Romans 16:21-27 In this final lesson from Paul's epistle to the church in Rome, we considered those who were sending greetings to the believers in Rome, and then contemplated the doxology at the end of the letter. Why was Timothy so dear to Paul? What was outstanding about this young man? Who was Tertius? What are some of the difficulties presented by the doxology at the end of Romans 16? How can we resolve those difficulties? What is Paul's primary point that he sets out to make in the doxology? What is the measure and means by which we are established in the faith? What is the Gospel? What are three things we learn about the Gospel in this doxology? What will be a subject of our glorifying of God throughout the eons of eternity? (57 min.)

Keywords Gospel, Christ, Timothy, Mystery

Romans 16:19-20 In this lesson we continue to consider Paul's warning to the Roman Christians about the dangers of false teachers disrupting the unity of the fellowship and causing individuals to falter in their walk with Christ. What are the three tools or flags which the scriptures give us for detecting when someone is a false teacher? What do false teachers look like, according to Jesus? Is it possible for a false teacher to produce good fruit in the church? How does Paul's concern here differ from his concern in chapters fourteen and fifteen about people with different teachings? What are some characteristics of the manner in which false teachers go about their destructive work? What is one way to detect what the outcome of a teaching will be before it even begins to take root? If the Roman church was doing as well as everyone, including Paul, had heard, why was Paul so concerned? What was Paul confident that God would do if the Roman believers heeded his admonition? (59 min)

Keywords False teachers, Fruit, Divisions

Romans 16:17-18 In this passage Paul makes a rather abrupt shift in his subject matter. What has prompted him to interrupt his greetings to interject this warning about danger to the church? Paul mentions two impacts that these kind of peoples have. How are these impacts different? What is a scandal? Against what is the teaching and influence of these people contrasted? How did the New Testament era church know what was the faith "once for all delivered to the saints?" How can we know today? What is to be the relationship of the believer to the kind of people Paul is describing? Where does the motivation of these people fall short, and what actually motivates them? How do these people get Christians to overlook the faulty content of their teaching and to follow them? What kind of Christians are particularly vulnerable to these tactics? (61 min)

Keywords False teachers, Scandals, Divisions

Romans 16:5-16 In this lesson we explore many more of the individuals to whom Paul sends greetings in Rome. We find that this is much more than just a list of names, but that Paul finds something positive to say about each one of them. What is a key question about Junias? What four things were significant about Adronicus and Junias? What did Paul mean by pointing out that Apelles was approved or tested in Christ? What is significant about those of the households of Aristobulus and Narcissus and the man Herodian? What was particularly special about Rufus that Paul would call him "chosen?" What do we think we know about the two groups listed at the end of this section? What is important about the women in Paul's list? What lessons can we learn from how Paul speaks of these 26 individuals? (66 min)

Keywords Faithfulness, Suffering, Saints, Prison

Romans 16:3-5 This passage introduces us to Aquila and Priscilla. Who were this couple? Why are they important to the Apostle Paul? What possibly prompted the expulsion of the Jews from Rome? What did Aquila and Paul have in common? Why, apparently, did Paul want to take this couple with him and leave them in Ephesus? What is the connection between Aquila and Priscilla and the man Apollos? What is significant about his being from Alexandria? Why is Apollos important in the unfolding history of the church in Corinth? What was the relationship between Paul and Apollos? What ways did Aquila and Priscilla find to play a part in what God was doing around them? How are Phoebe and Aquila and Priscilla examples for us today? (61 min)

Keywords Paul, Aquila, Corinth, Ephesus, Apollos

Romans 16:2 In this lesson we are continuing to learn about the woman Phoebe. Paul wanted the Roman christians to welcome her into their fellowship. What was to be their attitude in receiving here? What is the remarkable privilege that we as Christians have as we do the various things we do in life? What kind of a reception was Phoebe to receive? Why? How does this pertain to our relationship with other believers? In what way did Paul expect the Romans to assist Phoebe? What is particularly distinct about the way that Phoebe had been a service to others, including Paul? What does this tell us about her? How do we know that chapter sixteen of Romans belongs to the epistle to the Romans, and not to some other letter? Who were Aquila and Priscilla? (51 min)

Keywords Serve, Helper, Saints

Romans 16:1-2 Having concluded the main body of his letter, Paul next sets out to commend and greet a number of individuals. Why is this section of Romans important for us to study? What can we discover about the woman Phoebe from her name and from her home town of Cenchrea? What can we expect the seaport of Cenchrea was like? Why should we not easily pass over Paul's referral to Phoebe as "our sister?" Where did Phoebe appear to stand in the social strata of Cenchrea? Why were letters of commendation important in the early church? Why was Phoebe traveling to Rome? What important task is it believed that Phoebe probably carried out for Paul? Why is it significant that such a task was entrusted to her? (60 min)

Keywords Corinth, Cenchrea, Phoebe, Deaconess

Romans 15:27-33 In this lesson we pick up in the middle of Paul's discussion about the offering from the Gentile churches to the poor Jewish believers in Jerusalem. Why is this offering so frequently discussed by Christians? To what does Paul's decision to personally take the offering to Jerusalem alert us? How do we know that this offering is about a whole lot more than simply charity to the poor? How could Paul assure himself that when he arrived in Rome it would be in the "fullness of the blessing of Christ?" How do we know that the contributors to this offering were doing so freely, without compulsion? In what way were the Gentile churches obligated to contribute? How does this offering relate to the subject Paul discussed earlier about the strong and the weak in the church? What does this all mean for the oneness of the Body of Christ? (55 min)

Keywords Giving, Offering, Strong, Weak, Rome, Spain

Romans 15:22-26 The Apostle Paul has long had a desire to go to Rome to visit the Christians there. He believes now that the time has finally come when he will be able to do so. What are the things that have hindered him from going to Rome before now? What is the corollary of every decision or choice we make in life? How is Paul's experience similar to King David's desire to build a temple, or to some desires in our own lives? What does our faithfulness to the exercise of our spiritual gifts and ministry necessarily imply about doing some other things for God? How did Paul's proposed visit to Rome now fit into God's plan for Paul's ministry? Why did Paul wish to go to Spain? What new difficulties did ministry in Spain present that Paul had not encountered before? How could the Romans help Paul in this? What is significant about the word "help" in this passage, and how does it relate to our own involvement in the missionary outreach of the church? What still stood in the way of Paul's going immediately to Rome and Spain? (60 min)

Keywords Gifts, Rome, Spain, Ministry

Romans 15:16-21 So, Paul says that he has been given a grace from God, but what exactly was that grace? If we choose to neglect or ignore the gift that Christ has given to us, what are we really saying? How was Paul serving Christ? How do we serve Christ? What is the offering that the believer presents to God when he or she exercises his or her spiritual gift? How did Paul's writing of Romans relate to this offering? What was it that made his offering acceptable? How does the person who transcribed Paul's dictation to the Romans play a role in this? What did Paul have to give up in order to know Christ? In what way did he rediscover this? What was the evidence that Paul was gifted with an apostleship to the Gentiles. How can we know what our spiritual gifts are? Did Paul think there was something wrong with building on the foundation laid by another person? Why was Paul's strategy of going into virgin territory important? (61 min)

Keywords Gifts, Grace, Boasting

Romans 15:14-15 Having concluded the main instructional aspects of his letter to the Romans, Paul begins to address matters of a more personal nature. In these verses he begins to address the question of why he has written this letter at all. How is Paul's relationship with the church in Rome different from most of the other churches to which his New Testament letters were written? How does Paul know the condition of the church in Rome? What is his settled opinion of them? How can we know that Paul was not merely flattering the Romans? If the church in Rome was doing so well, then why did Paul even bother writing this letter? How did Paul view God having laid on him the responsibility Gentile world? Do you view your own spiritual gifts in the same way that Paul did? (62 min)

Keywords Grace, Knowledge, Praise, Flattery, Romans

Romans 15:7-13 Paul closes off his discussion about differing opinions in the church by returning to the idea of acceptance that he introduced at the beginning of chapter 14. Does Paul mean we are to merely tolerate others with differing opinions, or does he mean something much more profound? What often actually lies at the heart of what we think are doctrinal differences between ourselves and others? What does communion or the Lord's Supper have to do with this passage? What is the particular sin that Paul is concerned could hinder the Corinthians' taking of the Lord's Supper? What two groups did Christ intend to benefit when He became a servant of the circumcision? What is significant about the particular passages from the Old Testament which Paul chooses to prove his point? What is significant about the order in which he quotes them? Why is Christ referred to as the "Root of Jesse?" What is the hope of the Gentiles? (62 min)

Keywords Unity, Communion, Acceptance, Gentiles, Jews, Weak, Strong

Romans 15:1-6 Paul continues in this passage his ongoing discussion of how believers of differing opinions are to get along in the church. Why does he spend so much time on this subject? What is the obligation which those with a strong conscience have towards those whose conscience is weak? What is the burden of the weak? How can a believer with a strong conscience bear the burden of one with a weak conscience? How is it that Paul, who insists in other places that it is wrong to be a pleaser of men, can now in this context insist that it is the believer's obligation to please his or her neighbor? What is the difference between these two kinds of pleasing others? What is the foundational example of pleasing of others. Why does Paul refer to the Old Testament for this instruction? What does Paul mean by having the same mind? What is the end result when Christians learn to all have the same mind? (60 min)

