Romans 4 Bible Study

The Gospel in the Old Testament – Romans 4

Gospel in a Sentence: “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others, and hating one another;

            But,

When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”  Titus 3:3-7, ESV 

Big Picture:  Justification by faith alone, for every believer, is taught by the Old Testament.   

Goal:  That our confidence in God’s promises would grow by seeing that he has always saved people the same way.   

Key Ideas

1)            Abraham was justified by faith alone.   

2)            Abraham was uncircumcised when he was justified.  Thus, everyone  who believes in God’s promises, Jew or Gentile, will be justified.   

3)            God made justification be by grace through faith so that his promises would be guaranteed to every believer.   

4)            Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 

Key Terms

Abraham – See Genesis 12:1 and what follows.  Abraham was chosen and set apart by God to be the one through whom the blessing of God would come to all the nations.  This was to be done through his descendants, who were the nation of Israel.  It was to be done through his descendants because his ultimate descendant was Jesus.  See Galatians 3:7-16. 

Flesh – The Old Era of the world before Jesus came; the age governed by sin before Jesus began to reign by saving people from every nation.  See the discussion of ‘Flesh and Spirit’ in the first Study and Discussion Guide. 

Righteous – Having the character trait of doing what is glorifying to God.  This word is extremely important in Romans.  The same Greek word is also translated as ‘just.’  The verb ‘to justify’ (see below) is closely related to this term. 

Righteousness – The status one has if he is righteous, or at least, considered righteous.  In Romans we’ve seen that no one has righteousness of their own – we need a righteousness from God, or righteous status from him, to be considered righteous. 

To Justify – To declare righteous.  The idea here is that there is a courtroom that has a defendant with two potential statuses: righteous or guilty.  His status will result in a verdict – either he will be justified (if he is righteous) or he will be condemned (if he is guilty).  To justify means to ‘declare righteous,’ in the sense that a judge might in a courtroom. 

            The problem is that we are all unrighteous before God.  Jesus is righteous before God, though, and everyone who trusts Jesus for rescue from punishment is united to Jesus and granted his status of righteousness, and is thus justified. 

Faith – This word is also translated ‘belief.’  Personal trust.  It isn’t merely an assent to statements, but a trust in a person and his words. 

To Count – This verb is extremely important in Romans 4.  It’s an accounting term.  It can also be translated ‘to credit,’ ‘to reckon,’ ‘to impute.’ 

            Consider your bank statement.  There are usually two columns down the right side of it, labeled ‘credit’ and ‘debit.’  A credit is something that is given to your account. 

            In this case, ‘righteousness,’ or, ‘a righteous status before God,’ is granted, or ‘credited,’ to everyone who believes in Jesus.

Works – This word takes on a double-meaning in Romans 4.  It means work done for an employer.  Paul uses this as an analogy for works done in obedience to God’s laws, which, ultimately, we do not and cannot keep.  

Lawless – A description of deeds or people failing to keep God’s laws.

David – Very important King in the Old Testament.  See the first study guide for his significance.  Here, his importance is that he was a prophet of God, speaking God’s words.  He wrote most of the book of Psalms. 

Sign/Seal – God’s relationships with people are established through treaties called ‘covenants.’  Covenants, in the ancient world, were accompanied by a ceremony which signified the covenant.  God’s sign of his covenant is also his ‘seal’ – or guarantee that he will fulfill his promises. 

Transgression/Trespass – These words mean the breaking of a boundary.  When speaking of God’s law, it means to fail to do what is explicitly commanded. 

Grace – Favor.  Interestingly, the root word in Greek for grace is the word translated ‘joy’ or ‘happiness.’  The idea is that God’s grace is his power to make people happy in knowing him.

Nations – Groups of people that are ethnically, linguistically, and geographically distinct from other groups.  There are roughly 16,000 ‘nations’ in the world.  10,000 of them or so have a Gospel preaching church. 

Sarah – Abraham’s wife. 

Key Observations

4:1            God has just finished giving us a description of how Jesus, by dying on the cross in our place for our sins, accomplished righteousness for everyone who trusts him.  This verse introduces the theme of this             chapter – we find             this same concept, justification by faith alone,             taught in the Old Testament even in the case of the most important             person in the Old Testament – Abraham.  (See ‘Key Terms’ for             Abraham’s importance.)  Paul describes Abraham as our ‘forefather             according to the flesh’ to signify that the old Hebrew way of thinking             about him as just the father of Israel is incorrect and belongs to the old             world which was ruled by sin – not the new kingdom governed by             Jesus.  He’ll elaborate on this point in verse 9 and following. 

2            The reason for asking the question in verse 1.  If Abraham was justified             by doing righteous things, he’s morally better than everyone else, since             we’re unrighteous.  But even if he had been, he’d still just have done his             duty in God’s sight. 

3            Paul begins his argument here by citing Genesis 15:6.  The idea is that             Abraham was not given a righteous status based on law-keeping, but             rather, through faith.   

4-5            Paul explains the quote in verse 3.  If somebody has a job, they earn             their pay.  But, when one trusts God to justify him, God grants him a             righteous status as a gift, not as payment. 

