Week 28

Romans 11:16-32

Leader: summany
Paul starts in v1 defending the fact that God has not rejected His people because He has kept His remnant from within the nation of Israel who are the true Israel. So those who sought after God on the basis of works were hardened and those who were chosen obtained it by grace. But it is good for the world that they have rejected Christ because God brought His salvation to all peoples but it will be so much better when all Israel comes to Christ. Paul then points out that he is speaking to Gentiles in his letter just as he does to Gentiles in his ministry experiences with one objective of making his fellow Jews jealous so they would seek out Christ and be saved.

Paul then brings up an interesting point, in OT Law, Jews were required to offer up the first fruits of their food to God as an offering. Numbers 15; when bread is made, the first of the dough must be offered to God as a cake. The rest of the dough was free to eat but was not, according to the Law, holy. But here Paul seems to say that it is. Maybe Paul is saying that while it isn’t by Law holy, it is holy because out of it came the offering. The root and branches example furthers this argument because out of the root springs the branches so if the root is holy, then anything that comes forth from it will be holy. The comparison is made then of natural branches of the root of an olive tree as the Jews and unnatural branches from another tree being grafted in as the Gentiles (everyone else). This really would never be done in practice, taking bad branches and grafting them to a good root would spoil the tree but taking good branches and grafting them to a bad root would strengthen it. So Paul isn’t trying to say that the tree is weakened because of the Gentiles being on it, he is saying that the unnatural branches are greatly benefiting from the root of Christ, they will bear fruit because they are on the good root. Then a warning is given that those who are grafted onto the root should be careful not to become conceited because if God did not spare the natural branches, He certainly wouldn’t spare the unnatural. So if Gentiles continue to come to faith, God will continue to keep the unnatural branches grated in but if they become like the Jews that pursued God as if it were by works then God will break them off as well. But for now, God has caused a partial hardening of Israel until all of the chosen Gentiles will come to faith, then He will give them hearts of flesh and bring all the chosen Israel to faith. So looking at the present, the Jews are enemies of the gospel so that the Gentiles will come into the fold, but looking at God’s sovereign plan, they are beloved because they were the originators of the gospel and all of this (God’s gifts and calling) are irrevocable. In the greek, when a word came first in a sentence, it was done for emphasis; in the case of v29, irrevocable is the first word in the sentance.

Leader: for your review:

Jer 31:31-38 – God speaks of His old and new covenants.

Discussion question: In the OT Law, the bread that the first fruit came from was not called out as being holy, what does Paul mean here when he says whatever the first fruit came from is holy?

Discussion question: What is Paul’s purpose in the example of the Gentiles being branches that were grafted in to the root of Christ?

Discussion question: Who is the subject Paul is addressing when he uses the word “you” in vv17-24?

Discussion question: Does v22 imply that a single person can be grafted in to the root and then broken off? i.e. can a person lose their salvation? or is Paul talking about people groups here and not personal salvation from sin?

Eternal Security:

Matt 18:12-14 – “What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? “If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. “So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

John 3:36 – “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 6:35-40 – Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 10:27-30 – “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “I and the Father are one.”

John 17:11-12,15 – “I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (15) “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”
Romans 5:8-10 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Romans 8

1 Cor 1:7-9 – so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Cor 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Eph 1:5, 13-14 – He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, (13-14) In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Eph 4:30 – Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Thess 5:23-24 – Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

1 John 2:19,25 – They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. (25) This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.

PERSEVERANCE of the saints:

Matt 10:22 – You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

Luke 22:31-32 – “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

John 15:5-6,8-10 – “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. (8-10) “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Acts 13:43 – Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

Acts 14,21-22 – After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

2 Cor 13:5 – Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?

Gal 6:9 – Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.

Phil 2:12-13 – So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Phil 3:12-14 – Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Col 1:21-23 – And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach–if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Leader: for your review
The idea that a person can at some point in time be “saved” and then fall away is a dangerous doctrine. It leads to not being able to take God’s promises seriously. There is a balance of being preserved in belief and persevering until the end though. We cannot assume that a decision we made in junior high or a card we signed in a worship service is our hope for salvation. God tells us to examine our lives to be sure that we have faith but faith is given by the Spirit and Christ’s prayers for us. If we cannot rely 100% on the power of the Spirit of God, we are hopeless to do it of our own strength. How do we examine ourselves? Praying through the book of James is an excellent place to start. There is certainly a lot of material written on this subject, I would encourage you to look into the question further.

