New City Catechism, Week 29 (Question 29)

Q: How can we be saved?

Children’s answer

A: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross.

Adult/older children’s answer

A: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him.

Video explanation:

Song to assist with memorization:

Relevant Scripture to read:

Ephesians 2:8–9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Children’s Activity (printable pdfs)

Younger Kids (pages 18 and 19)

There are no resources for older kids currently available for this lesson.

Special thanks to Del Rey Church for sharing their New City Catechism kid resources with us!

Devotional questions for individual/family/group discussion:

  1. How is this question and answer deeply countercultural (and counter to our own hearts)? Where are you tempted to find your own merit before God (besides Jesus)?

  2. What are a few practical ways a church can embrace the humility implicit in this Gospel message of grace?

  3. How does this Q&A show us the importance, not just of Jesus’ death, but of His life?

For an additional “deeper” dive into this question and answer, check out this video from Dr. Michael Allen (which a few of the above questions are based on):