6-8            Paul shows that the one who is blessed by God is also written about by             David in the Psalms.  In these verses we see God both crediting to us             righteousness which is not ours, and not crediting to us sins that are             ours. 

                        We should be asking ‘how’?  The answer to that question is in             verse 25. 

9-12            Paul’s just proven that the Old Testament teaches justification by faith             alone.  The natural question that a Jew in the first century would’ve             asked             is what Paul asks in verse 9.  This just shows that Abraham, the             father of the Jews, was justified by faith, they’d say – not that non-Jews             can be justified by faith.  He counters their argument by showing that             Abraham was justified before he received the physical sign             (circumcision) which set him apart from the other nations.  Therefore,             justification by faith is not merely for the circumcised, that is, ethnic             Jews. 

Circumcision and the Law

Both in Genesis 12 and in Genesis 15, God is recorded to have promised Abraham (whose name was initially Abram) that his offspring would be blessed and be a blessing to the nations.  Later, in Genesis 17, Abraham was commanded by God to institute circumcision (the removal of the foreskin from the penis by cutting) as a sign and seal of the covenant promise that God had made to him and his offpsring.  Circumcision as a sign was significant because the promise had to deal not only with Abraham, but also with his offspring. 

As early as Genesis 17, we see that not all of Abraham’s descendants would be considered as heirs of the promise.  If any male descendant of Abraham was not circumcised, he would be ‘cut off’ (a wordplay on circumcision itself) from God’s people.  So circumcision represented a state of being set apart by God for a holy purpose, or, in other words, God’s sanctifying work, making Abraham’s descendants, Israel, a holy people. 

Many generations later, after Abraham’s descendants had become the nation of Israel, God revealed that the requirements for remaining in right relationship with him and inheriting the promise were far more stringent than mere circumcision.  He did this by giving Israel the Law – a Law which no one would ever be able to keep, as we saw in Romans 3. 

In the giving of the Law, God gives Israel this instruction: “Circumcise, therefore, the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn” (Deuteronomy 10:16).  Something more is clearly at work.  God was not just promising a small piece of Middle Eastern property to people based on whether or not they cut off the men’s foreskins.  He was demonstrating to people that being ‘right’ with him (or, righteous before him), could only be accomplished through a cleansing of the person’s heart and soul, and through faith.  (See also Deuteronomy 30:6.) 

However, circumcision and the Law made the nation of Israel unique.  Sadly, many Jews missed the point.  They thought merely being circumcised and having the Law would justify them before God.  They missed that they had sins that needed forgiving, Laws that required obedience, and an actual inward change that had to take place for them to be in right standing with God. 

Furthermore, they forgot that the reason they were set apart was to be a blessing to all of the nations. 

Read Galatians 3:16-28.  Ultimately, Jesus was the descendant/offspring of Abraham to whom the promises were made.  Israel was set apart by circumcision and the Law to make them unique for the coming of the Messiah, the only righteous man, Jesus.  Everyone, thus, who is united to Christ through faith, becomes a child of Abraham and inherits the promise Abraham was given. 

13            Paul here tells us a further reason that God’s promises are given to             everyone who believes him.  His promises are given to those who have             received righteousness by faith, not who have sought to be righteous by             the law’s standards.   

Paul here says that the promise Abraham received was that he’d inherit the world.  Now, if you look at Genesis 15, you’ll see that the land God promised to Abraham was a tiny piece of Palestinian property.  But then, by Genesis 17 we see that God promised Abraham that he’d father many nations.  Throughout the rest of the Old Testament we see that Israel as the people of God is a picture of what God’s Kingdom will look like in the future – a Kingdom which will include the whole earth and people from every nation. 

14            The argument here is that if God’s promises come by obeying the law,             then the promises he gave to Abraham are null and void, since they             were received by faith.   

15            The reason that the Law can’t bring in the promise is because no one             can keep it.  Thus, the Jews didn’t keep it.  To rub it in a bit, Paul also             states             that Gentiles who didn’t have the Old Testament Law didn’t             transgress the explicit commandments that they weren’t given. 

16            The reason that righteousness and the rewards for being counted             righteous depend on faith is given: so that the promise would be             guaranteed to everyone who has faith.  If it were based on Law it             wouldn’t be guaranteed.  But since it’s a matter of God’s grace through             faith, it is. 

17-21            The argument progresses here to describing Abraham’s faith in God’s             promises, which caused him to inherit the earth. 

22            This is a summary statement of verses 17-21.  Paul’s just proved that             Abraham had faith in God’s promises.  Thus, righteousness was             counted to him through faith. 

23-24            The argument here reaches its climax and conclusion – righteousness             is counted to everyone who trusts God who raised Jesus up from the             dead. 

25            And we learn that this righteousness was accomplished by Jesus’ death             and resurrection. 

That Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses is a relatively simple concept.  We broke God’s law; we rebelled against him.  Thus, God was going to punish us.  Yet, he gave up his own Son in our place and punished him in the place of everyone who would trust in him. 

That Jesus rose ‘for our justification’ is a bit more difficult, especially since Paul didn’t choose to explain it here.  However, there are two fairly clear ways to think about Jesus’ resurrection for our justification. 