Week 24

Romans 9:6-33

Leader: for your review:

This passage deals with some of the great mysteries of the Bible. A look at the previous week’s topics are a good place to begin your study but much more time and research should be done on this topic. While this discussion is grouped as one week, in all reality it should take about 6 weeks to get through.

Discussion question: Why does Paul go through some of the fathers of the faith to discuss how God’s Word has not failed?

Discussion question: What is the outcome knowing that some who were descendants of Abraham were not children of the promise?

Discussion question: Verse 11 is a difficult verse with lots of different interpretations, what is the meaning of “God’s choice” and “Him who calls”?

Discussion question: Verse 14 is another human question that Paul rhetorically asks knowing that that is the human response to what he has just discussed, but how do vv15-18 actually answer this question?

Discussion question: What can we draw from verse 18?

Discussion question: Summarize or put into your own words what question is being asked in v19.

Discussion question: Summarize the answer given in vv20-29.

Discussion question: What should our attitude and response be after reading through vv20-29?

Discussion question: What is one of the common threads that seems to run throughout the book of Romans? See v32.

Reformed References

Leader: This is meant to be a reference for your benefit and the benefit of the group. These topics have already come up during the study and they will come up in greater detail in your study of Romans 9. Some of my thoughts are listed below but have a look through Monergism.com’s page titled Doctrines of Grace, it’s an excellent resource for some deep topics.

What was the first covenant?

Genesis 1:16-17 – Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (Hosea 6:7)

Genesis 8:21 – God’s covenant between Noah and God, and indirectly all men and God.

Gen 17:7 – I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Gen 28:15 – I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

Rev 21:3-4 – And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Is the first covenant still valid?

In Romans 9:6 what does Paul mean by “it is not as though the Word of God has failed?”

In Romans 9:11, “for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” What is the tangential statement Paul adds “so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls” mean? There was discussion that it could mean two things:
1) Paul is alluding to what he will elaborate on in verses 9:14-29, essentially that it is God who chooses and calls His elect not because of the works they committed in the past or works they will commit once they are saved, but for His purposes according to His choice.
2) Paul is proving his point that people are saved by faith and not by race or who their father was, so he is completing his argument that even though the twins were grandsons of Abraham, only one was of the promised lineage.

choice: 1 Th 1:4, 2 Peter 1:10: variation to choice: Acts 9:15, Romans 11:5
purpose: Ephesians 1:11, 3:11
works: Gal 2:16, 3:2, 5,10, James 2:18-26
calls: Rom 4:17, Gal 1:6, 15, 5:8, 13, 1 Th 2:12,

Election/predestination
Ephesians 1:4-14
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Ephesians 2:10
Col 1:25-27, 3:12
2 Thes 2:13
2 Tim 1:9

Free-will:
1) The will of man seems only to be described in the Scriptures as being in bondage to sin or a slave to the Spirit
2) Philemon 14 states a free will in terms of giving an offering without being forced to
3) We came to God one way, we ask that others would come to God in a different way
4) It seems to exist that we are chosen, but we are called to live out a holy life. There is a mystery here, we cannot bind ourselves to one doctrinal system or another if it causes us to disbelieve one of these truths. Romans 12:1,2 Col 3:12, 1 Peter 1:2

This then raises the question that must be nailed down:
How are we saved? What is the process?

We confess that “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) to such an extent that “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God;” (Romans 3:10,11) therefore, God says to us that “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;” (John 6:44) and we have confidence in His drawing because Christ tells us “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me” (John 6:37) “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes” (John 5:21) “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined…and those whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Romans 8:29,30) therefore “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a) . So we believe that “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” (John 3:27) “and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3) and praise God “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, the He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;” (Acts 1:8)

“And it shall be in the last days, God says, That I will pour forth of my Spirit on all mankind;” (Acts 2:17)

“blessed are you, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven” (Matt 16:17)

“All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27)

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 – sovereignty of God

Deuteronomy 32:39

Psalm 33:11

Election:
Psalm 65:4 – “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple”
Matt 24:24 – “Even the elect”
John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me”
John 15:16 – “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit”
Acts 13:48 – “and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed”
Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
1 Thess 1:4 – “His choice of you”
1 Thess 5:9 – destined for salvation

Non-election:
1 Peter 2:8 – “to this doom they were also appointed”

Week 23

Romans 9:1-6

Discussion question: Do we love the unsaved in the same way that Paul loves his unsaved Jewish brethern?

Discussion question: What are the typical responses Christians have towards the unsaved?

