THE WHOLE BIBLE ROMANS

Transcription

1 THE WHOLE BIBLE ROMANS This Bible study, one of 66 studies covering the entire Bible, is made up of one-page lessons covering short sections of the book. The electronic format (student s and leader s guides) allows adaptation to individual needs. Benefits of one-page lessons: Hand out only what you need, relative to the length of the class session and how much content you wish to cover. Taken at a steady pace, a page can be covered in about 20 minutes. See at a glance all the material that pertains to the section being covered. Use the discussion questions as your basic outline and draw in material from the and sections as you wish. Suggestions for using these lessons: Teach an entire book, or teach just part of a book. Use a single lesson sheet for a 19 Minute style Bible study. Use a single lesson sheet as a meeting opener, either as a devotion or a short Bible study. Build your own Bible studies. The possibilities are endless. For example: Assemble all the lessons on the penitential psalms, psalms of praise, or David s early years. Assemble sections that deal with predestination, and teach the pertinent passages in their context. Study all references to mountains, cities, nations, etc., pointing out their importance in the lives of God s people. Note: The appropriate pages in The People s Bible commentary volumes are referenced. However, the authors were given the freedom to develop their own studies, so these lessons are not, in a strict sense, study guides to those volumes. We pray these lessons will help God s people grow in faith and in service to his kingdom. The following authors participated in writing for this project: John Beck, Allen Beyersdorf, Jeffrey Bonack, Matthew Crass, Charles Degner, Steven Degner, Michael Feuerstahler, William Fischer, Aaron Frey, Stephen Geiger, James Getka, Eric Hartzell, Robert Hochmuth, James Janke, Paul Janke, Armin Keibel, Brian Keller, John Kelly, Geoffrey Kieta, Thomas Kock, Robert Koester, David Kolander, Brian Kom, Arnold Kunde, James Langebartels, Lyle Luchterhand, Harry Marks, Peter Panitzke, James Pope, Joel Prange, David Reichel, John A. Schroeder, John P. Schroeder, Snowden Sims, Philip Spaude, Carl Voss, Robert Voss, Keith Wessel, Mark Wilde, James Witt, James Ziesemer. The material on this disk may be adapted, printed, and copied by the purchaser of this kit. However, the following notice must appear at the bottom of each page of the student lessons: Ownership of this material belongs to either a congregation or an individual, but not both. Purchase by a congregation: Purchase of this material by a congregation gives Bible study leaders of that congregation permission to adapt and copy this material for use in one or more

2 groups within that congregation. (Dual parishes may purchase one copy for use in both congregations.) Purchase by a pastor or other Bible study leader: Purchase of this material by an individual gives the buyer permission to adapt and copy this material for Bible classes he or she teaches or supervises. Buyer has permission to use this material only in the congregation he or she is currently serving or attending. Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society. Northwestern Publishing House 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI Northwestern Publishing House Published 2006 Printed in the United States of America ISBN:

3 Verse 4 Verse 5 1:1-7 Paul s apostleship and commission (The People s Bible,, pages 11-15) Who through the Spirit of holiness The NIV interprets Spirit as the Holy Spirit. The meaning would be that the Holy Spirit was instrumental in raising Jesus from the dead. If the word spirit is used (without the capital letter) it would refer to Jesus spirit, that is, his new and glorified existence he had after he rose from death. This seems to make better sense in the context. The contrast then is between Jesus humility and his exaltation. Gentiles This is a Jewish term referring to all non-jews. The obedience that comes from faith The Greek says, the obedience of faith. This means obeying God when he tells us to believe in his Son for salvation. It means giving up our own righteousness and submitting to Christ s righteousness. 1. Examine this section on the basis of the following key words: Paul A former Pharisee who was set apart by Jesus for mission work to the Gentiles. servant Literally slave. Paul considered himself God s willing slave. Christ The Greek word meaning the anointed one, corresponding to the Hebrew for Messiah. Jesus A name that means Savior. called Jesus personally appeared to Paul and called him to his service. Paul did not take this responsibility on himself. apostle Paul was called to be the 13th apostle. An apostle is a special witness to the resurrected Savior. gospel A word made from two older English words: good and spell (meaning story ). Accordingly, gospel means good story. 2. In verses 2 and 3, Paul tells us the message he preached to the world. What was that message? That God s Son was born as a human being and shown to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead. 3. Are you a saint? Yes. Saint means a holy person. Everyone who is cleansed by the blood of Christ is holy. Note: Contrast this to the Catholic Church, which calls only especially good people saints. 4. Could Paul greet us in the same way he greeted the? Yes. All believers in Christ have God s gracious forgiveness. And we rest in the peace of knowing that God is at peace with us. Paul introduced himself and his message and wished the God s grace and peace.