1)  Jesus’ death was perfect.  He actually absorbed all of God’s wrath on account of every believer in him.  Thus, forgiveness was actually and completely accomplished by Jesus for our sins (See Hebrews 10:14).  Because it was actually accomplished, for Jesus to remain in the grave would have been inappropriate since it would have meant that Jesus was still experiencing God’s wrath.  But because he already experienced it all for believers, and thus justification was completed for them, he rose. 

2)  Jesus’ resurrection was his vindication.  See 1 Timothy 3:16.  In other words, Jesus always obeyed God, even unto death.  Even so, he was murdered.  Since God is just, he thus treated Jesus according to Jesus’ actual righteousness – so he raised him from the dead, glorified, having earned the rewards that Romans 2:6-10 lists for those who obey God (only Jesus).  Because every believer is ‘united’ to Christ, or bonded to him as our representative, his vindication secures our justification, since it is the sign and proof that Jesus is righteous before God.  Since he stands righteous before God, so does everyone who is united to him – that is, who trusts him for salvation. 

Sample Discussion Guide:

-Have you ever heard the objection to Christianity that God is different in the Old Testament than he is in the New?  What do you think of that objection? 

-What difference would it make to you to see that God acts consistently throughout the Bible? 

-When you think about Jesus’ death, which of God’s character traits come to mind?  Why?  

-At this point you’ll want to explain the context.  Chapters 1 and 2 show how everyone in the world is unrighteous before God and that wrath awaits us on Judgment Day.  But God has revealed that he will grant everyone who trusts Jesus a righteous status.  That’s because God condemned Jesus Christ for the sins that believers committed.  In doing so, everyone who trusts in Jesus had a righteous status secured for them.  Since this righteous status is accomplished by Jesus, it is received by trust.  Our feeble and failing attempts to ‘be good’ have nothing to do with securing a righteous status before God; only Christ’s good works do, and they are received by faith apart from works.  This means that all of the glory for saving us belongs to God. 

-Have someone pray.  Have someone read vv. 1-8. 

-Do any thoughts or questions immediately spring to mind as you read this section? 

-There’s a lot of talk about Abraham here.  What do you know about Abraham?  Be ready to explain who Abraham was.  See the Key Observations section.  Also, it may help to be familiar with Gen. 12:1-3; Gen. 15:5-6; Gen. 17:4-11; and to be able to verses from those sections.  

-There’s a lot of talk about ‘crediting’ or ‘counting’ here.  Explain the term.

-What do we see God doing in this section? 

-What does justification by faith have to do with boasting? 

-How do you think the truths in this section relate to pride in our lives? 

-Have someone read vv. 9-17, and ask for observations and questions.   

-What are some recurring concepts in this section? 

-What significance do circumcision and the Law have in the Old Testament?  Understand these concepts before your study.  See the inset in the commentary section. 

-How does circumcision show us that justification is granted by faith? 

-How does the Law show us that justification is by faith, not Law? 

-How does the news of justification, taught in the Old Testament, make you feel? 

-What difference do you think these truths would make to a first century Jew?  How would it change how they saw God?  How they saw non-Jews? 

-How should these truths change how we see the world? 

-Have someone read vv. 18-25, and ask for observations and questions. 

-What was Abraham’s faith like?   

-What should our faith look like?  In other words, what promises of God are we to trust?  How might the effects of that faith show up in our lives?   

-What does it mean that Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses?  Explain what it means that he rose for our justification. 

-How does the news that righteousness is credited to everyone who believes in Jesus affect you? 

-How should this news affect how you pray?  How you spend your time?  Your relationships?  How you make decisions?  How you see the world?  How you might set life goals? 

-Pray as a group to close. 

Third Romans Bible Study

The Righteousness of God and the Cross of Christ –

Romans 3:9-31

Gospel in a Sentence: Even though we are totally undeserving, God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins, and he declares those who believe to be righteous. 

Big Picture: God grants a righteous status, based on Christ’s death, to everyone who trusts Christ. 

Goal: That we glorify God for being both just and the justifier of the ungodly. 

Key Ideas

1)            No one is righteous.    

2)            The Law exists to show us how sinful we are, not to justify us. 

3)            A righteous status is given by God to everyone who believes in Jesus,             trusting in his propitiatory (see definition below) death.  

4)            The good news of justification through faith apart from works honors God             by demonstrating that our evil deeds are truly worthy of punishment – and             that only God’s good deeds can save. 

Key Terms

Righteous – Having the character trait of doing what is glorifying to God.  This word is extremely important in Romans.  The same Greek word is also translated as ‘just.’  The verb ‘to justify’ (see below) is closely related to this term. 

Worthless – That is, morally worthless.  We are of no worth to God in the sense that he is not pleased in any way by our moral choices. 

Asp – One of several species of poisonous snakes. 

Peace– When the Bible talks about peace, God is speaking of much more than a lack of hostility.  He’s talking about the tranquility that results from things being the way they’re supposed to be, in his presence.   

Fear of God – God is scary.  The fear of God doesn’t mean one is personally afraid of being punished, but that he treats God in respect of the fact that God has the power to damn him – though God loves us and saves everyone who believes in him. 

