1st Corinthians 15:22

Wednesday:	1st Corinthians 15:22
Bible Lesson:	The Beginning of Salvation: Sin brings a penalty. Jesus paid our penalty so that we can be saved.
Memory Verse:	For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive, 1st Corinthians 15:22

Introduction: Analogies

Let's play a comparing game! A sock is to a foot as a glove is to a... [Let the children say hand.] Good. Now, a harder one: A jet plane is to air as a submarine is to... [Let the children say water.] Good! Okay, how about this one: Drink is to punch as throw is to... [Let the children suggest some possibilities, and then suggest ball if they don't come up with that.] Okay, now let's try one that goes along with our verse: Adam is to die as Jesus is to... [Let them try, and then give the answer: live.] Let's read the verse together and see how we got that answer...

Explanation: 1^st Corinthians 15:22

[Show the verse and read it aloud.]

Why does it say that all die in Adam? How did Adam bring death into the world? Adam sinned, in the Garden of Eden – Adam and Eve were the first sinners. What happened when they sinned? What did God say would happen, if they ate the fruit? (“You will surely die.”) Are Adam and Eve alive today? Why not? (They died.) God took them out of the Garden, when they sinned, so they couldn't eat the fruit from the Tree of Life, and live forever. So they died, because they sinned.

Were Adam and Eve the only people who ever sinned? (No.) The Bible tells us that we all have sin in our lives, we all want to do bad things sometimes, because Adam and Eve are our ancestors – we're their great great great... grandchildren, after all these years. So we inherit their sin; Adam and Eve sinned then, and we still sin today, because we come from them, and we have their sin nature, the part of us that wants to sin. Because everybody sins, everybody has to die. But look at the end of the verse: in Christ, all will be made alive. We can get eternal life, from believing in Jesus.

Game: Faster and Slower

Let's all say the verse together. [Do this.] Now, let's see if we can say it faster. [Do this.] That was pretty fast, but can we do it even faster? [Do so.] Great. Now let's see if we can say it slower. [Do it.] Wonderful. I bet you can go slower than that. Let's say each word really slowly... [Do that.]

Who thinks they know the verse now? Do you know it well enough to say it without looking at the card? Can I have a volunteer? [Have a volunteer (or two or three, time permitting) say the verse.] Now let's see if we can all say it together, without looking. [Hide the card and say the verse. If time is left over, do it faster and slower without looking, forward, backwards, et cetera.]

Announcement: Verse Points

Tomorrow, when you come to Bible School, if you can say your memory verse without looking, you can earn points for your team's score. Each person who can say the verse can earn 200 points. So, if you want to help your team win more points, go home and practice your verse a few times. Don't forget the reference! On your way out the door tonight, you will be given a slip of paper with your verse on it. Don't lose it, because if you learn your verse, your team gets 200 more points!

You can say your verse for points tomorrow when you check in at the registration table.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.