G3

Some of us are reading through and discussing Romans 1 and 2. Here are the study questions for this passage.

Study Questions for Romans 1-2

Quick overview: Written by Paul to all Christians (Jewish and Greek) in Rome. He had not yet been to Rome, but multiple churches were apparantly already flourishing there. Based on the dates of Paul’s missionary journey and mentions of holidays, the letter is dated late winter of AD 57 or early spring of AD 58.

Romans 1:1-17

1) Scholars find several themes in Romans, but the first and overarching theme is found in Romans 1:1-17. One easy way to discover what Paul has in mind for a theme is looking for repetition; he tends to repeat what he wants his readers to focus on. What word is repeated six times in the first chapter? ___________________ The letter to the Romans will be dedicated to revealing the full meaning of this word.

2) If Paul were your present-day mentor, you would probably try to imitate the ways he lived out his faith. What tangible expressions or side-effects of his faith can be observed in Romans 1:8-17?

3) Romans 1:11 is often misunderstood in English because of the word “impart”, and because they don’t read the clarification in verse 12. For a fuller look at the more common meaning of “spiritual gift”, read 1 Corinthians 12:1-31. To what is Paul referring, then, in Romans 1:11-12?

Romans 1:18-1:32

The theme you uncovered in Chapter 1 now begins. But before the “good news”, Paul needs to spell out the bad news: where men stand before a righteous God. This section of thought continues through Romans 3:28.

4) The book of Romans has many “theological gems” that are often quoted in evangelical Christianity. One of these is Romans 1:19-20. Paraphrase this concept in your own words.

5) Some people in modern churches claim that homosexual acts are acceptable among Christians, and even clergy. What does Romans 1:18-32 have to say about homosexual behavior? What is the spiritual root (cause) of this behavior (symptom), according to this passage? What other behaviors come from the same spiritual root?

Romans 2:1-29

6) Now that Paul has explicitly judged certain behaviors, he follows with a stern warning about not judging people. Explain this apparant contradiction by reading more of what Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians 5:1-11 and Galations 6:1. James 5:19-20may also offer some clarification. Finally, read what Jesus said in Matthew 18:15-17.

7) Romans 2:6-8 is another often-misunderstood passage. Is Paul saying salvation is based on works, or are those works an outward sign of an inward condition? Read what else Paul wrote to validate your conclusion: Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 11:5-6, Eph 2:8-9.

8) Romans 2:12-16 contains another key theological concept. A common question people ask is, “What happens to the person who never hears of Jesus?” How does this passage answer that question? Check your conclusions against Jesus’ own claims in John 14:6 and John 15:5.

9) Paul’s address to the Jewish Christians in Romans 2:19-29 reveals certain attitudes or behaviors alive and well in today’s church. How can you apply and modernize what he observed in them, and how he instructed them? How does this apply to you?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 5th, 2004 at 8:07 am and is filed under Faith. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.