            One way to think about this concept is to consider how you might treat a king, if you lived in a country that had a king.  A monarch would have the power to do whatever he wished to you, even if he loved you.  Our King is like that – hey may do with us whatever pleases him and he loves us. 

            Another way to think about the fear of God is to think about how Aslan is treated in the Chronicles of Narnia.  He is described as ‘not safe, but good.’ 

            A few passages that may help describe this concept include Luke 12:4-7, Revelation 1:12-18, and Revelation 14:7-8. 

The Law – What God has revealed to us regarding our duty to him.  In Romans 1, we learned that everyone knows, from nature, that they owe God all their worship and devotion.  In Romans 2, we saw that God has given some people the Scriptures – explicitly and verbally giving them commands to follow. Both of these things are in mind when Paul talks about the Law.  To be ‘under the Law’ means to be in relationship with the Law such that one is accountable to it and will be judged by it. 

Works of the Law – Any deed that the Law requires.  It involves anything and everything from loving God and neighbor to the Jewish ceremonial laws about the temple and how the nation of Israel was to run. 

To Justify – To declare righteous.  The idea here is that there is a courtroom that has a defendant with two potential statuses: righteous or guilty.  His status will result in a verdict – either he will be justified (if he is righteous) or he will be condemned (if he is guilty).  To justify means to ‘declare righteous,’ in the sense that a judge might in a courtroom. 

            The problem is that all of us are guilty before God.  We do not obey his Law.  This means that we will be condemned, since we do not obey God, nor are we able to (see Romans 8:7-8). 

            The good news is that God grants everyone who trusts Christ the status of ‘righteous’ based on Christ’s righteousness.  In other words, God judges everyone who trusts Christ on the basis of what Jesus has done – not on the basis of what we do.  Thus, we who believe are considered righteous and are therefore justified, or declared righteous. 

The Law and the Prophets – This is an ancient Jewish way of talking about the different parts of the Old Testament, while speaking of the whole. 

Faith – Personal trust.  It isn’t merely an assent to statements, but a trust in a person.  

Sin – Sin is a failure to keep God’s laws.  A law can be broken by doing what it forbids or by failing to do what it requires.  The term translated ‘sin’ was an archery term in older Greek, but it was no longer used as such in Paul’s day.  It simply meant a breach of God’s commands. 

Glory of God – God’s worth and the demonstration of his worth in such a way that it can be sensed, felt, or seen and responded to with worship. 

Grace -  Favor or kindness in action.  It is the using of one’s power, in love, for the happiness of another. 

Redemption – This term has two historical roots.  One is in Israel’s rescue out of slavery in Egypt.  The Old Testament says that God redeemed his people from Egypt.  The other root is in the slave trade in the Roman empire.  An exchange, or payment, could be made as a redemption for the slave, thus freeing him. 

            The commonality in these two situations is that an exchange is made for the freedom of a slave.  Christ is the redemption for every believer by virtue of his life being exchanged for ours.  We get the rewards that he earned by obeying God; he got the wrath we deserve because of our sin. 

Propitiation – A sacrifice which averts wrath.  Even in pagan religions, the situation would be thus: a god would be angry.  A sacrifice would be made to that god.  It would remove his wrath from the people and make him favorable towards them. 

            The big difference here is that God himself provides that propitiatory sacrifice in Christ.  Christ took the full brunt of the wrath of God in the place of everyone who would trust him for eternal life.  Because of Christ’s obedience even to death, God looks favorably upon everyone for whom Christ died; that is, believers. 

Just – Righteous.

Law of works/Law of faith – The word ‘law’ in these phrases means something like ‘principles belonging to a certain realm.’  In 3:27, Paul is saying that the principles of being justified through faith exclude boasting, whereas the principles involved in being justified by keeping commandments do not. 

Key Observations

3:9            You’ll probably notice here that we’ve skipped Romans 2:12-3:8.  The             reason for that is that Paul in that section primarily continues his dialog             with his imaginary Jewish opponent, showing him that, despite having the             Law, Jews are also sinners.  The work of interpretation in this section is             difficult and applicable only by analogy, so we’re skipping it. 

                        That said, v. 9 is the conclusion of 1:18-3:8: Jews and Greeks, that             is, every type of person, are all under sin and its penalty. 

10-12            This section begins to give evidence for Paul’s conclusion in v. 9; hence,             beginning with the words ‘just as.’    In these verses, God tells us how             depraved, or rebellious and evil, we all are. 

13-17            This section teaches us how we have created a violent society, whether in             word, motive, or deed.  We have failed to put society to ‘rights’ – or to             create a righteous society.  Rather, we have sought to establish ourselves             as gods, taking what we want and hurting others and society for gain.  

18            None of us treat God as his worth demands.  We do not treat him as our             Creator, Owner, and Judge.  

19            Here Paul tells us the purpose of the Law – to hold every individual             accountable to God.  That is, it shows us that everyone is guilty of             breaking the Law. 

20            Verse 20 gives us the basis for v. 19: we’re accountable to God by the             Law because no one can be justified by keeping it.  The reason that no             one can be justified by keeping it is because through it, we know our sin.              So the more Law we know, the more we know we break it.  We can’t be             justified by it; it merely shows us how sinful we are. 

