Condemned No More
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This Bible game coordinates well with our John 3:16 lessons, and don't miss our John 3:17 Bible Memory Game!
What You Do: Write John 3:17 on the board: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" John 3:17.
Read John 3:16-17: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever 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."
There are two words I want discuss from John 3:17: Condemn and Save. First, what does the word condemn mean? (Condemn means to find someone guilty, to judge them, and to issue or enforce a punishment.)
What does it mean to be saved? (To be rescued.)
The Bible tells us that the wages of our sin is death. So according to
this verse, what is it that we are condemned for doing and what is the punishment? (Condemned for
sinning—that is disobeying God’s Ten Commandments,
and the penalty is our deaths! You might say, "well I've never murdered
anyone." But Jesus said that if you've hated someone, then you are guilty
of murder (1 John 3:15). Why? Because sin begins in our hearts and minds before
we physically do them! This is why we need the Savior! We
can't even control our own thoughts against sin! The Bible
also says that if you've broken just one command, you are guilty of breaking
them all (James 2:10). But when we trust in Jesus, he
gives us his Holy Spirit to help us obey, and even want to obey!)
But what does John 3:16-17 tells us? God loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die
in our place. He took our punishment, our condemnation. He took our sins and nailed
them to the cross. He died in our place and rose from the dead to save us, to rescue us!
Jesus did not come into the world to condemn us, but to save us! Praise his
Name!
To remember this Bible truth, we are going to play a game of taking our “sins” to the cross.
Set up: You will need 10 playground pit balls
for each team and a bucket or bag to hold them. You will also need a playground
cross*.
How to Play: Divide players into teams of 3-4 players. Teams line up next to their bucket of balls on one side of the field, with the cross on the opposite side of the field. Tell the players the 10 balls represent the Ten Commandments. At the go, first players from each team grab one ball and race to the cross, leaving the ball at the base of the cross, then return to their teams to tag off to the next player. Next player takes their turn until all the balls, “their sins,” have been left at the cross. First team to leave all their sins at the cross wins!
To make the game more challenging, have children carry the ball under their chins, run backwards, or skip to the cross.
Alternative play for indoors: Teams line up side by side. Players pass the balls that are in the buckets, passing them one at a time down the line on a large spoon or pass the balls by alternating them over head and under legs to reach the cross.
God bless you as you teach kids to hide God's Word in their
hearts!
Sarah Keith <><
Copyright 2025 S.A. Keith
*See the playground
cross I created
using PVC pipes.
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