Before you begin, grown-ups: This is one of the weightiest weeks of the year. Read ahead, keep your tone calm and gentle, and don’t add frightening images. Children often think of loved ones who have died; you can honestly say that we entrust the people we love to God, who is always just and kind, and that only he knows every heart. Leave room for questions, and return to John 3:16 often.
01 · GATHER ROUND
Start with a question.
“Have you ever been warned about something dangerous by someone who loves you? What happened?”
A hot stove, a busy street, deep water—warnings given in love are a gift. That’s the tone for today.
02 · OUR BIG QUESTION
What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith?
They will be cast out from the presence of God, into hell, to be justly punished, forever.
New City Catechism · Question 28 · Children’s answer · Official page03 · OPEN THE BIBLE
John 3:16–18
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
Berean Standard Bible · BSB
The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. This text of God's Word has been dedicated to the public domain.
Read it slowly together. What words stand out? You can choose the translation your family knows best.
A warning from love.
You’re hiking with your family, running ahead on the trail, when a grown-up who loves you grabs your arm. “Stop!” Just past a bush, the path drops off a steep cliff. Your heart pounds. They weren’t being bossy. They were saving you. A warning from someone who loves you is a gift.
The Bible gives us a serious warning because God loves us. It teaches that after death, people who have not trusted Jesus will be sent away from God’s good presence forever, in a place the Bible calls hell, where they are punished for their sin. God is perfectly just, so that punishment is always fair—God never treats anyone unfairly. This is hard to talk about, and it’s okay to feel sad or have questions. Grown-ups feel that way, too.
But notice where our Bible reading begins: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. God didn’t send Jesus into the world to condemn it. He sent Jesus to save it. Our reading also uses the word wrath. That means God’s right, steady anger against evil—not a bad temper. Because God is good, he never shrugs at wrong. The warning is real, but the heart of God is rescue.
Jesus spoke about hell more than almost anyone else in the Bible. He wasn’t trying to scare people for fun. He was like the grown-up on the trail, calling “Stop!” because he didn’t want anyone to fall. And then he did something no one else could do: he went to the cross and took the punishment for everyone who trusts him.
Our verses make the promise clear: whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. That promise is for anyone—any age, anywhere, no matter what they’ve done. The door is open. No one is too bad to come to Jesus.
So this truth should make us two things: thankful and caring. Thankful that Jesus rescues us. And caring about the people around us—praying for them and showing them God’s love. When you feel worried, remember whose hands you’re in. Everyone who trusts Jesus is safe with him forever.
04 · WONDER TOGETHER
Let’s talk about it.
- What questions or feelings do you have after hearing about this hard truth?
- What does John 3:16 tell us about God’s heart?
- Who is someone you want to pray for, that they would know and trust Jesus?
Try answering one yourself first. “I don’t know yet” is a fine place to start a conversation.
05 · A LITTLE CHALLENGE
Carry the truth with you.
Choose one or two people you love who don’t know Jesus yet and pray for them by name each day. Ask God to show you one kind way to share his love with them.
06 · TALK TO GOD
Let’s pray.
Loving God, thank you that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn the world but to save it. Thank you that everyone who trusts him has eternal life. When hard truths make us sad or worried, help us rest in your love and your justice. We pray for the people we love who don’t know Jesus yet. Draw them to you. Amen.
Then invite everyone to add one thing they want to tell God.
07 · MAKE IT STICK
A little truth to learn by heart.
This week, learn John 3:16 by heart. Say it one phrase at a time and have everyone echo you like a mountain echo. Then try it with eyes closed, and finally see if someone can say it all alone while the others cheer.
SAY IT. HIDE IT. TRY IT TOGETHER.
This week’s verse · John 3:16 (BSB)
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
No streaks. No catching up. Just growing together.
Progress stays in this browser.Question 28 and its children’s answer are quoted from the official New City Catechism resource and were checked on September 29, 2026. The New City Catechism, Copyright © 2017 by The Gospel Coalition and Redeemer Presbyterian Church. Published by Crossway. Devotional, prayer, and activities are original. Scripture translations are supplied through YouVersion when connected. The saved BSB reading matches the official Berean Standard Bible text; the Berean text is dedicated to the public domain.