Keywords Strong, Weak, Conscience

Romans 14:19-23 Given that the Kingdom of God is not about eating, but about righteousness, peace, and joy, this calls the believer to act accordingly. What is it that the strong in conscience should pursue? Paul insists that all things are objectively clean, but there are two cases in which they are subjectively evil. What are those two cases? What is the "work of God." How can we destroy the work of God? If our freedom is a right, what is it not? How can someone who is weak in faith grow to understand their freedom if the strong don't push them in that direction? How can the strong help the weak to be built up in their walk with God? What does Paul mean by saying the strong are to have their own conviction before God? How will they be blessed (happy)? To avoid sinning, what must the weak be careful to never do? (48 min)

Keywords Conscience, Faith, Doubt, Strong, Weak

Romans 14:13-18 After restating his admonition to all believers not to judge others in areas of non-essentials, Paul now focuses his admonitions toward those who are strong in conscience. What are the two things about which Paul is fully convinced? How does Paul know that nothing is unclean in itself? What is the connection between Jesus' words in Mark about all foods being clean and Peter's vision in Acts 10? What are the three reasons the strong should not put an obstacle in the way of a weak brother or sister? What does Paul mean by hurting or destroying a brother? Why is a person's conscience so important to God? What are the two ways in which one's conscience can be in error? Is Paul essentially prohibiting the strong from every enjoying their liberty? How do we know? (63 min)

Keywords Conscience, Offense, Love

Romans 14:5-12 Paul now introduces to us another area in which Christians hold to different convictions. This area regards the keeping or not keeping of special days. What is the assumption Paul holds to in the points he makes in these verses? What does Paul mean by being "fully convinced?" Why is this important? How can I know if I am sufficiently convinced about something in which I engage? Is God pleased with someone who holds to scruples which are not really an issue to Him? How do we know if what we are doing we are doing for the Lord? What do Paul's remarks about Jesus being Lord of the living and the dead have to do with this question of the weak and the strong? What are the three things we learn about how believers are to relate to others who hold and practice different convictions? (68 min)

Keywords Essentials, Nonessentials, Weak, Strong

Romans 14:1-4 In this passage Paul directs our attention to the subject of how Christians relate to one another within the church. Particularly, he is concerned about what we do when we hold differing opinions. It is important to realize that Paul is addressing what we call the nonessentials. What is the difference between essentials and nonessentials? What are the specific nonessentials Paul confronts in this passage? What are some of the nonessentials over which Christians disagree today? What is the context of the conflict in the church in Rome that makes Paul's instruction necessary? Who are the "weak in faith?" Who are the "strong?" What are the strong instructed to do when a weak one seeks fellowship amongst the strong? What are two important things to recognize about a person who is "weak" in this way? How does a person who is strong in faith tend to view those who are weak? How does the person who is weak tend to view the one who is strong? What is wrong when someone who abstains in a nonessential matter judges someone who does not abstain? (58 min)

Keywords Weak, Strong, Essentials, Nonessentials

Romans 13:11-14 These verses serve to bookend chapters 12 and 13, corresponding to the first two verses of chapter 12. This passage was central in the one of the greatest conversions in all of church history, that of Augustine of Hippo, in 386 A. D. What is his story? What do night and day represent in this passage? What do sleep and being awake represent? Of what does Paul assume the Christians in Rome are knowledgeable? How do we often misunderstand the significance of the apparent delay in Christ's return? How should we view this long passage of time? What two ways does Jesus teach us to think about the kingdom of God? How can it be night and day at the same time? What is improper for believers to do? What are the deeds of the night? How do we preclude making any provision for the lusts of the flesh? (55 min)

Keywords Kingdom of God, Night, Days, Light

Romans 13:8-10 Considering the subject of our obligations to others within the civil sphere, Paul transitions into the subject of loving others. What does Paul mean by instructing us against owing anything to anyone? Is this a blanket prohibition against borrowing money? What do other scriptures have to say on the subject? What is the ongoing debt we all have? Why does Paul speak of our "fulfilling the law" through love in this passage, when earlier in Romans he has said that we have "died" to the law and are "free" from the law? How does love fulfill the law? What is the foundational principle behind all the commandments? What is wrong with the view of this passage that says we need to learn to love ourselves before we can love our neighbor? What is the given assumption in the statement that we are to love our neighbor as ourself? When is low self esteem warranted? When is it unwarranted? How is unwarranted low self esteem a form of pride? Is someone with low self esteem excused from the obligation to love others as themselves? What is the minimum measurement for how we are to love others? Is love for others merely a matter of prohibitions (do not commit adultery, do not steal, etc.)? (53 min.)

Keywords Love, Law, Debt, Self esteem

Romans 13:3-7 In this lesson we continue to consider the Christian view of civil authority. In these verses Paul sets forth the second reason for the biblical mandate that the believer is to be in submission to the governing authorities. What can the Christian do to avoid fear of the civil authority? What is the tutorial dimension of civil law, and why do we as Christians need this tutorial aspect? What is the two-fold ministry of civil authorities? What does the sword in this passage represent? Where did the practice of capital punishment originate? What is the reason for capital punishment? What is wrong with the argument that capital punishment diminishes the value of human life? What about the argument that sometimes capital punishment is sometimes wrongly applied? What is to be the Christian's attitude towards paying taxes? The obligation to authority extends beyond merely obedience/submission and the paying of taxes. How else is it to be expressed? Why is it important that as Christians we not be known as ones who are generally opposed to civil authority and who treat rulers with disrespect? What is it about a free democratic society that calls for special care in our attitudes towards government? (56 min)

Keywords Government, Rulers, Authority, Submission, Taxes

Romans 13:1, 2 In these verses Paul begins dealing with the subject or our relationship to authority and rulers. Due to the dramatic shift in subject matter, the passage raises questions with some as to the authenticity of the passage. How does this subject actually flow clearly from the things Paul has talked about in chapter 12? What is a problem we often face in understanding this passage? Who does Paul believe is to be subject to authorities? How do we know that he is talking about human civil authorities and not evil spiritual authorities? What is significant about Paul's use of the the word submission rather than obedience? How should we approach this passage in view of Paul's exclusively positive remarks about civil authority? Does Paul never envision a circumstance in which some might legitimately resist authority? What does the fact that all authority is established by God imply about our acts of submission and, conversely, our acts of resistance? (61 min)

Keywords Government, Authority, Rulers, Submission

Romans 12:19-21 In these verses Paul continues to address the question of how we relate to those who have wronged us. Verse nineteen conveys a slightly different sense than verse seventeen. What is that difference? What are we prohibited from doing when we are personally wronged by someone? What does it mean to "leave room" for God's wrath? Is it wrong for us to desire justice when we are wronged? What are four reasons why God insists that we leave revenge up to him? What is it about God that ensures that His justice is always right? What are the mistakes we often make when we seek to take justice into our own hands? What is the advantage of our leaving room for the justice of God? When our enemy wrongs us, what are we obligated to do? What does he mean when he speaks of "heaping burning coals" on our enemy's head? How are we overcome by evil? How do we overcome evil? (58 min)

Keywords Revenge, Justice, Love

Romans 12:17, 18 Perhaps the most difficult and challenging aspect of Christian duty regarding others has to do with how we are to respond to those who wrong us and to our enemies. It is this area that Paul now begins addressing in this passage. What is the goal to which Paul is moving us in these verses? What does it mean to return evil for evil? What are the two circumstances in which we are categorically prohibited from returning evil for evil? What are some of the difficult challenges we encounter in applying this verse in our daily experience? Why is it important to keep in mind that Paul is dealing here with personal wrongs? What happens when we return evil for evil? When Paul tells us to respect what is right in the sight of all men, is he contradicting what he said earlier about not being conformed to the world? Before we react when wronged, what are some of the things we need to think about? What is my responsibility as a peacemaker? (51 min)

Keywords Evil for evil, Peace, Peacemakers

Romans 12:14-16 Paul continues in these verses his "do list" of Christian character qualities. What is the important distinction we must keep in mind when considering the subject of relating to wrong doers? First in this section is his instruction of how we respond to persecution. How is this relevant to us today? What does it mean to bless them? What does it mean to curse them? What is the significance of Paul's repetition? What are two important examples of the principle of weeping with those who weep? What is the real need that someone who is encountering great suffering have? How is rejoicing with those who rejoice sometimes more of a challenge than weeping with those who weep? Why are we often reluctant to rejoice with those who rejoice? Why is it important to the blessed person that we rejoice with them? What does Paul mean by being of one mind? What are the two possible meanings of his instruction regarding the lowly? (50 min)

