I don’t know much about the physics of flight, but one thing I do know is that the wing on each side of the airplane is kind of important. Without those wings, the plane wouldn’t be able to lift off of the ground.
But once in the air, those wings don’t fold up or retract into the fuselage. They stay right where they are. The reason is simple: they aren’t just needed to take off into the sky, they are needed to keep the plane in that sky.
This week, we get to help our kids understand this idea, only instead of wings on a plane, we are talking about something infinitely more important: the gospel.
The Gospel Is What Saves Us
Few of us, I hope, would doubt that the gospel alone is what saves us. The Bible is clear that there is no salvation apart from Jesus and it is just as clear that they only way one can be saved is by trusting in Jesus.
No other world religion saves.
No behavior saves.
No perfect church attendance ribbon saves.
Only trusting in Jesus saves. It is, of course, vital that we never forget this. But this is like the plane taking off in the analogy above. What about when we are in the air?
The Gospel Is What Sustains Us
Just as we are not done with those wings once airborne, neither are we done with the gospel once we are saved. No, we don’t need the gospel for the exact same reason—to be saved from our sins—that is done once and for all. But we do need the gospel to grow us in our faith. We are saved by the work of Christ and we grow by His same work. This is what the Galatians missed, and this is what we can miss too.
I grew up like the Galatians. I understood the centrality of the gospel when it came to me trusting in Christ as a 10-year-old, but I thought that living as a Christian was all up to me. I had to be good to keep God happy with me. God had retracted those gospel wings.
As you read Galatians 1–3 in preparation to teach this week, don’t miss how clear Paul is about this: it’s foolishness, another gospel. Living as believers in the power of the gospel is not a nice addition; it is primary.
Becoming a Christian is to recognize your desperate need of Christ alone for salvation.
Living as a Christian is to recognize your perpetual need of Christ alone to live out your salvation.
That is the gospel.
No condemnation now I dread; Jesus, and all in Him is mine! Alive in Him, my living Head, And clothed in righteousness divine; Bold I approachth’eternal throne And claim the crown, through Christ, my own. Amazing love! how can it be That Thou, my God, should die for me!” — Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Charles Wesley, “And Can It Be,” in Baptist Hymnal (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2008), 250.
Listen to the Weekly Leader Training for Preschool & Kids
Every week, members of The Gospel Project for Kids team offer guidance to help you as you prepare to teach every session to preschoolers and kids.
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This training is available on Ministry Grid, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and other podcast platforms.
