Romans 1-6
"The Power of God Unto Salvation"
Materials: Coloring Page, parachute toys (optional), scriptures, "His Grace is sufficient" video (link below)
Opening Song: "I Stand All Amazed" (Hymnal, 193)
Opening Prayer:
Scripture: Romans 3:24 aBeing bjustified freely by his cgrace through the dredemptionthat is in Christ Jesus:
Attention Activity:
Tell your family to close their eyes and imagine they are flying in a small airplane. What would happen if while you were up in airplane and you decided to jump out? Why would you fall? What would you need to survive?
Lesson:
A long time ago Paul and the other apostles did not have text messaging or cell phones. If they wanted to send a message to someone, they had to write letters. The letters found in the Bible are called epistles and they communicated gospel truths to the Saints around the world. In Paul's epistle to the Romans, he wrote to them about grace. What is grace? "Grace is the help or strength given to us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." (gospel topics, "grace")
Read Romans 3: 23-24 and point out the JST in the footnotes. Some people misunderstand what Paul taught about grace. They think that because grace is "free" we don't have to anything to receive God's grace, that all you have to do is have faith in Jesus Christ. While faith is always the first step, there is more to accepting God's grace than just having faith in him. We still need to live righteously and repent in order to truely be changed through grace of Jesus Christ.
Read Romans 3:28 and explain that the law referred to by Paul in that verse is the law of Moses. Paul is telling people they no longer need to do the works required by the law of Moses. Christians no longer need the law of Moses to pay for sins because Christ paid for them. We now live what Paul calls "the law of faith." So, what do we have to do to accept grace?
Think back to the airplane question for the beginning of the lesson. Last General Conference, Brother Tad R. Callister shared this same analogy to help us understand grace.
"Suppose for a moment a man contemplating an exhilarating free fall makes a rash decision and spontaneously jumps from a small plane. After doing so, he quickly realizes the foolishness of his actions. He wants to land safely, but there is an obstacle—the law of gravity. He moves his arms with astounding speed, hoping to fly, but to no avail. He positions his body to float or glide to slow the descent, but the law of gravity is unrelenting and unmerciful. He tries to reason with this basic law of nature: “It was a mistake. I will never do it again.” But his pleas fall on deaf ears. The law of gravity knows no compassion; it makes no exceptions. Fortuitously, though, the man suddenly feels something on his back. His friend in the plane, sensing the moment of foolishness, had placed a parachute there just before the jump. He finds the rip cord and pulls it. Relieved, he floats safely to the ground. We might ask, “Was the law of gravity violated, or did that parachute work within that law to provide a safe landing?”
When we sin, we are like the foolish man who jumped from the plane. No matter what we do on our own, only a crash-landing awaits us. We are subject to the law of justice, which, like the law of gravity, is exacting and unforgiving. We can be saved only because the Savior, through His Atonement, mercifully provides us with a spiritual parachute of sorts. If we have faith in Jesus Christ and repent (meaning we do our part and pull the rip cord), then the protective powers of the Savior are unleashed on our behalf and we can land spiritually unharmed."
What does the parachute represent in Brother Callister's analogy? Who gave us the parachute? Just as the parachute is useless without pulling the ripcord. Grace can only work for us, if we repent. If we don't repent we are still spiritually falling or in our "fallen" state. Grace was Jesus's ultimate gift to us. The ability we have to repent enables us to return to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
How has his grace helped you overcome your sins and weaknesses? How has the gift of repentance helped you? Bear your testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Activity: Watch video clip from Brad Wilcox's talk "His Grace is Sufficient"
Optional Activity: At your local dollar store, you can often find parachute toys for cheap. Give each child a parachute toy and have them throw them from a high point like a ladder or the stairs. Have each child describe to you how the parachute is like grace.
Coloring Page:
Closing Song: "Amazing Grace" (lyrics found online)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: No Bake Berry Cheesecake Bars
