Greetings! Below you will find questions which reference the sermon preached this past Sunday at The Park. I encourage you to begin your group with a time of greeting and introductions. You may choose to reorder the questions below or to write your own. Work hard to facilitate discussion and avoid allowing yourself or another member to speak the entire hour. Ultimately we trust you with leading your group.
Martin Luther says of Roman’s, “This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament, It is the purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian’s while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul.” What’s your relationship to Romans? Do you read it often? Do you memorize it? Why or why not?
- What are some observations you had from this chapter? Were there any new insights you learned about the passage from the sermon?
- What theology was present in this chapter?
- What did you learn about God from reading this chapter?
- Have you ever had a time in your life when you doubted God’s word? How did that resolve?
- Read Romans 9. What seems to be the tone of this chapter? What is Paul’s feeling as he writes this section?
- What can be learned from Paul’s attitudes in verses 1-5 about how we’re to respond to the Jewish people today?
- In 9:6 Paul says that it isn’t that God’s word has failed. What was it about the inclusion of Gentiles into God’s family through Christ that made the Jews wonder if God’s promises to them had failed?
- Reread the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Genesis 12, 21, and 28 respectively. What conclusion does Paul draw in verses 6-13 about how people do and don’t become children of God?
- Read Romans 9:14-18. Why is this story concerning Pharaoh significant to Paul’s argument?
- How do verses 25-29 also emphasize the faithfulness of God to His promises to Israel?