Don’t forget to ask these 4 questions when reading the text:
Who is God?
What has He done?
Who are we?
What are we to do?
The best way to start learning any book of the Bible is to simply pray and read it over and over. As the longest of Paul’s letters in the New Testament, it takes about an hour to read the entire book of Romans. There are 16 chapters, and each chapter takes between 2-5 minutes to read.
Here are some practical plans for you to choose from in reading Romans:
1. Read Romans 1 hour each day to read the entire book every day
2. Read Romans 30 minutes each day to read the entire book every other day
3. Read Romans 15 minutes each day to read the entire book every four days
4. Read Romans just under 10 minutes each day to read the entire book once a week
In addition to Bible reading for yourself, the following questions are intended to help individuals and groups learn Romans.
Please use these questions as tools and not rules. As the Holy Spirit guides your time in Scripture, and as you have discussion with others, the goal is not finishing all of the questions but rather meeting with God through learning the Bible. Consider this time more as a compass pointing you in a direction than a map that directs your every step
MC Discussion Questions: Pt. 1 Romans 1:1-7
1. Paul starts by telling us a bit of his testimony and how he became a Christian. Take a few minutes and have each person share where they are at on their faith walk and where it started.
2. Paul says he is a servant of Christ Jesus. What are some of the practical ways you are serving Christ Jesus in this season (e.g. spouse, parent, employee, ministry, etc.)?
3. Paul starts by focusing our attention on God’s love, grace, and peace for us. How have you seen these things in your life, especially God’s grace? God’s grace is named around over 150 times in the New Testament, about 100 times it is from Paul. The book of the New Testament that mentions God’s grace the most is Romans, where it appears around 24 times. Can you give some specific examples of how God’s grace has shown up in your life?
4. Peace corresponds with the OT word “Shalom”, which means not merely the absence of war, but the presence of blessing. It is a rich and full word looking to final redemption and restoration, healing, wholeness when everyone and everything is brought under the rule of Jesus, the Prince of Shalom. Are there any areas in which you are struggling to live because it is the opposite of shalom that we could pray for and help with?