Teaching about Salvation by Grace

In a confirmation class it is important to help youth to get past “works righteousness” and focus on God's Grace. I use Matthew 5. I start with verse 17 but you could start with verse 21. Omit verses 31&32 in this process.

• Make sure they understand that a “Rhetorical Question” is not to be answered out loud (or it could get embarrassing).
  
• Read a section at a time and then ask the appropriate rhetorical question: “Have you ever done this?” or “Have you always done this?” You can elaborate on theme of “do you think any human is perfect on this score? Do you think you'll every be perfect on this?”
  
• At the end say something to the effect: This is what it takes to earn your way into heaven. Maybe you can live up to one or another of these commandments but what are your chances of living up to all of them? So. What are your chances of earning your way into heaven. Jesus has spelled it out pretty clearly here.
  
• So if we can't earn our way into heaven what hope do we have? Someone will probably guess correctly “Jesus.”
  
• Once it is decided that our only hope is the Salvation afforded us by the death/resurrection of Jesus, you can enter into a discussion of why do we try to live up to the commandments of the Bible. Stress that we do this as a way of saying “Thank you” to God; it is an act of gratitude not an attempt to buy our way into heaven.