Keywords Persecution, Suffering, Rejoicing, One Mind, Humility

Romans 12:9-13 In this passage Paul begins to list for us a number of things that the renewed mind will discover are God's will. Why does the Holy Spirit give us lists like this to consider? What should we do with such lists? Paul begins with the basic truth of love. What is hypocritical love? Why are we to avoid it? What are some misconceptions about agape love? What is our tendency regarding our attitude toward evil? How is love within the church to be characterized? What are two ways to look at Paul's command regarding honoring others? What often happens to our diligence in the things of God? What is the peril of fervency or zeal? What enables us to rejoice in difficult circumstances? What does Paul mean to fellowship with the needs of the saints? (70 min)

Keywords Love, Zeal, Honor, Diligence, Giving, Hospitality

Romans 12:3-8 The first area Paul addresses where our renewed minds can discern the will of God is the area of spiritual gifts. How did Paul know that the Roman believers needed to be instructed in this area? What was the source of Paul's exhortation in these verses? What are the ways in which we think more highly of ourselves in this subject of spiritual gifts? What are we really saying when we deem our spiritual gift to be unimportant or that it can be neglected? What is Paul referring to when he speaks of the allotment of the measure of faith? What is the "analogy of faith?" What are the three things we learn in the analogy of the church to the human body? In Paul's list of gifts, what are the three things he is exhorting us to do with these gifts? What is the difference between gifts, ministries, and effects? What clue do we get in this chapter to how we can discover what our spiritual gift is? (61 min)

Keywords Gifts, Transform

Romans 12:2 In this verse we discover how we are to go about fulfilling the admonition of the previous verse to be a living sacrifice to God. What does the word conform mean? How does the idea of a schematic diagram help us understand this verse? What are some of the ways in which the world pressures us to conform? What are some of the areas in which the world's idea of how we ought to live differs from God's will? When Paul goes on to contrast how we ought to be, he does not use a term that would be opposite of conforming. What is wrong with being a non-conformist? What is the sense of the word transform which Paul uses? What are the acting agents that cause us to be conformed or transformed? What is the "formula" for knowing the will of God? What are the characteristics of God's will that enable us to identify it? (63 min)

Keywords World, Conform, Transform

Romans 12:1 In chapter twelve Paul moves from the indicative (the way things are, the truth of the Gospel) to the imperative (the way we ought to be in view of the way things are). Gratitude for the great mercy of God in the Gospel becomes the basis for how we ought to be living as Christians. What is it that the believer is to present? Is this a one time event or an ongoing way of life? How does the Christian view of the body differ from that of the much of the Greek world of Paul's day? How does our modern idea of sacrifice differ from that of the ancient world? How was the Christian view of sacrifice a radical departure from the rest of the ancient world? Why did the Christian view of sacrifice make them hated in the Roman empire? What was revolutionary about the emperor Constantine's decrees regarding sacrifice? What is a "living" sacrifice? How do we, in the twenty first century, present our bodies as living sacrifices? (68 min)

Keywords Body, Sacrifice

Romans 11:33-36 In this lesson we first review Paul's explanation in chapters 9-11 of how God has worked through salvation history. He culminates this masterpiece with a hymn of praise of God. What are the two different ways this passage might be translated? What are three things about God that are infinitely deep? What does Paul have in mind when he speaks of the riches of God? What is God's wisdom? What is God's knowledge? Why can no one be God's counselor? What are two things we must keep in mind about knowing the mind of God in view of what Paul says here about it being unsearchable? How do the "mystery" of Romans 9-11 and Jesus himself relate to the matter of knowing the unknowable mind of God? If everything is from, through, and to God, how can we be comforted while realizing that God's mind is so unsearchable? (52 min)

Keywords Mercy, Israel, Gentiles, Omniscience, Wisdom, Knowledge

Romans 11:26-32 Picking up from where we left off two weeks ago, Paul explains how it is that all Israel will be saved. With what does he say that Israel's spiritual renewal will be associated? Why does Paul apparently make an alteration in his quotation of Isaiah? What is it about the gifts and calling of God that is the basis for Paul's confidence? What gifts and calling does he appear to have in mind? If the Gentiles to whom Paul writes are inclined to be skeptical about Paul's expectations of a great salvation of Israel, what experience does Paul offer as evidence? How does God's use of Israel's disobedience and His use of the mercy shown to Gentiles bear on the subject of the problem of evil? In all of the hardening of both the Jews and the Gentiles, indeed of all people, what is the overriding purpose of God? How can we be sure this verse does not teach universalism (that all people will be saved)? (56 min)

Keywords Israel, Gentiles, Mercy, Hardening, Salvation, Mystery

Romans 11:25-27 Paul now begins to summarize all that he has taught us in chapter 11, and also to conclude his entire argument in chapters 9 thru 11. He begins by saying that he does not wish us to be uninformed or ignorant. What is the significance of Paul's repeated use of this phrase in his writings? What is the relationship between knowledge and actions? If we are unaware of the mystery he speaks of here, what is a possible consequence? What are the two ways that the concept of mystery was viewed within the culture of the first century. What were the mystery religions, and how are they manifest in contemporary culture. How does the accessibility to "truth" become a "seller's market," and why is that not good? How does Paul use the concept of mystery? What are some of the many mysteries of which Paul writes? What is the mystery he speaks of in this chapter, and what are its chief elements? What are the three questions that confront us when Paul says "So all Israel will be saved"? (55 min)

Keywords Israel, Gentiles, Mystery

Romans 11:22-24 The subject which Paul introduced in the verses in our last lesson raises a subject he enjoins us to give careful thought to: the kindness and severity of God. This is the subject of the present verses we consider in this lesson. How are we to understand Paul's discussion of groups or nations, as opposed to individuals? What is a common error people make in their view of God? What is an "eccentric" Christian? What is Paul's point in bringing up the subject of God's kindness and severity? How does this truth about God have bearing on Gentile Christians? What personal application can we make from God's kindness and severity? Do God's forgiven people ever encounter the severity of God? What can one who is encountering the severity of God do to experience God's kindness? (62 min)

Keywords Grafted In, Broken Off, Israel, Gentiles, Kindness, Severity

Romans 11:16-17 How can it be that if Israel has failed that Paul can expect that at some time in the future it will once again be included among God's people? This a question Paul now sets out to answer. But it is important to remember that in these verses he is addressing himself to Gentiles particularly, because he has something very important to say to Gentile believers. What does he mean by referring to Gentiles as being of a "wild olive?" Who are the ones with whom those of us who are grafted in are partaking? What is it we are partaking of? What warning does Paul give to the Gentiles regarding how they view Israel? Why is this warning necessary? Why were the "natural branches" broken off? How is it significant that Paul's use of the pronoun "you" when referring to Gentiles is always in the second person singular rather than plural? How do we know that, as severe as Paul's warning is, it does not teach that an individual believer can lose his or her salvation? How does the history of the Gentile church validate Paul's warning about being broken off? (53 min)

Keywords Jews, Gentiles, Security

Romans 11:11-15 Understanding now that, except for a small remnant, Israel as a whole has refused the Gospel and been hardened, another question arises. Has Israel's stumbling over the Stumbling Stone been a total falling from which there will never be a recovery? It is this question Paul addresses in the verses in this lesson. Paul's emphatic response is negative, but what is the basis for his confidence that they have not permanently fallen? Why does Paul speak of the Gentles experiencing salvation due to Israel's transgression? What does Paul expect the Gentiles' salvation to do to the Jews? How is Paul using the idea of jealousy here? What two aspects of Israel's stumbling does Paul mention? What is the impact of these two aspects? Why does Paul make a point that he is addressing himself to Gentiles in these verses? What is the rejection and acceptance that he speaks of here? What is the "life from the dead" that he refers to? What is the wonderful future that we can expect for Israel, and why does it matter to Gentile believers? (54 min)

Keywords Jealously, Jews, Gentiles, Reconciliation, Remnant

Romans 11:2-10 In this passage Paul continues explaining why we know that God has not rejected Israel. He offers to us the historical evidence in the account of Elijah's complaint to God about Israel. What had prompted Elijah's complaint? What did God say was going to happen in Israel after Elijah's return? What was the basis for God preserving alive a remnant in Elijah's day? Why does Paul change the future tense of God's words to the past tense? What was the basis of God's choice to preserve a remnant in Israel in the days of Paul? What are the two categories of which Paul speaks in this passage? In which of these two categories do we know that Paul classifies faith? What does this passage teach, and what does it not teach? (55 min)

Keywords Choice, Grace, Remnant, Hardening, Faith, Works

Romans 11:1-2 The Apostle Paul, having demonstrated that Israel's unbelief is due only to her own disobedience and obstinacy, he now addresses the question of whether or not Israel has been rejected by God. In this passage we are introduced to the concept of the remnant. What is an important distinction to keep in view when Paul is speaking about Israel? What are the reasons Paul gives for knowing that Israel has not been rejected by God? What is Paul trying to tell us when he speaks of his being an ethnic Israelite? When he says that Israel is foreknown by God, of which Israel does he speak, ethnic Israel or the remnant? Why is an understanding of God's transcendence critical in understanding His foreknowledge? What are the two meanings which are offered for foreknowledge? How can we know which one is correct? How does God's foreknowledge prove that God has not rejected Israel? What encouragement can we take from this reality? (59 min)

Keywords Israel, Foreknowledge

Romans 10:18-21 Picking up where we left off three weeks ago, we find Paul answering the question of why it is that the Jews have not believed the Gospel. Have they never heard? Have they not understood? To each of these questions Paul answers emphatically that those were not the problem. When God says that he will provoke the Jews to jealousy, is this some random judgment of God, or is there some precedent why He has chosen this particular course? How does Paul know that the Jews have heard the gospel? Why does Paul use the verse from Psalm 19 the way he does? Had the Gospel really been preached in all the world, as Paul claims? How do we know, according to Paul, that the Gospel was not too difficult for the Jews to understand? If the Jews had heard and had understood the word of faith, what explanation does Paul give for their not believing? What does this tell us about the grace of God? (57 min.)