4 Verses 10,13 Verse 13 Verse 14 Verse 16 1:8-17 Paul wants to preach the powerful gospel at Rome (The People s Bible,, pages 15-22) Now at last... have been prevented from doing so until now Paul had wanted to visit the Christians in Rome, but his duties in Asia Minor and Greece had kept him from doing that. He wrote this letter from Corinth. From there he planned to go to Jerusalem and then sail to Rome. He wrote this letter to ground the in the faith so he could use them as a base for mission work in Spain. Gentiles Paul s main work was to preach the gospel to non-jewish people. Greeks and non-greeks... the wise and the foolish Just as there are Jews and Gentiles, Greeks divided the world into Greeks (wise) and non-greeks (foolish). First for the Jew, then for the Gentile The Jews were God s chosen people. Jesus came to call his people to faith, and only secondarily did he give the gospel to Gentiles (although they were sometimes singled out as examples of great faith). Only after Paul preached in the synagogues to Jewish people did he do his main work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. 1. According to verses 11 and 12, what two things would happen when Paul visited the? He would continue to work to build up their faith. But it wasn t a one-way street. He would be encouraged by the faith of the Roman Christians. Every pastor will say the same his members also strengthen his faith and encourage him in the gospel. 2. According to verses 16 and 17, why is the gospel the power of God for salvation? In it, God s righteousness is revealed, or made known. This righteousness comes by faith alone. This righteousness, which we don t have to earn, is how we are saved. 3. When Paul observed the faith and lives of the Roman Christians, he first of all gave thanks to God. How can your congregation apply this example to how it recognizes the contributions (financial and otherwise) of its members? Whenever we see members doing great things for the Lord, we can remember that God gives the strength and willingness to produce fruits of faith and thank the members accordingly. 4. Paul continually prays for the Roman Christians. Why should we follow Paul s example? The Lord wants us to pray regularly for our fellow believers. 5. Often churches try to gather members by offering something that appeals to the needs in their lives. Why does this miss the mark and depart from Paul s mission method? The gospel alone is God s power for salvation. Teaching people the foolishness of the cross must be how we lead people into our churches. Giving people the impression that Christianity is something other than the hope of eternal life through repentance and faith in Christ can hinder people from coming to know the Savior. Paul longed to visit the and preach the gospel among them.

5 Verse 20 1:18-25 The wrath of God is being revealed in our world: Part 1 (The People s Bible,, pages 23-28) So that men are without excuse Paul is speaking about all people. In other words, not just some people reject the truth of God s existence, all people do this, and therefore all people are without excuse. 1. In verses 16 and 17, Paul spoke about the gospel being revealed. He will speak much more about the gospel beginning in the middle of chapter 3. However, he must first speak about something else being revealed. What is this? (verse 18) God s wrath is being revealed also. What God is angry about and how his wrath is being revealed is the subject of the rest of chapter What sin (Paul calls godlessness and wickedness ) does God condemn? (verses 18-20) Paul is not talking about the general sins people commit. He is talking about a very specific sin that lies at the root of all other sins. People suppress the truth about what they know of God. 3. Instead of acknowledging and worshiping the Creator, what do people do? Think about examples of this in Christian societies, and in non-christian societies. (verses 21-23) People suppress the truth they see all around them. Even though the complexity and greatness of creation testify to a divine being who created all things with his eternal power, people reject this. They worship and serve created things idols, philosophies, money, military power, beings in the spirit world rather than God. 4. Sometimes we look at sin as something people do that deserves God s judgment. In verses 24 and 25, Paul looks at sin in another way. Explain. In these verses, Paul tells us how God s wrath is being revealed. Because people suppress the truth and worship created things rather than the Creator, God lets them go their own ways. He does not restrain their sinful nature. They engage in one vice after another. Sins of the flesh, for example, become God s way of punishing sins of idolatry. 5. The theory of evolution is one of the main examples of people suppressing the truth, for which God reveals his wrath. What does the theory of evolution do with the evidence of God s eternal power and divine nature? Evolution is one of the ways today s people suppress the truth, even while they pay outward lip service to God s greatness. The very concept of evolution is an affront to the Creator s claims. 6. Sometimes people accuse God of injustice. They say it is not fair for God to condemn people who never had a chance to hear the gospel. Based on Paul s words in these verses, how would you respond? God does not punish people for rejecting what they do not know. But God does punish people for rejecting what they do know. All people, without exception, know God s divine nature and eternal power. God sends his wrath on people for suppressing this knowledge. God reveals his wrath over people s suppression of the truth. He gives people over to their sins.