show you how they would say that Jesus is Lord with their words and how they would believe with their heart.
Romans 10:14-15
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher? 15 And how will they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!”
(WEB)
Show children how Paul asks a chain of questions, from calling to believing to hearing to preaching. Explain that God uses people like them and like you to share the good news so others can hear it.
Romans 10:21
But as to Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
(WEB)
Point out how God keeps holding out his hands to his people even when they turn away. Remind children that God is patient and never stops inviting people to come home to him.
Talk About It
- What does it mean to call on Jesus, and what could you say to him?
- Who is someone in your life who has not heard about Jesus yet?
- Why do you think God wanted everyone to hear the good news, not just one group of people?
- How can you show someone that Jesus is Lord in your everyday life?
- What do you think God’s hands look like when he is reaching out to us?
Activity Ideas
Handprint Heart Craft
You will need paper, crayons or markers, scissors, and glue. Have each child trace their hand on a sheet of paper, cut it out, and draw a heart in the center of the palm. Write Romans 10:13 across the top together and let children decorate their handprint. Hang the finished prints on a classroom wall or fridge as a reminder that anyone can call on Jesus.
Message Relay Game
You will need a small object, such as a ball or a cup, and a group of at least four children. Have the children stand in a line and whisper a short good news sentence, like “Jesus loves you,” from one child to the next. The last child says the message out loud, and then talk about how the message traveled, just as Paul said the good news needs people to share it.
Take-Home Prayer Card
You will need index cards, a pen or marker, and a small ribbon or sticker. Write a short line on each card, such as “I can call on Jesus anytime,” and let each child decorate their card. Ask them to share the card with a family member at home and say the verse together before bed.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter stresses that salvation is received through faith in Jesus, not earned by religious effort, and that the message is open to every person, whatever their background. Paul’s chain of questions shows that belief depends on hearing, and hearing depends on someone being sent to share. The passage also carries Paul’s deep sorrow for his own people, which invites adults to pray for those they love who have not yet trusted Christ.
With children, avoid overstating how much they can fully grasp about the relationship between faith, works, and God’s righteousness. Keep the focus on the simple truths that Jesus is Lord, that God saves those who call on him, and that God wants everyone to hear. Let children ask questions and be comfortable saying they do not know everything yet.
A Prayer to Close
Lord Jesus, thank you that you are near to us and that anyone who calls on your name can be saved. Help us to believe with our hearts and to say with our mouths that you are Lord. Give us courage to share the good news with our friends and family, so they can hear it too. Amen.