Keywords Gospel, Faith, Jews, Gentiles

Romans 10:14-17 Having established that salvation is available to all who call on the name of the Lord, Paul now sets forth the necessary things that must occur for someone to call on God. This passage has two important messages for us. One is the primary thing that Paul is communicating. The second, and incidental message, pertains to the church's imperative of evangelism and missions. Why is Paul explaining what is necessary for someone to call on God? Is the believing mentioned in verse 14 different from that mentioned in verse 11? Why is it necessary for someone to hear? When Paul speaks of a preacher, how is his concept of a preacher different from what we often think of today? Why does a preacher need to be sent? Now we know what must occur before someone can call on God, yet we discover that Israel has not called on God. What has gone wrong in this process? (52 min)

Keywords Calling, Believing, Preaching, Faith

Romans 10:11-13 In this lesson we are wrapping up our study of verses 5-13, in which Paul sets out how the righteousness of faith differs from the righteousness of the Law. How do we know that Paul is not intending to make a strong distinction between the faith of the heart and the confession of the mouth? When Moses speaks of the mouth and the heart, what is his point? How do we know that Paul does not intend us to see the acquiring of righteousness as distinct from salvation, or confession as distinct from believing? What is the underlying foundation to the assertion that whoever believes will be saved?. In what way is there no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile)? On what basis does Paul claim there is no such distinction? How did the Jews view the difference between themselves and the Gentiles? If the objective universal lordship of Jesus is the basis of Paul's argument about Jews and Gentiles, what else can we infer from it? (57 min.)

Keywords Lordship, Confession, Faith, Righteousness, Salvation, Jews, Gentiles

Romans 10:5-13 In this lesson we continued our consideration of what the righteousness based on faith says. What are some of the pitfalls we need to avoid in understanding what Paul is saying in this passage? What are the two themes that run parallel through this passage? What is significant about the confession that Jesus is Lord? What is the difference between subjective and objective lordship, and which one is Paul addressing here? What were the two other confessions with which the believers in Rome would have been familiar? How does this confession pertain to those other confessions? How is confessing Jesus is Lord related to calling on the name of the Lord? (55 min)

Keywords Faith, Righteousness, Confession, Lordship, Salvation

Romans 10:5-11 This lesson is the first in a look at this passage, in which Paul explains more of how and why Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to those who believe. Paul demonstrates how Law righteousness and faith righteousness are different by showing how they say different things. What does he tell us that law righteousness says? What it the context of the passage from Leviticus to which he refers? How does Paul use that passage? When he tells us what faith righteousness says he uses passages from Deuteronomy. What is the context of those two passages? How does Paul's citation of those passages differ from the actual passages? What are some of the ways that Paul's use of these passages are viewed? Why does Paul use the idea of the abyss in the place of Deuteronomy's use of the idea of the sea? Having laid a foundation for understanding this passage, next week we will examine more fully what the righteousness based on faith says, which Paul says is the message he preaches. (55 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Law, Faith

Romans 10:1-4 Paul continues in this passage his explanation of what happened that caused Israel's failure to attain righteousness. He begins by renewing his emphasis on the love and burden he had for the salvation of the Jewish people. In view of what Paul had experienced at the hands of his Jewish opponents, how is this burden significant? How is Paul's own story a personification of the story of the nation of Israel. What is significant about Paul saying that in respect to the Law he had been a Pharisee? In spite of their zeal, what did Israel lack? What did Paul have to relinquish in order to gain Christ and the righteousness of God? What does Paul mean when he speaks of Christ being the end of the Law for righteousness to all who believe in Him? (54 min)

Keywords Law, Christ, Faith, Righteousness

Romans 9:27-33 In our previous lesson we discovered that God freely chose to call the Gentiles, who were not his people, his people. In today's lesson we find that in contrast only a few Jews, only a remnant, are among the people of God. This is the conclusion of the point Paul made in the early part of the chapter about not all the descendants of Abraham being true Israel. Is this point of Paul's something new, or does he have biblical warrant for his argument? What is the significance of Paul's use of the Greek word for seed? If God had not left such a seed, what would have happened? Paul begins to tell us now what it is that defines this remnant, as well as what constitutes the true people of God. How does Paul contrast the Gentile and Jewish approach to righteousness? What is important about the words "pursue" and "attain?" How did Gentiles attain righteousness? What hindered the majority of Israel from attaining righteousness? Why is the stone of Romans 9, I Peter 2, and Isaiah a stumbling block to some, but precious to others? What is the promise to those who believe in the stone? (59 min)

Keywords Remnant, Israel, Gentiles, Stumbling Stone, Faith

Romans 9:22-26 Having considered last week about the vessels Paul discusses in these verses, we return in this lesson to discover a bit more about those vessels, and then to study Paul's "what if" statement. What evidence do we have from this passage and others that the condition of being a vessel of wrath is not unchanging, but that a vessel of wrath can become a vessel of mercy? What are two different ways we might use a "what if" statement such as Paul uses here? How does Paul use it? What do we learn that God is every bit willing to do? Yet we learn that God has not done this. Why? What is the glory for which the children of Israel in Egypt were prepared as God waited on Pharaoh? How does Paul use the word "from" in verse 24? How does he use the word "called?" How does the story of Hosea's daughter and son give evidence that God can call some who are Gentiles His people? How does this passage shut the door on racism? (61 min)

Keywords Calling, Vessels, Wrath, Mercy, Hosea

Romans 9:22-23 Having established the right of the potter to make whatever kind of vessel he wishes from the clay, Paul now asks a "What if?" question. There are three entities in these verses, God, vessels of wrath, and vessels of mercy. In this lesson we take time to consider who and what are the vessels of wrath, and who and what are the vessels of mercy. What is the first most important thing we learn about the vessels of wrath? To what utility does God purpose to use these vessels? To what does the term "vessels of wrath" refer, their purpose or their condition? Who are the vessels of mercy? What is the utility to which God proposes to use such vessels? What is the difference between the preparation of the vessels of wrath and that of the vessels of mercy? Is the condition of being a vessel of wrath an immutable condition, or can such a vessel become a vessel of mercy? In our next lesson we will learn about how God uses these vessels. (61 min)

Keywords Potter, Clay, Vessels, Mercy, Wrath

Romans 9:19-21 In this week’s lesson, beginning in verse nineteen, Paul confronts an objection he anticipates that might be raised to the things he has said about God hardening and having mercy on whomever He wills. Before considering Paul's answer, it is important to understand what the mindset is of the person who would raise such an objection. How can we tell from the context what that mindset is? What is the actual objection that is being raised by this person? Why does Paul not clearly answer the objection, but rather responds to the person in what appears to be a harsh manner? In his response, Paul alludes to some passages from Isaiah. How are these passages relevant to the situation Paul is addressing? Paul introduces at this point an analogy of the potter and the clay. Before grasping Paul's point, it is important to understand how this common analogy is used throughout scripture. What are six important points that should be kept in mind about the scriptural use of the potter/clay analogy before attempting to understand what Paul has in mind in these verses? (63 min)

Keywords Hardening, Sovereignty, Potter, Clay

Romans 9:17-20 In this lesson we continue to consider what Paul says about God's hardening of Pharaoh, and then we go on to begin reflecting on Paul's response to the charge that God has no right to find fault with those He's hardened. Paul's choice to use Pharaoh as his example of God's hardening serves the purpose of foreshadowing something that he will argue in chapter eleven. What is that? When we encounter in this chapter the idea of God hardening people, why should this not take us by surprise? Is the hardening by God irrevocable? What are the two purposes we see for the hardening of recalcitrant sinners? What is the principle regarding human responsibility that the questions of verse nineteen are based upon? Why should we consider those questions more of a charge against God than legitimate questions? To what passages from the Old Testament does Paul allude in his response to these questions? In our next lesson we will continue to consider Paul's answer to these questions and his use of the potter and clay analogy. (57 min)

Keywords Mercy, Hardening, Pharaoh

Romans 9:14-18 Picking up where we left off last week, what approach is Paul using in order to convince his readers that there is a true spiritual Israel which is distinct from ethnic Israel? How far has Paul progressed in his argument? God has chosen to show mercy to the nation of Israel, while at the same time he has excluded Edom (the descendants of Esau). This raises the question of whether or not God is just in making such choices. What two events in the history of Israel does Paul use to buttress his argument that God is just? Do these verses completely resolve the question? What is the background in the history of the Jews to God's words to Moses about to whom He shows mercy? How does this demonstrate that mercy is up to God and not man? Why does Paul next use the illustration of Pharaoh? What does Paul mean when he refers to Pharaoh being "raised up?" What happened before God hardened Pharaoh's heart?What would not have happened had Pharaoh not been hardened by God? What has Paul not discussed in this chapter so far? (60 min)