Discussion question: Does the fact that the Jews had the oracles of God grieve Paul more that they don’t know Christ?

Discussion question:What is it that keeps the Jews from salvation?

Leader: for your review:

Hos 5

Deut 17:6

Eph 4:21

Rom 8:16

Phil 3:8

Deut 14:1-2

Ex 4:22

Hos 11:1

Discussion question: Why does Paul make the statement that “it is not as though the word of God has failed?”
He just said the he wishes his brethren could know Christ, but Jews believe they are the promised people (Ex 19:5-6) but Paul has said that it is not heritage that saves a person so the next natural question would be that if some Jews aren’t saved, then God’s promises aren’t secure, we can’t trust them. If His promises aren’t secure, how sovereign is He? Does He re-act or act? Is there a plan B with God? Is there a difference between how Jews were saved and how Christians are saved? Paul will answer this in a long, complete response that will touch on everything from His plan, sovereignty, and plan of salvation.

Discussion question: What would happen if we could not trust in God’s promises and the Word of God had failed? (Read/listen to John Piper’s sermon that answers this question, one of his best)

Discussion question: Does Paul mean that God set aside one covenant for another? In other words, can we be saved if we adhere to the Law? Are there two ways to God today – through the Law or through Christ?
Gal 3:24

Leader: for your review:

Jer 31-new covenant
Heb 7-9
Paul’s discussion of the patriarchs – shows that the covenant has always been in effect

To answer this, Paul must first show that there is not a new plan, but rather the plan has come into full light.
Deut 27:26 “Cursed is everyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.” But certainly, the people were not keeping the law, so they were not trusting in their doing of the law for salvation.
Psalm 130:3-4 “If you, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That you may be feared” Certainly there were some who understood their iniquities would keep them from God, but that God can forgive.

v6. Is 55:11 – God’s word will not return to Him void
Num 23:29 – God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

“For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel”
Romans 2:28,29

Week 22

Romans 8:31-39

Reference John Piper’s sermons on these passages, they are a great resource.

Discussion question: Try and summarize what Paul is saying in verses 31-39. What is his purpose in this passage?

Discussion question: Is Paul asking questions rhetorically in this passage or are they meant to be answered, at times they don’t seem to be answered in the passage?

Discussion question: In verse 32, Paul says that God will freely give us all things. What are the “all things” he is talking about?

Discussion question: In verse 33, Paul asks who will bring a charge against God’s elect and answers it that God is the one who justifies. Is this an answer to his question?

Leader: for your review:
His answer here seems to be one step further than the known answer. The answer to who will be a charge against God’s elect is our sin. On the Day of Judgment a record of our deeds will be opened up and looked at but, Christ’s righteousness which has been imputed to us will override this record and God will justify us on the basis of Christ’s righteousness. Since nothing is more powerful than God, if God is the one who justifies us, nothing can possibly bring a charge against us that would condemn us. So Paul takes the logical answer and assumes his readers know it and then carries it one step further to focus on God’s power.

Discussion question: There is a similar question in verse 34 and a similar answer which doesn’t seem to answer the question, what is Paul saying here?

Discussion question: Paul says in verse 38 that he is convinced that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. How do you think he came to be convinced of this, what led him to this?

Week 21

Romans 8:28-30

Discussion question: v28: what are the implications of this verse?
Genesis 50:20 – Joseph and his brothers
David’s adultery and murder lead to Solomon’s kingship and the line of Jesus
Even the fall of mankind lead to the greatest gift ever given (Christ Jesus)

Discussion question: v28: How specific can we get with this verse, can we say something like God causes a leaf to fall from a tree so that I stop and look at it so that I’m off by a split second and don’t get hit by a car? or does this only mean the big stuff like God causes a famine so that an entire race of people move down to another nation so that God rescues them from that nation? Does the all mean all? See the following verses for some examples of “all”

Mark 1:5 – all the nation was going out to John?
Titus 2:11 – the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men
James 1:21 – put aside all filthiness and all wickedness

Discussion question: What are the qualifications for all things working together for good?
they love God
they are called according to His purpose

Leader: for your reference

Called:
1 Pet 2:9
1 Cor 1:9
1 Thess 2:21
Eph 1:18
John 6:44,12:32,18:10,21:6

Foreknew:
Acts 2:23
1 Peter 1:2

Discussion question: What did God foreknow? Either that we will accept or that He knew His own plan of salvation?
Acts 2:23, 1 Peter 1:2
1 Peter 1:20 – Christ was foreknown before the foundation of the World
Rom 11:2
God chose Israel for His own purposes: Deut 7:7-8, 10:15