21            Verse 20 leaves us with a problem.  We are without righteousness before             God and cannot be declared righteous.  The ‘but now’ in v. 21 indicates             that something in world history has changed – Jesus came.  V. 21 tells us             that a righteous status from God has been revealed, not by keeping the             Law.  Yet, Paul wants to make sure that we know that the Old Testament             prophesies the days when the righteousness of God would be revealed. 22            Paul for the first time here begins to get specific about this new righteous             status from God – it’s through faith in Jesus for everyone who believes.              He argues that it’s for everyone who believes because there’s no             distinction between types of people based on ethnicity or background. 

23            There’s no distinction between people – Jew or Gentile – no matter how             much Scripture one has – because all are children of Adam (see 5:12-14             which also says ‘all sinned’ in Adam) – that is, we all sinned.  We’ve fallen             short of God’s glory in the sense that we fail to glorify him (Romans 1:18-            21) and we fail, thus, to earn glory from him (Romans 2:6-10).  

24            The righteousness of God is given to everyone who believes in Jesus             since there’s no distinction between Jew and Gentile – all sinned – and             both Jews and Gentiles (all, that is, all types – Jews and Gnetiles) are             being justified by God’s favor (grace) and as a result of his favor.   The             cause of this justification is the redemption in Christ Jesus – that is, that             Jesus was a substitute for us.  He took God’s wrath in place of everyone             who would believe in him, and everyone who believes in him gets Christ’s             righteous status, and thus, rewards he earned by obeying God. 

25-26            Jesus was God’s sacrifice averting God’s wrath towards everyone who             would have faith.  God punished Jesus in place of everyone who would             trust him for eternal life.    This substitution showed that God was             righteous.  Here’s how: God righteously punished us for our sins in             punishing Christ for             them, and yet declares us righteous because Christ             has been substituted for us who believe.

Why did Jesus have to die?

Most Americans have heard the phrase ‘Jesus died for your sins.’  Yet, this phrase is often parroted without much explanation, and many times without much understanding. 

It’s helpful to remember how Paul’s description of the Gospel begins – with a description of God’s wrath against our unrighteousness (1:18).  Ultimately, God, being just, will punish every sinner in the world (2:5, 16). 

If anyone is to enter into God’s Kingdom, he must be completely forgiven for his sins.  However, if someone has sinned against God, God, to be just, must punish that person.  He must not forgive him, but rather, must pour out the fullness of his wrath against that person.  Proverbs 17:5 says, “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” 

God, however, in love, has solved this problem.  He has unified everyone who trusts in Jesus to Jesus himself.  We are considered ‘in’ Christ, in union with him.  That means that when God condemned Christ on the cross, everyone who would ever believe in him was condemned – was judged already. 

In other words, that ‘day of judgment’ has already happened for every believer.  God has already judged us by judging Christ, since we are unified to him.  Everyone who is unified to Christ is forgiven since we have already been judged in Christ.  We have already suffered the penalty for our sins in Christ’s having suffered in our place.  Judgment Day still awaits everyone who doesn’t turn to Christ. 

27-28            Here Paul tells us that any boasting – or self-glorification – is removed             from us by the fact that justification is received through faith – we’re not             declared righteous based on any righteous deeds of our own.  Because             we contribute nothing to our justification, all of the glory for it belongs to             God. 

29-30            Here Paul anticipates an objection to his teaching that people are justified             apart from works of the Law.  The objection is that the Jewish people are             special to God.  Paul answers by saying that God treats all people             according to the same standard of righteousness – and the only             righteousness that can satisfy that standard is Christ’s. 

31            Paul then anticipates another objection to the Gospel.  Does it nullify the             Law since it’s a new ‘system’ in a sense?  Absolutely not.  The             righteousness of God that’s revealed in the Gospel is in keeping with the             Law’s demands.  Christ’s death was the result of the penalties of the Law.              Christ always kept the Law, and thus was righteous by God’s standards.              In this great substitution, Christ was considered a sinner in our place and             was condemned, and we who trust him are considered obedient based on             his obedience. Paul will show in the next chapter how the Law actually             teaches the Gospel. 

Sample Discussion Guide:

Here are a few reminders as you’re considering how to lead people in discussion of this text.  Feel the freedom to answer questions if discussion is going nowhere.  Feel the freedom also, to stop people from rabbit-trailing.  You can say that the discussion brings up an important issue, but it might be helpful to return to the main points of the text, and that you can get back to them next week with more clear answers.  Also, please remember that I’m available to field your questions before you lead your studies. 

-What’s one thing about yourself that you’re really proud of? 

-How do you want people to see you?  That is, what would you like your public identity or persona to be? 

-How do you think God views people? 

-Why is there a difference between how we see ourselves and how God sees us? 

-What are some of the reasons that Jesus died? 

-This week we’ll be looking at how exactly Jesus death saves everyone who trusts him.  So far in Romans we’ve seen that both salvation and Christian growth come by hearing and trusting the Gospel, because God grants everyone who trusts it a righteous status before him. This righteous status is a gift and is necessary to enter heaven, because all of us have failed to obey God.  We have not devoted ourselves completely to him. 

-Have someone pray.  Have someone read vv. 9-18. 