Keywords Mercy, Hardening, Justice, Jacob, Esau, Edom, Pharaoh, Rahab

Romans 9:6-13 If, as we saw in our last lesson in Romans 9:1-5, Israel seems to have lost out on the blessings that were once hers, can we conclude then that God's word has failed? This is the issue Paul addresses in this week's lesson. What is Paul specifically referring to when he speaks of God’s word? What is the idea of failing that Paul introduces? What is God's purpose for Israel? In Romans 9-11 Paul speaks of two different Israels. In verses 1-5, of what Israel does he speak? The other Israel he writes about is what we refer to as the true spiritual Israel. In some places Paul speaks of the true Israel or descendants of Abraham as being the whole church, Jews and Gentiles. This is not the case here. How do we know this? What is he referring to? How does Paul prove his point that not all the descendants of Israel are the true spiritual Israel? What are the two promises Paul cites which limit true Israel to less than all the descendants of Abraham and Isaac? Of what does God speak when He gives his promise to Rebekah concerning what she is experiencing in her womb? How do we know that this passage is not addressing God's dealing with individuals, but with nations or groups of people? What does God mean when He says "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated?" What is the main point that Paul seeks to establish in Romans 9-11, and how will we know if he succeeds? (62 min)

Keywords Israel, Promise, Predestined, Calling, Jacob, Esau, Ishamael, Isaac

Romans 9:1-5 In this lesson we begin our study of Romans 9-11. People view these chapters from a variety of perspectives, and some simply avoid studying them because of the difficulties they present. What are some of the questions we are confronted with in these chapters? Are these three chapters an appendix to Paul's main thrust in Romans, or do they contain matters that directly relate to that emphasis? Is Paul concerned here chiefly with issues pertaining to individual salvation, or does he have something else in view? How can one be careful, when interpreting specific verses or points in these chapters, to ensure that he or she is finding the right interpretation? What two groups of people does Paul concern himself with in these chapters? As Paul opens his discussion in 9:1-5, why is he so insistent that he is telling the truth? Paul speaks of his "great sorrow" and his "unceasing grief." What is he so sorrowful about? To what extreme can Paul imagine going in order to alleviate his sorrow? What does scripture say about such a suggestion? How can Paul's remarks in this passage be likened to looking on the ruins of a great civilization? (69 min)

Keywords Israel, Jews, Predestined, Adoption

Romans 8:37-39 In these verses Paul continues his concluding thoughts on the security of the child of God in God's love. When we are saved we receive the promise of eventually being glorified with Christ. Yet between those two events we encounter numerous adversities, many of them very severe. What does Paul mean when he says that through all of those things we are more than conquerors? What is it that ensures our overwhelming victory through sufferings? If God's heart is moved when He sees people suffer, as we know it is, then what is it about sufferings that Paul suggests someone might think would separate them from the love of God. How do we know that that will not separate us from His love? This brings up a troubling question, however, which Paul will go on to answer in the following chapters: If God's children are forever secure in HIs love, then what about the Jews, hasn't God rejected them? (66 min)

Keywords Glory, Love, Security

Romans 8:35-36 Having settled the issue that our sin no longer imperils the believer's safety in God's love, Paul now turns his attention to the circumstances and persons in our life whom we might fear could rob us of God's love. Paul's own life provides an evidence of what he tells us in these verses. What did God make clear about Paul’s future life as a Christian to Ananias? What did Paul mean in his second letter to the Corinthians when he wrote about always carrying in his body the death of Christ? What was the outcome for the Corinthians of Paul's experience of "dying daily?" Was Paul exaggerating when he wrote about the extent of his struggles? Were all of Paul's afflictions a direct result of persecution, or did they include other things. If Jesus promised that if we seek God's kingdom first, all "these things" that we need will be provided, how do we account for the fact that Paul at times experienced hunger, thirst, and exposure? What is the importance of Paul's quote from Psalm 44 about being put to death all day long? (58 min)

Keywords Love, Tribulation, Security

Romans 8:33-34 In this week’s lesson Paul continues to address the subject of the security of the believer. He uses a series of terms that have a legal usage, and create for us the picture of a courtroom in which we ourselves stand "in the dock." If we were to find ourselves on trial in the divine courtroom, who are the parties that we can imagine we would find bringing charges against us? Who would be the greatest and most telling witness against us? Why does one of God's children not need to fear such charges being brought? In a court of law, who is the one who pronounces the final punishment or condemnation? Who holds this position in the final judgment of mankind? Why does a Christian not need to fear such a condemnation? What are the four things that Christ Jesus has done that relate to the subject of the Christian's security in God's love? What are some of the things we know that Jesus is praying for us? Who does the most damage to the biblical doctrine of the security of the child of God? (58 min)

Keywords Judgment, Justification, Condemnation, Security

Romans 8:31-32 In these verses Paul begins a series of rhetorical questions designed to make us think about the consequences of the things he has just been telling us in the previous verses. The answers to these questions are implied in the questions themselves. What are the three categories which Paul addresses that we find might threaten our security in God's love? What are the things to which Paul refers that are the proof that God is for us? God is not "for" everyone. He is against some. What determines whether God is for or against someone? How does the story of the pharisee and the tax-collector in Luke 18 relate to this passage? Does Paul believe that Christians have no one who opposes or is against them? What frame of mind should we have about those who oppose us that would transform our outlook? Why does Paul believe that God will not withhold anything from those who have believed in Him? (56 min)

Keywords Predestined, Justification, Image of God, Son of God

Romans 8:29-30 In this lesson we continue considering the subject of what it means that we have been foreknown by God. What does the word "foreknown" mean? How do we know that this is speaking from a human rather than divine perspective? We then learn that those God has foreknown he has predestined. To what have those God foreknew been predestined? What is God's purpose for all His children? How does this purpose relate to God's original intent in creation? What three things has God done to ensure that His purpose for us is accomplished? Why is it that though earlier Paul has spoken of our glory as something that is yet to happen, that in this verse he speaks of it in the past tense? (57 min)

Keywords Foreknowledge, Predestined, Calling, Justification

Romans 8:28, 29 In this lesson we begin exploring one of the best known passages of Romans, about parts of which Christians often have divergent views. It is important, however, that we not loose sight of the forest of Paul's major point for our preoccupation with the trees of his supporting arguments. How is that that we "know," according to Paul, that all things work together for good? Is Paul saying that all things are actually good? For whom is this promise true? What is notable about Paul's remark about us loving God. What do we mean when we say that God is transcendent? How is the truth about the transcendence of God connected to the truth about God's foreknowledge? Why is it a mistake to say that since God knows with certainty what will happen that He is responsible for evil? (63 min)

Keywords Glory, Foreknowledge, Adoption, Suffering

Romans 8:23-27 Picking up from last week's lesson in verse 23, we considered more about our adoption. Why does Paul speak about our adoption as something that happened when we were saved, as well as something that has not yet occurred? What aspect of our adoption has not yet been realized? When will that happen? What is the disposition of the believer while he awaits his adoption? What is the connection between faith and hope? What is the opportunity that hope gives us that we will not possess when our bodies are finally redeemed? In what way do we fail to know how to pray? Why does the Holy Spirit groan? What do we know for sure about the Holy Spirit's intercession for us? (61 min)

Keywords Hope, Spirit, Faith, Worship, Prayer

Romans 8:19-23 In these verses Paul explains how even the creation is waiting for our redemption. What does it mean that the creation was subjected to futility? How did this happen? When Paul speaks of creation groaning and waiting, what is it that he is not saying? Why is the creation "longing" for our revelation as God's children? What does creation's subjection to futility say about our dominion over nature? What have we been given that causes us to groan for our own revelation? (54 min)

Keywords Spirit, Creation, Glory, Suffering

Romans 8:16-18 In today's passage Paul continues to explore the reality of what the Spirit has to say to us about our being God's children. With whom does the Spirit of Adoption we've received bear witness to our being God's children? If we are God's children, we are also his heirs. What are the three different kinds of inheritance that we receive because we are God's children? The third aspect of our inheritance is indissolubly linked to suffering. Why is this? How does the believer's suffering differ from that of the non-Christian? How did Paul view the suffering he experienced? If we are to share in Christ's glory, what is it? How can our suffering become a vehicle to understanding the glory that will be ours? (51 min)

Keywords Inheritance, Glory, Children of God, Spirit

Romans 8:12-15 In this week's passage, Paul describes for us the person who walks according to the spirit in contrast to the one who walks according to the flesh. Is Paul saying here that it is possible for the believer to cease to live according to the Spirit and to thus loose his or her salvation? How do we know? What other passages in the New Testament have a bearing on this question? What is not characteristic of the Spirit that the believer has received? What evidence does the Christian have that he or she is a child of God? How is the idea of addressing God as our Father new? How do we know it is okay to do so? What is the special significance of the phrase "Abba Father?" (52 min)

