“August 7–13. Romans 1–6: ‘The Power of God unto Salvation,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: New Testament 2023 (2022)
“August 7–13. Romans 1–6,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2023
August 7–13
Romans 1–6
“The Power of God unto Salvation”
What promptings do you receive as you read Romans 1–6? These promptings could help you select from the following teaching ideas or prepare your own.
Invite Sharing
Invite the children to share what they did in response to any invitations you gave them in last week’s lesson.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
I can show my faith in Jesus Christ by following Him.
Paul taught that the gospel has the power to bring salvation to everyone who lives by faith in Jesus Christ. How can you help the children show their faith in Jesus Christ by following Him?
Possible Activities
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Read Romans 1:17 to the children, and help them memorize the phrase “The just shall live by faith.” You could assign each child one word in the phrase and ask them to say that word when you point to them. Explain that this phrase means that we should have faith in Jesus Christ. Ask the children if they know what faith is. Show a picture of Jesus Christ and explain that we believe He is real even though we haven’t seen Him. This is faith—believing in something even though we haven’t seen it.
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Explain that we show our faith in Jesus Christ by obeying Him. Hide pictures around the room of people doing what Jesus has asked us to do. Let the children take turns finding and describing the pictures. What can we do to follow Jesus?
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Ask one of the children to close his or her eyes, and guide him or her across the room toward a picture of Jesus. If time permits, let other children have a turn. Help the children understand that they can follow Jesus’s teachings just as they followed your guidance.
Being baptized is like becoming a new person.
The children you teach are preparing for baptism. What can they learn about baptism from Romans 6?
Possible Activities
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Invite the children to repeat the phrase “Walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Tell the children what this means to you. For example, you might share memories about the day you were baptized and talk about how your baptism has helped you become more like Jesus Christ. Use this week’s activity page to teach the children that baptism helps us become a new person.
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If any of the children have attended a baptism, ask them to share their experience. Or show a picture of someone being baptized (see Gospel Art Book, nos. 35, 103–4). Help the children understand that at baptism we make promises to become like Jesus. Invite them to draw pictures of themselves being baptized and share what they can do to prepare for their baptisms.
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Sing with the children a song about baptism, such as “When I Am Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 103). What do we learn about baptism from this song?
Baptism symbolizes beginning a new life as a disciple of Christ.
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
I can show my faith in Jesus Christ by following Him.
Paul taught that the gospel has the power to bring salvation to everyone who lives by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel. It motivates us to obey the commandments. How can you help the children better understand faith?
Possible Activities
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Ask a child to find Rome on a map. Help the children understand that over the next few weeks, they will learn from letters Paul wrote to Church members in various places, beginning with his letter to the Romans.
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Write the text from Romans 1:16 on the board, replacing a few words with blanks. Ask the children to look up the scripture and fill in the blanks. Invite children to share what “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” means to them.
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Invite a child to read aloud Romans 1:17, and ask the other children to listen for a word that is repeated. What does it mean to “live by faith”? Help the children find a definition of faith in a resource such as Guide to the Scriptures, “Faith” (scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How would our lives be different if we did not have faith in Jesus Christ?
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Show the children a plant and a seed, and ask how we help a seed become a plant. Explain that when we plant and water a seed, we are showing that we have faith that it will grow. How do we show that we have faith in Jesus Christ? Consider singing a song about faith, such as “Faith” (Children’s Songbook, 96), as part of this activity.
We all need Jesus Christ in order to be forgiven of our sins.
Paul wanted the Romans to understand that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and His grace. Ponder how you can teach this truth to the children.
Possible Activities
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Give each child a phrase from Romans 3:23–24, written on a piece of paper. Invite the children to put the phrases in the correct order and read the verses together. Ask the children what they learn from these verses. Explain that “grace” in verse 24 means the Savior’s gift of love and mercy, which makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness for our sins and become better.
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Hang a picture high on a wall or in another place that the children cannot reach by themselves. Let them try to reach it, and compare this to what Paul taught in Romans 3:23. Then help them reach the picture. What has the Savior done for us that we cannot do for ourselves? Invite the children to share how they feel about the Savior when they think about what He has done and can do to help them.
Being baptized is like becoming a new person.
Paul taught that baptism symbolizes the death and Resurrection of Christ. It also symbolizes being raised up to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). We renew our commitment to walk in newness of life every time we partake of the sacrament.
Possible Activities
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Invite a child to read Romans 6:3–6. What did Paul say baptism is “in the likeness of”?
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Discuss how baptism symbolizes death and resurrection. It may help to display a picture of a baptism or show a video like “The Baptism of Jesus” (ChurchofJesusChrist.org). Why are death and resurrection good symbols of what happens when we are baptized?
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Read together the sacrament prayers (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:77, 79). Remind the children that when we take the sacrament, we renew the commitment to follow Jesus Christ that we made when we were baptized. How does the sacrament help us “walk in newness of life”?
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Invite the children to draw pictures that show what it means to them to “walk in newness of life.” The children could hang these pictures in their rooms to help them remember to make good choices.
Encourage Learning at Home
Suggest that the children ask family members to let them know when they are doing something that shows faith.
Improving Our Teaching
Build the children’s confidence. Praise the children when they participate in class. This is one way to build their confidence that they can learn the gospel.