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?
- Who do you think Paul considers to be “weak in the faith” and, by implication, “strong in the faith”? What attitude are the two groups to have to each other?
- How is Paul attempting to break down barriers between ethnic groups in verses 1-6?
- What is Paul getting at in verses 7-9?
- How can condemnation become a consequence of differing opinions (verses 7-12)?
- What is the perspective that the Christians in Rome need to learn in dealing with differences with each other?
- Paul says in verse 14 that nothing is unclean in itself, but how does he say something can become “unclean” (verses 13-23)?
- In what, if any, specific ways do you reverse verse 17 and make God’s kingdom about “food and drink” rather than about justice, peace and joy?
- What does it look like for you to ‘pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (verse 19)?