Keywords Spirit, Flesh, Father, Adoption

Romans 8:5-11 In this passage Paul develops in powerful detail the contrast between the believer and the unbeliever. What is the difference between this passage and Galatians 5 where he speaks about being led by the Spirit? What are some of the striking connections we find in this passage about Christ and about the Spirit? What is the key verse in this passage that clues us in to what Paul is discussing? What does it mean to "walk according to the flesh or Spirit?" What is the mind set of the unbeliever and the believer? What is the "flesh?" Though our bodies are still destined to die, due to sin, what is the promise to the believer? What is the difference between being in Christ and Christ being in us? (62 min)

Keywords Flesh, Spirit, Death, Life

Romans 8:1-4 In today's lesson we move from Paul's discovery of his miserable condition in chapter seven, to his explanation of what it is like to be one who lives the life of the Spirit in chapter eight. To what does the word "therefore" in verse one refer? Who does Paul have in mind when he speaks of those who are "in Christ?" What is the condemnation of which he speaks. What is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ? How are we set free from the law of sin which we learned ruled our lives in chapter seven? What had the Law failed to do that God did? How did God do that? What is the requirement of the law that is met in those who walk according to the Spirit? (49 min)

Keywords Law, Death, Life, Spirit, Flesh

Romans 7:21-25 Paul now reaches the conclusion of all that he's been saying in verses 14-25. Having spoken about the Mosaic law throughout the chapter, he now introduces us to other laws that have a bearing on his condition. What are these other laws, and how do they relate to the Mosaic law? What is the "different" law, and what does it do? Why does Paul not keep the law? Can a non-believer "delight" in God's law? To what is Paul driven by the realization of the war between the two laws within him? Is Paul's awareness of wretchedness something he encountered before or after conversion? What is the answer to his condition? What is the "inner man" to which Paul refers? What are some ways that this passage can relate to us whether we view it as speaking of a Christian or an non-believer? (63 min)

Keywords Sin, Law, Death, Christ, Flesh

Romans 7:17-20 We continue in this lesson following Paul's logical train through Romans 7 as he explains how it was that he came to understand the utter sinfulness of sin, and his own bondage to it. What does he mean when he says that he was not the one doing it (disobeying the Law) but sin in him? What are the two primary views in the Western world of what it means to be human? How does Paul reflect a dualism in his theology in this passage? What would be a serious error to conclude from this passage? How does the view that the Christian possesses two natures (an old sinful nature and a new nature) present difficulties with what Paul says in this passage? What are some other words that Paul uses to refer to the "I" in this chapter? What is the flesh of which Paul speaks here? (63 min)

Keywords Law, Sin, Death, Flesh

Romans 7:14-17 In this lesson we continue to explore one of the more challenging passages of the New Testament to interpret. Several things particularly notable about the passage have a bearing on our interpretation: the logical order of the passage, the absence of any mention of the Holy Spirit, and the prominence of the idea of bondage to sin and inability to do what is right. What are the two primary views of this passage that Christians hold? Why is it important how we understand this passage? What are two ways that the present tense can be used? How are we to determine which way Paul is using the present tense in these verses? Are there strong reasons to think that Paul is not using the present tense in a literal sense? Can an unbeliever want to obey God's law? What does Paul know as a result of the interplay of sin with the Law? How is it that Paul has come to know this? What is the dichotomy or dualism that Paul discovers about himself? A handout comparing the person in this passage with the believer in chapters 6 and 8 may be viewed or downloaded here. (57 min)

Keywords Sin, Law, Death

Romans 7:13 (14-20) We are now ready to tackle one of the more challenging passages in Scripture to interpret (7:14-25), and believers throughout church history have differed in their understanding of it. We often come with preset ideas that color our view of the passage. In this lesson we will lay the groundwork for properly interpreting the rest of the chapter by examining the importance of verse 13, and consider how it should set the direction of our interpretation of the following verses. How does Paul's own background bear on the meaning of this passage? How does the situation in the church in Rome relate to what Paul says? How do verses 14-20 demonstrate Paul's train of logic following on verse 13? What are the two chief ways this passage is understood? What is not an issue in these differing views? What things are at issue? How do verses 14-20 show how someone discovers the utter sinfulness of sin mentioned in verse 13? What does Paul mean when he says that he does "not understand" what is happening, and yet goes on to explain what was happening? A handout accompanied this lesson and can be viewed or downloaded here. (63 min)

Keywords Sin, Death, Law

Romans 7:7-12 Given what Paul has already said about the Law increasing transgression and arousing sinful passions, he now tackles the obvious question: "Is the law sin (or evil)?" He immediately denies that it is, but what are the reasons he provides? What are the two kinds of knowledge of sin which Paul discusses? How does sin take us from one kind of knowledge to the other? Why does Paul choose to use the tenth commandment prohibiting covetousness as his example of how the Law reveals sin? What does Paul mean that he was "alive" before the commandment and "dead" after the commandment? How was sin "dead" before the Law and "alive" after the Law? What are two ways that sin deceives us through the Law? What does the Law teach us about sin that we did not know before? (62 min)

Keywords Law, Sin, Death, Covetousness

Romans 7:7 In this lesson we begin our study of the main part of Romans 7. This is a very challenging chapter to interpret properly, and so this lesson is devoted to laying the groundwork and giving us the proper tools to understand what Paul is saying. What are some of the questions that arise as we read this chapter? Why is it important to properly interpret a passage before applying it to our lives? Of whom does Paul speak when he talks about "I" in this passage? What are the four chief views of the "I" in the chapter, and what are their strengths and challenges? What are the three principle issues that need to be decided before we can properly interpret this chapter? What are some things to be concerned about as we interpret this passage? (64 min)

Keywords Law, Sin, Death

Romans 7:1-6 In this passage Paul continues to explore the subject he introduced in chapter six. Note the three times beginning in chapter six where he asks the question, "Do you not know?" These provide a sort of outline of Paul's discussion of the believer's relationship to sin. What question is Paul addressing in these verses in chapter seven? What is the point of the illustration Paul uses? How do we need to be careful in interpreting illustrations in the Bible? What is Paul referring to by the "law" in this passage? What does Paul associate with the law in Romans? What is the believer's relationship to the law? How did this happen? What is the purpose for which this happened? What subject does Paul introduce in this passage that he will expound more fully in chapter eight? (51 min)

Keywords Law, Grace, Sin

Romans 6:17-23 As Paul continues to discuss the subject of our relationship with sin, he makes it clear that he knows that the Romans to whom he writes are believers. What is characteristic of every person who comes to Christ? What is the "form of teaching" of which Paul speaks? What does Paul mean by saying the Romans were committed to that teaching? How long did you obey from the heart after you were saved? What happened to that heartfelt obedience? What is the outcome of being a slave of sin or a slave of righteousness? How is sin dynamic rather than static? How is Romans 6:23 particularly relevant to our Christian lives on a daily basis? (57 min)

Keywords Sin, Obedience, Death, Life

Romans 6:12-16 In this passage Paul transitions from the idea of being dead to sin and alive to God to another way of looking at things, being a slave to sin or a slave to obedience. What is our "mortal body?" What two things does Paul's imperative about not letting sin reign imply? What are the "members" of our bodies? What does Paul mean by talking about presenting our members? What promise does Paul offer the believer? What is the question Paul confronts in this passage? What does it mean to be under the law or under grace? What common knowledge did the Roman believers possess that was rooted in ancient slavery practices? Why are there only two options open to us? (50 min)

Keywords Sin, Obedience, Righteousness, Sin, Law, Grace

Romans 6:5-11 If we as believers have died to sin, as Paul has said earlier in chapter six, then why don't we have a greater experience of that death to sin in our every day lives? This lesson addresses that question. The concept of being dead to sin was a foundational one to the early believers, yet this is often not the case for us today. Why? What is Paul talking about when he speaks of the "old self" and our "body of sin?" What does he mean when he says it has been done away with? For what purpose has the old self been crucified in Christ? If we are united in the likeness of Christ's resurrection, what exactly is life for Christ like after His resurrection? How can our lives today be like Christ's resurrection life? How is the truth of being united with Christ's resurrection life connected to the our experience of being dead to sin? (54 min)

Keywords Sin, Resurrection, Slavery, Death, Life

Romans 6:1-4 Paul's comments at the end of chapter five about grace being abundantly greater than the increase of sin raises an important question in chapter six: What is the believer's relationship to sin? He puts the question quite starkly in verse one as to whether the believer should continue to sin in order that grace would increase. What are the two kinds of errors that Paul may be representing in this question? Why does Paul not bother to demonstrate that the question actually distorts what he said in chapter five? How does Paul's answer elevate the significance of the discussion? Does Paul suggest that it is impossible for the Christian to sin? How is the believer dead to sin? Why does Paul raise the issue of baptism? Is Paul speaking of water baptism here? How do we know? What are two important things to know about baptism in the New Testament church? How did Paul know that the Roman Christians knew that they had died to sin? For what purpose have we died to sin? (57 min)