-Ask if anyone notices anything in particular or has any questions. 

-What kind of picture is painted of the human condition? 

-What are some ways that these descriptions of humanity show up in society? 

-Why do you think that we tend to lie?  To speak angrily to people?  To talk ill of people behind their backs? 

-What do these verses say about the nature of our minds? 

-Have someone read vv. 19-20.  Define ‘Law’ and ‘to justify.’ See ‘Key Terms’ for definitions. 

-What does God’s Law do, according to these verses? 

-What sort of position does that put us in? 

-How would you define ‘sin’?  It may be helpful here to discuss the terms ‘righteousness’ and ‘sin.’ 

-Are there any particular commandments that God has given that make you feel particularly accountable to God?  At this juncture, it may be good to have thought about commandments in Exodus 20 or even in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7 that you frequently break.  You could even look back at Romans 1-2 and see the descriptions of sin there to answer this question. 

-Have someone read vv. 21-26. 

-This section is both very difficult and very, very important.  Many theologians consider this paragraph the most important in all the Bible.  What are some words in this section that we might need to define to really understand it?  As people answer this question, ask the group if anyone can take a shot at defining the word.  Then be ready to define it, since it will be very odd for someone in the group to know the definition of say, ‘propitiation.’  But praise God if they do!  You’ll want to hit all the ‘key terms’ in this section. 

-Have someone read the section again.  Ask if anyone notices anything in particular or if anyone has any questions. 

-The words faith and belief translate the same Greek word in this paragraph.  What role does faith play in this section? 

-Why is it significant that, in v. 22’s words, there is no distinction between ethnicities or backgrounds before God? 

-Verse 26 tells us that Jesus’ death was a demonstration of God’s righteousness, so that God would be righteous (just) – and so that he could justify the wicked.  How does this work?  Be ready to explain this.  For help, see the inset “Why did Jesus have to die?” in the Key Observations section. 

-Given what we’ve looked at here, how would you summarize what Jesus’ death did? 

-How does this news about Jesus’ death and our justification make you feel? 

-Have someone read vv. 27-31, and ask if they notice anything in particular or have questions.

-This section is about how justification accomplished by Christ’s work without anything we do, received by trusting him alone, removes any reason we might have to boast.  That is, it’s about God being glorified for what he’s done in rescuing sinners – rather than the sinners having any ground on which to boast.  Why does the Gospel, according to verses 27 and following, exclude boasting? 

-Verses 29-30 are Paul’s response to the objection that God might treat different types of people differently.  What sorts of people do you feel need to ‘do’ more to be justified before God?  How does this sort of thinking undermine what Jesus’ death did?

-Verse 31 tells us that the Gospel upholds the Law.  It upholds our natural desire, then, for people who do right to be rewarded and people who do wrong to be punished.  How does it do that?  See Key Observations on verse 31 with help on this. 

-How do you think we should respond to the following realities:

            -Our sinfulness before God revealed by his Law?

            -Jesus as our redemption and as a propitiatory sacrifice?

            -Justification received by faith apart from works?

            -The Gospel being consistent with what the Old Testament Law demands and             teaches? 

-Was there a point in your life at which you decided to trust Christ to rescue you from judgment?  If you’re not sure, I’d love to talk with you after study tonight.  Is there anyone who hasn’t placed their trust in Jesus who would like to right now? 

-Have the group enter into prayer, particularly in thankfulness to God for such a great salvation!  

Romans 1:18-2:11 Bible Study

Everyone’s Problem – Romans 1:18-2:11

Gospel in a Sentence: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”  1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Big Picture: God, in righteous indignation, punishes the unrighteous. 

Goal:  That we give reverent thanks to God for rescuing us from his wrath against unrighteousness. 

Key Ideas

1)            God judges everyone for rejecting and replacing him.  

2)            That judgment presently consists of God giving humanity over to sin more             so that we earn more wrath for ourselves at the final judgment. 

3)            Having Scripture or being a descendant of holy people doesn’t put you in             right relationship to God; you must be righteous yourself.  

4)            This righteousness is only granted through faith in Christ, and is Christ’s             righteousness, not ours.  We are considered obedient based on Christ’s             obedience alone.  This new status is received by faith. 

Key Terms

Wrath – God’s anger, or indignation.  It’s not an emotional outburst of anger, but rather a slow, steady, rational, just (or righteous) hatred of unrighteousness. 

Ungodliness – We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28) to show his glory to all of creation.  Thus, we were to be ‘godly,’ or ‘like God’ in character.  Ungodliness is the characteristic of being unlike God in our character, tastes, actions, desires, and motives. 

Unrighteousness – To be righteous is to do what is glorifying to God, or to be considered as one who does what is glorifying to God.  Unrighteousness is the trait of someone who does not do what is glorifying to God. 

Honor/Glorify – These words are the same in Greek in Romans 1.  To glorify someone simply means to treat them in proportion to their worth.  To glorify God, then, simply means to treat God as if he’s God, the creator of everything.  That means that all glory exhaustively should be given to him. 

Debased – Depraved.  Not right or good.  Bent towards evil. 

Forbearance – To ‘hold off’ on dealing with something.    In this case, God’s not immediately doling out punishment for our rebellion.

