Romans 7
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
It was evening. In a small room a little lamp was burning. The tiny flame went back and forth, back and forth. At the table sat a man. His name was Paul.
In front of Paul lay paper. And ink. And a pen. Paul was writing a letter. A letter to his friends, far, far away. He wanted to tell them something. Something true. Something hard.
Paul dipped his pen in the ink. And he began to write.
"Dear friends," wrote Paul. "God gave us rules. God's rules are good. God says: be kind. God says: don't take what is not yours. Beautiful rules. Good rules."
Then Paul stopped. He looked at the little flame. And he wrote something sad.
"But I do it wrong. I want to do good. And then I don't do it. The thing I don't want to do, that is what I do."
What Does This Mean?
Paul laid down his pen. It was very quiet in the room.
Maybe you know that feeling. You wanted to share your car. But your hand held it tight. You wanted to be gentle. But you pushed anyway. Inside you a little voice says: do good. And still it goes wrong.
Paul knew that feeling too. He wrote: "What a wretched man I am!" That means: oh, I am so sad about myself. And then he wrote: who will help me?
Who will help Paul? Who will help you?
The Common Thread
The lamp kept burning. The flame went back and forth. And then, all at once, Paul smiled.
Because Paul knew the answer! He picked up his pen again. He dipped it in the ink. And he wrote it down, happy and big:
"I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!"
Jesus. Jesus helps. Jesus was dead, and Jesus is alive again. Jesus takes all the wrong things away, all of them. Paul did not have to fix himself. Paul was not alone. Never, ever alone again.
For You
Then Paul rolled his letter up. He gave it to a friend. And the friend walked away, over long dusty roads, all the way to Paul's friends far away. They read the letter out loud together. And they were glad.
And now you hear it too.
Maybe something goes wrong today. Maybe you say something mean. Maybe you grab something that is not yours. You do not have to hide. You do not have to be scared.
You may say it out loud to Jesus. Just say: Jesus, it went wrong again. Help me.
Jesus hears you. Jesus loves you. And Jesus holds you tight, tighter than you can hold anything.
Talk About It
What is something you find hard to do well?
Who helps Paul when it goes wrong? And who helps you?
Praying Together
Dear Jesus,
Sometimes I want to be good. And then it goes wrong anyway. That makes me sad.
Thank you that I may tell you. Thank you that you help me. Thank you that you hold me tight.
Amen.
Questions about Romans 7
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is Romans 7 about?
What does Romans 7 say?
What does Romans 7 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from Romans 7?
Why is Romans 7 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin." Notice Paul doesn't say "I was." He says "I am." The man who planted churches across the empire still felt the drag of a chain he couldn't break on his own. So if your failures shock you, they didn't shock him. They drove him to Christ.
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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