Keywords Sin, Death, Baptism, Resurrection

Romans 5:15-21 In this lesson we back away a bit from our passage in order to make sure we can see the whole forest, rather than only the trees. What is a protasis and an apodisis? How is that important in understanding this passage? What are the three ways in which Paul illustrates the difference between Christ and Adam? Many people understand that Paul teaches that Adam is a "type" of Christ. However, two chief questions remain: How is Adam a type of Christ? And why is it important that Adam is a type of Christ? Who are the two all important characters in Paul's grand panoply of human history? Who is missing from Paul's grand story, and why is that significant? How do Paul's remarks about the coming of the Law tie in to His point about Adam as a type of Christ? (58 min)

Keywords Types, Adam, Christ, Death, Grace, Law

Romans 5:15 In showing the exceeding greatness of Christ's death as the basis of the certainty of our hope, Paul continues his comparison of Christ's death to Adam's one act of transgression. First he introduces the concept of Adam as a type of Christ. What does this mean? Having introduced such an idea, Paul seems almost to back away from it in the following verses. Why? What are the three ways in which Christ's death is different from Adam's sin? Why is Paul contrasting Christ's act of atonement with Adam's transgression? What was the extent of the consequences of Adam's sin? What is the key word revealing the contrast between Adam and Christ? Who are "the many?” How should we understand the second use of "the many" in this verse? Why? Why does the idea of the atonement being intended for all who sinned, even those who will not believe, not degrade the glory of Christ's death? How would the view that the intent of the atonement was limited only to those who would ultimately be saved eviscerate Paul's very argument? How can the truth of the abundance of grace in Christ's atonement bring comfort to us? (42 min)

Keywords Death, Christ, Atonement, Adam

Romans 5:12-14 The passage we are beginning in this lesson is critically important to understanding the Christian faith, yet it can also be difficult to understand. We will take our time to be certain we understand it fully. What is a protasis and an apodosis? In this passage what is Paul's protasis? Where do we find the apodosis? What is Paul setting out to establish in this section? Why is sin not the chief theme of these verses? Why is what Paul says about sin so important to grasp? What is original sin? How did we become sinners? What did Paul mean by saying that sin is not imputed where there is no Law? How do we know that men were sinners between the time of Adam and Moses? (62 min)

Keywords Sin, Death, Adam, Law

Romans 5:6-11 Having shown how we can be assured of the certainty of our hope because we have the down payment of God's Spirit in us, Paul now gives another evidence of the certainty of our hope. That is the demonstration of God's love in the timing of the death of Christ. What does Paul mean when he speaks of the "right time" for Christ to die? Is he speaking historically or personally? What is the greatest extent or evidence of human love? How does God's love surpass that? What were you like when Christ died for you? What does Paul conclude is true in light of the timing of Christ's death? At the end of this passage Paul returns to the theme of exultation. What is a mark of the justified sinner? Why is it now possible for us to exult in God? What are some of the things about God in which we can exult? (55 min)

Keywords Love, Hope

Romans 5:3-6 Although Paul exults in the glorious reality of the justified believer's new position, he is a realist about the believer's life in this fallen world. This brings up the subject of tribulation. What does Paul have in mind here when he speaks of tribulation? What process happens in the life of the justified person as a consequence of tribulation? What is perseverance? How does proven character produce hope? What is the hope it produces? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in this process. Why is Paul so certain that this hope does not disappoint? What does God's love have to do with all of this? (49 min.)

Keywords Tribulation, Perseverance, Hope, Glory

Romans 5:1-5 Paul now moves us on from consideration of how a person is saved or justified through faith. There are many other things about our life after justification. Yet in moving on, of what must we not lose sight? What does Paul have in mind when he says we now have peace? What is the broader sense of this word? What does it mean that we now stand in grace? How is it that we have come to be in such a position? Can someone cease to stand in grace? What is Paul talking about when he speaks of the glory of God in which we hope? (52 min)

Keywords Peace, Justification, Grace, Glory

Romans 4:22-25 Having seen Abraham's faith, God credits that faith to Abraham as righteousness. What is the content of Abraham's faith and what is the locus of his faith? For whom did the Holy Spirit record these things about Abraham? What is the locus of our faith and the content of our faith? How is this the same and now is it different from Abraham? Who delivered up Christ, and why? What does Paul mean when he says that Christ was "raised because of our justification?" (56 min)

Keywords Abraham, Faith, Righteousness, Justification

Romans 4:18-21 After learning earlier in Romans 4 that Abraham secured the promise of God by faith apart from works, apart from circumcision, and apart from the Law, we now see that he also did so by faith apart from sight. What did Paul mean when he said Abraham hoped against hope? What was necessary for Abraham to secure the promise God made? Why did Abraham contemplate the impossibility of his situation? What happened to Abraham's faith as he did so? What else did Abraham contemplate? How was Abraham's faith made strong? Did Abraham ever have doubts? What were the three results of Abraham's faith? Ultimately, what is Paul wanting us to consider in this passage? (48 min)

Keywords Faith, Works, Abraham

Romans 4:13-17 In these verses Paul begins to explain how it is that those who believe like Abraham believed are Abraham's descendants. What is the promise made to Abraham that he believed? What are the two categories that Paul presents for our consideration? What is the consequence of confusing these categories? What is it that the Law brings about? Why can it not bring about the inheritance of the promise? Why must the inheritance come by faith? What is it that is "in the presence of God?" What did Paul have in mind when he spoke of God giving life to the dead? Why is it important that God calls into being that which did not exist? (58 min)

Keywords Works, Faith, Law, Grace, Wrath, Inheritance, Promise

Romans 4:6-12 In order to demonstrate his point about righteousness from the life of Abraham, Paul uses an example from David in the Psalms. However, in David's case, it was not something that was credited to him, but something that was not credited to him. David says such a person is blessed. Paul then addresses the question of what kinds of people are blessed in this way. What is the importance of the timing of Abraham's circumcision to this issue? How long after he was credited with righteousness did God tell Abraham to be circumcised. Given what circumcision is a sign of, why did God wait so long? What does it mean that Abraham is the father of those who believe? (43 min.)

Keywords Faith, Works, Abraham, David, Forgiveness, Righteousness

Romans 3:28-4:5 We continue in this lesson the lesson begun last week about boasting, works, and faith. If the first reason is because all have sinned, what is the second reason why everyone must be justified by faith? Why was it necessary for Paul to prove his point by using the example of Abraham? When Paul says, "not before God," is he speaking of it being acceptable for Abraham to boast before men? What is the back story for the verse about Abraham that Paul quotes from the Old Testament? What is possible for the problem justified by believing in God to not do and and still be justified? (50 min.)

Keywords Righteousness, Faith, Works, Abraham

Romans 3:27, 28 In this passage Paul makes a major shift in his presentation, leaving behind some of the themes that have dominated his arguments so far. Now he shifts to the primary subject of justification by faith, which will occupy his attention through chapter four. What is the fine line that Paul finds himself having to walk in this passage? What is syncretism, and how does it happen? How does the question about boasting in this passage arise? Would Paul's imaginary opponent really ask something like this? How is Paul using the word "law" in these verses? What is it that excludes boasting? If believing is something we do, then is it a work? How can works and faith be mutually exclusive? (52 min)

Keywords Justification, Faith

Romans 3:24, 25 Our passage in this lesson emphasizes the public display of Jesus as a "propitiation" What is propitiation? Why do some translators prefer the word "expiation?" How is the Greek word that is translated here used throughout the Greek version of the Old Testament? How is that significant to understanding this passage? What is the mercy seat? What actually happened those many years of High Priests offering sacrifices at the mercy seat? What does Paul mean by speaking of God "passing over" sins in the past? What is the problem with God declaring sinners to be righteous? How is the public display of Christ on the cross different from the mercy seat in the Old Testament? Why is this so important? (54 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Justification, Mercy Seat

Romans 3:21-24 Today's passage begins with two of the most wonderful words in Scripture: “but now." How does Paul intend us to understand these words, logically or temporally? What is the righteousness of God of which Paul speaks here and back in Romans 1:17? What do justification and righteousness have in common? How does the righteousness of God differ from what Paul calls "his righteousness" in verses 25 and 26? Why does Paul refer twice in one sentence to receiving the righteousness of God by faith? Is he arguing in a circle? What is the standard or mark that we have all missed when we sinned? How do Adam and Eve demonstrate this to us? How does God provide justification for us, and how does this contrast with his wrath at our sin? (51 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Law, Sin, Faith

Romans 3:9-20 In this lesson's passage Paul reaches the grand finale of his argument about the universal condition of man. We begin to learn some important things about sin that will become more clear throughout Romans. In what way do the Jews have an advantage, and in what way are they on the same plane with everyone else? What is significant about Paul's use of the singular form of the word "sin?" What is implied by Paul's use of the word "under?" In Paul's selection and arrangement of verses he quotes from the Old Testament, what are the two kinds of relationship that he shows are impacted by sin? What are the two aspects of the extent of sin which these verses point out? When we speak of "total depravity" what do we not mean, and what do we mean? How does the Law stop our mouths when we are indicted before God? (52 min)

