Romans 5: Week 1

Romans 5 Week 1

Discussion Guide for Bible Study

Discussion questions in bold

 

Tonight is dedicated to all the things that are bothering you.

Write down a list of all the things that are bothering you.

Next, mark whether it is something that happened in the past, something going on right now in the present, or something that has to do with the future.

In some cases, your problem could be more than one of these.

Romans 5:1-5

Rom 5:1-2  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

This is a great verse for solving the problems that arise in our hearts and minds as believers.

It covers our past, our present, and our future.
 

When you think about your PAST, and how your past can cause you trouble now, your past “catching up with you”, what kinds of things come to mind?

Typical answers:  mistakes, failures, crimes, sins, enemies you made…..

 

What is the Lord’s solution for your past?

Justification.

 

What is justification?

God has declared you to be righteous in His eyes on the basis of the blood  of Christ.

So all those problems from your past, all your failures and sins, you can mentally put them all in a box and see them covered by the blood of Christ.  And the end result is God declaring you righteous.

 

What things are bothering you right now? What problems are you currently experiencing?  What are the things on your plate tonight that are weighing you down or making you agitated?

Recall what Jesus said:

Mat 6:34 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.


How about the PRESENT? What are today’s troubles for you?

Expect answers like:  physical pain, unexpected bills, children in trouble, sickness, hassles on the job, hassles at home, marital problems, money problems, not doing enough for _____, someone who is angry or disappointed with you, someone you are angry with and cannot forgive, insecure in your relationship with God, things not working out the way you want in ______….

 

According to Romans 5:1-2, what does God have for you that will take care of all of today’s troubles?

Answer:  peace, and grace.

 

What is “peace with God”?

There are no barriers between you and God

God give you an open door to Him

You have an open heaven

Complete uninterrupted access to God

God has nothing against you and never will again

 

What is “grace”?

God giving freely.  God’s unrestricted favor and unlimited blessing without consideration of merit on the basis of the person and work of His Son.

Eph 1:2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Eph 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

Eph 1:5  He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Eph 1:6  to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

 

What are some Bible passages that show that this  “grace” is sufficient for any of today’s troubles?

Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29

Rom 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

1Co 3:21-23 So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, 22  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, 23 and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.

2Co 12:9-10  And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

2Co 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Phi 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Here is what Jesus had to say about today’s problems, and the solution, in the same teaching where He said not to worry about tomorrow:

Mat 6:25-34 " For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  26 " Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?  27 "And who of you by being worried can add a single  hour to his life?  28 "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,  29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  31 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'  32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1Ti 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

By the way, these two wonderful things that are the way God deals with us now every day of our lives as believers, as His children,

These two things, grace and peace, are proclaimed over and over again in  every epistle Paul wrote, and at the very beginning of each too:

Rom 1:7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as  saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter as well.

2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3

Rom 5:1  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

 

All right then.  Finally let’s turn our attention to the future.

What causes you difficulty about your future?

Well if we’re honest, a lot of the same things that we are worried about now.

Money, disaster, illness,

But the big one is – death.
 

So what does Romans 5:2 hold out for our future, and specifically concerning death?

That death is not the end, and that on the other side of death for us lies the glory of God.

 

What is the glory of God?

God manifesting His essence.

 

How will we share in the glory of God after death?

Resurrection body

We will see that we are like Christ in His humanity

We will come back with Christ for the Millennial Reign

We will live with Him forever in the New Jerusalem

 


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