Discussion question: What does it mean for God to know us?
Jer 1:5
Matt 7:23
John 10:14
1 Cor 8:3

Predestination – why the controversy? because if God predestined us, we didn’t choose but if God didn’t predestine us, something is out of God’s control
Acts 4:27-28
1 Cor 2:7
Eph 1:5,11
Predetermined
Luke 22:22
Acts 2:23

Called – see above

Justified – see Romans 3-5

Glorified – are we glorified?
Col 3:4
Rom 8:17
1 Thess 2:20
2 Tim 2:10

Week 20

Romans 8:16-26

Discussion question: In v 26 we have “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;…” What is the “in the same way” in regards to? v16

The Spirit has three described functions:

1. to give life to our mortal bodies (v11)
2. to testify with our own spirits that we are children of God (v16)
3. to intercede for us when we don’t know how to pray (v26)

Discussion question: What is hope?

• Heb 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
• Rom 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ

Discussion question: If this is the case and we do have faith, what do/did we hope for?
We hope for a right relationship with God–>The word of Christ tells us that we can know God–>Our faith comes from hearing this–>This assures us of what we hope for

Lam 3:19-4 – Jeremiah seems to recall God’s goodness and His full plan for hope

v26 The Spirit helps:
John 14:16 – Jesus asks the Father for the Helper, who is with us forever
Eph 6:18

Week 19

Romans 8:13-17

Leader: here is an overview of the passage to discuss:

What is the main point of this passage?
Paul wants to make the point here that we have received a Spirit of adoption, not a spirit of slavery again. This ties in from chapter 6′s discussion on being freed from our slavery to sin and becoming slaves to righteousness. Paul wants to make the distinction that we are still slaves in that we are slaves to Christ, but it is not the same spirit of slavery that we had in our previous lives. It is a type of father-son relationship, but even more than that, it is a daddy-”my son” relationship where we know we are loved by our father because He has given us His Spirit of love that testifies to this fact. But there is hardship and suffering still, even though we are loved by the Father, and this suffering is so incomparable to the glory that is coming

Discussion question: Why was this a logical place for Paul to talk about our son-ship with God?

• 1 Peter 1:3-9 – a salvation reserved in heaven.
• Col 3:4 – When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
• Jer 12:4,11 – anxious moaning of creation for justice
• Gen 3:17 – Cursed is the ground because of you…
• Hosea 1:10 – Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered; And in the place Where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” It will be said to them,”You are the sons of the living God.”
• Matt 5:9 – blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God
• John 1:12 – But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
• 2 Cor 6:18 -
• 1 John 3:1 – See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Discussion question: In v16, do you think this means the Spirit is divided, so that the Spirit in man agrees with the Spirit of God?
Deut 19:15/Matt 18:16
We cry out Abba, Father! We don’t cry out, I am God’s child. We cry to the father for help, thanks, praise, adoration. What’s the difference?
John 3:30

Discussion topic: v17. heirs

• Matt 6:20 – don’t store up treasures on earth, but in heaven
• Matt 19:21 – sell all your possession and you will have treasure in heaven
• Luke 12:33 – money belts which don’t wear out are an unfailing treasure in heaven
• Luke 12:21 – storing up selfish treasure is not being rich towards God
• 1 Tim 6:18-19 – be rich in good works
• Rev 4:10 – the 24 elders cast their crowns before God
• Rev 21 – the new City, the new Jerusalem

Discussion topic: hope

• Acts 3:21 – whom heaven must receive until the period of (B)restoration of all things about which (C)God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.
• 2 Peter 3:13 – But according to His (A)promise we are looking for (B)new heavens and a new earth, (C)in which righteousness dwells.
• Rev 21:1 – Then I saw (A)a new heaven and a new earth; for (B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
• 2 Cor 5:7 – we walk by faith –not by sight
• Heb 11:1 – now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

Week 18

Romans 8:1-13

Discussion question: What is the main point of this passage?
The Spirit has freed us from the Law by the power of Christ’s work and has allowed the law to be fulfilled in us. God’s Spirit gives us the power to live for God and not for the flesh therefore we are under obligation to live by the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the body.

Discussion question: In v3, ” 3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,” Does this mean that God’s very Law was too weak to save us?