Keywords Sin, Total Depravity, Law

Romans 3:1-8 Backed into a corner by Paul's arguments concerning the Law and Circumcision, Paul's imaginary challenger attempts to show that Paul's message leads to unacceptable conclusions about God. By this point in Paul's "diatribe,” who might Paul actually be envisioning as his opponent? What are the four questions presented against Paul's Gospel? What are the four things about God that Paul is accused of undermining? Does Paul believe that there is any real advantage to being Jewish? How are we today sometimes guilty of the same errors that Paul exposes in the thinking of his Jewish opponent? How does Paul successfully defend the character of God while maintaining his position regarding the Law and Circumcision? (58 min)

Keywords Jews, Law, Circumcision, Righteousness, Faithfulness, Justice

Romans 2:25-29 After getting our bearings once again in the flow of Paul's case, we consider in this lesson his response to the Jew's reliance on circumcision. What was the purpose of circumcision? What value did Paul see in circumcision for the Jew who kept the Law? What value did it have for the one who transgressed the Law? What are the two "hypothetical" characters Paul sets before us in this passage? What essentially happens for the uncircumcised person who keeps the Law of Moses? What becomes the relationship of the uncircumcised keeper of the law with the circumcised transgressor? What are the four distinct ways that scripture speaks of someone being the descendant of Abraham or the "seed" of Abraham? How is the fourth way both a new and old way of looking at things? What is Paul saying, and not saying, when he speaks of being a Jew as an internal thing? What implications does Paul's dismissal of circumcision as effective for redemption have upon us today? (58 min)

Keywords Jews, Law, Circumcision, Gentiles

Romans 2:17-24 Paul continues to tighten his net around even the most convinced moralists, in this case the Jews. What does it mean to be a Jew? Is Paul speaking as an anti-Semite or as one who has discounted the significance of being Jewish? What are the two supports the Jew believes keep him in right standing with God? What are the five privileges Paul attributes to being a Jew? Additionally, what are the four prerogatives that the Jew possessed? In his imagined dialog with a Jewish moralist, what would have likely been the response of his imagined Jew to the things Paul listed in verses seventeen through twenty? How does Paul "lower the boom" on the Jewish moralist? What is the result among non-Jews to the disobedience of the Jew to the Law. How can this passage, clearly written with Jews in mind, apply to us today? (59 min)

Keywords Jews, Law, Moralists

Romans 2:5-16 Paul continues his argument that the moralist is also guilty before God. Having regarded lightly the patience and forbearance of God, they are storing up wrath for themselves. When will that wrath be experienced? By what standard will God judge all men and women? How does the Jew and Gentile differ in what they know about right and wrong? Does God judge the Jew differently than he judges the Gentile? In what different ways does Paul use the word "law" in Romans? Does Paul teach in this passage that a person can be saved by being good? What mistake does the moralist make in thinking that his sins are minor and hidden? What kind of sins did Jesus teach that God would judge? Who will be the final judge? (56 min) (The class handout on Paul’s uses of the word “law” in Romans can be accessed/downloaded from the Things To Grow With page.)

Keywords Law, Judging, Judgment

Romans 2:1-4 Paul moves on from addressing the general condition of man in his sin to the specific situation of the moralist who claims to be morally superior to others. What is a diatribe, and how does Paul use that here? Is Paul addressing only Jews here, or moralists more generally? How do we know that the moralist is doing the very things he judges in others? What does the bible really teach about our judging others? What does the moralist think about himself and God's judgment? How do we regard lightly the riches of God's kindness? What is God's tolerance of our sin intended to do? (58 min)

Keywords Judging, Moralists, Tolerance, Patience

Romans 1:28-32 Continuing the lesson from last week, we consider a couple more points on homosexuality and the third wrath of God revealed against man's rebellion. Is homosexuality the end result of man's depravity? How do those who reinterpret this passage prove Paul's point? What play on words does Paul use to emphasize how God's third wrath is appropriate for what man has done with the knowledge of God? What is Paul trying to say by his list of twenty one vices? How do we know that men know that their sin deserves death? What is the end extent of man's depravity? What is the "fourth exchange," and how does that answer our condition? (59 min)

Keywords Homosexuality, Wrath

Romans 1:22-27 The verses we look at in this study reveal the progression of man's rebellion against God, and God's response to that rebellion. What happens in the mind of the person who refuses to acknowledge the God revealed in creation? What are the three exchanges that such people make, and what are God's responses to those exchanges? With what did man replace the glory of the true God? What does Paul mean by his thrice repeated statement that "God gave them over?" How does the desire mentioned in God's first judgment differ from the desire mentioned in his second judgment? How do people who favor homosexual tolerance view this passage? What does Paul mean by his use of the word "natural?" How should one view homosexual desire as opposed to homosexual behavior? (63 min)

Keywords Wrath, Homosexuality, Fools

Romans 1:18-21 In this passage Paul begins his explanation of why the Gospel is necessary and why it is necessary that its power be activated by faith. To do this Paul writes about all of mankind's terrible predicament of being under the wrath of God for our sin. Why do we shrink from believing in God's personal, intentional wrath? How is God's wrath different from man's? When is this wrath revealed of which Paul speaks? Against what does God reveal such wrath? What did man know and what did he do with that knowledge? Do men still retain that knowledge? How was Paul so certain that men know about God? What about God is revealed in His creation? What happens to man when he suppresses his knowledge of God? (64 min)

Keywords Truth, Revelation, Wrath

Romans 1:16, 17 In this lesson Rick discusses why Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God to salvation. What does Paul mean by "salvation" in this passage? Who are the beneficiaries of this remarkable power? What is it that makes the Gospel powerful? Why was verse seventeen such a troublesome verse to Martin Luther? What did Paul mean by the "righteousness of God?" How is that righteousness revealed in the Gospel? What does Paul mean by the phrase "from faith to faith?" What is the significance of Paul's quotation from the prophet Habakuk? (62 min)

Keywords Righteousness, Salvation, Faith, Jews, Gentiles

Romans 1:13-16 In these verses Paul continues his introductory remarks, but is moving into the substance of his letter. His remark that he does not want the Romans to "be unaware" is not a throw away line. It introduces an important subject to the Romans and to Paul. Though Paul claims to have been hindered in coming to Rome, he does not explain here what hindered him. There is something far more important for the Romans to know, and that is what did not hinder him. Did Paul ever face the temptation to be ashamed of the Gospel? Why does he emphasize here that he is not ashamed? Why might someone be ashamed to take the Gospel into Rome? What was the view of both Gentiles and Jews to the preaching of the cross? What was the "scandal of the cross?" (52 min)

Keywords Romans, Gospel, Cross, Greeks, Gentiles, Barbarians

Romans 1:7-12 The city of Rome, the "Eternal City," was the center of the Roman world, a cosmopolitan city which ignited the imagination of people throughout the empire. It was to this city with its vast and diverse population that Paul wrote this epistle. Yet he wrote to a small and very select group within this remarkable metropolis. How did Paul identify those to whom he wrote? What does it mean to be a saint? How did Paul begin in addressing these people? What was the fame of these to whom he wrote? What was Paul's longing regarding these Romans? What did he wish to impart to them, and why? What did Paul hope to receive in return? Did he ever receive this? Do you ever feel like you are "in Rome?" (55 min)

Keywords Romans, Paul, Rome

Romans 1:1-6 This lesson begins our study of the actual text of Romans. Paul's introductory sentence to his letter is seven verses long. As such it takes some careful thinking to understand what he is saying. How is this opening sentence similar to and different from typical letters of Paul's day? Why does Paul go to such length to identify himself and tell what he is about? What are the three things Paul tells us about himself? What is the Gospel, and what is it about? What things does Paul tell us about the Gospel? What are two things about Christ that are made clear in the Gospel? How is this relevant to the people to whom Paul addresses his letter? What does Paul mean by saying that the resurrection declared Jesus to be the Son of God. How does this coincide with the biblical understanding of the eternal sonship of Christ? To whom does Paul say that he was commissioned in his apostleship, and what was he to bring about among those people? How did this relate to the Romans, and how does it relate to us? (In this lesson Rick makes extensive use of a whiteboard illustration. If you wish to view the actual finished illustration from class you may click here.) (59 min)

Keywords Romans, Paul, Apostle, Gospel, Christ, Faith, Son of God, Resurrection

Introduction To Romans In this lesson we are introduced to Paul's letter to the believers in Rome, or the Epistle to the Romans. We consider how we should think about this book and our ability to understand it. We learn about the importance of Romans to Christian belief. We contemplate the history of the church in Rome, and how that history has a bearing on the things Paul writes to them. We discuss the purposes of Paul's letter and the question of the theme or themes of Romans. Finally we considered the stories of four men in church history and what happened in their lives as they encountered the book of Romans. In conclusion, we asked how we can ensure that our own lives are impacted by this book as we launch our study. (61 min)

Keywords Romans, Paul, Introduction, Theme, Pentecost