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Romans Week 16 Study Guide

Open:

What do you struggle with and what are the internal conflicts that have fought or are fighting against the gospel in your own life? How have you dealt with them?

Objective:

The objective is to know and understand that as people of faith we all struggle and that struggle is normal. Our faith gives us purpose, meaning, and a new power in the struggles. As Christ followers we stand by His grace as we put our confidence in Christ.

Read:

Romans 5:1-11,

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6   You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9   Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Study

Paul lays out the result of our new status with God as given by Christ: we now have peace, access, and hope. Think about your own life and share what this new status means for you personally. How has it helped you in your personal struggles?

Pick a phrase or sentence in Romans 5: 1-11 that you particularly appreciate. Why are these words significant to you?

How does your attitude toward suffering compare with the attitude Paul advocates? In what ways is suffering a normal part of the Christian walk?

Why can we rejoice even in our suffering (v. 3)?

Verses 3-5 describe a sequence that begins with suffering and ends with hope— with several stages in between. When have you seen that sequence in yourself or in someone else?

Describe the work of Christ as seen in verses 6-11. Pay particular attention to the word “demonstrates.”

Apply:

What are you struggling with today? Would you give it to God and stand in the grace you’ve gained access to? How can we as a group help you in your struggles?

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