Gal 3:21 if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on the law.
The Law is not weak, the flesh is weak
An offering for sin: Gen 22:8 God provides His own offering for our sin

Discussion question draws from previous question: If so, why did God give His Law to the Jews if He knew that it wouldn’t save anybody?If not, does this mean that the Law does have the power to save and that modern day Jews don’t have to believe in a Messiah to save them? and does that mean that we are powerful enough to save ourselves?

Discussion question: Is the Law a law of works that can save or a law of faith, by faith we are saved?

• Lev 18:5 So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.
• Deut 27: 26‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
• Deut 30:10-14 The Word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
• Is 53:4-7 The suffering servant

Discussion questions: In v4, “so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
- What is the requirement of the Law?
Gal 3:23-25
- How do we fulfill the requirement of the Law?
Romans 13:8
- Do WE fulfill the requirement of the Law?
Col 2:14-17
Ex 34:6-7 – God forgives the repentant
2 Corinthians 5:21 – He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Philippians 3:8-9 – More than that, I count all things to be loss . . .so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

Discussion questions: In v5-6,
- This seems very black and white, either our minds are set on the Spirit or the are set on the flesh, as Christians, do we go back and forth between the two or is it a one time thing where we believe and our minds are no longer set on the flesh?
- If we do go back and forth, how is it that verse 6 can say that the mind set on the flesh is death when v2 says we are set free from the law of death?

Discussion questions: In v8, “and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
- Does this mean that all the good things going on in the world, for instance the building of a children’s hospital or the charitable donation to the Katrina relief fund, if done by a non-believer, aren’t pleasing to God?
- If so, how can we present this truth to non-believers, how can we tell them that not one thing they do is considered good by the Lord, without having them explode in anger?

Leader: for your review:

1 Cor 6:19-20 – Body is a temple to the Lord, you are not your own, but you have been bought with a price

Eph 6:17 – the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God

Matt 11:12 – violent men take the Kingdom of Heaven by force.
Matt 18 – unless you….you cannot enter into the Kingdom

v.13 – putting to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit:
- 1 Cor 2:13-14
- Eph 6:17
-2 Tim 3:16-17 – profitable for rebuke
-1 Tim 4:13 – public reading of Scripture
-2 Tim 2:7 – pay attention to what I say
-2 Tim 2:15 – AWANA
-Ps 1:2 – he delights in God’s Law and meditates day and night, Josh 1:8
-Ps 119:11 – treasuring God’s word in our hearts
-1 Tim 4:7-8 – discipline

Week 17

Romans 8:1

Leader: This week should be spent discussing the first seven chapters of Romans and bringing up issues that were good discussions or were helpful or difficult to get through. Romans 8:1 is such an important verse and it is a great place to just pause for a week and dwell on.

Overview of Romans Chapters 1-7

Chapter 1

1-15 Paul introduces himself because he did not start the church at Rome, gives background to the Gospel, gives thanks for them at Rome, says he is writing to the believers at Rome, probably mostly Jewish converts at Rome.

16-17 Thesis statement is made, this theme is seen almost everywhere in the letter to the Romans. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’”

18-32 God has made Himself known to all men, but man has exchanged what is Glorious for what is corrupted and so God has given them over to their degrading passions.

Chapter 2

1-16 There is no partiality with God, Jews and Gentiles alike will be judged for their deeds

17-29 Even the Jews, who follow the Law to the letter, have not understood the spirit of the Law, for it is not outward circumcision that saves, but rather inward circumcision.

Chapter 3

1-2 So what advantage is there to being a Jew? Jews were entrusted with the knowledge of God.

3-4 But the Jewish religion is built upon this law, if some don’t believe in Jesus, wouldn’t that nullify God’s promise to save them? Never! Let an entire religion be found false, let every man be found to be a liar and God be found true.

5-8 But if man needs to be so evil that God may be seen as good, is God wrong for judging us? Or, put another way, if we have to sin so God has something to save us from, why not go on sinning even more so that good may come from it? It’s not even worth refuting such nonsense.

9-31 So, are some then better than others? Not at all, for there is not one who is just, not one seeks after God, all have turned away from God. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. But God has looked over the sins of the past knowing that Christ would come and be the justifier of all who believe. So there is no boasting in works, for man is justified apart from the works of the Law. Therefore, we don’t nullify the Law by our faith, but rather, we establish it.

Chapter 4

1-25 Take Abraham, for example, he did not have the Law, but it was written, “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Just like when you work, your wage is not a favor, but is due to you for your work. But to the one who believes, his faith is credited as righteousness. So Abraham believed and the promise was made to him that his descendants would reign while he was uncircumcised, and circumcision was given to seal the promise.

