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 15:7-13 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 14:5-12 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