Monday Bible Study : Romans 1

Welcome to the minimalist Bible study on the Book of Romans. If you are reading this blog for the first time, please read the Introduction to Romans here.

I encourage you to use the P.A.U.S.E method prior to reading God’s Holy Word, and be reminded that Paul’s letter to the Romans focuses on God and His great plan for redemption – Gentiles and Jews both!

1. Summary of Romans 1

If you have a journaling Bible, then note the sections (verses) of Roman 1 in your Bibles as below.

A. Introduction

o 1 : Paul’s introductory greeting to the Romans.

o 2-6 : Paul’s introduction to his Gospel to the Romans.

o 7-15 : Paul expresses a desire to go to Rome.

o 16-17 : The theme of Paul's Letter – “The Righteousness of God, revealed in His Son Jesus Christ.”

B. Why we must be Justified by Faith

o 18a : The wrath of God us humans face.

o 18b-23 : Why we are guilty before God.

o 24-32 : The tragic result of our human guilt before God.

2. Bible Study and Notes

• Verse 1: Note who the letter is from and how the author describes himself. _______________________________________________________________.

• Verse 3 clearly tells us who the Good News is about : _______________________ and how He was shown to be the Son of God when He was _________________________.

• Verse 5: Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name. The Gospel reveals the Righteousness of God and his revelation comes to those with faith.

Righteousness: Does not mean that God makes us sinners’ “good” people, it means God treats us sinners as IF I am not a sinner at all! Amen!

Faith (more than just trust) in Jesus becomes the basis of life for those declared as Righteous – we are not only saved by faith, but we must live by faith.

• Verse 11: We note here that Paul has not visited Rome before (see notes in Introductory Bible Study notes).

• Verse 12: I recently read somewhere, that we go to Church not only to ‘receive’, but also to ‘give’. Our ministry lies in the 15 minutes before or after Church where we have the God given opportunity to minister and encourage others. This thought ties in nicely with Paul's words:“When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” Romans 1:12 (NLT)

• Verse 16: This should be our stance in life: We are NOT ashamed of the Good News of Christ because it is the POWER of God at work, saving EVERYONE who believes.

“Faithfulness requires that we construct our days around the disciplines of Bible reading, prayer and investment in the Body of Christ rather than just fitting those things in when we can.” Glenna Marshal

• Verse 18: Who does God show his wrath against? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. When we give our lives to the Lord, we are saved first and foremostly from God’s wrath that we righteously deserved.

“Wrath is the Holy revulsion of God’s Being against that which is a contradiction of His Holiness.” Murray.

• Verse 21: What happens when we deviate our thinking from God’s Word? Our minds become _________________________________________________________. It is ESSENTIAL that we constantly compare our perception of God against the REALITY of who God is as is revealed in His Word!

• Verse 25: The “lie” referred to here is the very same one that was enacted out in Genesis 3:5, and that our enemy would have us believe “that we can be like God”.

• Verse 26: What does God do when we constantly reject His truth? ___________________________________________________________________________

• Verse 28-32: List all the sinful actions “foolish worldly thinking” can lead to: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Ponderings and Prayer Points

• We are encouraged by Paul not to be “ashamed” of our faith and God’s Word. Pray for the courage to witness and display your faith in your everyday life.

• How can I make Bible study and prayer a constant in my daily life? Schedule a time in your planners.

• When you have 30 minutes, set your timer, take one verse from Romans 1 that spoke to you specifically and write it out. Then look up what all the words mean in Strong’s online concordance (it is always wise to see what the original Greek / Hebrew words meant at that time). To extend yourself memorise that verse this week.

• Think about all that God has revealed to you through reading Romans 1 and ponder on these thoughts and revelations during the week whenever you have a minute.

Suggested Resource

Read Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World by Glenna Marshall. This book will encourage and equip you to persevere in your daily lives and find joy in the ordinary moments of your life.

Wishing each of you Sisters in Christ a blessed week – see you online next Monday for Romans Chapter 2.

Yours

Simply in Grace