Chapter 5

1-11 So we have been justified and from this we gain our hope, our hope comes from the fact that it is not our doing but God’s, just look at the example He gave us, while we were completely helpless, Christ died for us. God sent His son to die for us while we were even enemies of God, this is our hope!

12-21 Look at how powerful Christ’s death was, sin came into the world through one man, Adam, and it spread to all men so that all are guilty just because they are men, now there is another event, Christ’s death, that came into the world and saved the world from the consequences of sin. So one act had the power to count all men as guilty, and one act had the power to forgive guilt. So the Law is given to show our guilt, but because of our guilt, grace is made all the more powerful.

Chapter 6

1-23 So if our sins bring about grace, shouldn’t we sin more to bring about more grace? No, don’t you see that you have died to sin? To gain this life that Christ promises us, we have to be baptized into His death so that we can be baptized into His life and being baptized into His death shows us that we are no longer who we once were. Our old selves are dead, let your old ways die as well. Don’t go on in your old ways, for you have died and are now in Christ. You don’t want to be enslaved to sin again do you? The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Chapter 7

1-13 Take the example of the law of marriage. A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives, if she joins with another while her husband is alive, she is found guilty of adultery, but if he dies she is free to join another. So you were made to die to one, sin, so that you can be joined to another, Jesus. We see that the law seems to arouse sin in our lives, but the law is not sin, rather it is the way we can know what sin is. Sin uses the law to deceive us, it uses what is good to make us do evil. But it is not the law that is the cause of evil and death, but rather it is sin working through the law.

14-25 The law is spiritual, it came from God, but we are flesh, in bondage to sin. I can see it at work when I want to do good, but don’t. I agree with what is good, I agree with the law, but the sin that dwells in me is evil and causes me to do evil. I can see then that there is nothing good in me and now there is a struggle because I want to do good, but can’t. Wretched man that I am, who will set me free?? Praise and thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Condensed Overview by Chapter:

1. Introduction, thesis, corruption of man
2. Condemnation of Jews and Greeks
3. All man is evil and deserving of death, but God have forgiven all who believe in Him and not their works
4. Evidence given that this is true
5. Sin came in through one man, and through one man it’s power is broken
6. Consider your old selves dead and the power to live your life to God in Christ
7. Sin no longer has power over us, but it still causes us to struggle

Topics discussed during the study:

• Power of the Gospel
• Do all men know God
• Does the Law save/ if one kept the Law could he be saved
• Is man dead spiritually until God awakens him
• Does anyone know God on his own
• Free will
• Does God deal with men differently than women
• Is there an age of accountability
• What if people have never heard of Christ
• What if people are too young to understand
• Who works first, God or man
• Are we sinners because we sin or do we sin because we’re sinners
• How do we go about santification
• Why does the Gospel, forgiveness of all sins past and future, produce people who don’t want to sin instead of people who say “anything goes now”
• How were OT people saved
• Predestination
• Depravity
• Election

Chapter 8

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Discussion question: Does 8:1 flow logically from 7:25? What is the “therefore” there for?

Leader: for your review:

8:1 seems to be the end of a very long comma separated sentence. Looking at 1:18-3:20 is very condemning, then 21-24 offer the sweetest sound our fallen ears can hear, then a semicolon appears after verse 24 and a long argument is brought up showing proof of faith being counted as righteousness in the old testament (3:25-4:22), then present time is brought back in (4:23-25) to explain our hope and foundation for sanctification (5:1-7:25). Then 8:1 comes back in, which, among other passages in Romans, is so fitting an ending for 3:24.

Leader: the following is an attempt to show how 8:1 seems to be a constant theme that runs throughout the book of Romans. By inserting 8:1 after a series of verses we can see how it is meant to give us comfort, encouragement, and hope as we read the book. All passages are from the book of Romans:

1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

2:9-11 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11For there is no partiality with God.8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

3:20-21 because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

4:7-9 “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. 8″BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.” 9Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

4:20-21 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21and being fully assured that what God had promised, 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus., He was able also to perform.

5:1 Therefore, having been justified, 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus., we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 6:2 How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 6: 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 6:12-14 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 6:18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 6:22-23 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 7:6 now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.

Discussion question: We are counted as righteous, why are we so unable to grasp this? Why is it that we really don’t believe that we are seen as righteous before God and not just forgiven?

John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”