Discussion Guide
Romans chapters 9-11 is the next stop on our adventure in this series. Paul addresses the conflicts between the Jews and Gentiles, focusing on issues of entitlement and disagreements over the right way to do things. Romans can be intense and hard to understand, but God knows our hearts. Be honest with God about your thoughts, feelings, and struggles to understand as you read His Word. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance. We can be thankful that we serve a God that is bigger than us, wiser, and knows all things.
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
1. Have you experienced conversations where Scripture was being taken out of context? How can we be careful not to argue or twist scripture?
2. Read Romans 9:10-16, 17-24. How can we have peace in God, even though we don’t always fully understand everything? How can we see here that God does not accept us based on our good or bad works? What is it that God chooses to show us in verse 16?
Notes: These verses are hard and talk about God accepting Jacob but rejecting Esau. As you read on, we clearly see God is merciful and desires for all to know Him. Keep things encouraging in your group, being careful not to argue. Healthy discussions, guided by the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is bigger than us, we may not always understand everything completely. However, we can trust that God’s plan and ways are always good.
3. Read Romans 10:9-13. How are we made right with God? In what ways does this verse personally relieve your burden of sin? When is the last time you had a conversation with someone where you openly declared your faith in Jesus?
Notes: Here we see the grace of God, an open invitation to all who would believe. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”. God help us as we go about our life at work, school, errands, that we talk about how you changed our lives.
4. Read Romans 11:6-7,17-18,22,32. What is the cost of God's grace? How did the Jews’ rejection allow us (Gentiles) to be grafted in? How does Paul’s warning against boasting challenge our attitudes toward our faith and relationship with God?
Notes: We were grafted in because of God’s grace. He knew that He would be rejected by His very own and that was His plan. He would use that rejection to allow you and me to be grafted in and receive salvation. We have no merit or rights to brag about our salvation. It was free and undeserved.
5. Action Step: What do we do with the message this week? We are to glorify God. When we are struggling or winning. When we are having a good day or bad. God help us to profess your name and how you had great mercy on us and changed our lives.