Paul writes the letter of Romans to the church at Rome while in Corinth on his third missionary journey. Within this letter is a detailed explanation of the Gospel. Paul introduces himself as a servant of Christ Jesus. He gave the church at Rome some facts of the Gospel; that it was promised from the beginning, that Christ died for our sins on the Cross, and that all who believe in Christ as the Son of God receive eternal life.
Paul put a lot into his relationship with the Roman Christians because he was eager to spread the Good News. His purpose was to communicate knowledge of the Gospel so they would gain strength and encouragement. Since Rome was the center of communication throughout the world at that time, it was fertile ground for a great harvest.
In this letter, we learn about the power of the Gospel which had been promised through the Holy Scriptures. Today, we look around us in this world and see poverty, sickness, and pain. We may ask God why He doesn’t do something. The thing is, He did by giving us the power of the Gospel to be His hands and feet to the world.
A thought brought out in this study is to give honor to God by noting when His invisible qualities are made plain to us and letting Him know we are thankful. Paul wrote out some thoughts about the spiritual bankrupt society of the early Roman Empire but he might as well be writing about many parts of today’s society.
Analysis by Paul tells us that exchanging the truth of God for a lie leads to a downward course. Instead the right thinking is to give attention to our spiritual growth. To think of ways we can feed our heart and mind with positives from God.
As a society learns how to live God’s way, individuals build up strong character, families support each other, and communities flourish. The post “Changing Course” provides an analysis from Paul about society’s issues, how to sort things out, and offers a prescription to a clearer vision.
To change for the better, one idea we can try is to put God’s Word into practice by evaluating our life and determining the changes that need to be made. We can determine what our priorities are and study how we use our time. We can evaluate if the proper amount of time is set aside for our highest priorities. We can also take a look at our values and if our daily task match up with our values.
Paul points out that what we know in our mind needs to lead into the heart. It’s all about receiving God’s mercy and grace by accepting Christ first. We can then put the guidance of the Holy Spirit into practice by setting out each day to work at integrating our faith with our actions. Knowing God and accepting His grace makes our burdens lighter and before long, the world is changed for the better one person at a time.
What gives meaning to our faith is not only knowing God’s Law backwards and forwards but also practicing its instructions in our life. If we continue to practice what we preach as Christians, the instructions will eventually become effortless because they will become a positive part of our life and ingrained in who we are. Then others will be blessed and will join us.
The mission of this blog is to bring out ways to better apply God’s Word in our life at work, at home, and within our neighborhoods. The questions for reflection for the study of Romans 3-6 below will help bring out some thoughts and ideas over the next few weeks.
The Lord speaks to us in various ways – visions, dreams, and life’s circumstances; even advice from others. Most of all, God speaks through the Bible. Thus, the main purpose of this blog is to study His Word with the intent to gain wisdom that we may apply in our own lives and also help others along the journey.
The reading plan below will be used as I share over the next few posts. It’s important to have a plan. I’m thankful that Jesus is God’s plan for us and by accepting Him as Savior; we have taken the steps necessary to make this day with Him amazing!
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Questions for Reflection
Romans 3:1-18
What attributes of God remain unchanged? What are the advantages of being a Christian and possessing God’s word? Who or what are our true enemies in this life?
Romans 3:19-20
What conclusions does Paul come to about the purpose of the law? What way of justification is blocked in verse 20? Why is it impossible to be justified before God by your own efforts?
Romans 3:21-31
Since legal obedience cannot make one acceptable to God, what will? Who takes the initiative in providing a way to be justified? On what conditions is a person justified? In view of God’s way of righteousness, what happens to your pride and boasting? Why?
Romans 4:1-12
How does Abraham receive right standing with God (See Gal. 3:6-18; 4:21-31)? Why can’t Abraham boast before God or claim his due? How does this way of righteousness affect your attitude toward God? Toward good works?
Romans 4:13-25
To whom is the promise (See Gen. 12:1-3, 7) made? On what does it depend? What about Abraham’s faith needs to be true of your faith?
Romans 5:1-11
What are the consequences of justification by faith? In what three things are you to rejoice? What has caused you to rejoice recently? What have been the results? How can you worship God for His love to you today?
Romans 5:12-21
What do you learn here about sin and death? Which comes first? What is the free gift? How can you move from the reign of sin and death to the reign of life?
Romans 6:1-11
What is the theme of this section? What experiences have all Christians shared with Christ? What does the Christian know and what difference does this knowledge make?
Romans 6:12-23
In order to live consistent with a position of being in Christ, what must a Christian do? What role does your will have in deciding what has dominion over you? On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate yourself as yielding to God in order to be used as an instrument of righteousness?
Resources and Supplementary Helps Used in Posts
Adeney, Carol. This Morning with God: A Daily Study Guide to the Entire Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1978. Print.
“Bible.” The Bible – The Word of God – ChristNotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 2017. <http://www.christianity.com/bible/>.
Nicholes, Lou. “Recent Commentaries.” Family-Times.net – Devotional Commentary Index. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.family-times.net/commentary/>.
“BibleGateway.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.biblegateway.com/>.
