2 Corinthians 6
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
Listen. Paul is writing a letter. Paul loves Jesus very much. And Paul loves the people in a city called Corinth. He calls them his friends. He even calls them his children.
Paul picks up a pen. He writes: "Dear friends, listen well. God is so good. God wants to help you. Not later. Not tomorrow. Now! Today is the day."
Paul tells about himself too. Paul has had a hard time. Sometimes people were mean to him. Sometimes he was hungry. Sometimes he was very tired. But you know what? Paul kept going. Because Jesus was with him. Always. Even when it was hard.
Then Paul writes something very sweet. He writes: "My heart is wide open for you. I love you so much!" It is as if Paul is opening his arms wide. Come here, friends. Come close.
And then Paul says one more thing. Something important. He says: "You belong to God. You are God's house! God lives inside you." Isn't that wonderful?
What Does This Mean?
God says something very special in this letter. Listen carefully. God says: "I will be your Father. And you will be my children."
Do you hear that? God wants to be your Father. And you may be his child. God loves you. So very much. He wants to live close to you. Every day.
The Common Thread
This is the big story of the whole Bible. God loves people. God wants to be near.
Long ago, God lived in a big tent. Then in a beautiful temple, a house of stone. But then Jesus came. Jesus died for us. Jesus came back to life. And now God comes to live in something new. Not in a tent. Not in a house of stone. But in you. In your heart.
Isn't that amazing? You are God's house. God's little house.
For You
Close your eyes for a moment. Put your hand on your chest. Do you feel your heart beating? Boom, boom, boom.
God is very close. God says to you: "You are my child. I am your Father."
You do not have to do anything difficult. You may just come. Just like you come to your daddy or mommy. God's arms are wide open. Just like Paul. Just like Jesus.
And do you know what is so nice? Today is the day. Not tomorrow. Right now. You may say to God: "Hello, Father. I am here."
Talk About It
Do you know that God wants to be your Father? How does that feel?
Paul opened his heart wide for his friends. Who do you want to open your heart wide for?
Praying Together
Dear God,
You are my Father. I am so glad. Thank you that you are close. Thank you that you love me. I want to be your child. Today. And tomorrow. Always.
Amen.
Questions about 2 Corinthians 6
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is 2 Corinthians 6 about?
What does 2 Corinthians 6 say?
What does 2 Corinthians 6 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from 2 Corinthians 6?
Why is 2 Corinthians 6 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
A yoke is not a fence, it is a harness. Two animals, one field, one pace, one direction. So Paul asks, "what fellowship has light with darkness?" The question is not who you are allowed to love. It is who sets your direction. Look at the furrow your life is cutting lately. Who is pulling beside you, and where are you being pulled?
Paul has just finished listing beatings, prisons, sleepless nights. Then, without pausing, he adds "in kindness... in sincere love." That's the wonder of it. All that hardship didn't harden him. Suffering usually makes us guarded, quick to protect ourselves. Ask yourself honestly: has your pain made you gentler, or safer?
Paul lists his credentials: "in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in labors, in watchings, in fastings." Notice the turn halfway through. The first three were done to him. The last three he chose. Suffering found him, and then he added more, freely, out of love. Sleepless nights nobody asked him to keep. What would you willingly give up for someone who could never repay you?
Paul lists it without flinching: "by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true." He was being called a fraud in Corinth, and he keeps working anyway. Some people will read your life wrong, and you may never get the chance to correct it. Can you stay faithful when the story told about you is false?
Looking for something for slightly older children?
We also have dedicated versions for elementary age (7-12) and teens (12 and up).
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