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Romans Week 12 Study Guide

Open:

Take one minute and think about the different things you do in the course of the day. Now rank them in the order of priority. Write them down.

Now think about what drives these priorities? Is it a need to earn something? Do you feel like you have to perform in order to find worth? Answer this as honestly as you can.

Now consider this: how much earning or performing is enough?

Maybe you don’t push yourself in these ways. Why is that? Does guilt and shame play a role? Is that because you feel you’ll never be free from it so you’ve largely given up on being worthy, or measuring up?

How does God’s grace liberate a person from these two thoughts/views?

Objective:

The objective of the study is to understand that it’s by God’s grace—his free unmerited favor—that we will stand in the end and His grace is how we stand now. All other efforts to earn God’s favor fail.

Read:

Romans 4:1-8,
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about — but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Study:

Look at Hebrews chapter 11; discuss the four main movements in Abraham’s story.

Why is this story so important?

Why does Paul choose Abraham as his main example of justification?

What are the words and phrases in these verse that seem most important to you? Why?

Apply:

Terry said: We have the opportunity…to live in and lean on the grace of God regardless of what he has called us to…it will not make life easy…but it is how life was designed to be lived. What does this look like for you?

Terry defined attitude in this way: Attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person’s behavior. When our settled way of thinking about our lives is in line with the reality of God’s unearned, undeserved love…the impact on our behavior is profound.

Are there areas in your life where your attitude needs to change so that you can continue to view all of life through the lens of grace?

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