Repentance – To choose to change course from doing unrighteous things to obeying God. 

Impenitent – Lacking repentance. 

Works – Anything that a person does.   

Jews/Greeks – God initiated his plan of salvation for the world with the nation of Israel, which consisted of the ‘Jews’. ‘Greeks’ is a euphamism for everyone who’s not Jewish by birth.   

Key Observations

1:18            First, note that v. 18 begins with the word ‘for’.  We must ask ‘why?’              Answer:  in vv. 16-17 God has told us that everyone without exception             who believes the Gospel will be rescued because the Gospel grants every             believer a righteous status that is from God.  Verse 18 and following tell us             why that righteousness from God is necessary: we’re unrighteous. 

18            Further, note what people do because they’re unrighteous: they suppress             the truth. 

19            This verse also begins with ‘for.’  Verse 19 will give supporting information             for what was just said in v. 18.  That supporting information is that God             has made himself plain to humanity. 

20            But what has God shown of himself to humanity?  His eternal power and             divine nature.  Notice it’s not revelation about God’s love or mercy; it is             simply revelation of his worth – his being the omnipotent God. 

20            Because God has shown his Deity to humanity, humanity is without             excuse for suppressing the truth of his glory. 

This section therefore answers the question, ‘what about people that haven’t heard about Jesus?’  Such people will not be held responsible for rejecting Jesus.  They haven’t done it!  However, they know enough about God from creation to know that there is a God who is worthy of all their love, devotion, and worship.  And even though they know these things, in their own sinfulness, they do not glorify God.  No one does.  Thus, people who haven’t heard of Christ will not be condemned for rejecting Christ; however, they will be condemned for a failure to glorify God and for replacing God with false gods. 

21-23            Again, v. 21 starts with ‘for’.  This is Paul’s basis for saying that humanity             has suppressed the truth about God in unrighteousness: we do not glorify             him as God, but rather, we stupidly replace God with other things. 

As we’ll see in a moment, this is at the heart of all sin.  Rather than seeing God as worthy of all our devotion, we worship other things.  The Bible calls this ‘idolatry.’  Much idolatry consists of worshiping statues of false gods.  However, the Bible calls anything by which we replace God idolatry.  For instance, in Colossians 3:5, Paul calls ‘covetousness,’ or, the desire for something one doesn’t have, idolatry.  In this case, the thing that person wants is their God.  No longer are their desires set on God – but on something God made. 

24-32            Three times in this section, in vv. 24, 26, 28, Scripture says that God gave             humanity over to sin.  But each time, it says that the reason for that is that             we have all committed idolatry.  We do not glorify God.  Therefore, he             gave us up to more rebellion. 

God Handing us Over to Sin

This is hard doctrine, or teaching.  This section teaches what God’s wrath currently looks like.  It teaches us that the result of God’s wrath right now is that we sin more.  Further, we learn from Romans 2:5 in the next section that, by sinning more, we increase the future condemnation we will receive in hell. 

Does God actually make us sin by ‘giving us over’?  No.  God is not the one with sinful desires; we are.  On the other hand, we must deal with the fact that God is active in these sentences; he actually does hand us over to sin.  It is by his design that we sin more, even though he is not the one sinning. 

It is helpful to remember that he handed us over because we already valued the creation more than him.  We already had evil desires (see v. 24). 

Whatever we do, we must avoid two unscriptural teachings here.  One is the idea that God sins.  He absolutely does not (James 1:13).  The other wrong teaching is the idea that he is passive in this affair.  He is active; he handed us over! 

You’re going to want to diffuse this in your small group if it comes up.  The way to do that is to point out that we were already sinful when God handed us over to sin; and that God is active in handing us over to sin. 

One way to point those things out is to ask questions.  “Does God hand innocent people over to sin?”  “Does the text say that God just lets us sin more, or does it say something else?  What does it say?” 

The answers to these questions are ‘no’ and ‘God is active in handing us over to sin,’ respectively. 

It is also helpful to remember in this conversation that this isn’t where God left things.  Remember that in this section, Paul is showing us how sinful we are.  He’s showing us that we don’t’ have a righteousness of our own to stand righteous before God, and so we need a righteousness, that is, a righteous status, from God to be saved from his wrath. 

Sexual Perversion and Idolatry

We must also take note of another fact: in the ancient world, idol worship was often connected to sexual perversion.  Many rituals and religious festivals were connected to all sorts of orgies. 

One such perversion is homosexual lust and homosexual ‘sex.’  Your Bible study will probably pick up on this issue.  It is important to note that homosexuality is the result of idolatry – the result of the rejection of God.  Homosexuality is a sin because it is a person looking in the mirror and desiring one most like him or herself. 

Homosexuality is not the worst of sins.  It, like all other sins, is the result of rejecting and replacing God.  On the other hand, it truly is sinful, and in a sense, is more perverse than heterosexual sin, since it not only takes sex out of its appropriate context but also replaces the partner with one in keeping more with the homosexual’s own ‘image.’ 

