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 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—ROMANS 3:1-20
Summary: The Jewish nation began with the pagan Gentile Abram being chosen by God for salvation (Genesis 12) and trusting in God by faith so that he was renamed Abraham (Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:8-12). God promised that through Abraham would come a son, through that son would come the nation of Israel, and through that nation would come Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the nations of the world. Paul, who was himself a devout Jew before meeting Jesus, answers the question if there is any benefit to being Jewish now that the mission and message of salvation has gone forth into the Gentile nations making Jewish believers a minority group within Christianity. Paul says that there are many benefits to being Jewish, but they are not of any eternal blessing unless someone believes in Jesus Christ, which was the whole point of the Old Testament and Jewish faith.
Discussion Questions:
In Romans 3:9-19, Paul says that God rules the world by unchangeable laws that are like math – true for everyone no matter whether they agree or not. How does this understanding of God’s unchanging universal laws apply to individuals who believe they are the exception to God’s laws, and entire cultures that disagree with God’s laws?
In Romans 3:20, Paul says that the more we learn the laws of God in the Word of God, the more we should be aware that we are a sinner and need a Savior. What were some of the first things God convicted you of as a new Christian? In what areas has God recently been showing you that you need to change?
Paul says that sometimes people who are religious, and participate in religious events and traditions, wrongly think that they are right with God even if they don’t believe in Jesus Christ. How have you fallen into this same trap in your life?
When Paul says that “God will judge the world” it should give us hope that the wrongs will be made right, everyone and everything will be dealt with justly once and forever, and that the world as we know it will come to an end to be replaced by perfection and peace. What are you most looking forward to when God once and for all judges the world?
Paul says that the more we understand God’s commands in the Scriptures, the more we should be aware of all the ways we have broken God’s laws and sinned. How have you seen your awareness of your own sin and need for a Savior increase the more you have learned the Bible?
How has God been faithful to you even when you have failed to be faithful to Him?