Single lesson
Romans 5: The Triumph of Faith
Romans 5:1–5; Romans 5:6–11; Romans 5:12–21
Romans 5 links several big truths together: peace with God through Jesus Christ, hope that continues through suffering, God’s love shown in Christ’s death for sinners, and the contrast between Adam’s trespass and Christ’s gracious gift.
Before you teach
Romans 5 begins with what comes through being justified by faith in Jesus Christ. It then says Christ died for the ungodly and that reconciliation has been received through him. The chapter ends by comparing what came through one man’s trespass with what comes through Jesus Christ’s grace, righteousness, and life.
Students will be able to name three results of being justified by faith in Romans 5 and explain one contrast between Adam and Christ.
Make it with Easy Bible Crafts
A craft for your lesson
The teaching guide is free. Choose one of our own printables for the craft activity.
We haven’t linked a matching printable to this guide yet. You can still use the free reading and discussion material.
Browse our craft printables →Welcome: Hear the key words
4 minWrite or say these words before reading: peace, hope, suffering, love, gift, grace, death, life. Ask children to listen for them in Romans 5. Explain that this chapter keeps showing what comes through Jesus Christ and how grace answers sin and death.
Romans 5:1, Romans 5:2, Romans 5:3, Romans 5:5, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:21
Read and explain: Peace, grace, and hope
7 minRead Romans 5:1-5 aloud. Explain simply that “justified by faith” in this passage leads to peace with God through Jesus Christ. The passage also says believers have access into grace, rejoice in hope, and learn that suffering produces perseverance, proven character, and hope. Hope does not disappoint because God’s love has been poured into hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Romans 5:1, Romans 5:2, Romans 5:3, Romans 5:4, Romans 5:5
Discuss: Christ died for the ungodly
6 minRead Romans 5:6-11. Ask children to notice who Christ died for: the weak, the ungodly, sinners, and enemies. Romans 5:8 says God “commends his own love toward us” while we were still sinners. The passage also speaks of justification by his blood, reconciliation through his death, and rejoicing in God through Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:6, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:9, Romans 5:10, Romans 5:11
Reflect and respond
9 minUse a question from this lesson for a shared discussion. There is no matching catalogue printable linked to this guide yet. The optional learning response below is free teaching material; browse our catalogue if you would like to add one of our craft printables.
Browse our craft printables →Closing: Grace abounded more exceedingly
4 minReview with short prompts: “Through Jesus Christ we have...”, “Christ died for...”, and “Where sin abounded...”. Finish by reading Romans 5:20-21. Remind children that this chapter moves from peace and hope to God’s love in Christ’s death, and ends with grace reigning through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:1, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:20, Romans 5:21
Questions to explore
According to Romans 5:1-5, what comes through being justified by faith?
Look in the passage for peace with God, access into grace, hope, and the sequence from suffering to perseverance, proven character, and hope.
Romans 5:1, Romans 5:2, Romans 5:3, Romans 5:4, Romans 5:5
In Romans 5:6-11, what words describe the people Christ died for, and what does that show about God’s love?
Find the words weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies, then notice that Romans 5:8 says God commends his own love toward us.
Romans 5:6, Romans 5:8, Romans 5:10
What contrast does Romans 5 make between Adam and Christ?
Compare the words connected with one trespass and death to the words connected with grace, gift, justification, righteousness, and life through Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:12, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:16, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:18, Romans 5:21
Optional learning response Free teaching material
Make and respond: Adam and Christ contrast
Read Romans 5:12, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:16, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:18, and Romans 5:21. Build two columns together. In Adam’s column, list sin, trespass, condemnation, and death. In Christ’s column, list grace, gift, justification, righteousness, and life. Help children hear that the gift is “not like” the trespass.
Romans 5:12, Romans 5:15, Romans 5:16, Romans 5:17, Romans 5:18, Romans 5:21
Adam and Christ Reminder Card
What you’ll need
- plain paper or card
- pencils or pens
- crayons or coloured pencils
- Bible
Try it together
- Fold a sheet of paper in half to make a small card.
- On the front, write one short phrase from Romans 5 such as “peace with God”, “Christ died for us”, or “grace abounded more exceedingly”.
- Inside, draw two columns labelled “Adam” and “Christ”.
- Add words from the passage to each side, such as “sin, death” and “grace, life”.
- Share the card and explain which truth from Romans 5 you want to remember.
This activity helps children notice the chapter’s own contrasts and keep its teaching in a simple visual form.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, read each smaller unit twice and let them choose key words orally before writing anything on the card.
- For older or confident readers, ask them to copy one full verse from Romans 5 that mentions hope, reconciliation, or grace, then explain it in their own words.
An optional closing prayer
“Father, thank you for peace with you through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that Christ died for us and that your grace is greater than sin. Please help us trust your word and rejoice in you. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Romans 5
1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
2 through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a good person someone would even dare to die.
8 But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him.
10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
12 Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death passed to all men because all sinned.
13 For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come.
15 But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
16 The gift is not as through one who sinned; for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift followed many trespasses to justification.
17 For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.
19 For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous.
20 The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly,
21 that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.