We must again avoid two extremes.  One extreme would say that homosexuality is the worst of sins.  This must be wrong because it is the result of idolatry.  The other extreme would say it’s exactly like every other sin.  There’s an iota of truth in this statement, since all sin has God as its object – all sin is rebellion against God (James 2:10).  However, some acts consist of compounded sin; that is, some acts consist of more individual sins than others.  That’s why Jesus said to Pilate, “…he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin”(John 19:11).  Pilate was rejecting less righteousness than Jesus’ deliverer, and so his sin was lesser. 

You’re going to want to diffuse the homosexuality issue in your study.  It’s not the point of the text.  The point of the text is that God, in wrath, hands us over to sin more, on the basis of our rejection of him. 

You need to point out that homosexuality is first the result of God’s wrath before it is the basis for God’s wrath.  Second, you need to point out that it is indeed sin.  Third, you need to point out that every other sin also earns every person death and hell.  This section doesn’t narrow down on particular people for particular sins – it is a mass indictment of all of humanity. 

One practical way to diffuse this conversation is by the following line of questions: “Is homosexuality the result of God’s wrath or the cause of it in this section?”  And, “What are some other results of God’s wrath that Paul lists?”  And, “Which of these results of God’s wrath do you find yourself guilty of?” 

Homosexuality is the result of God’s wrath in this section, and is listed with many other results of God’s wrath, including disobeying one’s parents and slander. 

Remember – this isn’t the whole story.  This is the reason that a righteousness from God is necessary to save us.  We’re unrighteous, and God, in wrath, hands us over to sin more.  Yet, he grants a righteous status to everyone who simply trusts Christ (1:16-17). 

2:1            In 2:1, Paul begins an imaginary dialogue with a Jewish objector to his             argument.  See 2:17.  This Jewish objector is judging, or condemning, the             rest of the world for its sins.  The problem is that this imaginary opponent             does the same things as his Gentile fellow-sinners. 

2-3            Paul tells his debate opponent that he himself knows that such works             require punishment. 

4            Paul instructs his imaginary opponent that he should not bank on things             continuing to go well for him.  He tells him that God is being patient now to             give him a chance to repent.  

5-11            However, without repentance, more wrath is in store.  The more we sin,             the more wrath is stored up to be doled out to us on the day of judgment.              This section teaches that God judges by works.  Righteous people get             glory and eternal life; the unrighteous get the wrath of God.  Verse 11             teaches us that our nationality or background doesn’t matter – God shows             no partiality.  The overarching problem here is in Romans 3:10: “none is             righteous.”  Therefore, every human deserves death and hell. 

This section leaves us in need of righteousness to stand before God.  We must here hearken back to Romans 1:17.  The Gospel, which is about Jesus dying and rising from the dead as Son of God in Power, rescues everyone who believes it from this judgment because through it God grants the status of ‘righteous’ to everyone who believes.  All the fury that we earned fell on Jesus, and all the reward he earned has been given to us who trust him. 

Sample Discussion Guide:

-What are some words that come to mind when you think of God? 

-Today we’re going to look at something about God we might not normally like to think about: his wrath.  Why do you think it might be important to study God’s wrath? 

-Before we do, let’s revisit what we studied last time.  What were some of the main points of Romans 1:1-18?  Make sure they get these: God gave us the apostles/Scripture for the sake of the Gospel for the obedience of faith of every nation; Christians grow through being in a community in which the Gospel is proclaimed; the Gospel is good news because God counts people righteous through faith in Christ.

-Tell them the aim of the passage. 

-Have someone pray.  Have someone read vv.18-23.

-Does anything catch your attention or raise any questions? 

-What do we learn about God from this passage?

-What do we learn about ourselves?  How does that make you feel? 

-This passage answers the question, “What about people who haven’t heard?”  What’s the answer?  They’re guilty of failure to worship God and are under his wrath; but they are not guilty of rejecting the Gospel. 

-What are some things that you think people in our culture devote themselves to more than God? 

-What do you devote yourself to more than you devote yourself to God? 

-Have someone read vv. 24-32 and ask about whether there are any observations or questions. 

-What is God doing in this passage?  Why? 

-What are the results of God’s action? 

-How do we see the effects of God’s wrath in our society?  In the world? 

-Where do you see yourself in this passage?  (Or: What in this passage are you guilty of?)

-Have someone read 2:1-11.  Explain the idea that Paul is debating an imaginary Jew who’s rejecting Christ and believes they’re okay with God because of their religious background.  Ask for observations/questions. 

-What are the imaginary Jew’s errors? 

-How do American Christians make the same mistakes?  How about you? 

-What do we see God doing in this passage?  At this point you’ll probably have to explain how God judges by works – yet justifies, or ‘counts righteous,’ the ungodly on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. 

            We’ll unpack this in weeks to come, but here is the basic thought process of the passage.  One must have a status of ‘righteous’ to enter into God’s Kingdom.  To have such a status, one must actually be righteous. 

            The problem is, according to Romans2:1 and Romans 3:10, that no one is righteous.  Thus, God, in love, grants the status of ‘righteous’ to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ (1:16-17).  Therefore, everyone who trusts Jesus is given the status of ‘righteous,’ saved from the wrath to come, and guaranteed entrance into God’s kingdom forever. 

-How would you summarize what we’ve learned today about God?  About humanity?  About yourself? 

-How do you think this should affect how we pray?  Pray